Category Archives: Bombardier Learjet

Bombardier receives order for five Learjet 75 aircraft

June 13, 201210:24 a.m.

In what is good news for Wichita, Bombardier has received an order for five of the new Learjet 75 aircraft from London Air Services, a Canadian charter service provider.

The order is valued at about $65 million based on list prices.

Bombardier announced the Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 light business jets in May at the European Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland.

The planes upgrade and replace the Learjet 40 and 45 models, with improved avionics, engines and a new winglet design.

The two planes, which will be assembled in Wichita, will offer greater range, more speed, new interior styling, lighter weight, and, because they will have improved fuel efficiency, lower operating costs, Ralph Acs, head of Bombardier’s Wichita Learjet plant, said at the time.

The Learjet 75 will enter service in the first half of next year, followed by the Learjet 70.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Bombardier Learjet | Comments Off

Flexjet first Learjet 70 and 75 fractional jet ownership provider

May 25, 20122:46 p.m.

Dallas-based Flexjet will be the first fractional ownership company to offer Bombardier’s new light Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 business jets, the company said.

Flexjet will offer shares of the planes, with deliveries scheduled for 2013.

Bombardier announced the Learjet 70 and 75 at this month’s European Business Aviation Association’s convention and exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva.

The jets replace the Learjet 40 and the Learjet 45.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Aviation industry suppliers, Bombardier Learjet | Comments Off

Revenue, net income down in first quarter at Bombardier

May 10, 201210:53 a.m.

Bombardier, which operates a Learjet plant in Wichita, recorded first quarter revenue of $3.5 billion, down from $4.7 billion a year ago on lower deliveries of commercial aircraft.

The company missed analysts expectations for the quarter with net income of $190 million, compared to $220 million for the quarter.

It delivered 37 planes in the quarter, compared to 61 a year ago. At the same time it received 68 net order, including 40 for business aircraft.

That included a firm order for five Global 6000 jets from AvWest of Australia.

Bombardier’s aerospace division recorded first quarter revenue of $1.5 billion, compared to $2.2 billion a year ago.

The division’s backlog rose from $22 billion on Dec. 31 to $23.3 billion on March 31.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, Bombardier Learjet | Comments Off

Groundbreaking at Bombardier Learjet kicks off expansion

April 30, 20129:56 a.m.

Bombardier Learjet marked the expansion of its Wichita facilities with a ground-breaking ceremony this morning.

City, county, state officials, employees and others turned out under overcast skies for the event.

The $52.7 million project to help the site make room for Bombardier’s newest business jet, the Learjet 85, will mean 450 jobs at the facility.

“Fifty years ago, Bill Lear arrived here to the Air Capital of the World with an innovative vision — the very first business jet,” said Ralph Acs, vice president and general manager of Bombardier Learjet. “We’re honored that the legacy of Learjet continues, and we have a very bright future.”

Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer said that Wichita’s greatest asset is the excellence of its aviation work force.

“This project – code name Project Excellence – takes advantage of our strength in aeronautical engineering, flight testing and information technology,” Brewer said. “Our talent pool is deep. And just like it was when Bill Lear first came to Wichita, our work force is the main reason that Wichita is still the best place to build airplanes.”

The expansion is the largest in the company’s history in Wichita. It includes a Flight Test Center, the establishment of Bombardier Centers of Excellence for Engineering and Information Technology, new facilities for paint and production flight testing, a new delivery center and parking lots.

Monday’s ground-breaking is for a new parking lot to replace the current parking areas that will be used to make room for the new delivery center, production finish and paint facility.

So far, the site has vacated and expanded a production hangar to take on final assembly work on the Learjet 85, a composite, eight-passenger, intercontinental airplane.

In mid-2010, Bombardier announced a new Wichita assembly site for the Learjet 85, which would sustain or create 600 jobs in exchange for about $27 million in bond financing from the state. The company also agreed not to move any existing operations out of Wichita during the life of the bonds.

And in January, the state approved $16 million in bonds for the project in a second round of bond financing. The City of Wichita and Sedgwick County each approved $1 million.

The expansion will be completed in 2014.

Bombardier launched the Learjet 85 program in 2007.

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, Bombardier Learjet | Comments Off

As air show opens, forecast predicts 20-year demand for 1,330 business jets in India

March 13, 20126:01 a.m.

India is expected to take delivery of 1,330 business jets and 4,000 commercial aircraft in the 20- to 149-seat category over the next 20 years, according to a market forecast by Bombardier Aerospace.

The growing importance of the market is one reason planemakers are heading to India’s biggest international civil aviation air show this week.

The biennial show, India Aviation 2012, will run Wednesday through Friday in Hyderabad.

India’s large land mass, large population and strong economic performance are driving growth in domestic air travel in the country, Bombardier’s market forecast said.

Bombardier will exhibit its Learjet 60XR, built in Wichita; Challenger 300 and Global 500 business jets; and the Q400 turboprop.

Boeing will exhibit its 787 Dreamliner, outfitted in Air India’s livery.

Cessna Aircraft is not participating in the show, said spokeswoman Shanda Carney. Carney did not provide a reason for the decision.

Hawker Beechcraft will showcase its Hawker 4000, Hawker 900XP and King Air C90GTx.

Hawker Beechcraft said that more than 60 percent of all business aircraft, including turboprops and super-midsize business jets, delivered into India in the past decade have been Hawker Beechcraft products.
Its turboprop market share is 86 percent, the company said.

“In the segments in which we compete, Hawker Beechcraft is proud of its market share leadership in India,” Dan Keady, Hawker Beechcraft vice president for Asia, Australia and India. “For years, the family of HBC business turboprops and jets has been in-country and proving they are an excellent fit for this region.”

The company has also expanded its service and support capabilities in the region, he said.

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Bombardier Learjet, Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft | Comments Off

Bombardier delivers 245 planes, including 33 Learjets, and takes 249 orders in 2011

Jan. 23, 201210:52 a.m.

Bombardier Aerospace delivered 245 airplanes last year, including 163 business jets, and took net orders for 249 planes, including 191 business jets, the company said this morning.

Bombardier’s report is for the 11 months ending Dec. 31, as the company changes its fiscal year to the calendar year. In November, Bombardier’s Board of Directors approved the change of its financial year, which had run Feb. 1 to Jan. 31.

The company delivered 33 Learjets in the 2010 12-month period, the same number it delivered in 11 months last year. In 2010, it delivered 256 planes, including 155 business

“Bombardier Aerospace put in a solid performance,” the company said of its 2011 results.

That’s despite a volatile economic environment that continued to create uncertainty in many sectors around the world, including aerospace.

“The recurring fluctuations in the world economies in 2011 created a mood of caution in many sectors, and the resulting uncertainty continued to challenge the civil aviation industry,” Guy Hachey, president and CEO of Bombardier Aerospace, said in a statement. “However, with our comprehensive portfolio of business, commercial and amphibious aircraft, we are well positioned to meet the long-term needs of our customers.”

 

 

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Bombardier Learjet | Comments Off

Pompeo to announce initative to boost city’s general aviation industry

Jan. 10, 20123:23 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo will host a news conference this afternoon to announce an initiative to boost the general aviation industry in Kansas.

The initiative is to generate support for the industry, Pompeo said in a statement. He will be joined by the city’s aviation leaders.

The news conference is slated for 1 p.m. at the Kansas Aviation Museum.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Bombardier Learjet, Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Wichita Aero Club summit to feature industry leaders

Dec. 6, 20117:08 a.m.

The Wichita Aero Club will host its third annual summit at a luncheon Wednesday, an event that brings together Wichita’s aviation leaders for a panel discussion of the industry.

Panel participants include John O’Leary, with Airbus North America Engineering, Ralph Acs, of Bombardier Learjet, Bill Boisture at Hawker Beechcraft, Jeff Turner, with Spirit AeroSystems, and Mark Paolucci, with Cessna Aircraft.

Fred George, senior editor of Business & Commercial Aviation magazine, will moderate.

A video of the program will be posted to the Wichita Aero Club’s website after the discussion.

Organizers expect about 300 attendees, one of the organization’s largest events.

“The On-Air Summit has traditionally been a huge draw, and this year, it appears, will be no exception,” Dave Franson, executive director, said in a statement. “The chance to hear from the leaders of our major aerospace manufacturers, all in one place and at the same time, obviously creates interest.”

The summit will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. at the Wichita Airport Hilton ballroom. Cost is $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers. The summit is sponsored by Yingling Aviation and Air Capital Insurance of Wichita.

For information or reservations, call 316-641-5962 or go to www.wichitaaeroclub.org.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Airbus, aircraft manufacturers, Bombardier Learjet, Cessna, general aviation, Hawker Beechcraft, Spirit AeroSystems | Comments Off

Jim Greenwood, the man who made “Learjet” a household name, dies at 91

Nov. 8, 20112:58 p.m.

Jim Greenwood, a former public relations director for Bill Lear who helped make the name “Learjet” a household word, died Friday in Green Valley, Ariz. Greenwood was inducted into the Kansas Hall of Aviation in 2004.

“He wrote the book … on how do you promote business aviation, how do you sell business aviation, how do you communicate about business aviation,” said Al Higdon, a lifelong friend who worked with Greenwood at Beech and Learjet. “He did that from the 50s to the 80s.”

Greenwood had friends in all levels of the business jet industry — from CEOs to those who worked on the shop floor, Higdon said.

“He knew the industry inside and out,” Higdon said. “He loved it, and he always did what was best for the industry at the time.”

Greenwood came to Wichita in 1955 to become manager of press relations for Beech Aircraft Corp., and worked closely with Olive Ann Beech and Frank Hedrick.  In 1964, he moved across town to work with Bill Lear at the Lear Jet Corp. There, his writing helped make the Learjet the most popular business jet of the 1960s, according to information from the Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame.

In 1970, he left to join the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington as its director of public affairs. He later returned to Gates Learjet. Along the way, Greenwood met a variety of celebrities such as James Coburn, Arthur Godfrey and Johnny Carson. Greenwood developed business jet safety seminars and humanitarian projects using the Learjet. He retired in 1985 as senior vice president of corporate affairs at Gates Learjet.

Greenwood was born in 1920 in Washington, D.C., and began flying at age 16. He joined the Navy a week after Pearl Harbor, serving as a parachute rigger and helping develop emergency parachute equipment.  After the Navy, Greenwood worked for a commercial parachute service in Alexandria, Va. He then began a writing career, working as a journalist for the local newspaper. He also wrote three books, “Parachuting for Sport,” “The Parachute: From Balloons to Skydiving,” and “Stunt Flying in the Movies.”

A memorial service for Greenwood will be held in the spring of 2012, Higdon said. A date has not been set.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aviation industry, Bombardier Learjet, Hawker Beechcraft | Comments Off

Bombardier commercial aircraft executive to speak at Wichita Aero Club Monday

Nov. 3, 20116:21 a.m.

Bombardier commercial aircraft executive Chet Fuller will be the keynote speaker at the Wichita Aero Club luncheon on Monday.

Fuller leads Bombardier’s international sales team and its marketing department for commerical aircraft — the CRJ, Q-Series and the CSeries airplanes.

Fuller came to Bombardier from GE Aviation, where he served as president of the GE Aviation Civil Systems division. He also held management positions at Honeywell Commercial Aerospace and ATA Airlines.

Fuller is a licensed pilot with more than 4,000 hours of flying time, including time flying carrier-based aircraft while serving in the U.S. Navy. He holds a bachelor of science degree from Michigan State University and a master’s of business administration from Indiana University.

The luncheon will be held at noon at the Wichita Airport Hilton.

For information or tickets for the luncheon, go to www.wichitaaeroclub.org or call 316-641-5962.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, aviation industry, Bombardier Learjet | Comments Off