Products’ Pizazz Packs Business Aircraft Convention
Fiber optic technology, computer-enhanced instruments, navigation equipment that utilizes satellites and new business aircraft made of exotic composites are among the new aviation tools--some turned out by Orange County firms--being displayed through today at the National Business Aircraft Assn.’s annual show at the Anaheim Convention Center.
By the time the doors close at 4 p.m today, an estimated 12,000 visitors to the three-day convention will have walked past 453 exhibitors on the center’s floor, the largest number ever. Attendance at the convention also is expected to set a record, organizers said.
Displays range from selections of exotic hides for upholstering aircraft seats to new aircraft, like the two-seat Caproni Ventura that costs $400,000. The Italian-made jet, whose two engines could fit in a large suitcase, was among the products being displayed for the first time.
Irvine-based Identichs promoted its new remote-control borescope, a tool that uses a video chip to transmit pictures that enable a jet engine inspector to see deep inside the engine. Or, as the company’s marketing brochure puts it, the scope allows the inspector to “feel as though he is sitting on the probe tip and flying though the engine, conducting the inspection.” The new tool will make engine inspection “more reliable and less time-consuming,” the company said.
Garrett Corp. and General Electric Co. introduced their new engine, a joint venture targeted for business jets. The engine, which can generate 5,600 pounds of thrust, is destined for a medium-size craft that has not yet been designed--although the two companies say there is “an extremely high level of interest” in building an airplane that could utilize it. The engine has a modular design for easier maintenance and consumes 20% less fuel than current business jet engines, a Garrett spokesman said.
“This is the convention of the industry,” said Mel Longelt of Erda Inc., taking a break from showing off the stoves that his company makes for aircraft galleys. “Anything new and different is here,” he added.
That premise is attracting industry executives from around the world.
But the futuristic displays of business aircraft also lure aviation enthusiasts apparently playing hooky from their regular jobs. A grinning banker declined to be interviewed, saying, “I’m not supposed to be here.”
Although business aviation has endured tough times in recent years, aviation has been a growth industry overall, propelled by increased defense spending, a generally robust economy and the deregulation of the commercial aircraft industry.
