Success of Falcon 7X Sales Encourages Dassault’s Expansion Plans at Little Rock

Dassault Falcon Jet has made a presentation to the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce noting that sales of the new business jet “may quickly lead to a substantial expansion” of the company’s Arkansas interior completion facility at Little Rock National Airport (LIT). The expansion may mean as much as 73,000 sq ft, as many as 200 additional workers and delivery of as many as a dozen 7Xs starting in 2008.

Virtually all “green” Falcons are flown to Little Rock for interior finish and exterior paint before delivery, and the process will be no different with the 7X. In fact, an $8.2 million paint hangar capable of accommodating the 7X (as well as any other Falcon) was added to the complex last year. The center expects to see its first Falcon 7X roll in for interior completion work late next year.

Midcoast Gets Contract for FAA Global Interiors

Midcoast Aviation, based at St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia, Ill., has received a contract to install a customized interior in a Bombardier Global 5000 designed for operation as an airborne research and development laboratory for the FAA. The airplane is scheduled for delivery to the FAA in September.

The company has also reached an agreement with Bombardier to do more highly customized interior completion work on some privately owned executive/VIP Global 5000s and has two already under contract.

Midcoast is the only Bombardier-approved U.S. service center for the Global Express and hopes for approval for the Global 5000 and new Global XRS. The company has a long relationship with the Canadian business jet manufacturer as an interiors specialist for the Challenger 604 and continues to do 604 interiors under contract.

Clean Air in the Cabin Is the Goal at Marshall Aerospace

A couple of years ago John Edwards, inventor of the mobile phone and the transponder-based hijack alarm system, approached UK-based Marshall Aerospace with an idea to reduce the in-flight spread of virus and bacteria in an aircraft.

The Cambridge company considered the idea and this year, after considerable development and system definition, is carrying out “a detailed market assessment,” with a view to launching an air sterilization system that will improve the quality of cabin air and destroy viruses such as those responsible for SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and avian flu.

The company is currently focused on the airline industry but is open to the possibility of acquiring an STC for various business aircraft types. “The system can be adapted easily to any aircraft and scaled for installation in the existing ductwork of a business aircraft and might weigh less than 50 pounds,” said a Marshall Aerospace spokesman.

Sitting Pretty in New CitationJet Seat Cushions

Aviation Consulting and Engineering Solutions has developed a solution for sagging seat cushions in older CitationJets. The Wichita-based company provides an STC data package that includes “everything necessary to certify the upholstery change (foam and dress covers) for the crew seats, cabin chairs, side-facing seat and belted lavatory seat [and] templates for contour cuts at various stages of foam buildup.” It also takes into consideration the 16-g requirements for newer seats.

According to Aviation Consulting, the data allows the installer to make “minor deviations” for cosmetic appearance and styling of the seat. The data package is priced at $3,500, and according to president Kevin Campbell the company has sold three already and is “fielding a lot of inquiries.”

Aviation Consulting has also begun developing similar data packages for Citation X, Falcon 2000, Gulfstream V and Learjet 45 seats.

Jet Works Paint Shop Adds Color

Jet Works Air Center at Denton Municipal Airport, northwest of Dallas, has its new, 12,000-sq-ft paint shop up and running and just delivered its first large business aircraft–a Challenger 604. The shop, capable of accommodating airplanes as large as a Gulfstream IV-SP, opened in February and, according to sales manager Letty Trujillo, is the perfect addition to the interior refurbishment business.

Jet Works Air Center also does aircraft maintenance, modification and avionics upgrades. As Business Air Center, the facility offers a full range of FBO services.

From Corporate to Air Ambulance in an Hour

Elliott Aviation has received an STC for a multiple-interior modification that will convert a Hawker 700A corporate interior to an AeroMed air ambulance configuration in less than three man-hours.

The AeroMed interior includes a Spectrum bed and patient loading system.

Elliott has considerable experience doing air ambulance interiors, but a spokesman said it is the first time the Moline, Ill. company has done an air ambulance/corporate multi-role interior.

The airplane belongs to Charlie Alpha air ambulance of Staunton, Va., and is already in service.