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

Next month, BBJ completion specialist Aloft AeroArchitects (the former PATS Aerospace Systems) will deliver its third green completion of the year–a BBJ2. But the message here in Orlando is an expansion beyond its signature Boeing work.
“The BBJ is our bread and butter, but we decided to mitigate the risks of focusing on just one platform,” said John Eichten, senior vice-president of sales and marketing. “In the future, I think it’s going to be critical in aviation for suppliers and MROs alike. You can no longer rely on a singular revenue channel, you have to reach out to multiple streams, [so] if you take a hit on one, the other two or three would back you up.”
Aloft recently added the Bombardier Global Express to its Part 145 approvals, and Eichten noted, “A lot of those airplanes are coming due for heavy maintenance.” Many owners will likely want to refresh their cabins and upgrade entertainment and communication systems at the same time, and Aloft hopes to tap into that market.
Also new for Aloft: its two-story display stand at Booth 2031, another sign of the rebranding that began at last year’s NBAA show with the company’s rechristening. Here at NBAA 2016, representatives are highlighting the MRO’s expanded offerings.
Eichten said Aloft plans to leverage its FAA Organization Designation Approval (ODA), through which it can self-approve STCs, to attract customers seeking new satcom systems, ADS-B equipment or other cabin connectivity upgrades.
“The dynamic of 2016 is the new technology in the cabin management world,” he said, noting that the three BBJs Aloft is delivering this year incorporate three different new-generation cabin management systems: a Honeywell Ovation, a Rockwell Collins Venue and a Custom Control Concepts CMS. Aloft also installed a Ku-band satcom system on one of the jets, and is certifying a Ka-band system that will be installed on a BBJ slated for 2018 delivery.
These engineering and installation services will be offered in “a two-pronged approach,” Eichten said. Aloft can develop the STC for the client–whether an individual aircraft owner, OEM or MRO–and retain ownership of the STC while providing a discount for the launch client. Alternatively, the company can simply perform ODA certification services for a fee, with the client owning the STC.
Aloft’s scheduled 2018 BBJ delivery notwithstanding, the green completions market is “a bit stretched, without a lot of brand-new completions going on,” Eichten said. “The goal this coming year is to focus on scheduled maintenance and interior refurbishments and refreshments. We’ll work very hard to be on as many of those front-end opportunities as we can find.”
The Delaware-based company retains the PATS name on its auxiliary fuel systems, which are standard in BBJs, and is gearing up for installation of tanks in the BBJ Max. Though similar, the Max auxiliary fuel modification uses new technology. The first VIP Max is expected at Aloft’s facility in 2018.
Aloft is also expanding its global outreach, last month naming Olivier Dumont as head of sales in Europe and the Middle East. Eichten noted Dumont’s “over 30 years of specific large-cabin aircraft experience that will immediately enhance our growing presence with operators” in that region.

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