NetJets Encore

COLUMBUS, OHIO – November 4, 2010 – NetJets Inc., the global leader in private aviation, announced today an agreement to purchase Marquis Jet, the leader in private jet cards. Under the terms of the agreement, Marquis Jet became a wholly-owned subsidiary of NetJets; no additional details were disclosed.

According to NetJets Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David Sokol, “By bringing NetJets and Marquis Jet together we combine the unquestioned industry leaders in safety and Owner service and, simultaneously, we create the finest sales and marketing organization in private aviation.”

The acquisition of Marquis Jet by NetJets will yield meaningful cost benefits and provide a shared vision to deliver unparalleled Owner experience and value. Most importantly, the acquisition will provide the most competitive pricing structure in the marketplace.

The Marquis Jet Card program, providing individuals and corporations with access to NetJets 25 hours at a time, began in 2001 under the direction of Marquis Jet Partners Founder and Chief Executive Officer Kenny Dichter. The newly branded Marquis Jet Card by NetJets will continue to be a part of a full set of private aviation solutions offered by NetJets.

Kenny Dichter said, “Today, we look to our future. As part of NetJets, Marquis Jet can best capitalize on new opportunities over the long term and provide even greater value to our Marquis Jet Card Owners, which has always been our guiding objective.”

The decision to fully integrate the Marquis Jet Card program is part of the NetJets 10-year business plan, which also includes the consolidation of U.S.-based business functions and, most recently, an order to purchase up to 125 new aircraft.

Technorati Tags: NetJets

10th October 2010, Mojave, CA. Virgin Galactic, the US company developing the world’s first commercial manned space flight system and tourism business, is delighted to announce the successful completion today of the first piloted free flight of SpaceShipTwo, named the VSS Enterprise. The spaceship was released from its mothership at an altitude of 45,000 ft
(13,700 metres).

During its first flight the spaceship was piloted by Pete Siebold, assisted by Mike Alsbury as co-pilot. The two main goals of the flight were to carry out a clean release of the spaceship from its mothership and for the pilots to free fly and glide back and land at Mojave Air and Space Port in California.

Other detailed objectives of the flight were successfully completed, including; verification that all systems worked prior and following the clean release of Enterprise; initial evaluation of handling and stall characteristics; qualitative evaluation of stability and control of SS2 against predictions from design and simulation work; verification of performance by evaluating the lift-to-drag ratio of the spaceship during glide flight; practice a landing approach at altitude and finally descend and land.

Preparations for the milestone flight were extensive. The WhiteKnightTwo mothership (Eve) flew 40 times including 4 captive carry flights of spaceship and mothership mated together. The most recent captive carry was on Sept 30th. The most recent solo flight was on October 5th and demonstrated that all the systems required for a free flight by the VSS Enterprise were functioning correctly without any safety issues. Commenting on the successful flight Scaled Composites pilot, Pete Siebold, said “The VSS Enterprise was a real joy to fly, especially when one considers the fact that the vehicle has been designed not only to be a Mach 3.5 spaceship capable of going into space but also one of the worlds highest altitude gliders.”

Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, who was present during the first successful flight, added “This was one of the most exciting days in the whole history of Virgin. For the first time since we seriously began the project in 2004, I watched the world’s first manned commercial spaceship landing on the runway at Mojave Air and Space Port and it was a great moment. Now, the sky is no longer the limit and we will begin the process of pushing beyond to the final frontier of space itself over the next year.”

Virgin Galactic is now well on the way to becoming the world’s first commercial space line with 370 customer deposits totalling $50 million. Future commercial operations will be at Spaceport America in New Mexico where final preparations are taking place for a finished runway inauguration ceremony on Friday 22nd October 2010. National Geographic channel in the United States will be showing a documentary on the build up and preparation for the first flight of VSS Enterprise on Monday, 18 October at 10.00pm ET/PT.

George Whitesides, CEO of Virgin Galactic who was also present at the historic flight, added “To see the world’s first manned commercial spaceship landing on a runway is a sight I always dreamed I would behold. Now, our challenge going forward will be to complete our experimental program, obtain our FAA licence and safely bring the system into service at Spaceport America, New Mexico.”

Technorati Tags: Virgin Galactic

The X3 demonstrator is equipped with two turboshaft engines that power a five-blade main rotor system and two propellers installed on short-span fixed wings. This creates an advanced transportation system offering the speed of a turboprop-powered aircraft and the full hover flight capabilities of a helicopter. The concept is tailored to applications where operational costs, flight duration and mission success depend directly on the maximum cruising speed.

A wide range of utilizations are envisaged for the H3 configuration, including long-distance search and rescue (SAR) missions, coast guard duties, border patrol missions, passenger transport and inter-city shuttle services. It also may be well-suited for military missions in special forces operations, troop transport, combat SAR and medical evacuation – benefitting from the hybrid aircraft’s combination of higher cruise speeds with excellent vertical takeoff/landing performance.

“Innovation is at the core of Eurocopter’s strategy to continue its leadership in the global helicopter sector, and the X3 demonstrator represents a key element of our innovation roadmap,” said Lutz Bertling, Eurocopter’s President & CEO. “The teams at Eurocopter took this hybrid helicopter from concept to first flight in less than three years, which demonstrates their skills, capabilities and dedication to defining the future of rotary-wing aircraft.”

The X3 demonstrator’s first flight occurred September 6 in southern France at the Istres Center of “DGA Flight Testing”, which is operated by the French DGA government agency and ensures a secure and controlled environment. Initial testing will continue through December with reduced power, progressively opening the flight envelope to speeds of approximately 180 kts. After a three-month upgrade, X3 flights will resume in March 2011 with the goal of reaching sustained cruise speeds in excess of 220 kts.

Technorati Tags: Rotorcraft

To put the effort involved in getting this flying, it would be the approximate equivalent of a group of US volunteers coming together,  acquiring, restoring, and funding a Boeing B-47 Stratojet  to display and fly at airshows.

Technorati Tags: Airshows, NTSB, Videos

Technorati Tags: Military, Videos