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GENEVA — When one thinks of parts and spares for an aircraft, an industrial supply chain often comes to mind, though a partnership of several French and Italian companies are very much a part of that supply chain when it comes to serving the discriminating taste of the passengers on board.

Companies Yves Delorme, Griffe and Ercuis & Raynard have combined forces to leverage their respective individual specialties to offer a complimentary product offering aboard VIP aircraft.

Ercuis & Raynaud specialize in flatware, Griffe in glassware, Yves Delorme in linens.

The companies, three of which date back to the middle of the 19th century, have watched their business, which pre-date powered flight, evolve to provide luxury items from for royal palaces to private mega-yachts and now luxury aircraft.

Representatives from the individual companies work with the aircraft interior designers to customize every last inch of the on-board experience, down to the custom embroidery and branding of every item.

All of these products come with specialized product support, just as the mechanical components of the aircraft do as well.

Olivier Damas, director of Yves Delorme Palace, says that customers typically require 6-7 sets of linens, with one set on board, two at the operator’s base and four to give sets on routes frequented by the aircraft, with on-demand spares that can be ready in as quickly as days if required.

The ultra-high end products, often thought to be recession proof, saw a slowdown in business over the first quarter of the year, says Camille Barret, decoratrice for Ercuis & Raynaud. Though, she emphasizes that business is now bouncing back to its pre-recession levels.

Barret adds that some items on display at the show are amongst those selected by the operator of the “largest Airbus”, suggesting products in the booth could fly aboard the A380 Flying Palace.

Photo Credit Billypix – Ercuis & Raynaud’s Simona Belforte (L) and Camille Barret (R)

***Editor’s Note – Periodically throughout the show, Flight journalists go out in the hall to seek out the stories that otherwise wouldn’t be told, overshadowed by big announcements. This is an opportunity to take a closer look at lesser seen elements of the big shows. Typically, these items end up in our Flight Evening News, this was an interview I did earlier in the day.

GENEVA — “Things are a little slow right now,” Francois Chazelle, Airbus vice-president of executive and private aviation conceded this morning.

Four-hundred and sixty one miles away, John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer was conceding a very similar point at Airbus Innovation Days briefing in Hamburg.

“If you had to bet [on 2009 orders], bet lower than 300,” said Leahy.

Leahy who serves as Airbus chief salesman, says his order guidance originates from Tom Williams, the company’s executive vice president, insisting that he would still be working toward the 300 order target, though more than a third of the way through 2009 the numbers tell of the difficult road ahead.

Airbus currently holds orders for 30 aircraft this year, with 19 cancellations, bringing the net order total for 2009 to 11 aircraft.

The stark drop in both private and commercial orders is indicative of the overall state of the marketplace.

The slow economy has sharply dropped demand for new purchases, both
commercial and private, though airframers are working to offer upgrades
for models already in service, appealing to customer hesitation about
major new purchases.    

Airbus today highlighted a growing trend that is being seen across the industry, touting the increased range and payload capabilities of the A320 family Airbus Corporate Jets, rather than making major announcements for all-new products.

Other manufacturers, like Boeing and Bombardier have also announced similar enhancements for their existing product lines.

Airbus did however reveal that two of the six A340 orders booked last year were -500 Prestige models.

GENEVA — Boeing has partnered with Greenpoint Technologies to offer sleeper berths and lounges for 747-8 VIP operators, announcing orders to outfit four aircraft.

The two companies announced orders Monday for the feature for two head-of-state aircraft and two more kits for an additional Middle Eastern client.

The announcement of the partnership and subsequent contracts mark a new birth of life for the novel feature.

The Overhead Space Utilization kit provides up to 807 square feet (75 square meters) with room for as many as 16 sleeper berths or two lounge modules, set above the main cabin in the crown of the aircraft between doors three and five.

The OSU, which was originally marketed by Boeing as the ‘SkyLoft‘ found little interest from airline customers for additional revenue opportunities like premium and economy sleeper berths.

Each of the private 747-8 VIP berths will offer a lie-flat 36″x78″ mattress, equivalent to a standard twin bed, as well as a privacy curtain, removable decorative panels and a passenger service unit for calling a flight attendant.

Passengers will be able to access to the OSU area will enter by way of a forward entry staircase at door three, which also accommodates 150 lbs. (67 kg.) worth of additional stowage on the main deck.

The OSU, which will be installed post-production, will be separated from the main deck by removing the main cabin centerline overhead bins. The lower surface of the OSU will be separated from the cabin using a closeout fairing, but provides an attachment point for the modified ceiling and a revised interface for the centerline passenger service units.

When installed, Greenpoint will obtain an addition FAA supplemental type certificate for zero passenger configuration for the aircraft, and later as an “in-flight” only feature once the OSU is provided a passenger occupancy certificate following final completion.

Each lounge unit and berth will be directly connected to the aircraft environmental control systems providing twenty cubic feet per minute of conditioned air per module.

First deliveries are scheduled to take place between 2011 and 2013.

Boeing holds a total of ten orders/deliveries for 747 VIP (3 -400, 7 -8I) aircraft, the first of which will be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2011, following a two aircraft flight test program to certify the world’s longest business jet.

GENEVA – Gulfstream announced significant progress on its twin concurrent development programs today, detailing the assembly of the large-cabin G650 and super mid-size G250 business aircraft.

Gulfstream’s flagship G650, which is touted to be the world’s fastest business jet, is making significant progress structurally with the first fuselage assembled in Savannah, Georgia. The company expects the first set of completed wings to be delivered from Spirit Aerosystems in Tulsa, Oklahoma “in a week or so,” says Pres Henne, VP of product development.

In addition, the Rolls-Royce BR725 engines have been podded and Gulfstream has already undertaken “first flight” in the aircraft’s simulator and integrated test facility (ITF), which came online earlier this year. In addition to the ITF, Gulfstream has set up an “iron bird” to test the systems integration of the G650 ahead of installation on the first aircraft.

For the smaller G250, which will undergo final assembly in Tel Aviv, Israel, progress has also been swift. Israel Aircraft Industries announced in March that the first G250 fuselage had been mated and Gulfstream announced today that the first wings, also built by Spirit, were shipped to Tel Aviv this past weekend.

The aircraft has undergone its first power on and the G250’s flight deck has been “fired up” for the first time, says Henne.

First flight for both the G650 and G250 is expected in the second half of 2009.

Even as progress advances for these new products, Gulfstream, along with the business aviation industry at-large, has faced an onslaught of negative publicity and difficult economic conditions.

The company suffered a particularly bad February with many customer defaults, though there were signs of hope in recent months on the sales side as Gulfstream saw movement in the large-cabin market. CEO Joe Lombardo stressed that one month does not necessarily indicate a trend, though he felt it could signal a bottom to the current negative market conditions.

As a result, Gulfstream has already instituted production cuts, a hiring freeze, layoffs of 1200 employees and furlough of a further 1500. Even under these conditions, the company remains committed to product development, and is “not backing off at all,” says Lombardo.

Lombardo was visibly frustrated by the tone of discussion of business aviation calling the recent comments about business aviation by public officials “unfair, unnecessary and irresponsible.”

Here in Geneva, the world is looking at EBACE as one of the first opportunities of 2009 to see how the industry’s canary is fairing in the proverbial coal mine. Though the largest gathering this year to date is notable not only for what is here at the show, but perhaps more importantly, what’s missing.

Recent months have brought us the suspension of programs like the large-cabin Cessna Columbus, suspected cancellation of the mid-size Hawker Beechcraft 450XP and the uncertain status of aircraft companies Grob and Adam, as well as painful cuts in production and staff across the industry.

Perhaps most notably absent, Eclipse Aviation, rightly or wrongly, pushed the industry for more than a decade to create an entirely new class of airplane found in the very-light jet.

Across the industry, development programs – many whose existence was never publicly discussed – have been quietly shelved, with manufacturers opting to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm, rather than invest capital into an uncertain and unsteady marketplace.

Though, for the business jet industry at-large, aircraft manufacturers face an unsustainable competitive landscape. For a moment, imagine a competitive environment where your chief opponent is not your fellow manufacturer’s competing product, but your own.  

With backlogs shrinking and aircraft utilization numbers thought to be approaching bottom, operators interested in buying an aircraft are finding purchase rates for existing aircraft far more competitive than buying one fresh off a production line. Manufacturers faced with this reality are undercutting their own price structure to bolster backlogs, all the while driving down prices further as supply outstrips demand.

The coal mine – at this point in 2009 – is particularly inhospitable. This week will be very telling.

I’ll be reporting from Geneva all week as the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) unfolds. As the first major show of the year, EBACE should provide a good gauge of the ‘vital signs’ of the aerospace industry. 2009 has already been extremely painful, especially for business jet makers, though this week will provide a chance to see how the proverbial canary is fairing in the coal mine.

Though the news won’t be limited to just Geneva. There’s going to be an enormous amount of aerospace news coming in from across the globe.

Is it possible that the week ahead could be the biggest of 2009 for the aerospace industry? Perhaps even bigger than the Paris Air Show in June? I think so. Here’s why:

Vought
I’m going to call it this week’s wildcard. In the last several months, murmurs about a major change at Vought have been brewing. The company announced its first quarter earnings and the news was less
than stellar. The company finds itself at a crossroads as major
customers in their portfolio planned scaled back production or outright
suspension of new programs.

Lately those murmurs have gotten quite loud, indicating that some kind of announcement could come as early as this coming week. What that change looks like is very much unclear, though the company’s commercial and private aircraft portfolio may make it attractive to a large OEM or large supplier. This is one to watch.

Airbus
On Monday and Tuesday, Airbus will be hosting the technical media in Hamburg for Innovation Days (formerly the Technical Press Briefing) to provide comprehensive updates on the European airframer’s product line. Expect major program updates on A350 XWB and A380, as well as what could be some major announcements about performance enhancements for the A320. After Boeing’s 737 announcement last week, it is believed that Airbus could respond with its own package of upgrades that could include winglets and other aircraft changes (read:GTF) on for its narrowbody fleet.

Boeing
With ZA001 fueled, the week ahead could see the first 787 running under its own power. As progress pushes ahead towards first flight, the auxiliary power unit in the aircraft’s tail cone could be spun up for the first time, followed by the twin Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

Here in Geneva, there could be some additional movement on the 747-8I front. The first customer is not Lufthansa, but a VIP operator. Is it an industrial mogul of some kind or a government? The answer could shed some additional light on where this new 747 program is headed.

Gulfstream
We’ll be getting major updates on the G650 and G250
programs which are both just months away from their respective first
flights. All signs point to both programs being on track with major
parts getting ready for final assembly. Also, what does the company have to say about a supersonic
business jet?

Embraer
The Brazilian airframer has brought its first Lineage 1000 here to EBACE and Flight will be [hopefully] getting a close look inside at the custom interior for its first public presentation. We’ll also be getting major updates on the Phenom 300 flight test program, as well as the  development of Legacy 500 and 450 aircraft.

Dreamliner One has been fueled for the first time, Boeing confirms.

Fuel tests on ZA001 first began on the evening of May 7 in Everett.

The aircraft remains parked at Fuel Dock F-3 where tests on the fuel distribtion system continue.

Filed Wirelessly

This photo comes to us from Calgary-based spotter Mark Palmer. The picture was taken on May 3, 2009 around 7:30 PM just as ZA002 was leaving Building 40-26 for Paint Hangar 45-03.

What do we know?

• Right now the 787 program has 861 firm orders from 56 customers.
• At its peak at the end of last year, Boeing held 910 orders from 59 customers.
• At the time of roll out (July 8, 2007), Boeing listed 49 customers on the side of ZA001.
• According to Bloomberg:

The 25-jet deal was dropped April 30 and had been part of a
group of 42 orders from unidentified customers that now number
17 after today’s weekly Web site update, said Jim Proulx, a
Boeing spokesman. He declined to give further details.

• 11 identified customers hold orders for 25 or more 787s. All of the following are accounted for in Boeing overall 861 order tally on its website:

Air Berlin, Air Canada, Air India, ANA, Continental, Etihad, ILFC, JAL, LAN, QANTAS and Qatar.

• On July 28, 2006 – Boeing received an order for 2 787-8s from an Unidentified Customer. That order is now removed from the official count.
• On January 14, 2008 – Boeing received an order for 23 787-8s from an Unidentified Customer. That order is now removed from the official count.

What does this tell us?

• The customer in question was likely listed on the side of ZA001 at the time of roll out. Let’s take a look at those tails:

All the accounted for 25+ customers are highlighted above. In addition, there were two tails that were not immediately recognized and unaccounted for in the official tally as identified customers. One is listed as BPA with a blue tail and the other as LOM with an unidentified logo. Let’s take a closer look at that logo.

And now this:

CNN.com – May 8, 2009 – RBS announces $1.29B first-quarter loss

I’m told BPA is Blue Panorama Aviation with 4 orders, ruling them out of the speculation.

Based on the latest news from RBS, combined with its apparent status as one of the unidentified customers, the cancellation appears to have originated from lessor The Royal Bank of Scotland.

***Editor’s Note – This is the first in a new series tracking the assembly of The Boeing Company’s first 747-8 jumbo jet.***

With the center, aft fuselage and empennage sections arriving this weekend in Everett, the early hours of May 8 will see the 747-8’s wings joined to the center wing box marking another key step forward for the fifth generation of Boeing’s jumbo jet.

By the end of last week, Boeing had moved both 747-8 wings from major assembly to seal and test ahead of tonight’s stub join for Airplane 1420.

Once the parts for the major body structure arrive for RC501, as it has been designated, the sections will be built up and then mated to begin the final body join and systems integration process.

The aircraft’s forward section is currently in the Final Assembly Integration Tooling in Building 40-23, where it will remain until it is relocated back to 40-22 for the final body join.

Boeing is targeting a mid-summer roll out followed by an early fall first flight for the 747-8 Freighter, according to program sources.