PIPER POSITIVE
Piper Aircraft has reported an 18% hike in deliveries of its piston aircraft types for the first half of the year - bucking an industry trend that has seen overall piston shipments decline by 16% during the same period. The company also says that its overall deliveries for the first half of 2008 are up 13% to 118 aircraft. Piper says demand for its piston types "is driven by the unparalleled success of the all-new six-seat Piper Matrix", which entered service earlier this year. The aircraft accounted for 48 of the 98 piston aircraft delivered between January and June - 15 more than during the first six months of 2007. "We have orders for 101 Matrix models this year," says Piper president James Bass. "The Piper Matrix fills a niche in the market that hasn't been truly addressed until now. To date, our entire first year of production is sold out and market demand continues to be very strong."
CROATIA FIRE BOSS
The Croatian government took delivery earlier this month of the first of two Air Tractor AT-802A Fire Boss amphibious firefighting aircraft on order. The single-engined turboprop joins the three single-seat aircraft already in service with the air force. The delivery is part of a euro 5 million ($7.44 million) deal that Croatia signed on 25 July with Spain's Air Tractor Europe. Delivery of the second aircraft to the 855th Fire-fighting Squadron at Zadar-Zemunik air base is imminent. The amphibian fleet will be used to tackle forest fires along the Dalmatian coast.
VIETNAM AIR TAXI
Vietnam's Northern Air Service has launched a regular air taxi service between the country's capital Hanoi and the northern city of Ha Long to exploit the booming tourism industry in the country. The service uses single-engined Eurocopter EC130-B4 helicopters.
Source: Flight International