HAWKER 400 XPR FLIES
Following the announcement of the Hawker 400XPR package at the NBAA convention in October, Hawker Beechcraft Services (chalet A10) has acquired the first test aircraft and initiated design engineering on its $2.24 million upgrade for Hawker 400XP/Beechjet 400A aircraft. "Based on strong customer interest, we are speeding up the pace of the 400XPR development," says Christi Tannahill, Hawker Beechcraft vice-president, global customer support. The Hawker 400XPR, which is expected to receive certification in 2012, will offer improved range and airfield performance, while reducing noise and emissions by replacing its Pratt & Whitney JT15D-5 engines with Williams International FJ44-4A-32 turbofans. The upgrade also features the addition of Hawker composite winglets and an optional modernised flightdeck with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics.
LONDON LEGACY
London Executive Aviation has become the first executive air charter operator to add an Embraer Legacy 650 business jet to its air operator's certificate. The jet is on show here.
ARABIAN APPOINTMENT
Dassault Falcon has appointed Bernard Delouÿe as customer service manager for Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Delouÿe will be based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where a significant part of the region's Falcon fleet is based. The appointment comes in the wake of the opening of a Dassault Falcon regional sales office in Dubai and the appointment of two authorised service centres, in Jeddah and Dubai.
EMIRATES-CAE TRAINS
Emirates-CAE Flight Training (stand C615) has announced two new customised pilot training programmes at its Dubai centre, with a Middle Eastern charter service and an African airline. The programmes include simulation-based pilot training for Airbus, Bombardier and Hawker Beechcraft aircraft. Executive Aircraft Services has signed a contract for pilot training on the Bombardier Global Express. ECFT installed a new CAE 7000 Series full-flight simulator for the Global Express in April, and EAS trains with ECFT on the Hawker 800 and CAE on the Bombardier Challenger 300. Senegal Airlines, the new national carrier of the West African nation, has meanwhile begun training pilots for its Airbus A320 fleet at ECFT. ECFT is jointly operated by the Emirates Group and CAE.
Source: Flight Daily News
