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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 0746.PDF
GENERAL AVIATION Bell the answer for HeliSolution GRAHAM WARWICK/WASHINGTON DC LATIN AMERICA'S first heli copter fractional ownership programme, Sao Paulo-based HeliSolutions, has selected the Bell 430 as its twin-engined aircraft. The first of two aircraft will arrive later this month. HeliSolutions already offers shares in the Robinson R44 piston single and Eurocopter EC 120 Colibri and AS3 S0B3 Ecureuil tur bine singles. The company, which began operations in July last year, has sold over 60 shares and has nine aircraft in its fleet: four R44s, two EC120s and three AS350s. A further seven R44s and EC 120s, will be added at the end of March, says chief executive Allan Paiotti. In return for buying a tenth share in a helicopter, owners can use the aircraft for lOh a month. Ownership of the Bell 430 will be divided into one-fifth shares, each providing 15h a month. Aircraft are flown by HeliSolutions pilots, and the scheme serves greater Sao Paulo, which has more than 150 heliports. HeliSolutions will expand to Rio de Janeiro in the second quarter, and plans to serve other Brazilian state capitals, Paiotti says. Fractional ownership of heli copters has yet to catch on in the NEWS IN BRIEF • GULFSTREAM UPGRADE Jet Aviation has launched a campaign to interest owners of Gulfstream II and Ills in a cabin upgrade which replaces the interior with the larger interior shell from the GV. The composite shell is sus pended by links and isolators which quieten the cabin. • AIRBRIDGE FOR FBO Waterford, Michigan-based DaimlerChrysler Aviation has become the first fixed-base operation with an airbridge- equipped passenger facility, initially for use with the German/US car manufactur er's Airbus A319CJ transat lantic corporate shuttle. • BIGGIN JETS Jet Aviation has acquired a site at Biggin Hill airport in Kent, UK, to provide mainte nance, refurbishment and FBO facilities. The US head quartered company will initially provide maintenance capability across a range of corporate jets including Gulfstreams, Cessna Citat ions and Dassault Falcons. The maintenance facility opens this month and the FBO is due to get underway in the third quarter. USA, where the concept has seen enormous success with business jets, and HeliSolutions is now the largest such programme in the world. "Fractionals may make more sense in Brazil, because there is demand and lots of helistops," says Bell chairman Terry Stinson, adding: "Lack of infrastructure has hurt fractionals in the USA." HeliFlite Shares, one of only two US helicopter fractional programmes, has operated the Bell 430 intermediate turbine twin since December 1999. The com pany moved operations to the US north east last year after a disap pointing start-up in Dallas, Texas. HeliFlite has two 430s and plans to offer the Bell 427 light twin. HeliSolutions is a joint venture between Phoenix Strategic Finan cial Advisers and Audi Heli- copteros, the Brazilian distributor for Robinson Helicopter. Ashareholding costs $40,000 for the R44, $120,000 for the EC120 and $180,000 for the AS350, built as the Helibras Esquilo in Brazil. Shares in the Bell 430 will cost $1-1.2 million. Owners also pay monthly management and hourly occupancy fees, ranging from 3,700 real ($2,000) and 295 real/h, respectively, for the R44 to 9,500 real (870 real/h) for the AS350. • Cathay Pacific orders Learjet for pilot training CATHAY PACIFIC Airways has ordered a Bombardier Learjet 45 for use in pilot training, and has taken an option on a second business jet. The first of the Learjets will be delivered in the third quarter to BAE Systems Flight Training (Australia), which will operate and maintain the aircraft on behalf of Cathay at its Parafield flight school near Adelaide, South Australia. BAE, which already performs ab initio pilot training for the airline, will use the Learjet to train second officers progressing to the rank of first officer and first officers pro gressing to captain. BAE currently charters Cessna Citations to pro vide Cathay pilots with transition training. The Learjet 45 was chosen because its cockpit technol ogy is similar to that in the airline's commercial fleet. Cathay's aircraft will be configured for the training role with a third crew seat. Cathay is expanding its fleet and recruited more than 200 pilots last year. A further 200willbehiredthis year, says Cathay. During 2001, 131 second officers and 95 first officers will go through transition training. The Learjet is expected to be operated for over 1,000h a year. Singapore Airlines was the first to use the Learjet 45 for commer cial pilot training. The carrier operates four, which replaced the Learjet 31 As previously operated. Other business jets operated in the advanced training role include Raytheon Beechjet 400As. • The Learjet 45 will be used in training at Parafield flight school, Australia EADS Socata clocks up another big sale EADS SOCATA has made its second major sale of the year with an order for 10TB20Trinidad GT advanced trainers from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT). The deal follows an order for 10 TBM700 turboprop singles from Jet Fly Aviation in February. The aircraft will be added to NCAT's fleet of 25 TB9 Tampico basic trainers, bought in 1998. Deliveries start in June or July. The deal includes three Thales-sup- ,' plied SR-Spira 900 flight naviga- J tion and procedure trainers. NCAT was established in 1964 and is one of Africa's largest state- owned aviation colleges. It claims to be the only one offering training in flying, maintenance, air traffic control and communication and navigational-aids engineering. The Nigerian sale is a fillip to the French-based company as it recov ers from a series of problems last year which prevented the company from reaching its 100-aircraft delivery target. EADS Socata says it plans to produce more than 130 aircraft this year, comprising "more than 100" light aircraft and 33 TBM700s. Only 45 light air craft and 24 TBM700s were pro duced in 2000 after problems with suppliers and limited production facilities at its plant in Tarbes. • 26 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 6 - 12 March 2001
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