Papillon Helicopters Adds Another EC130 to Its “Flightseeing” Fleet

Houston,
American Eurocopter announced today that Papillon Helicopters, Inc. has ordered another EC130 B4 to its aerial tour operations in the Grand Canyon and the surrounding area. This is the fourteenth EC130 B4 in the company’s fleet.

“Papillon is a valued customer and their continued selection of the EC130 affirms the aircraft as a proven platform for aerial tour operations in the United States and worldwide,” said Marc Paganini, President and CEO of American Eurocopter.

“Our focus is on customer satisfaction, comfort and safety,” said Lon Halvorson, EVP of Papillon Helicopters, Inc. “The B4 is renowned for its spacious cabin, excellent visibility, reliability and performance, and it is the right choice for our fleet.”

The EC130B4 is equipped with a Turbomeca ARRIEL 2B1 turbine engine. It comes with a dual channel digital engine control system (FADEC) and has a fast cruise speed of 130 knots, and a range of 329 nm with no reserves. Its Fenestron® tail rotor and automatic control of rotor RPM results in a significantly reduced operating noise level, which makes it the platform of choice for the aerial tour industry.

Since 1965 Papillon Helicopters has been the world’s oldest and largest sightseeing company flying an estimated 600,000 passengers a year on its daily tours to the Grand Canyon. Papillon is certified to fly both the South and West Rims of this great American landmark, and has three landing sites on the Grand Canyon’s floor.

Source: Eurocopter
Photo: Papillon Helicopter

GOL Airlines selects Rockwell Collins to provide data link system and multi-mode receiver for its Boeing 737 fleet

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (February 08, 2010) - Brazil’s GOL Airlines has selected Rockwell Collins to provide CMU-900 Communications Management Unit (CMU) for its fleet of Boeing 737NG airplanes. In addition, the airplanes will also be equipped with the company’s advanced GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR). Deliveries will begin in early 2010.

“GOL’s standards of safety, comfort and affordability for their passengers, as well as the need to equip their fleet for an evolving future airspace were, key factors in selecting Rockwell Collins for data link and MMR capabilities,” said Jeff Standerski, vice president and general manager of Air Transport Systems for Rockwell Collins. “These are smart investments that will provide operators the advanced functionality and proven technology that will help GOL’s fleet perform at its best now and for years to come.”

The CMU-900 enables state-of-the-art digital communications between aircraft systems, pilots, airlines IT infrastructure, and various operations control functions. This enhances an airline’s ability to more effectively communicate and manage airline operations.

The CMU-900 also will be certified in January 2011 for the European Link 2000+ Protected Mode ATN CPDLC mandate which begins in January 2011. The CMU-900 was the first communications management unit to participate in the European Link 2000+ Controller to Pilot Data link Communications (CPDLC) trials, which validated the use of advanced digital communications for Air Traffic Control communications. 

The advanced GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver is the first MMR certified for precision landing using either Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) or Instrument Landing Systems (ILS). The GLU-925 is the primary navigation sensor for all phases of flight, including the stringent Required Navigation Performance (RNP) requirement of 0.1 n.m.

Source: Rockwell Collins

Boeing Awarded Contract for Major Upgrade to French AWACS Fleet

SEATTLE, Feb. 3, 2010 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has been awarded a $324 million Foreign Military Sales contract from the Electronics Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., to upgrade France’s fleet of four E-3F Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, as well as the fleet’s ground system.

“This upgrade — the largest ever for French AWACS — will provide the fleet with more actionable information and better situational awareness,” said Steve Swanz, French AWACS program manager for Boeing. “New mission computers also will reduce the mission operator’s workload, allowing more time to be spent managing the battlespace.”

The French AWACS Mid-Life Upgrade is based on the U.S. AWACS Block 40/45 system, which dramatically enhances the potential for network-enabled operations; increases mission execution capability, reliability and effectiveness; and reduces life-cycle costs.

The upgrade will include:

• A primary AWACS display, which increases situational awareness through its intuitive interface and detailed map database
• Upgraded Identification Friend or Foe Interrogation, including Mode S and Mode 5 capability
• An increase in the number of mission consoles aboard each aircraft, from 10 to 14
• Modern mission computing processing, which enables improved AWACS mission performance through the use of advanced battle management tools such as Automatic Air Tasking Orders and Airspace Coordination Order updates, resource and sensor management, and automated decision aids
• Improved combat identification capabilities from integrated sensor and off-board datalinks
• The Multi-Source Integration process, which automatically integrates data from on- and off-board sources such as radar, Electronic Support Measures and Link 16, to provide significantly improved tracking capabilities
• Digital radio control and management through the new mission computing subsystem
• An open system architecture that enables rapid software upgrades and requires less hardware.

Air France Industries will begin installing the enhancements at its Le Bourget Airport facility near Paris in 2012. The entire fleet is scheduled to complete this upgrade in the third quarter of 2015.

Fokker Services signs a 130 Million Euro fleet lifetime agreement with Austrian Airlines

Amsterdam, January 20, 2010 –[ASDWire]– Today, at the 7th Fokker Operators Conference in Amsterdam, Fokker Services signed a FLYFokker Take Care agreement with Austrian Airlines. The agreement, with an estimated value of 130 Million Euro, is valid up to year 2020 and applicable for a fleet of nine Fokker 70 and fifteen Fokker 100 aircraft. It marks the introduction of the Take Care solution for mature operators as part of the complete FLYFokker program.

Since the introduction of the Fokker 70’s in 1995 and Fokker 100’s in 2004 with Austrian Airlines, Fokker Services has been providing logistical services and technical services. The new FLYFokker Take Care agreement marks the next phase in the relationship. It starts a continuous process with challenging cost reduction, technical performance improvement and the introduction of products to further increase passenger comfort.

FLYFokker
This fleet lifetime agreement fits within the innovative Life Cycle Support program for the Fokker fleet of aircraft, entitled FLYFokker, as launched at Dubai Airshow in November 2009. The agreement signed today is the third significant step in the development of the complete program, following the Take Off strategic alliance with Denim Air and a recently announced Take Over partnership with KLM Cityhopper.

The Take Care solution perfectly fits operators who have a Fokker fleet in full operation. It enables them to work with Fokker Services in a long-term partnership with key performance indicators as reduction of Direct Operating/Maintenance Cost, increased Technical Dispatch Reliability and passenger appeal.

As Martin Schmidt, Director Operations Procurement of Austrian Airlines explains: “This Take Care partnership with Fokker Services has mutually been developed over the past year and is crucial for the sustainable reliability and cost effectiveness of our Fokker operations. Part of the agreement is the implementation of new LED cabin lighting to even further increase the comfort of our valued customers, as our complete fleet has been equipped with the newest Fokker interior already. We expect to fly our Fokker fleet for many years to come, as the Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 are very cost effective, competitive and reliable aircraft in operation.”

Roland van Dijk, President of Fokker Services: ‘’After the recent FLYFokker program launch, this Take Care fleet lifetime agreement with Austrian Airlines as a mature operator of Fokker aircraft, is a major milestone in the program. Both parties worked hard on the development of the agreement, as a new way of working is required to achieve the challenging targets. We are proud to have Austrian Airlines as the first customer in the FLYFokker Take Care program and expect many more customers to join.’’

About Fokker Services
At present there are 700 operational Fokker aircraft across the world. The Fokker aircraft has earned a reputation for advanced technologies, comfort, operational reliability, low noise level and durability. Flying Fokker makes economic sense. Many consider the Fokker among the best mid size aircraft ever built. Besides the Fokker aircraft, Fokker Services is serving operators with the Bombardier Dash-8 and other Out of Production Aircraft, with it’s logistic flight hour program ABACUS.

FLYFokker, the full-service Life Cycle support program for Fokker aircraft, comprises four solutions (Take Off, Take Care, Take Over and Take Next) for the continued competitive operation of Fokker aircraft.

Source: Fokker Services

Rolls-Royce extends support for UK Typhoon fleet

Friday, 15 January 2010

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has signed an innovative service contract worth £865 million with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to support the Royal Air Force’s fleet of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft which are powered by EJ200 engines, assembled by Rolls-Royce in Bristol.

Under the terms of the contract, which runs until 2019, Rolls-Royce will provide the RAF with a guaranteed level of availability for its EJ200 engines.

Rolls-Royce has been contracted to support the RAF’s EJ200 engine fleet since November 2001 and has consistently met 100 per cent of the performance requirements from the outset.

Martin Fausset, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace, said: “This contract meets the challenge set by the MOD to industry of delivering affordable and innovative support solutions for the Typhoon programme. We apply a high level of technology and innovation into developing support solutions, as we do to developing our engines, which gives the Armed Forces the twin benefits of increased operational capability and better value for money.”

Typhoon Team Leader Air Vice Marshal Chris Bushell said: “Today’s announcement of a 10-year engine availability service with Rolls-Royce is good news for us all; the service will maximise aircraft availability by using the most cost-effective solution. Typhoon has now been operational in the air defence role for well over two years and a multi-role capability was integrated and declared combat ready by the RAF in July 2008. The signature of the Partnered Support Operational Phase 3 contract builds on this success and will underpin Typhoon’s growing capability and utilisation.”

Rolls-Royce undertakes all aspects of EJ200 engine support, including the provision of replacement engines to meet customer demands, and technical support both on-base and from the Rolls-Royce Operations Centre in Bristol.

Rolls-Royce support operations are centred at the Typhoon Propulsion Support Facility at RAF Coningsby, where the RAF’s Typhoon squadrons are based. From there, a team comprising both Rolls-Royce and RAF personnel manages the engine support for aircraft operations in the field and also carries out some engine repairs. This will be augmented in 2010 by a second Main Operating Base at RAF Leuchars where Rolls-Royce will also have a support team.

The majority of engine repairs are undertaken at the Rolls-Royce facilities at Ansty, near Coventry, and Bristol.

Rolls-Royce is a shareholder in Eurojet, the European consortium responsible for the EJ200 engine that powers the Eurofighter Typhoon twin-engine combat aircraft, and has a 37% production share of the programme.

USAF Europe And Africa Command Add Another Proven C-130J Super Hercules To Their Airlift Fleet

Maj. Gen. Michael Snodgrass, chief of staff, U.S. Africa Command, Stuttgart, Germany, today accepted the seventh of 14 Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] C-130Js to be based at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The USAF Europe C-130Js based at Ramstein also support the airlift needs of Africa Command.

“It is an honor for me to be in Marietta to pick up the seventh C-130J going to Ramstein. It represents the cumulative efforts of teams of people here in Marietta, the United States Air Force, the Pentagon and the folks at Ramstein who are supporting our missions around the globe,” Snodgrass said. “There is no other airplane that has done more throughout its history, consistently over its lifespan to help other people when they need help than the C-130. The C‑130 has been and will continue to be the workhorse of our fleet.”

“With our ramp-up in build and delivery rates, the C-130J Super Hercules is increasingly delivering proven airlift solutions to air forces worldwide,” said Julie Whitehead, Lockheed Martin director, USAF C-130J programs. “With every mission flown, more countries can attest to the fact that the C-130J sets the standard for flexible, versatile and affordable airlift.”

The delivery of this most recent Ramstein C-130J marks the half-way point for the base’s total C-130J deliveries. Ten C-130Js will be delivered to Ramstein this year, with four more scheduled for delivery in 2010. These 14 new Js will support the Ramstein-based 37th Airlift Squadron that has been flying C-130Es. The new aircraft are the longer C-130J-30 configuration, which is now the standard for recapitalizing the USAF and many other air forces around the world.

C-130Js are engaged in high-tempo operations in multiple combat theaters and are routinely deployed in support of both peacekeeping and humanitarian missions. The C-130J is a proven airlifter that has been selected by 11 nations, with 181 aircraft delivered through the third quarter of this year. The C-130J is a flexible, multimission aircraft that has been delivered in multiple and varied configurations to meet a wide range of operational needs.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 140,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

Source: Lockheed Martin

US Air Guard Readies for C-27J Fleet

The Air National Guard, for the first time, will be the sole operator of a new aircraft straight off the assembly line when it starts operations with C-27J Spartan cargo planes.
The Spartan, the latest propeller-driven airlifter, is an “extremely rugged” aircraft designed for austere environments, Air Force officials said. It is about half the size of a C-130, with 3.5 cargo pallet positions.

“It is the first time in U.S. Air Force history where the service acquired a new airframe solely owned, operated and maintained by the Air National Guard,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Beckman, the Air Guard’s aviation planning and execution chief.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates moved the C-27J program and its related direct support mission from the Army to the Air Force in April. The Army chief of staff, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., supported Gates’ decision. “We need the capability to resupply our forces,” he said. “We do not have to fly the planes to get that.” Flying fixed-wing aircraft is not an Army core competency, the general added.

Since that time, the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command and the Air National Guard have taken a serious approach to building the program, officials said.

“Making a switch like this is no small affair, especially at this phase in the acquisition process,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Gene Capone, Air Mobility Command’s C-27J test manager at the Joint Program Office.

Capone added that the Army lost its fiscal 2010 funding for the C-27J due to the change, so the Air Force will fund the Army’s completion of the multiservice testing and evaluation.

Air National Guard pilots and loadmasters from the 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield, Ohio, and the 175th Wing in Baltimore will be the first operational C-27J crews to be trained and deployed, and are critical participants in testing and evaluation, Beckman said. The testing and evaluation, scheduled for April, will determine if the C-27J program is ready for deployment and domestic operations, he added.

Two Army National Guard units, Company H, 171st Aviation Regiment, from Georgia and 1st Battalion, 245th Airfield Operations Battalion, from Oklahoma also will participate in the testing and evaluation.

In addition to aircraft in Mansfield and Baltimore, the Air Force will field C-27J’s at units in Fargo, N.D.; Bradley Air Field, Conn.; Battle Creek, Mich.; and Meridian, Miss.

“The [Air National Guard] has played a critical role in the development of the C-27J roadmap, to include basing, personnel, aircraft delivery, Air Force instruction and technical order development and review, service transfer and planning for operational execution,” Beckman said.

To prove the direct-support concept for transporting time-sensitive and mission-critical Army payloads, the 179th Airlift Wing is leading a test that began several months ago. Following predeployment training and integration with an Army combat aviation brigade, the unit’s C-130s recently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“All of this is being done well within the new current execution model of 24 months that all of our forces now live in,” Beckman said. “For example, we are already looking at mobilization packages, and have not yet seen a tail or trained crew.”

(Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen Krenke serves at the National Guard Bureau public affairs office. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol of Air Mobility Command public affairs contributed to this story.)

Denim Air expands fleet with Fokker 100

The Dutch aviation company Denim Air festively added a Fokker 100 to its fleet at Rotterdam Airport on Thursday, 29 October 2009. This aircraft will in particular be deployed for the so-called wet lease and will considerably increase the market share of the company. 

Denim Air was founded in 1996 and is the European market leader in Wet Lease (ACMI), a service provision whereby airline companies can lease aircraft, as desired, complete with cockpit and cabin crew, maintenance and insurance. Denim Air also leases aircraft for charter flights.

The company not only leases aircraft but also provides trainings for the crew of other airline companies and it has its own maintenance company to carry out maintenance, repairs and checks on wheels, tires and brakes in particular; both for its own aircraft as well as those of other airlines. 

Denim Air and Fokker Services recently signed an alliance strategy.

This alliance provides Denim Air with logistics and technical support from Fokker Services; not only for the Fokker 50 and 100, but also for the Dash 8. This includes logistic programmes such as Abacus, with which Fokker Services will support an optimum deployment of the aircraft through an engineering support and documentation. An AOG-service ensures 24/7 worldwide availability of spare parts.

The jet engine powered Fokker 100, with a capacity of approximately 100 passengers, is an important addition to the fleet, which up to now consisted of 50-seat Fokker 50 and Dash 8 turboprop aircraft. The additional seats of the Fokker 100 are not the only asset that makes it attractive for a new target group, its greater range of 3,000 kilometers is also a major plus point. 

“This aircraft not only allows us to compete with the larger propeller aircraft with a capacity of 70 passengers, we can now also accommodate comfortable jet flights for the somewhat longer distances”, comments a spokesperson for the company. “We will therefore be targeting the smaller tour operators that cannot fill 180 seats, but which have insufficient aircraft capacity during the vacation periods. The Fokker 100 is particularly ideal for summer destination flights.” 

With the arrival of the Fokker 100, the Denim Air fleet now totals 17 aircrafts. Denim Air handles over 35,000 flights within and outside Europe each year and its workforce of 225 pilots and cabin crew was instructed and trained by the company itself. Other airline companies also regularly have their personnel instructed by or attend further training at Denim Air.

Source: Denim Air

EMBRAER’S E-JET FLEET REACHES 3 MILLION FLIGHT-HOUR MARK

Family of commercial jets now has over 600 aircraft flying, worldwide

São José dos Campos, October 29, 2009 – The fleet of E-Jets of the EMBRAER 170/190
family continues to attain significant numbers, the most recent being its 3 million flight-hour
mark, with outstanding schedule reliability. More than 600 aircraft have transported over 130
million passengers, supporting airlines with business models that vary from regional and
network carriers to low-cost companies.

“The air transport industry suffers from ups and downs in passenger demand resulting from
changes in the economic scenario. Having flexible and reliable airplanes like the E-Jets in their
fleets removes a couple of risks from the airline’s equation, offering more secure alternatives for
going through hard times,” said Mauro Kern, Embraer Executive Vice President, Airline Market.
The E-Jets are the most reliable commercial aircraft family up to 122 seats. They have proved
to be an effective tool for airlines to reduce operating costs by rightsizing from bigger
narrowbody aircraft or by replacing inefficient
previous-generation jets. Since they entered
service in 2004, the highly efficient E-Jets, when
compared to the narrowbodies they right-sized
and the older jets they substituted, have
contributed to the airline industry by saving over
US$ 1 billion in fuel and by reducing roughly
6 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions into the atmosphere.

Due to their robust design, the four E-Jets – EMBRAER 170, EMBRAER 175, EMBRAER 190,
and EMBRAER 195 – have achieved an exceptionally low rate of flight cancellations arising
from technical problems: less than two flights in every 1,000. This is also the result of the
Company’s solid after-sale services, which support a diversified customer base of 53
companies in 35 countries, worldwide, as well as the dedication of mechanics and engineers.

Source: Embraer

Syria’s Cham Wings eyes fleet expansion

Syria’s first private international carrier Cham Wings Airlines said it is considering expanding its fleet by adding a passenger aircraft and a private jet, the official Syrian Arab News Agency SANA reported on Tuesday.

Cham Wings Airlines aims to shore up its presence on the local air transport market where more than 40 Arab and international companies are currently operating, the news agency reports citing Issam Shammout, the airline’s chairman.

Shammout said according to SANA his company plans to set up an aircraft maintenance center at the Damascus International Airport.

Cham Wings Airlines started operations about a year ago and has operated flights to Baghdad, Sharm el- Sheikh, Jeddah and the two Turkish cities of Istanbul and Antalya, the news agency said.

Source: business.maktoob.com

Boeing Next-Generation 737s to Enhance WestJet Fleet Plans

SEATTLE, Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) and Canadian airline WestJet today announced an order for 14 additional Next-Generation 737-700s. The airline currently flies an all-Boeing fleet of 81 Next-Generation 737s.

“WestJet pioneered low-cost flying in Canada with a growing fleet of the world’s most popular jetliner and has emerged as a leader among the world’s airlines,” said Kevin Schemm, Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president, North America Sales. “We value our partnership with WestJet and its continued endorsement of the Next-Generation 737.”

WestJet also has announced a plan to reschedule 16 leased and direct-purchase airplanes.

“The new order of Boeing 737-700s will enable us to continue serving our guests with one of the most modern fleets in the air,” said Sean Durfy, WestJet president and CEO. “At the same time, we’ll have enhanced flexibility to deliver on our vision of becoming one of the top five airlines in the world by 2016.”

Including today’s order, WestJet has 54 additional Next-Generation 737s scheduled for delivery.

Nearly 120 customers around the world have ordered more than 5,000 Next-Generation 737s. Boeing has more than 2,100 unfilled orders for the Next-Generation 737 valued at more than $158 billion at current list prices.

Earlier this year, Boeing announced performance enhancements to the Next-Generation 737, which will reduce fuel consumption by 2 percent by 2011 through a combination of airframe and engine improvements.

Source: Boeing

Boeing Next-Generation 737s Expand EgyptAir’s Single-Aisle Fleet

SEATTLE, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) and EgyptAir today announced that the airline has converted a previous order for two 777s into an order for an additional eight Next-Generation 737-800s. The order was added last week to Boeing’s Orders & Deliveries Web site attributed to an unidentified customer. The airline currently has seven 737-800s in operation and it is taking delivery of an additional five 737-800s this year. The airline currently has five 777s in its fleet and is scheduled to receive six 777-300ERs beginning next year.

“As a Star Alliance member, operating from a newly opened ultra-modern, international terminal at Cairo International Airport, we are pursuing a fleet plan that allows us to expand our regional markets and offer those passengers extensive international routing options,” said EgyptAir Chairman Capt. Tawfik Assy. “We’ve found the 737 performs exceptionally well in maintaining our scheduled flights to and from Cairo and that the 777 is unmatched in efficiency on our long-haul flights to our international destinations.”

EgyptAir joined the Star Alliance in July 2008. The carrier has been focused on increasing the utilization of Cairo International Airport as a key regional hub for both passenger and air freight operations.

“EgyptAir’s deployment of the 737 and 777 to meet its fleet growth plans shows how Boeing’s product strategy is built upon providing unmatched reliability and efficiency across the product line,” said Marty Bentrott, vice president of Sales for the Middle East, Central and South Asia. “Our airplanes are engineered to perform numerous types of missions within their size class, and EgyptAir has done a remarkable job utilizing these airplanes, while streamlining its operations and bringing passengers notably improved services.”

Boeing’s 777 is the world’s most successful and best-selling twin-engine, long-haul commercial jetliner with 60 customers and orders for 1116 airplanes through the end of July 2009.

Since the 737 program’s inception, more than 250 customers have taken delivery of more than 6,000 airplanes, making it the most successful commercial airplane program in history. The Next-Generation 737, which entered service in 1998, currently has over 5,000 orders from more than 100 customers.

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