Luxury Business Jet Refurbishment and In‑Flight Entertainment Upgrades

completions refurbs Eichten said Pats did a nine-year maintenance check on a BBJ last year and included a major refurbishment at the same time. The center has also sent out “quite a number of bids” on BBJs due for the 12-year maintenance check, and all include “substantial refurbishment work.” King Aerospace is looking toward the bizliner business for a boost. “We're in discussions now with international customers for executive conversions and even a green airplane comple- tion,” said Jerry King. “And they’re all widebodies.” According to David Edinger, CEO at Comlux America in Indianapolis, many of the early Airbus A319s and Boeing Business Jets have had minimal cabin A technician in the Goodrich interior paint shop in Wichita applies finish to a piece of cabin cabinetry. upgrades since they entered service some 12 years ago, and the cabin electronics are practically antique. Edinger said Comlux America, part of The Comlux Group in Switzerland, is “really starting to roll.” He told AIN the first green airplane has been delivered—an ACJ319-and it came in 1,000 pounds below the comple- tion allowance weight. It also tested with an average cabin noise level of 48 dB(SIL), “about what you might expect in a sub- urban living room, and it was under the projected noise level by 3 dB(SIL).” Currently undergoing refurbishment is a Boeing 757 and a pair of Airbus ACJs. In the second quarter this year, a BBJ to be outfitted for Hyundai was scheduled to roll into the Comlux han- gar. Comlux America is approved by both Airbus and Boeing for interior outfitting. “We want to focus on BBJs and ACJs and do this segment well and on time,” said The Comlux Group pres- ident Richard Gaona. Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg, Ger- many, is working on a Boeing 767 execu- tive interior and is looking for two 747-8s to roll in by year-end. Walter Heerdt, Lufthansa’s senior v-p of marketing and sales, expects the jtinues on page 30 A private lavatory in a narrow-body_bizliner features liberal use of dark veneer and a marble countertop. SkyTheater | Continued from preceding page ; in unique multi-channel surround-sound, as well as to promote them to the film and televi- sion industries for soundtrack recordings.” In 2007, “an executive closely associated with the Internet industry came to Launer with his new Global Express XRS, and made it clear that what he wanted was far beyond any- thing off-the-shelf.” In 2008 the airplane was delivered with a complete and custom-built SkyTheater that includes: ¢ 1080p high-bandwidth wiring throughout ® monitors and speakers ® audiovisual on-demand (Avod) with a library of more than 1,000 movies. e@a SkyTheater app to allow passengers to use personal iPhones and iPads to control all aspects of the entertainment system. ® a customized touch-screen control package. “The owner can also customize the sound balance in the cabin by simply going through the field until he finds a ‘flavor’ he likes,” explains Launer. “In this particular airplane,” says Launer, “SkyTheater is pre-tuned for the owner's personal tastes to reproduce audio identical to what he would hear in the Holly- wood Bowl or Lincoln Center or some other popular venue.” Totally Absorbed in the Moment Putting SkyTheater through its paces on the Global, Launer selects surround sound and asks visitors to walk through the entire cabin, to sit anywhere they like, even lie on the floor and note any change in the audio. His grin broadens as not one individual professes to detect a difference. Launer goes on to select Star Wars Episode Vi: Return of the Jedi, picking the scene of the chase on Ewok speeder bikes through the for- est of Endor. “Now listen closely,” he advises. As the action roars across the screen, it is per- fectly paced by the sound in that reality, “and if | hadn’t told you to listen, you would have been totally absorbed by the experience with- out realizing why. “What | aim for is not only a perfect audio system, but one that is perfectly synchronized with the film,” he says. But is it high-definition? Launer expresses mock surprise at the question. Then he admits that not everything in the Global's film bank is HD; however, he also points out that with the technology to tune the system properly, even a pre-digital recording will be rendered in sufficient high definition as to be almost unrecognizable as anything else. And he also 28 Aviation International News ¢ July 2012 ¢ www.ainonline.com explains that simply having a Blu-ray player or Avod and an HD monitor does not ensure an HD experience. “You have to have the band- width to carry the signal that will allow 1080p between the origin and the final destination.” While the system in the Global Express XRS is now almost four years old, and SkyTheater has since done several more air- planes, including Donald Trump’s recently completed Boeing 757, the entertainment package in the XRS remains, he claims, “years ahead of anything else.” Warren Justice, chief pilot on the Global, chuckles when he remembers his first meeting with Launer, “a big guy dressed like a biker and wearing a black beret. But he knew what he was talking about and no one in this company has regretted listening,” Justice continues. “I've never heard anything like what he put into this airplane. Even after it was installed, he insisted on going with us on a flight test to tune the sound for cruise at 41,000 feet. He personally programmed the individual con- trols. It was so well thought out that the owner went right into it on the first day and didn’t need a single lesson.” Since installation, the airplane has been all over the world and not a single component of the entertainment system has needed to be changed, said Justice. However, he adds, on several occasions, when the airplane was pass- ing through Florida with a stop-over, Launer has insisted on coming out to see if the system was still properly tuned. The system is not inexpensive, allows Jus- tice. Just a little north of a million dollars. But he adds, “If this is what you want, you'll defi- nitely get what you pay for. | don’t know how we could have done any better.” Theo Kalomirakis, president of Theo Kal- omirakis Theaters of Brooklyn, N.Y., is one of the foremost designers of home theaters in the world and has consistently turned down requests to do an in-flight theater. “I have been skeptical of the ability of anyone to con- trol sound in such an environment,” he told AIN. “What Gregg designed and built on that Global Express is the first serious system I’ve heard. Gregg has tamed the beast.” But it isn’t just a matter of being good at what you do, says Launer. “It’s a matter of passion, and of loving what you do. Think of SkyTheater as a personal transporter [a la Star Trek]. You step into it in New York City and you step out of it in Los Angeles, and everything in between was just a moment in time.” —-K.J.H. lacobucci Shines at EBACE lacobucci HF appeared at EBACE with a new espresso maker for the business jet galley and a galley cart that doesn’t look out of place on a large private jet. The 28V espresso machine does not work with the usual boiler but with patented heat exchangers to ensure instant and continuous operation with- out waiting for the water to reheat after each use. In addition, the heat exchanger makes for a much lighter machine, and its “open system” allows the use of all easy-serve espresso pods. The serving cart, created by DesignworksUSA, features attachable “skins” or even transparent windows to allow passengers to see available items. For use in a private jet, the top surface can be modified for a more formal appearance. “We brought the style, fit and finish that customers expect to find in pre- mium environments at home to enhance their on-board experience,” said Lau- renz Schaffer, president of BMW Group DesignworksUSA. An espresso maker and an executive galley cart are two new items from Italy’s lacobucei HF. AirGlide Coatings Cut Fuel Burn Aviation marketing consultancy Action Aviation has signed an exclusive distri- bution agreement with AirGlide, a UK company that claims that its new Avia- tion Shield nano-technology coating can result in fuel-burn savings of about 4 percent through a drag reduction of up to 40 percent. According to Action Aviation’s web- site, an ACJ318 on a two-hour flight might burn 9,500 pounds of fuel. With the AirGlide coating, the same aircraft would burn 200 pounds less fuel over that same route. Other advantages include reducing the carbon footprint, reducing cleaning and maintenance costs and greater protec- tion against corrosion and erosion. It also means, the company claims, that the exterior paint will last longer. AkzoNobel Wins Airbus Approval AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings of the Netherlands has received approval of its Aerobase base coat and Aviox UVR clear- coat system from Airbus as an option. The system allows selective removal of only the base coat/clear coat in preparation for repainting, leaving the original primer intact and thereby saving the aircraft owner time and money, according to the Amsterdam- based company. Further, AkzoNobel said the system “was developed in line with one of Air- bus’s key objectives to produce aircraft that are friendlier to the environment and more eco-efficient.” The base coat/ clear coat system is ready for use in series production. Continues on page 30 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_030014