A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Business aircraft MRO, charter/management, and completions services specialist Jet Aviation (Booth E50) arrives at EBACE 2023 on the heels of expanding its Middle East MRO footprint, adding a first BBJ2 VIP airliner to its charter fleet, and redelivering a groundbreaking VIP aircraft.
In December, the company expanded MRO services at its Dubai International Airport (OMDB) facility, enhancing maintenance, interior refurbishment, nondestructive testing (NDT), and borescope capabilities in response to growing regional demand. Calling the Middle East “a key strategic hub in our network,” Jet Aviation is “committed to supporting the growth of business aviation across the region," said Jet Aviation senior v-p of EMEA regional operations Jeremie Caillet.
Modular tail docking equipment added at the base maintenance hangar allows more efficient heavy structural repairs, while avionics modifications and upgrade capabilities, including high-speed connectivity installations, have expanded cabin refurbishment options. To support increasing demand for NDT inspections for maintenance and pre-purchase aircraft inspections, the OMDB facility has also introduced improved equipment and techniques for eddy current and ultrasonic inspections, and expanded on-site borescope capabilities in-house and through OEM partners in the region.
Further bolstering its regional support, Jet Aviation has added line maintenance capabilities at Al Bateen Airport in Abu Dhabi, and on-demand charter services at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Additional line maintenance expansion is expected in Saudi Arabia later this year.
Long known also for its global charter capabilities—Jet Aviation operates some 100 business jets in its on-demand fleet—the company added late last year the first BBJ2 into its charter fleet, and the first on its air carrier certificate. The 17-passenger VIP airliner’s amenities include a completely enclosed stateroom with a full bathroom and shower.
Jet Aviation performed the prebuy inspection on the Bermuda-registered BBJ2 for the new owner, created a game plan&nbsp;for importing the aircraft into the U.S., and developed and implemented the work scope for Part 135 commercial operations. Conformity required validation of more than 150 airworthiness directives, as well as 75 modifications. The Jet Aviation conformity team also worked with the local FAA office to review an aircraft model type the FSDO was unfamiliar with, the company said.
No stranger to working with VIP airliners, Jet Aviation has performed scores of VIP cabin completions at its Basel completion center, and in October redelivered its quietest and lightest completion to date, installed in a narrowbody head-of-state aircraft, the latest result of its emphasis on creating light and quiet VIP aircraft interiors.
Jet Aviation has used sister company Gulfstream Aerospace’s statistical energy analysis technology to model custom interiors and predict interior noise in VIP cabins. Engineers and designers can then evaluate how various materials will affect sound levels, allowing the completion center and the customer to collaborate on optimizing sound and weight before production begins.
The redelivered narrowbody also incorporates the company’s first OLED&nbsp;screen installations in a VVIP cabin. A trio of 55-inch OLED displays were integrated on both sides above the window line, following the curvature of the ceilings, the configuration reducing the cabinetry required to house the screens, and further reducing cabin weight, while maximizing interior floor space.
Two recent system innovations from Jet Aviation’s engineering team promise further completions refinements ahead. A new water system complements a standard system’s metal piping with lighter, recycled PFA plastic tubing that is not subject to corrosion and less susceptible to bacterial growth. Moreover, the PFA tubing can be measured, cut, and connected simply on the aircraft, rather than requiring offsite manufacturing and welding as does&nbsp;metal piping, reducing installation time and costs. PFA piping also withstands damage and leaks in the event water within freezes.
The engineering team also created an antenna mount for Jet Aviation’s Ka-Band satcom connectivity system on VIP transports that provides quicker maintenance access and resolution to antenna service issues. The new 2.5-meter grid mount features multiple attach points that allow access and easy removal of specific components, enabling service technicians to improve maintenance schedules and minimize the number of fuselage penetrations while reducing maintenance costs. The engineering team worked with EASA regulatory colleagues in Cologne for approval of the new mount.
Continuing its sustainability efforts, Jet Aviation again offered customers an SAF option, this year via its book-and-claim program,&nbsp;at the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos in January. The first company to bring SAF to Switzerland, Jet Aviation supplied the fuel at the Davos gatherings in 2020 and 2022&nbsp;but this year opted to use book-and-claim.

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