transcript
Speaker 1:
[00:06] Hello, and welcome to this edition of Check six. I'm Guy Norris, Aviation Week Senior Editor, and I'm joined by Bill Carey, Senior Editor Covering Business Aviation, and Thierry Dubois, our French Bureau Chief and European Technology Editor. Today, we're talking about Aero Friedrichshafen. It's a German trade fair traditionally associated with general aviation, and it's suddenly become greater, or at least assumed greater significance, since the organizers of eBase, the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, sort of Europe's version of NBAA, and long considered the sector's European showcase, on April 10th, abruptly canceled this year's show, which was due to take place in Geneva in June. But before we unpack what all that means and talk about what's been at the show, let me quickly set the scene a little for you. For those listeners who aren't aware or not familiar with Aero Friedrichshafen, the event takes place close to the shores of Lake Constance, or the Bodensee, as it's known, in southern Germany. The city is of course well known. It's steeped in aviation history. Of course, it was the birthplace of the Zeppelin Airship, and the site where Claude Dornier established Dornier Aircraft in 1914. So no stranger to making aviation news. So, Bill, I'm very jealous that you're actually there enjoying the sights of southern Germany, but perhaps we can start with you. What's your sort of view of the show this year, and the fact that perhaps it's the new de facto eBay's at this point?
Speaker 2:
[01:47] Sure. Glad to be here, Guy. It's really a beautiful part of the world. Southern Germany on the shores of Lake Constance with the Alps in the background is just something to see. This is my second year here. I attended Friedrichshafen 2025 when at the time there was discussion of this kind of renewed interest in business aviation. There's actually been a presence of business aviation, aircraft and suppliers at this event since the mid 1990s. It's not as if it's a novelty. But this year, especially, the presence of this 300 business aviation-oriented exhibitors here, that represents about a third of the 860 exhibitors that the show organizers have reported most recently. This event, over the course of four days, tracked something on the order of 30,000 plus visitors. I was just on the static display line this afternoon, and it was really crowded and busy. There's something like 35 business aircraft and helicopters on the static line this year, which is kind of conveniently located between the Bodensee Friedrichshafen Airport and the exhibit halls of Messe Friedrichshafen. So it's a very convenient layout here. Some of the exhibitors I've spoken to in the course of touring the exhibit halls. Some are here for the first time. Others have come previously, but have said it's certainly taken on a new significance for the business aviation segment as a result of eBay's suddenly canceling the annual event in Geneva. And so it's unclear now, and Terry might have some better intelligence on this, where eBay's goes from here. But I think with the building presence of business aviation at Friedrichshafen, it may become more permanent over time if eBay's doesn't make some sort of return with a static display. This year, this has always been considered a general aviation trade fair, but the static line has increased just from last year. And some of the bigger jets now that I've seen today on the static line, the Dassault Falcon 6X, the Bombardier Global 6500, the Textron Aviation Cessna Citation Longitude. Textron Aviation is a major presence here, and they use this venue for the European public debut of the Cessna Citation Ascend mid-sized jet. So Friedrichshafen especially this year has taken on more of a significance for the business aviation segment because there may not be any alternative going forward.
Speaker 1:
[05:07] Yeah, thanks, Bill. And you mentioned, well, Dassault of course there with the 6X, I believe. Thierry, Bill said that obviously you and I were there at Ebase the year, the infamous year when the static park in Geneva was overrun, invaded by environmental protesters. What is your view on the future of Ebasing as we're talking very briefly about that? And then, you know, I should ask you really, what's the latest on the Falcon family with the 10X, which was recently rolled out and was a bit too soon for Friedrichshafen, but maybe for next year, who knows?
Speaker 3:
[05:46] Thanks, Guy. I am happy to join you both. I don't have proper intelligence on what the future of the show could be. But yes, indeed, I think they never recovered from the 2023 edition when the eco-activists stormed the static display. The 2024 edition was almost as usual, but there was already some signs of tidings from the exhibitors who felt all the assets had not been properly protected there before, all for a very expensive pricing at the Pal Expo in Geneva. The next year, 2025, was the first year when EBAA, the European Business Aviation Association, ran the show on its own as opposed to in partnership with the USNBAA. They chose not to have a static display, which made things simpler for them. And of course, exhibiting cheaper for companies attending. And I think it was a decent show last year. And it was, of course, a bit surprising not to see any aircraft, but the way the organizers encouraged and nurtured networking discussions around presentations, panel discussions, et cetera, made it fairly interesting. It was quite a decent show. And actually, we had quite a lot to report. And then this year, they thought they could go ahead with a static display again. And apparently it failed. Was it because of pricing? Was it because of other factors? Hard to say. But anyway, indeed, they had to cancel the 2026 edition in April. It was due to take place in June. And indeed, Friedrichshafen is effectively taking over as the new business aviation show in Europe. So maybe eBay will find a new way to organize the show in Geneva or elsewhere. But it's becoming increasingly difficult. And to answer your question, Falcon 10X, yes, it was unveiled. And it was rolled out last month, March, yes, March. It is a very impressive aircraft, not only by its size, but also by its innovations, especially in pilot assistance, as in improving safety. One example being, even though the pilot is still in the loop, if the crew doesn't react to a serious alarm, such as what they call a resolution advisory, when two aircraft are coming too close to each other. So it's the traffic collision avoidance system that comes into play. And suddenly a warning, not only an alarm that sounds and a clear message that is given to the pilots. If they don't react, the autopilot takes over and does avoid itself, does avoid by itself the oncoming aircraft. That's just an example. On the Funko 10X, there are six or seven such features. And again, the pilot remains in the loop. In the end, the pilot, the crew makes the decision. But I think that's really impressive in terms of safety improvement.
Speaker 1:
[09:08] Yeah, thanks, Thierry. And Bill, we should sort of, of course, note that Aero Friedrichshafen, as we mentioned at the beginning of the podcast, is also about general aviation too. So it's not just the biz jets that are taking the limelight here. There's other developments too, right? I mean, you've posted a great gallery, for example, on the site a few days ago, which gives a glimpse. But could you sort of highlight a couple of the things that have caught your eye?
Speaker 2:
[09:37] Yeah, sure. I mean, it's definitely a show that now runs from the light sport aircraft all the way through the heavier business jets. It always has been more focused on the general aviation sector. What I'm seeing this year that's interesting is a lot of ultralight certifications and my understanding is that in Germany, it's a separate process than going through the more extensive and complex EASA certification process, especially as it relates to eVTOLs. One development that I found interesting was the re-emergence, at least for me, of a volacopter. As we know, they had been in a state of insolvency and a year ago, they were acquired by Diamond Aircraft, which is the Chinese-owned manufacturer of general aviation aircraft. That seems to have really kind of supercharged volacopter, which remains in Germany. They have been developing the Volo City Air Taxi, which was an 18-rotor multi-copter, fully electric aircraft. I had not heard about that since when they had financial difficulties. Well, they are nearing the end of the EASA certification process for the Volo City and their first customers, the German Air Medical Service, ADAC-ADAC, which I think at the Paris Air Show back in 2023, entered into a partnership with Volocopter for perhaps an upward of 150 aircraft. Well, so, at Aero Friedrichshafen this year, Volocopter is introducing a new development, which they call the Volo X Pro. Volo X Pro, I'm not sure how to pronounce it. It is, again, a two-seat multi-copter, but they're certifying it again to this ultralight category, first in Germany. They do, and they're targeting the flight schools and air sports enthusiast and tourist operators with this, and they're going to have that certified and entering service as of the beginning of 2027. It impresses me that they're, and I think the confirmation, I guess, of the FAA's mosaic standard structure for ultralight and general aviation aircraft to meet similar requirements to part 23, but not go through such an extensive certification effort. Seems to have influenced some of these developments on this side of the Atlantic as well. We're seeing new and innovative and novel type aircraft, fully electric multi-copters coming to market sooner than we might have expected. And that's kind of a trend that stands out to me at this year's event.
Speaker 1:
[12:47] Right. And I believe we've seen another old friend reemerge in the P180 Avanti. It keeps going, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:
[12:57] And that's another company that all of a sudden popped up. And they're here with the P180 Avanti. Their CEO is on-site. They were purchased a year ago by the Turkish company Baykar. And they too were in a state of receivership or extraordinary administration by the Italian government. Well, they're back inactive and they have a P180 EVO here, kind of the shark fin looking thing with the four, it's a pusher prop, general aviation aircraft with a really interesting design. And they have a further evolution of that, that they're planning as well. So it's good to see some of these companies with these really innovative and novel and fashionable designs, they're alive and well. I'm hearing again, I had forgotten this terminology, the urban air mobility, now that kind of became obsolete years ago. We're talking about advanced air mobility now, but urban air mobility is being discussed again in terms of the Valo City.
Speaker 1:
[14:10] And then we've got some models that just keep on going as well. And you mentioned that the French company, that our here is was displaying it's the new version of the TBM, the TBM 980 and also the US built Kodiak 900.
Speaker 2:
[14:28] So the TBM 980 is here at Aero Friedrichshafen. It's actually in the exhibit hall. It's not on the static line. And it's side by side with the special mission Kodiak 900, the big single engine PT-6 powered turbo prop that Kodiak has made in Idaho. The 900 is a new development by Dahir and it builds on the legacy Kodiak 100, which originally was built by Quest Aircraft. And Dahir is growing in the United States. They are building a new facility in Stewart, Florida, and they're going to build both TBMs and Kodiaks in Florida. They're going to maintain their manufacturing operation of the Kodiak in Sandpoint, Idaho and the Idaho Panhandle, as well as their TBM line in Tarbis, France.
Speaker 1:
[15:24] Great. Well, that's, and Bill, I'm going to just go to Thierry here because you mentioned that here is a French company establishing operations and manufacturing in the US. Now, Thierry, I know, has covered another similar company, Aura Aero, based, I believe, in Toulouse. And I know that they've been exhibiting at Aero Friedrichshafen with this multi-cabin configuration for a hybrid electric regional aircraft. And I was wondering, Thierry, perhaps, have you seen those images that Bill has shown on his, I think he put one up on the gallery.
Speaker 3:
[16:04] Yes, I saw the images of the cabin, of the era cabin. I'll be honest, it's a bit called before horses. What I mean is they've been developing the era for quite a few years now. They've kind of been postponing the first flight regularly. They've proven their worth, to be honest, with the lighter single engine, how do they call it again? The integral, Aura Aero integral. So they've proven their worth. They are true airframers now, but they have yet to show even a test bed, even a real test bed on the ground. They have yet to show the new aerodynamic configuration of the aircraft. They haven't even released an image of the new configuration. They've relocated the door and I think they've slightly moved, I think they've slightly moved the tail as well. So we are waiting to see actual hardware or at least the new configuration of the ERA. They keep working, they keep showing, they are working, they are announcing factories, cabin configuration, etc. But we would really like to see technical progress with ERA.
Speaker 1:
[17:21] And before we finish there, I know you had another point to raise.
Speaker 3:
[17:25] Thanks for asking. Yes, just to mention that the TBM, the way the hair is keeping the TBM line up to date is quite impressive, especially for a company which was suggested when the hair took over the Aero Structures business from Airbus, then the ADS actually. I think it was in the 2000s, the ADS at that time told them, we understand you are interested in Aero Structures. There is also this small business, Tomoprop, that is coming with the other business. We think you will not be interested. We think the aircraft has no longer sales potential. So we know someone, we know another company who might take over, who might acquire the TBM business from you. And they had said no, but now we are seeing the TBM. And they have kept investing in it ever since, and they've been enjoying quite brisk sales.
Speaker 1:
[18:26] That's great. Just before we go, any final thoughts on what your impressions have been then from this year? What would stand out really as perhaps the biggest thing you've seen at the show?
Speaker 2:
[18:38] Well, I mean, you know, it was always in the background, this buzz about, you know, eBay's, you know, having shuddered suddenly. You know, some companies had planned to be there and had to cancel hotel reservations and are unhappy about that. It's unclear what the future of eBay's may be. Some companies are testing the waters here. I did an interview with Viasat, which is a connectivity provider, mainly to super mid-size and above business jets. They're here for the first year. They didn't decide to come here as a result of eBay's, you know, sudden cancellation on April 10th. They had made a commitment to come here last year. So it's been a building interest in this show from the business aviation segment. And I think with the cancellation of eBay's this year kind of reinforced what those companies were thinking in terms of whether or not they should be here.
Speaker 1:
[19:43] Well, great stuff. Well, perhaps next year, Thierry and I might wangle a visit to join you with the show. Unfortunately, I guess we're out of time for now. This is a wrap for this week's Check 6. Please head to aviationweek.com to read all our coverage from Aero Friedrichshafen, including Bill's Gallery, of course, and the other topics that we've discussed on this podcast. Special thanks to Bill and Thierry, of course, in Lyon, not in Friedrichshafen, for joining us. And also to our podcast editor in London, Guy Ferniehow. This podcast will be back on Tuesday with an episode from our Defence Colleagues. Thank you for checking in with Check Six and bye for now.