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Aviation History
2003
2003 - 0493.PDF
BUSINESS AVIATION EVACUATION H&P in rapid response agreement UK charter broker Hunt & Palmer International (H&P) has signed an alliance with hostage risk-avoidance consultancy Control Risks to provide emer gency evacuation from international hotspots. Under the deal, H&P is to become the air transport provider for Control Risks' CR24 rapid response scheme offered to companies operating in volatile international situations. Pete Lynch Williams, H&P's commercial manager, says the deal formalises work carried out for several years. H&P airlifted around 40 utility workers in Pakistan and India during the two countries' nuclear stand-off last year and has been involved in emergency plans for compa nies operating in South America. "The threat of impending war in the Middle East has brought lots of enquiries," he says. Under the scheme, companies either commission a one-off evacuation plan or pay a retainer to have aircraft available at short notice close to affected locations for skeleton staff. The pro gramme works on a four-stage risk level basis, with Control Risks updating its clients on security information on a 30min basis during periods of intense instability. H&P draws up an emergency pack containing ground-handling information, navigational maps and details of onward scheduled services from the closest safe airport. PERSONAL JETS GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC Satire and Eclipse in race for first delivery landmark After selecting Williams FJ33 powerplant, S-26 manufacturer hopes to beat rivals to market Satire Aircraft has selected Williams International's FJ33 turbofan to power its S-26, and claims it will be first to market with a personal jet. US certification has been set for the end of 2005, with deliveries to begin in the first quarter of 2006, says chief executive Calmilo Salomon. Meanwhile, Eclipse Aviation has delayed certification and first deliv eries of its Eclipse 500 by 25 months to the first quarter of 2006 after selecting the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofan to replace the Williams EJ22s originally power ing the aircraft (Flight International, 25 February-3 March). Cessna plans to certificate its PW615F-powered Citation Mustang entry-level jet in mid-2006 and begin customer deliv eries by the end of that year. Satire has selected the derated, l,1001b-thrust (4.9kN) FJ33-4, scheduled to be certificated by year- end. First flight of a "company con forming" S-26 prototype is planned for February 2004, says Salomon, followed by three certification flight-test aircraft. The West Palm Beach, Florida-based company plans to have contracts signed with airframe, avionics, landing gear and other system suppliers by the end of March. Announcement of a final-assembly site is imminent, he says, with three cities in Florida and two in Texas in contention. Satire is stepping up activity after signing a deal in November with a Swiss private investment syndicate committed to funding the pro gramme through to first flight. At that point position holders will be required to make a downpayment to convert their deposits to firm orders. "We will raise $90 million three months after first flight," says Salomon. Satire holds deposits on 722 aircraft, and expects to reach first flight "with at least 1,100 orders", he says. Satire has increased performance estimates for the S-26 to reflect its engine choice. Maximum cruise speed is 340kt (630km/h), ceiling 37,000ft (11,300m) and range 1,850km (l,000nm) with four occupants. Price "will be over $1 million", says Salomon. The Eclipse is priced at $950,000 for the first 2,200 aircraft and $1,175 million thereafter, while the larger Mustang sells for $2.6 million. Eclipse plans to resume flight testing of its first prototype in April using surrogate engines, and to fly the first five PW610F-powered cer tification-test aircraft in late 2004. Delays and design changes have doubled the amount of money that must still be raised to take the Eclipse 500 into production, to around $180 million, says chief executive Vern Raburn, but the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based company expects fewer than 5% of the 2,100 orders to be cancelled. Cessna holds deposits on more than 300 Mustangs, which it plans to begin converting to firm orders after it has selected an avionics sup plier and completed definition of the aircraft. First flight of a "company conforming" S-26 is planned for February 2004 CHARTER OurJet plans business aircraft one-stop shop UK start-up charter company Ourjet has begun operating from Farnborough Airport using the three business jets previously owned by defunct air taxi operator Chauffair, which went into receivership a year ago Flight International 22-28 January 2002). The BAe 125-700, Hawker 800 and Cessna Citation V will be used initially for ad hoc charters but Ourjet is mulling the introduction of a block charter programme. Robin Stanway, Ourjet chairman says: "We have a lot of plans for the new company, but we don't want to rush into anything. Our initial aim is to offer charter, brokerage and maintenance, essentially a one-stop shop for our customers." Stanway says the company is holding advanced discussions with established brokers and mainte nance companies with a view to forming partnerships. "We are operating in a highly competitive market and we have to survive by spreading our risk." He adds: "This we will do by offering more than one service with experts in each of these sectors. This will also give us more control over the standards and quality of the service." Stanway says while it is rare for charter operators to offer broker age, it makes sense to be involved in the process. "Customers talk to a broker if they want to charter an aircraft...we want to be one of the first operators they call," he says. 18 4-10 MARCH 2003 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.com
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