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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 1249.PDF
BUSINESS & GENERAL AVIATION MARKETING GRAHAM WARWICK / NEW YORK Airbus tries direct marketing in USA The demise of US distributor Avolar has forced manufacturer to deal direct with potential customers for A319CJ parent UAL announced in late ownership, air taxi, aircraft man- March that it was closing agement and corporate shuttle ser- its business aviation subsidiary, vices, citing unfavourable market which planned to offer fractional conditions. Airbus is now heading directly to potential A319CJ customers in the USA REGULATIONS JUSTIN WASTNAGE / BRUSSELS VFR to be banned for Europe's upper airspace Airbus is talking directly to poten tial US buyers of its A319 Corporate Jet (ACJ), following the demise of its US marketing partner Avolar. The United Airlines fractional- ownership subsidiary had agreed to act as North American distribu tor and provide flight support for up to 15 ACJs. "We know who Avolar was talk ing to, and we are now talking to them directly," says Airbus chief commercial officer John Leahy. Avolar had promoted a joint- ownership programme under which up to four customers would form a holding company to pur chase an ACJ directly from Airbus, with the United subsidiary then operating the aircraft using crews drawn from the airline's A320 fleet. To offset the cost of the aircraft, Avolar was offering to operate the ACJ on charters when it was not being used by its owners. Potential customers identified by Avolar included unnamed corporate shut tle services and sports teams. Leahy says he is not interested in marketing fractional ownership of the ACJ, but wants to sell an aircraft to a single customer. "He can then sell shares if he wants to," he says. The Boeing Business Jet is avail able in the fractional ownership market through Executive Jet's Netjets programme, but share sales for long-range, large-cabin air craft have been hit by the eco nomic downturn. The shut-down of Avolar, mean while, is expected to be complete by mid-May. United Airlines' General aviation (GA) aircraft flying under visual flight rules (VFR) con ditions will be banned in Europe above flight level (FL) 195 (19,500ft/5,950m), except under exceptional circumstances, from 2010. Under new European airspace rules, only aircraft operating under instrument flight rules (IFR) and radar surveillance will be allowed above FL195. Bill Armit, Eurocontrol's project manager for the simplification of European airspace classification, told the International Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Assoc iations (IAOPA) earlier this month that the reclassification of European airspace would prohibit any non- IFR flights in upper air- space, and that GA use of middle airspace will be evaluated before any further rul ings are made. European Civil Aviation Con ference (ECAC) member states will enforce three new airspace designa tions from 2010: "N" (controlled), "K" (known traffic) and "U" (uncon trolled), replacing the current seven International Civil Aviation Organi sation classifications. ECAC airspace is currently divided into upper and lower airspace, defined differently in each member state. Eurocontrol says that VFR flights in its "N" airspace - all airspace above FL195 and designated termi nal areas below it - will be prohib ited. Temporarily segregated air space, with specific permissions, will be granted for certain high-level glid ers, test flights and high-level para chuting. Between FL195, which Eurocontrol previously referred to as "FLx", and "FLz", a lower level yet to be designated, a "K" band of semi- controlled airspace will exist, where VFR flights may continue under rules being defined this year. But the GA community wishes to maintain the right to change from IFR to VFR and vice-versa in the air, according to weather conditions. Most GA flights are in U airspace below FLz, the level for which will be designated by next April. CERTIFICATION Hawker Horizon delayed again Raytheon Aircraft has again delayed certification of the Hawker Horizon super mid-size business jet. this time to the end of 2003. Deliveries are now planned to begin early in 2004. When it was launched in 1996, the Horizon was scheduled for delivery in 2001. The new schedule is deliberately conservative, says'Hawker pro gramme director Dwayne Johnston, as Raytheon does not want to disappoint customers as it did with the entry-level Premier I, deliveries of which began last year after a delay of more than two years. Both the Premier and Horizon share composite-fuselage technology that has been pioneered by Raytheon. The first Horizon has logged 140h in flight testing and is being prepared for in-flight loads testing. Four of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW308- powered aircraft will be used in the flight-test programme. The second aircraft is being prepared for a first flight next month, the third is in final assembly and the wing for the fourth has been delivered by risk-sharing partner Fuji Heavy Industries. "We are 100% committed to the aircraft," says Raytheon Aircraft chief executive Jim Schuster. "We have dramatically improved the management discipline in the development programme, and we are holding track." The delay in delivery will give Raytheon time to incorporate in the Horizon fuselage production improvements being developed for the Premier. Over the past year, modifications in the automated fibre-place ment process have reduced the scrap rate on the most difficult parts to almost zero, and reduced defects in the composite fuselage, says vice- president, manufacturing operations, David Shih. Raytheon is now implementing lean manufacturing on the Premier assembly line to reduce costs and cycle time. The company plans to deliver 50 aircraft this year, up from 18 in 2001, and will increase the rate to 60 aircraft annually later this year. Raytheon suspended development of the Hawker 450 light mid-size business jet in March to concentrate on the Horizon. The 450 had suffered extensive delays since its launch in 2000. , t i . it i , for deliver i . www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 23-29 APRIL 2002 21
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