Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

Hawker Beechcraft Corp. is here for the first time in its new form, since Onex Partners and GS Capital Partners acquired the company from Raytheon. On the static display, it is exhibiting several business aircraft, including three jets–a Hawker 4000, a Hawker 850XP and a Beechcraft Premier IA–and a Beechcraft King Air 350ER turboprop.
The Hawker 4000 (née Horizon) is a super-midsize jet. It can carry six passengers at Mach 0.82 over 3,000 nautical miles. The twinjet received its Federal Aviation Administration type certification last year. Deliveries have not started yet, though. Like the superlight Premier IA, the Hawker 4000 features an all-composite fuselage.
The midsize Hawker 850XP is still in production but will be superseded by two models using the same airframe basis. The Hawker 900XP will feature a 2,900-nm range, notably thanks to winglets. It is to be certified this summer. The Hawker 750, a 2,100-nm derivative, will have a heated luggage compartment in lieu of the aft-ventral fuel tank. Its certification should be achieved by the end of the year.
The King Air 350ER can cruise as fast as 300 knots. The ER designation stands for extended range. With full payload, it can fly out 100 nm, perform a low-altitude surveillance mission for more than seven hours and fly back. Certification is pegged for later this year.

A new name at Paris: Hawker Beechcraft Corp.

Hawker Beechcraft Corp.

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