There was a tremendous air of excitement and expectation in Friedrichshafen today as Europe's general aviation community gathered for the start of the sixteenth Aero exhibition. This event, which is held every two years, is arguably the leading showcase for GA in Europe covering a multitude of owner-flown aircraft from gliders to very light jets and has become a vital platform for this burgeoning industry, helping it to promote and grow the market throughout the region while giving airframers and regulators an opportunity to thrash out pertinent issues. Hot topics on the agenda today included a discussion, lead by Europe's light sport aircraft lobby, on slashing unnecessary red tape for airframers. During this session there was a call to arms from a senior EASA executive to lobby politicians to speed up certification processes and reduce costs. The other debate on very light jets regretfully was targeted at a German speaking audience which was only made clear after the conference began. When it was apparent that no translation service was to be offered a host of disgruntled non German speakers made a rather abrupt exit.
Timing of the show, which this year clashes with the hugely popular Sun 'n' Fun in Florida could have been better but is a testament to the popularity and strength of Aero that all the major airframers, are exhibiting at both shows. Cirrus Design this afternoon showed off its third generation SR22 for the first time in Europe having unveiled the aircraft in the USA, and Brazil earlier this week. Tomorrow a mock up of the aircraft will be unveiled at a GA show in Beijing, China. Austria's Diamond Aircraft is debuting its much anticipated DA 50 piston single and will be hoping its Superstar makes an impact here! Tonight the Eclipse 500 touched down at the show after a five day journey. The very light is making its European debut here and is also embarking on a two month demonstration tour to drum up customers across the continent.
By Kate Sarsfield.