John was editor of Aviation Week's ShowNews for nearly two decades. He retired in 2020. His background in business journalism before joining Aviation Week includes stints at Reuters, the American Banker daily banking newspaper and as business news editor at the Milwaukee Journal and the Cincinnati Enquirer.
A lifelong aviation enthusiast, John has been a private pilot for 34 years and won an award at EAA Oshkosh for his restoration of a vintage British Auster army spotter aircraft. He is currently building a 1920s Staaken Flitzer biplane from plans. John attended his first Farnborough Air Show in 1952, when just eight months old.
GE unveiled a new brand name for its latest business jet engine—Passport—the company announced at last week’s European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition. The engine, chosen as an integrated power system for Bombardier’s long-range Global 7000 and 8000 business jets, incorporates many of the advanced commercial and military technologies demonstrated in the company’s TechX program to develop a powerplant family for business jets.
A steady flow of jetliners destined for VIP service, plus a critical aging juncture for such aircraft now approaching their teen years, is attracting new entrants to the completions business. While that competitive development should please customers, it gives some veterans pause.
VistaJet carried a record 20,300 customers in 2010 and its revenues rose 25% in the year, up from the 16,500 customers carried in 2009, when revenues rose 20%. “I am extremely pleased with these results through the challenging times of the global economic crisis,” said founder and Chairman Thomas Flohr at EBACE 2011. “That trend is continuing through 2011.” VistaJet has doubled in every measure since 2008, including fleet, infrastructure and IT, said Flohr, adding, “And I’m not talking from one to two aircraft."
