You’ve finished business for the day, and now it’s time for entertaining. Indulge tastefully with the Billy Reid Kentucky Cocktail Set, everything you need for drinks in a limited-edition handcrafted leather bag from the Coach + Billy Reid collection.
The Kentucky Cocktail Set includes a leather folding case lined in a custom jacquard print that conceals three leather-wrapped, hand-blown glass flasks, two shot glasses, a folding bar knife, a cocktail spoon and fork, and a cocktail napkin. Sterling silver Coach + Billy Reid engraved caps top each flask.
As Billy Reid explains, “I used a travel bar set for years. When visiting the Coach archives, I saw pieces related to entertaining and wanted to include something in this collection. There are three flasks: Fill one with bourbon, one with gin, and one with vodka. This gives you options.”
Priced at $600 with complimentary delivery, the Billy Reid Kentucky Cocktail Set combines convenience with style, so you can keep a bit of rest and relaxation always close at hand.
While recent regulation changes in China have aviation experts drooling over the potential for a major upturn in the Asian jet market soon, private jet makers are still counting on the U.S. for new orders for the time being.
And with good reason — the U.S. is still home to the world’s largest population of high net worth individuals. Ultra high net worth Asian owners account for only 6% of private jet owners globally, despite the region having 22% of the world’s ultra high net worth individuals. So, the U.S. remains the world’s largest market for private aviation. Around two-thirds of the world’s 20,000 business jets are based in the U.S., and American buyers are likely to continue to be the primary source of demand.
The gap between the markets can be explained in part by one of the key differences between Eastern and Western thinking in regards to private jets: In the U.S., having a private jet is widely viewed as a useful business tool that gives executives needed flexibility. In Asia, they are seen as simply a symbol of wealth.
Still, the Asian market shouldn’t be discounted, either. While it’s not at U.S. levels yet, China is the second largest economy in the world and their business aviation market will undoubtedly be influential in the coming years and beyond.
Some predictions from industry experts include:
- 50% growth in global demand for private business jets in the next decade
- 20% growth in the Asian market for private business jets
- New business jet deliveries totaling $250 billion (9,250 new aircraft) over the next decade
Furthermore, the industry predicts a phenomenal year as demand gets a jump start due to the global economic recovery. The most important driver fueling jet orders and inquiries regarding existing jet resales is simply how comfortable business executives are feeling about the growth of their own business and the stability of the economy. This means that people who have been putting off buying a jet during the leaner years are now starting to figure out their order.
Many aircraft owners are concerned about noise inside the cabin, but the people you are flying over are more concerned about the noise outside your aircraft. The FAA has imposed Stage 3 noise limits on all aircraft weighing 75,000 pounds or less and operating in the lower 48 states, and aircraft must comply with those limits by the end of 2015. What are your options if your aircraft does not comply with the FAA’s limits?
Don’t panic — an older jet isn’t necessarily destined for the scrap heap. Operators are turning to noise-abatement procedures or hush kits to make their aircraft compliant with the FAA’s ruling.
Noise-abatement procedures are standard steps aircraft operators can take to reduce aircraft noise. They include actions such as raising or redirecting approach paths, climbing quickly upon takeoff, or reducing power near airports.
Hush kits produce a similar effect to modern high-bypass turbofan engines, which have a large fan mounted afore the jet engine’s core. The larger the fan, the more effective the bypass air is at containing the jet exhaust at the engine’s rear, thereby reducing noise.
There are a variety of hush kits available from manufacturers such as QTA, Hubbard Aviation Technologies, and MP Aero:
- The QTA Hush Kit offers a unique design that integrates its acoustic system with an aircraft’s existing thrust reverser system to provide advanced noise suppression without affecting the plane’s handling or range.
- The QS3 Hushkit system from Hubbard Aviation Technologies consists of three major components — an alternating-lobe exhaust nozzle, a fuselage-mounted acoustically lined ejector, and a cascade-style thrust reverser — that absorb noise without compromising engine performance.
- MP Aero provides customized hush kits. For one client, the aircraft component manufacturer developed a hush kit system that reduced reverse thrust noise in the cabin and outside the plane and reduced temperatures, stresses, and vibration loads on the engine.
Your older jet might be noisy, but the good news is you do have options for complying with FAA noise mandates that will keep your aircraft flying — quietly.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet. You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at 877-453-8276 (+1.305.754.3313), or visit us online.
The season for spring cleaning is the ideal time of year to assess the condition of your business jet and plan needed upgrades. Customizing your jet’s interior, detailing the jet’s exterior, and boosting security are all good “spring cleaning” options for private jet owners to consider.
Aircraft interior customizations
Why is customizing a jet’s interior so popular right now?
- It’s a cost-effective way to meet the changing needs of business execs.
- It effectively boosts a jet’s resale value.
- It’s faster and costs less than buying a new plane.
A recent Forbes article, “Eight Trends In Private Jet Travel,” listed customizing jet interiors as one of the hottest trends in jet ownership. What kinds of customizations are jet owners making?
- Updating lavatories to include showers
- Adding full dining tables
- Upgrading carpet with custom patterns in wool and silk
- Updating to match new company branding
Jet exterior detailing
Detailing the exterior of your jet makes it look as good as new. It also ensures better wear and less exterior corrosion, keeping the value of your jet as high as possible. You can also upgrade the plane’s exterior to match your brand, so that more customers see it.
Adding security upgrades
As part of your upgrade plan, you can invest in security enhancements to protect your multi-million dollar jet from vandalism, theft, and damage. Keeping an eye on your jet 24/7 is much easier with upgraded security systems, high-performance detectors, and night-time security cameras.
Spring can also be a big time for change. If you’re ready to sell or buy a jet, let L&L International help you find the right buyer or the right new jet to purchase.
Sure, you can add gold faucets to the bathroom and high thread-count sheets to the master, but is there any greater luxury than experiencing true peace and quiet while you fly? Many jet owners are discovering that the most lavish upgrade is one you can’t see — or, more importantly, can’t hear: Soundproofing.
But creating a truly quiet environment is no easy task, as many variables contribute to all that noise: Flaps, spoilers, aircraft altitude, fuselage construction (that is, aluminum or composite), engine speed, the fresh air circulation system, and more. Fortunately, today’s aviation soundproofing experts are up to handling that challenge.
By adding extra insulation and replacing climate control units, engineers can bring the decibel level inside the cabin to below 50. That is quiet enough to enable you to speak at conversational volume to someone more than six feet away, and is half as loud as the quietest seat on the quietest plane currently on the market, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
To put 50 decibels into perspective, a typical home is usually in the 50 to 55dB range, a brand-new business jet has cabin noise in the low 60dB at most, and a turboprop aircraft or helicopter cabin usually exceeds 90dB. Mohammed Alzeer, general partner of Gore Design Completions, says the quietest plane he’s worked on was 46dB. “You could hear a whisper, literally,” he says.
Jet owners know that customizing aircraft is an investment, and all modifications have to be FAA approved. Adjusting the engine to muffle the sound means engineers are modifying systems directly related to safety.
Custom interior work that includes soundproofing can cost about $35 million for a single-aisle plane. Although soundproofing is pricey, many frequent flyers couldn’t think of a better investment, especially those trying to conduct business en route. For many jet owners, being able to focus on the business at hand during an in-flight meeting in quiet comfort is priceless.
So go ahead and whisper to your fellow passenger across the soundproofed cabin, “Can you hear me now?” The answer will be a resounding “Yes!”
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet. You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at 877-453-8276 (+1.305.754.3313), or visit us online.
St. Patrick’s Day is this week and, with the luck of the Irish, the business jet market is finally showing some growth. Industry experts have indicated that in 2013 the industry hit bottom and that we should all expect a modest upturn in 2014.
In reality, the difference between 2011 and 2012 was only a negative 2.9 percent. But the lean years continued for the business jet market in 2013 with the lowest private jet delivery numbers in nearly a decade.
Last year suffered a very rocky start with Beechcraft’s production halt at the end of 2012, and Cessna’s production halt of the Mustang, CJ2+, CJ3, and CJ4 lines in April, 2013. Ultimately, 2013 business jet sales topped 2012 by a mere six total jets, just barely beating the previous year’s numbers in what could only technically be called growth.
While no one is expecting great strides, the early analysis of 2014 shows a far brighter outlook:
- Back orders of the Gulfstream G650 are getting caught up and Gulfstream is on course to ship the highest number of aircraft in the last five years.
- Airbus deliveries already stand at four — half of 2012’s total.
- Boeing has delivered five BBJs and one BBJ2 already.
- In the year to date, Bombardier has delivered 127 aircraft.
- Dassault’s numbers were bolstered by the first six deliveries of the Falcon 2000S.
New products, including the Citation M2, the Sovereign and Citation X from Cessna, are expected to drive the market; current planes are aging and the long economic dry spell meant many owners put off replacement and repairs.
Although experts predict that the small and midsized segments of the market won’t return to their 2008 peak until around 2020, the big market is already doing well. “We think there is a good five-year run-up coming,” says Teal Group aviation analyst Richard Aboulafia.
The bizav industry has been sheltering from the economic thunderstorm, but now the skies have cleared, and these predictions are the rainbow leading us to the pot of gold at the end — a recovered economy and a full-strength bizav market again!
Are the parts in your aircraft the real thing? Counterfeit aircraft parts, called Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPs), could not only prevent you from meeting safety standards, but could also spell disaster for you and your crew if they fail.
What are SUPs?
SUPs are counterfeit aircraft parts that have been passed off as legitimate either without paperwork or with falsified documents. In most cases, both the part and its accompanying paperwork look genuine. How do these fake parts make their way into your aircraft? With the constant upgrade cycle in the consumer electronics and aviation industries, manufacturers cannot make parts for older aircraft forever. When parts from the original manufacturer are no longer available, counterfeits begin to emerge.
These bogus parts are often not re-manufactured but are simply old parts being resold. Part identification may have been tampered with; for example, a serial number may have been stamped over. A 2012 U.S. congressional study found that in 2009 and 2010, there were 1,800 cases of bogus parts reported, involving more than one million electronic components. The scariest part about this scenario is the level of sophistication of the counterfeiting: Many times methodical analysis is required to detect bogus parts.
How can we avoid SUPs?
As this problem has become more widespread, the FAA has begun to take more aggressive action and has developed programs to help protect consumers against SUPs. The FAA maintains a running list of Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) articles in the Regulatory and Guidance Library (RGL). This database contains the FAA Parts Manufacturer Approvals by make, PMA Holder, and part number. In addition, the FAA maintains an Unapproved Part Notifications list. And if you come across SUPs, be part of the solution by reporting them to the FAA’s SUP program.
For your part, be wary and keep a watchful eye. When buying replacement parts,
- check labels against those of parts from a legal and trusted source,
- Know who you’re buying from and be suspicious of low-ball or bargain-basement pricing, and
- Be skeptical of damaged shipping boxes, reused labels, smudged or odd-looking stamps, and any other indications of tampering.
Better yet, take advantage of the knowledge and experience of a reliable jet broker. A jet broker’s expertise can be invaluable in finding certified, safe replacement parts for your aircraft.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet. You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at 877-453-8276 (+1.305.754.3313), or visit us online.
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Want a faster way to fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo? You’ll have it about four years from now, when the world’s fastest business jet comes on the market: The S-512 supersonic jet from Spike Aerospace. According to the Boston-based aerospace firm, when the S-512 is released in 2018, it will be able to make the Los Angeles to Tokyo run in eight hours (that’s a 16-hour flight today).
Windowless cabin
One of the more revolutionary features of the S-512 supersonic jet is its windowless cabin. Instead, the interior walls are embedded with display screens. Exterior cameras will reconstruct panoramic views of the outside and project those images onto the screens. Passengers can dim their screen when they want to sleep or change it to display other scenic images stored in the jet’s computer system.
According to Spike, windows present a variety of structural design complications. Eliminating them means eliminating weight and additional structural support, as well as reducing the drag usually caused by windows. Before the S-512, it wasn’t possible to create a windowless aircraft.
Advanced features, upscale price
The Spike Aerospace team, along with a handful of entrepreneurs and investors, wants to make the S-512 the world’s first private supersonic jet. The S-512’s hefty $80 million price tag will buy you a plane that
- cruises at Mach 1.6 with a maximum speed of Mach 1.8,
- flies from New York to London in just 3-4 hours (today that’s a 6-7 hour trip),
- has a range of 4,000 nautical miles,
- measures 131 feet long and has a 60-foot wingspan, and
- has a 40-foot-long, 6-foot-2-inch-high cabin.
Sonic boom challenges
As you might have guessed, it is no accident that Spike quotes overseas flight times and not continental U.S. flight times. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) prohibits supersonic flight over land (with a few exceptions) because of noise regulations regarding sonic booms.
While Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and even NASA have been working on ways to redesign supersonic aircraft to reduce the boom that occurs when breaking the sound barrier, those efforts have not yet succeeded.
So is $80 million too much to pay for a plane that can only perform overseas trips? That’s up to you to decide.
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Honeywell’s Global Business Aviation Forecast released in October 2013 shows good news for the next 10 years, particularly for North American markets. This news is a welcome up note following the 2009 economic low.
According to Honeywell, North America is a reemerging market: 61% of projected demand between 2013 and 2017 will be North American, which is an 8% higher demand than last year. The rest of the world, including Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC), are falling behind; however, 50% of buyers in the BRIC countries plan to make a purchase within the next two years. The outlook for the European market is bleak with only 12% of new jet deliveries over the next five years headed there, a 6% decline compared with the forecast in 2012. However, analysts remain optimistic that those numbers might improve.
Honeywell’s forecasts paint a positive picture for the next decade. For 2013 through 2023, the company’s outlook predicts 4-5% average annual industry growth. In addition, the report forecasts as many as 9,250 new business jet deliveries, which equates to more than a $250 billion value. In addition, 28% of jets will be replaced with new jets over the next five years, and more than 55% of new purchases are expected to be large-cabin jets.
This statistic highlights a trend towards larger aircraft. Super midsize through ultra-long-range and VIP-configured narrow-body airliners are expected to account for more than half of total deliveries and 83% of the deliveries’ value. This scenario highlights the reason that current forecast for the number of units is lower than it was in 2012, but the value is 4% higher: Price increases and the market trend toward larger models.
“The trend toward larger cabin aircraft with ever-increasing range expectations and advanced avionics is seen more strongly than ever in this survey,” said Rob Wilson, president of Honeywell Business and General Aviation.
What does all this mean for current aircraft owners and those in the market? The future looks bright! With new jet orders gaining strength this year, used jet sales should also see activity. Whether you are looking to sell or purchase a jet — new or pre-owned — an experienced broker can help you navigate the best deal.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet. You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at 877-453-8276 (+1.305.754.3313), or visit us online.
