Orders Fill Bulk Of Company's 2008/2009 Production
Schedule
As oil prices keep climbing, business is booming for suppliers
of fuel-saving winglets. BLR Aerospace announced Wednesday two
record-breaking sales of their King Air Winglet Systems. Elliott
Aviation and Cutter Aviation placed 90 shipset orders apiece --
effectively BLR's entire 2008/2009 US production capacity of King
Air winglets.
"The BLR Winglet system greatly enhances the capabilities and
performance of King Airs, and when combined with our RVSM offering,
enables these aircraft to climb faster, fly higher, and safer,"
said Wynn Elliott, chairman and chief executive officer, Elliott
Aviation. "King Air owners will be able to recoup their
Winglet investment in a surprisingly short period of time."
"We are happy to offer BLR Winglets to our customers," said Will
Cutter, president of Cutter Aviation. "Winglet demand is
growing and will continue to grow as more and more operators
benefit from improved performance and increased ROI."
BLR produces performance-enhancing Winglet Systems for King Air
90s, Super King Air 200s and King Air 300s. The company has
delivered more than 100 shipsets, and is now expanding sales and
distribution to Europe -- where installation of EASA-approved
Winglets is already under way.
"The success of this technology is
gratifying for BLR and it’s positive for the King Air
operating community," said Dave Marone, BLR director of Sales and
Marketing. "We are happy to be working with highly respected
organizations such as Elliott and Cutter, who we recently
recognized as our top two dealers for these systems."
Cutter and Elliott are two of the longest family-owned business
aviation companies in the industry, each with over 70 years of
experience.
In addition to delivering a 100 percent return on investment
(detailed in 2008 Aircraft Blue Book), winglets provide a range of
performance benefits, including increased cruise speed (3-5 knots)
or reduced fuel consumption (3-4 percent less burn), and increased
vertical rate of climb (300-400 fpm). Additional benefits include
reduced drag, improved handling qualities, and easy access right up
to the aircraft’s service ceiling at flight level 350.
In September, BLR announced an agreement with Hawker Beechcraft
Services (HBS), Hawker Beechcraft Corporation’s network of
factory service centers, to sell and install Winglet Systems.