Promotion Business Aviation. Business Aviation

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1 Promotion Business Aviation Business Aviation Productivity Play Written by Tony Velocci In the wake of the financial crisis, many industry sectors including business aircraft went into a nosedive and have been in recovery mode ever since. But a little-known fact is that the delivery of business jets in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2014 was 30% higher than in the same period a year ago, and some Wall Street analysts expect further improvement in the months ahead. Demand for large business jets is particularly strong, though deliveries for small and midsize models are still running well behind pre-2008 peak levels. On a rolling 12-month basis, however, small-cabin jet deliveries are up 15%. Altogether, deliveries into North America have recovered about 31% from the trough post According to UBS analyst David Strauss, pent-up demand is driving the improvement, as companies replace older aircraft with newer, more fuel-efficient models that cost less to operate and maintain. All of the newer aircraft that were recently introduced to the market or that soon will be delivered to customers offer significant improvements in connectivity and other cabin features. The upgrades will help make these flying offices even more productive for businesses of all sizes. And a large majority of the organizations that employ business aviation fly into locations that have only token or no scheduled airline service. Gerry Buchheit is a Buffalo, N.Y.-based businessman with companies across the country. He describes what business aviation has meant to his enterprise: It wouldn t be anywhere near where it is today, he says. Business aviation provides us with the opportunity to move quickly. Ultimately, the use of business aircraft whether owned outright or chartered is all about productivity. It s about traveling to where you need to be as quickly and safely as possible. In short, it s about being more efficient than your

2 2 Promotion Business Aviation competition. You spend less time traveling and more time in the places where you need to conduct business. As Clyde Cessna, pioneering American aircraft designer, aviator and founder of Cessna Aircraft Company, puts it: Speed is the only reason for flying. Cessna s Speed Machine Cessna s Citation X+ simply cannot be matched in terms of speed. The aircraft, an evolved version of the midsize Citation X, is the world s fastest civil aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration recently type-certified the jet. It has an unmatched speed of Mach (711 mph), seating for up to 12 passengers, a maximum altitude of 51,000 ft. well above commercial traffic and some adverse weather and an increased maximum range of 3,408 nm. Cessna recently delivered the first Citation X+ to Gerry Buchheit, who owns and operates road construction and commercial real estate development companies nationwide. We have clients across the country, he says, and having the fastest civil aircraft in my fleet provides me with something that is priceless to my operations: time. While speed is at the top of the list of reasons to choose the Citation X+, another is the en route productivity and cabin flexibility designed into every aircraft. A stretch of 15 inches to the fuselage over the original Citation X gives passengers a new level of comfort and space. Cabin interiors and lighting are completely customized for each owner and feature 21st-century productivity tools. Gerry Buchheit with the first-delivered Cessna Citation X+ Cabin technology centers on the Clairity intelligent cabin management system and is integrated with the aircraft s avionics and electrical systems. Clairity provides passengers with cabin controls, data- and media-sharing capabilities and connectivity to other passengers. Through Clairity, touch-screen system control of cabin lighting, window shades, temperature control, and audio (digital media, MP3/iPhone) and video (digital media, Blu-Ray) entertainment with an individual interactive moving map is within easy reach. Wi-Fi connectivity to a personal electronic device is also available. The aircraft owes its record-setting performance to a combination of features, including dramatically swept wings that are almost as wide as the airplane is long (73 ft., 7 in.), a low-drag airframe and two Rolls-Royce engines mounted on either side of the fuselage. Perhaps its most distinctive outward difference from the Citation X is the addition of winglets short, almost-vertical stabilizing fins projecting from the tip of the aircraft wings. They allow the transcontinental jet to cruise more efficiently at higher altitudes and to consume less fuel. In addition, they improve takeoff and landing performance at higher elevations on hot days. Having the fastest civil aircraft in my fleet provides me with something that is priceless to my operations: time. Gerry Buchheit Businessman The upgraded cockpit features ergonomic seats designed for long-range flights and a dual-zone temperature control system. The flight deck features the Garmin G5000 avionics package with four intuitive, full-color touch-screen LCD control panels and three 14-inch high-resolution displays, as well as fully integrated auto throttles to reduce pilot workload. Standard Synthetic Vision Technology on the primary flight displays gives the crew a virtual-reality view of runways, terrain, traffic and obstacles. The Citation X+ s longer range not only makes it possible to travel from New York to Los Angeles in just four hours, but also permits nonstop legs from New York to Paris, Dubai to Singapore, or Panama to São Paulo. Raising the Bar Of course, higher speeds aren t the only performance enhancement that manufacturers strive to achieve with each new or enhanced aircraft model. Business aviation has long been a source of innovative technologies such as synthetic vision. Still, the term game changer has become something of a cliché as aircraft manufacturers vie for a competitive edge. Yet there are indeed cases where it applies. One such example is the Legacy 500, a midsize aircraft that Embraer will begin delivering to customers within the next few months. Priced at around $20 million, this clean-sheet design airplane raises the bar for every other business jet in its class. Direct competitors include the Bombardier Learjet 85, Gulfstream 150 and Citation Sovereign. So refined is the Legacy 500 that its performance and features actually overlap with those of models in the moreexpensive super-midsize class, such as the Bombardier Challenger 300 and 350. For example, the main cabin is equal in height to the Challenger 300 s, and just 3 inches short of being as long and as wide. The Legacy 500 has 12 of the largest windows in the super-midsize class for more

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4 4 Promotion Business Aviation ambient light, and the aft lavatory offers features that are usually available only in larger aircraft, including a high-capacity vacuum toilet. It also comes equipped with a 150-cubic-foot baggage storage area, which is substantially larger than that of any other midsize or super-midsize aircraft. The Legacy 500 cruises at a maximum altitude of 45,000 ft., and in standard configuration it can transport eight passengers nonstop from New York to Los Angeles at Mach 0.78, or more than 593 mph. All eight seats have the option of a nine-inch video personal display and a touch-screen passenger control unit that includes a state-of-theart in-flight entertainment system. In addition, it is the first jet in its class to replace conventional controls with digital flight controls, featuring sidesticks, and full fly-by-wire flight. This technology enables a smoother, more natural-feeling flight by translating the manual input from the pilot electronically rather than mechanically. Electronic fly-by-wire systems increase the number of control surfaces that can be actuated simultaneously, allowing for maximum performance and control while reducing pilot workload. There are so many features of the Legacy 500 that make it the best value for the money in its class, says Marco Tulio Pellegrini, president and CEO of Embraer Executive Jets. The moment customers fly in it, they will understand why we believe the airplane is a game changer. Embraer Legacy 500 flight deck HondaJet Advanced Technology, Enhanced Flight On a somewhat smaller scale is a category of business jets classified as light jets. In aviation circles, one of the most highly anticipated light jets in recent years is the HondaJet. It can transport up to five passengers in a standard configuration, travel at a range of 1,180 nm, fly at a maximum cruise speed of 483 mph and achieve a maximum altitude of 43,000 ft. Two highly fuel-efficient GE Honda HF120 turbofan engines power the jet, which is certified for single-pilot operation. The aircraft incorporates innovative technology and design attributes, including an Over-The-Wing Engine Mount configuration, natural-laminar flow wing and fuselage nose, and composite fuselage. Combined, they make the HondaJet the fastest, most spacious and most fuel-efficient jet in its class by reducing aerodynamic drag. The novel engine-mount design also reduces cabin vibration and noise and allows for the roomiest cabin in the light-jet class, the largest baggage capacity and a fully serviceable private aft lavatory. In the cockpit, the aircraft is equipped with the most sophisticated digital flight controls of any light business jet, including a customized Garmin G3000 next-generation avionics system comprised of three 14-inch landscape-format displays and dual 5.7-inch touch-screen controllers. Honda Aircraft Co. expects aircraft type-certification in the first quarter of 2015, with deliveries of the $4.5 million jet to more than 100 customers starting immediately thereafter. Production is under way. Customers in the market for a light jet have a choice, but Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft Co., is confident the HondaJet will compare favorably to anything else on the market. Our main competition will be the standard we have set for ourselves, he says. HondaJet is available for sale in North America and Europe through the HondaJet dealer network, which includes five territories in the United States. Honda Aircraft also has invested in a new customer service facility co-located with its world headquarters in Greensboro, N.C. According to Fujino,

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6 6 Promotion Business Aviation customer service and product support will be as important as the product itself, and HondaJet has created a service organization and dealer network to fulfill that mission. The Suite Spot Service is the product at JetSuite. As one of the fastest-growing private jet charter companies nationwide, JetSuite will fly customers to any one of more than 2,000 airports throughout the continental U.S., Caribbean, Canada and Mexico, based on a guaranteed online quote in advance. As CEO Alex Wilcox likes to say, We re not in the aviation business; we re in the customer service business. JetSuite is now in its fifth year of operation. It is one of the best examples of the alternatives available to companies and individuals that need safe and reliable air transportation services but don t want the responsibilities associated with aircraft ownership. Moreover, it competes with other private transportation providers, not just on the basis of the quality of service it delivers, but on the basis of price as well. By Wilcox s estimates, JetSuite has cut the cost of private flying by about 50% compared to the leading fractionalownership provider. Our vision is to offer private air transportation to more people than ever, and provide essential lift to smaller communities. alex Wilcox CEO, JetSuite Our vision is to offer private air transportation to more people than ever, and provide essential lift to smaller communities, he says. JetSuite recently lowered its charter fares across all membership levels in several key markets as part of its continuing effort to make private jet travel more accessible to more people. JetSuite offers a competitive online comparison of six popular The interior of a Cessna CJ3+, part of the JetSuite fleet routes, evaluating all-in trip costs which include all taxes and fees rather than just the hourly rate for the 21 Wi-Fi equipped aircraft in the JetSuite-owned and operated fleet. This includes the Cessna CJ3 and Embraer Phenom 100 aircraft. It s all about using the right tool to get the job done, whether it s visiting a job site or meeting customers, says Wilcox. We wouldn t be growing at our current rate if all we offered was aggressive pricing; you also have to offer a better product, and that s exactly what JetSuite provides. North America Aircraft Deliveries by Quarter (Excluding Light Jets) Deliveries Rolling 12 Months 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% (-10%) (-20%) (-30%) 2Q 12 3Q 12 4Q 12 1Q 13 2Q 13 3Q 13 4Q 13 1Q 14 2Q 14 Percentage indicates year-over-year growth. Source: UBS

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