SAFETY ENDORSEMENT
FlightSafety International has completed the qualification of 40 full-flight simulators under the European Aviation Safety Agency's flight simulator training device "catch-up process", developed as a means of qualifying simulators outside EASA's jurisdiction so that they can continue to be used to train European-licensed flightcrews to EASA standards.
The 40 simulators cover Bell Helicopter, Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault, Gulfstream, Hawker Beechcraft and Sikorsky types.
SPOT CHECKING
Egyptian aviation services company Spot Air plans to acquire a Hawker 800 later this year for its wholly owned air taxi start-up EU Air.
Spot Air chief executive Mohammed Hamed says Cairo-based EU Air is looking to take the business jet from a US lessor and may look for a second Hawker 800, depending on the success of the operation.
EU Air will, however, primarily offer domestic flights in Egypt and services to the Gulf and Middle East region, says Hamed. Meanwhile, he plans to open an office in London by 1 July to market Spot Air and EU Air's services to European clients. There are also plans to open a Spot Air office in Bahrain.
EXECUTIVE HELICOPTER
Eurocopter has taken the wraps off its EC145 Stylence executive-configured helicopter - the first dedicated executive version of the medium twin, of which five have already been sold to customers in Brazil, France, Germany, India and Luxembourg, says the European airframer.
The EC145 Stylence offers a fully equipped in-flight office for business executives and corporate users, including telephone, internet and email facilities.
The EC130 was the first Eurocopter model to be offered in the Stylence configuration, in 2003, and the EC145 is the fourth to join the line-up, which also includes the EC120 and AS350B2/B3 and AS355NP.
Eurocopter says the business aviation market has grown to represent one-fifth of its annual sales, and it sold 150 business helicopters last year.
Source: Flight International
