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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1436.PDF
BUSINESS AVIATION PRODUCTION Eclipse signs Compass Eclipse Aviation has signed a long-term supplier contract with Compass Aerospace for structural components and subassemblies for its Eclipse 500 very light jet. The Albuquerque, New Mexico-based manufacturer awarded the contract, potentially worth around $400 million, to Compass for cockpit, fuselage and door subassemblies to be delivered over the next six years. The contract is thought to be the largest subcontract in the history of Santa Ana, California- based Compass and builds on two years' co-operation with Eclipse, says Compass chief executive John Reimers. Compass is currently supplying the structural components and assemblies for Eclipse's pre-production certifica tion-test aircraft and expects to ramp up production in 2005 achieving full-rate production levels in line with Eclipse's schedule. Work will be performed at Compass's facilities in Wichita, Kansas and Kent, Washington. Vern Raburn, Eclipse president and chief executive, says Compass joins a list of "world-class suppliers" working to deliver an orderbook of "more than 2,100" Eclipse 500 jets, as well as future orders. Meanwhile, Eclipse released the first module of its five-CD self-study pilot training programme and revealed that it has acquired an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatross for use in upset recovery training. HUMANITARIAN AID Rossair expands fleet for new relief contract South African non-governmental mission specialist Rossair Con tracts has expanded its fleet after winning a key contract in Kenya as it continues restructuring. The Johannesburg-based com pany has increased its fleet by seven aircraft to meet the demands of a three-year, €25 million ($30 million) contract from the Euro pean Union's humanitarian aid office ECHO for relief flights in East Africa. The aircraft will be operated by Rossair's Nairobi-based sister com pany Rossair Kenya under a wet- lease deal for ECHO Flight, which assists agencies working in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region of Africa. The contract, which started officially in May, is for six aircraft, plus an additional standby machine and covers three years. Rossair refuses to disclose the value of the deal, but the EU's annual budget last year for ECHO Flight was €8.4 million. Rossair Contracts managing director, Ian du Rand, says the company is still in talks with banks aimed to restructure the group. "We have won several new con tracts as well as ECHO recently and we are lifting our own way out of our problems," says du Rand. The Rossair group, which also includes an executive charter arm and a maintenance facility at Johannesburg Lanseria airport, flies 44 aircraft, including ATR 42s, Beechcraft 1900B/C/Ds and King Airs, Cessna Citations, Douglas DC3-TPS, de Havilland Canada Twin Otter DHC-6s and Learjet 35As. AVIONICS EFIS approved for Citation 501 Chelton Flight Systems' Flight Logic Synthetic Vision electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) has received supplementary type certifica tion for the Cessna Citation 501. The EFIS is a three-screen primary flight display with integrated full-function flight management system. Chelton says it is the only reduced vertical separation minima-compli ant synthetic vision system with a terrain awareness warning system. BLOCK CHARTER KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON Cessna's card plan gets off the ground Scheme offering first step to fractional ownership takes off CitationShares, a joint venture be tween Cessna and TAG Aviation, has launched its pre-paid block charter programme Vector JetCard, nine months after its unveiling at the National Business Aviation As sociation (NBAA) convention (Flight International, 14-20 October). TAG says only a limited number of 25h Vector cards will be avail able as the key aim of the pro gramme is to provide a leg up into fractional ownership. "The Vector programme is also another way of doing demonstration flights for potential CitationShares cus tomers, but getting paid for it," says TAG Aviation chief executive Roger McMullin. Vector JetCard members have access to Citation Shares' fleet of 44 CJls, Bravos, Excels and Sovereigns, starting from $91,370 for 25h in the CJ1. Greenwich, Connecticut-based CitationShares plans to add a fur ther 10 aircraft to the fleet to sup port demand from Vector JetCard customers. The first two mid-size Citation Sovereigns will join the fleet this year and a further Sovereign order is expected at the NBAA convention in October. Meanwhile, TAG Aviation is sell ing its company-owned fleet in Europe in an effort to slash costs and spread risk. Vector JetCard will offer 25h blocks on jets, including the Citation Excel BLOCK CHARTER EVAN SWEETMAN / LONDON JetPass option added Raytheon's fractional business-jet ownership programme Flight Options has launched its own block charter scheme JetPass, following a profitability study. JetPass is an addition to Flight Options' membership-based programme, splitting fractions into 25h increments. JetPass customers can select from five aircraft offered by Flight Options. Prices range from $999 for 25h in a Beechjet light business jet to $1,499 for the same block of hours in a Hawker 800, while large cabin jets, including the Bombardier Challenger 601, Cessna Citation X and Embraer Legacy, cost subscribers $2,499. The scheme is available for flights from airports within 370km (200nm) of the borders of continental USA, with a surcharge levied for travel plans extending further. JetPass builds on a similar programme launched by Flight Options in November last year, Access 25. Flight Options says it conducted feasibility studies into Access 25 and says it has a significant number of customers already enrolled in JetPass. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 3-9 AUGUST 2004 17
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