Banyan Air Service is here in SĂŁo Paulo to convince Latin American operators why they should bring their aircraft north to its maintenance and modifications center at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in Florida. At its LABACE exhibit (Stand 3011) the company also is demonstrating its Banyan Wi-View media server, which can store up to around 100 movies on an aircraft.
The U.S. company’s maintenance and inspection capability covers a wide array of business aircraft including Cessna’s Citation family, the Bombardier Challengers and Learjets, Dassault’s Falcons, Beechcraft King Airs (as well as the legacy Hawker jets and Beechjet models), the Pilatus PC-12 and the Piaggio P-180 Avanti. As well as holding U.S. and European repair station approvals, Banyan is also certified to work on aircraft registered in Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela and Uruguay.
Among the modifications for the King Air that Banyan offers are BLR Aerospace’s winglets, the Catpass cargo pods and the following products from Raisbeck Engineering: swept-blade turbofan propellers, dual aft-body strakes, enhanced-performance leading edges, ram-air recovery, high float gear doors and crown wing lockers. For the Learjet family, the company can install Raisbeck’s ZR Lite aerodynamic improvements and aft fuselage lockers. Other options include Sierra’s modifications for the Cessna Citation jets and a variety of engine upgrades developed by Texas Turbine, Blackhawk and Standard Aero.
“Many Latin American aircraft operators like to bring their aircraft to Banyan because of the accessibility of parts and not having to wait for their aircraft parts to clear South American customs,” said Ed Bracero, Banyan’s Latin America technical sales manager. “Our competitive labor rate is another factor in their decision.”
Movies in the Sky
The Banyan Wi-View streaming media server gives operators extensive storage for movies that can be seen on any separately supplied high-definition monitors or on their passengers’ own portable devices. The audio for the movies is distributed either through a wireless headphone system or through the portable devices themselves.
The Wi-View unit is controlled via a free application installed on the passengers’ devices. Banyan includes 20 movies chosen by the customer, plus a worldwide moving map with the operator’s own logo. More movies can be added to the server using a USB drive and the system can also be used to store photos, PowerPoint presentations, maintenance manuals and other files.
The system is offered through two options. The first, priced at $23,000, covers the media server and the moving map for up to eight passengers. For $36,500, Banyan includes a pair of nine-inch side-ledge high-definition monitors, a wireless transmitter and two wireless headsets.
Here at the LABACE show, Banyan’s visitors can win a special soccer ball. It will draw a name from business cards at 6 p.m. each day.
