I S S U E 1 0 S e p t e m b e r 2 0 2 3
November 2023
When Stylish People Meet Stylish Interiors
By Mellissa Tokoriyama
All rights reserved - JetCabin Freshbook Magazine, a Jet Media Company
+ SPECIAL FEATURE
F E A T U R E S
1 Airborne Cafe - Thomas Chatfield on "A Visionary Experience"
7 JetZign Feature - Nikki Gledhill / MBG International Design
11 Feature Article - When Stylish People Meet Stylish Interiors
18 SPECIAL FEATURE - A Deep Dive Into Boeing Select
21 That Li-Fi Ain’t No Sci-Fi Spectrum Network's Light-based Transmission
26 Textron - Announcing The Citation CJ3 Gen2
31 Yachtspace - M/Y Amarcord by Nuvolari Lenard Designs
39 Emerging Design Group - Ken Reita / Completion Designers
FEATURE ARTICLES
Nothing feels quite so 'fallish' as October in Vegas for the NBAA.
It was an exceptional one this year, and by that, I mean compared to literally every other year prior to Covid. I saw a few mask wearers on the convention floor but I told myself it was because they were simply kind hearted souls not wanting to give us their colds. In short, and saving the absence of Gulfstream and Bombardier in the convention hall, it felt like the old days - the vibrance and enthusiasm could be felt across the show. Exhibitors and visitors alike were in a good mood and the same atmosphere spilled over into after hours receptions and parties scattered up and down the strip. And it wasn't merely post-pandemic zeal. It was because business is good. I just spoke with one of our advertisers this morning (a week beyond the show). He said they literally took in a dozen new orders on the convention floor and that year-end sales would crest at 30% over fiscal 2022. Demand is high and in some sectors at least, there aren't enough vendors to keep up - a problem perhaps, but a good one to have!
Boeing announced its new program BBJ Select, which potentially could shift the green airplane paradigm and change the way we think about narrow-body purchases. The new program also interestingly, harnesses two US based completion centers as the engines for the project.
Words From The Editor
Rick Roseman - Publisher / Editor
Editor
It was the kind of big announcement that used to come routinely at NBAA/BACE but that have largely remained absent in recent years. Who knows what Boeing's new program will mean to the industry, to customers, to the completion community at large or the host of cottage subsets that support the current paradigm. But what we can take from it is that the industry is moving again, that creativity is again driving us forward with big new ideas and expansive opportunity.
As I mentioned earlier and which went unnoticed to literally no one was the conspicuous absence of bizjet giants Gulfstream and Bombardier. It may have made the convention feel a bit different but this too is evidence that the industry is undergoing shifts that will likely redefine the future. Change can certainly cause uncertainty and leave us scurrying to make our own adjustments but shakeups are good for industry and the result, be it now or later, usually winds up taking us in positive directions.
This year's NBAA/BACE was encouraging in many ways and as it always does, becomes a marker for the year ahead.
2
INSTALLMENT
Look around you. Literally everything you see, nature withstanding, was spawned by someone's imagination. Everything we feel, touch, experience or otherwise interact with in the modern world had its beginnings in someone's brain - or a group of them. There is an old addage: 1% inspiration, 98% perspiration. True enough I reckon. Most of you reading this well know the substance of those words - how exhaustive it is developing something revolutionary, or even noteworthy. It requires tenacity, conviction and discipline on a level that many aren't even willing to go.
Yet still, in the absence of that 1% inspiration . . . that tiny seed of an idea born from sheer creativity, nothing of the comforts and technologies and in fact the solutions to man's greatest problems, would we ever have realized.
It is the people and groups of people - those with great imaginations and vision from which it all has come - and will come as the future unfolds. In this installment of Airborne Café, Thomas Chatfield sits down with one of our industry's most well-known and respected designers, Jacques PierreJean (Pierrejean Vision - Paris).
Naturally the particular future these two men are discussing revolves around private aviation and where it might go from here . . . the exploration of future possibilities and the 'next big things' that will take us from here to there.
So, grab yourself a fancy, frothy latte and listen in as these two leaders pontificate the future of VIP interior cabins and tomorrow's flight experience..
As always, interesting and thought-provoking.
This is the second installment of Airborne Cafe. We are proud to embark on this ongoing series of thoughts, extollings and stories from one of the premier figures in our industry. In each issue Thomas Chatfield will offer us thought provoking articles like the one above - each of them relevant and insightful from the perspective of private aviation. Simply hit the link at right to finish the article and while you're there, learn more about Camber Aviation Management and the importance of their work
Thomas Chatfield - Executive Contributor & CEO
Camber Aviation Management
T H E S T A N D A R D B E A R E R
"The top DESIGN studios around the world are absolutely the ones that inform the industry and set the trends."
Jetzign is where we highlight the very latest from the top designers and studios. Whether it be the iconic independents or the great design departments within the world's top completion centers, this is where you will find their latest works - and always with an emphasis on the near-term future of cabin design
Image courtesy of Sotto Studios
I N T E R N A T I O N A L D E S I G N
NIKKI GLEDHILL
MBG International Design, LLC is a luxury boutique aircraft interior design firm. Ms. Gledhill and her team are based in Spring Branch, Texas - a sweet little corner of the hill country, just west of San Antonia, south of Austin. It may not be the bustling design hub of Paris or NY but it's It's also no secret that the San Antonio / Dallas corridor has long been considered one of the most aviation rich stretches of geography in the country. "That serves us well team" says Gledhill referring to the rich vein of trade professionals right out their back door. "Knowing and consistently nurturing these relationships - working with highly skilled vendors that have been around since the beginning, is essential in realizing our visions each and every project. South Texas is a great place to be for anyone in VVIP interiors."
An interior design graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Nikki Gledhill is the studio's design director and CEO. Her career has given her and her team extensive knowledge of aviation interiors. Paired with a deep knowledge of art history, the collective knowledge base serves their clients well in adapting and responding to the full gamut of design styles, period preferences and stylistic leanings.
Ms. Gledhill began her career in the high-end luxury market following graduation by accepting a position at one of San Antonio's aircraft interior design and modification centers, where she quickly ascended to Senior Interior Designer, responsible for decorative styling of all in-house design projects. "There's no better schooling for aviation interiors" says Ms. Gledhill. "It delivered all the building blocks I needed for embarking on a solo career path. Additionally I was exposed to extensive travel around the world meeting with private, business and head of state customers, all serving to round out my skillsets on entering private practice."
In 2009, Ms. Gledhill formed MBG International Design, LLC and since that time the firm has remained committed to giving each client the upmost attention to design, details, project management and customer service. MGB strives to provide comprehensive, well-thought-out design with no stone left unturned. "Our extensive knowledge of certified materials also speaks to our overall offering," says Gledhill, "as it relates to informing our clients on current state-of-the-art finish materials and substraights that will ensure their completed interiors perform at the highest levels - all the while capturing the most current styles and products from around the globe."
“We are committed to creating comfortable spaces our customers can relax within while vacationing or prepare briefings during a business trip. Whatever our customer's needs, we work with them directly in capturing their vision. With thoughtfulness and relentless attention to detail, we cover every aspect of each space from softgoods to plating finishes, lighting and overall function of the cabin during flight.”
Design Philosophy-
"I like to think of each project as a blank canvas; a one-off, a never been done before and a never will be again. We don’t recycle old projects onto new ones or slave details from one to the other. My job, and our edict as a studio, is to give each client something completely fresh and totally unique to them. If every project in my portfolio looks completely different, then I feel I’ve kept my design honest and remained true to these goals."
"I know many designers have a “branded or pedigree look” but I’d like mine to be just the opposite - a firm whose projects all have a different look and feel, each born of our customer's personal vision - rather that a statement about us. As surely as each client is different, the execution of the design should reflect that individuality."
"Lastly," she concludes, "Lighting plays a very big part in my designs. I’m always looking for new ideas to have lighting become a design feature in and of itself - as well as accenting the areas that are important. Lighting helps set the creative space to its fullest potential. It’s a way to easily alter the mood of a cabin . . . a way of changing the space without actually changing the space.
Continue below the video
International. Design
NIKKI GLEDHILL
Ms. Gledhill's work is, as she purports, not a cultivated pedigree of her own intentional making, rather a portfolio of quite varied styles and customer leanings born out of her customers wishes. And I have to say, that is a bit unusual in today's "it's all about me" world. VVIP customers want to know that as an aviation designer, first and foremost, you know what your doing - that you know how to negotiate the complexities of integrating a design into the completion process, dealing with vendors, providing high level oversight, understanding their own needs and all the rest. But when it comes to extracting their vision, their innermost desires and aesthetic goals for the aircraft they've purchased - they need to know they're project is NOT a billboard for your own ego-driven yearnings. Ms. Gledhill clearly understands that and more importantly, actually practices it.
That said, all designers put forth their own ideas once in a while. Their unique designers lens into what a great interior cabin should be. In the wide-body "concept rendering" below, we can see that while employing a myriad of interesting hard and softgood materials, she never loses strays from the warmth and compatibility of materials that seams it all together.
In the A-1319 concept below, it's easy to observe how Gledhill refrains from overworking her design. The cabin has plenty of details but the overall room is kept simple and uncluttered, instead relying on patterned fabric and carpets to keep it interesting and provide focal points. These are things that come with experience and a cultivated understanding of how aesthetics resonate in the human psyche - how the chaos and messiness of daily life can be quelled by an environment that is ordered, quiet and simplistic. This affect can be accomplished in the architecture itself, the selected pallets and the way details are presented. Ms Gledhill has a good grasp of all three and the sensibility to preserve the throughout development of the design.
Nikki Gledhill is clearly very dedicated to her craft and has the background to support it. There are many examples of Ms. Gledhill's work that cannot be shown here simply because of the nature of our business and the security agreements surrounding the projects. Yet still the artistry in these examples and the video yield glimpses into her ability to transform large aircraft cabins into works of art and inspiration.
To learn more on MBG International Design, visit: mbginternationaldesign.com
wning your own private jet. Now that’s a moment.
Right up there with the day your children were born and your balance sheet turned up with nine zeros. Then there was the moment you took delivery of your first spanking new Gulfstream 650ER, hopping continents and oceans at 51,000 with three cabins and proper big boy seats. But it’s not THE moment, is it? For those whose fortune and appetites afford, there’s the ultimate leap, the Big Jet Jump…the here to there, the little to lavish. Making the leap from bizjet to a transport category airframe…now that’s THE moment. Everything changes. In spatial terms, you’re jumping from a glorified tube to an airborne apartment and it’s a clean sheet of paper, a voluminous cabin that will accommodate anything you desire - private offices, beds, playrooms for the kids and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Since its inception in 1996, this is what the Boeing Business Jet has represented for private individuals, companies, and heads of state. It’s the pinnacle of private jet ownership.
But what it also represents is an entirely different experience. No longer will you stroll into the OEM’s design studio, select from a few floorplan options, and pick out your finishes. Moving to a transport category jet means a ‘green’ airplane, a clean sheet of paper, contracting a designer and the selection of a third-party completion center. The day your jet is born at Boeing is the day it begins a second journey and a lot of steps before it is ultimately redelivered, perhaps two years or more after you order was placed - and finally ready to use. For virtually everyone reading this, it’s what we all know, the big jet paradigm of green aircraft completions. . .
. . . Or is it?
Interview & Article by:
Rick W. Roseman
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At this year’s NBAA in Las Vegas, Boeing Business Jets posted a press release announcing the roll out of an unprecedented program dubbed “BBJ Select”. More than a year in development, the program merges two of America’s powerhouse completion centers together with BBJ. The formalized long-term consortium between Boeing Business Jets (Seattle, WA), Greenpoint Technologies (Bothell, WA) and ALOFT AeroArchitects (Georgetown, DE) was created for a single, arguably long overdue purpose; to streamline the process and timeline of BBJ’s most popular narrowbody offering, the BBJ 737-7. Will it improve predictability and the bottom lines for the parties involved? Assuming the program is successful, it most certainly will. But the big win is the customer – BBJ’s larger goal of offering dramatically shortened completion times, an expansive myriad of available pre-determined configurations, color pallet options and design features – all at a fixed price. In essence it’s a smoother ride at a predictable price and schedule.
A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sitting down with all three parties in order to gain a broader understanding of the program and the benefits to its customers. My interview was intended to give our readers a sort of deep dive into the alchemy of the program and how it all came about. I began my question by simply asking how the program came about and what the main drivers were.
Kicking it off from the Boeing perspective, Drew Gough (BBJ Americas sales director) explains that BBJ Select is something we conceived well over a year ago.
“We're trying to give customers a new way to step into a BBJ. Many prospective buyers value the feature set (of a BBJ), the types of cabin amenities that can only be accommodated aboard a BBJ, including a real bed, full-size shower, private rooms, large lounge spaces, and a dedicated crew rest. What BBJ Select gives them is an easier way to acquire the aircraft by offering this turnkey approach. Instead of purchasing the green airplane, then taking it to a completion center, bringing a team on board, a completion manager, and a designer, all of that gets taken care of under the umbrella of BBJ Select. With our partners ALOFT and Greenpoint, when customers purchase a BBJ Select airplane they know precisely what they're getting because they see the catalog of options - all at an inclusive price.”
“A fixed price, correct?”
“Correct, a fixed price with one priced module exception, which is the lie-flat seating section but otherwise, yes, the entire catalog is included in the base price.”
“And we’re talking about the 737-7 platform, correct? At current, is that the only airframe being offered?
“That’s correct.” says Gough. “This is the airplane around which the program is currently built.”
“Can you speak a little about some of the configurations you will offer and the modules that support them?”
A good place to start is by looking across the more than 160 one-off BBJ interior completions done since Boeing Business Jets first launched. Almost every one of them has a bed, shower, crew rest, galley and several lavatories. Instead of customers starting with a complete clean sheet and trying to decide where those elements will go, we’ve pulled all those features into BBJ Select and made them part of the standard offering, located statically in the forward and aft-most sections of the aircraft. We know customers will want those features in an aircraft this size – and so (BBJ Select) sets a baseline from which to begin building the rest of the configuration to suit each specific customer’s needs and wants.”
Then, I assume that one of the biggest pricing advantages is in the ability to eliminate most, if not all, of the non-recurring engineering, right?
“Yes, in terms of both economics and time, this is one of the biggest advantages of pre-defined, pre-engineered modularity. Our partners came to us with this solution of developing a lot of meaningfully different cabin modules that could all be accomplished within a fixed price construct. But to carry that further, I think the ALOFT Greenpoint team could better speak to this.”
“Yes, BBJ Select is a great opportunity to reduce engineering costs”, says Bret Neely, (Greenpoint Vice President of Sales & Design). “As Drew pointed out earlier, our business over the years has focused mainly on fully bespoke, ultra-custom interiors. The team was collectively passionate about how we might create modularity without any restriction to the end client. That was key; how to employ modularity and still offer a broad spectrum of zonal opportunity and space layout. We want customers to know that BBJ Select doesn’t mean giving up their dreams or aspirations of something completely unique to themselves - they can really have a custom aircraft, simply achieved in a more cost-effective way and with shorter completion cycles. We then set out to create zones and modules we thought were appealing based on historical BBJ aircraft and current trends.”
“From the Greenpoint perspective”, continues Neely, “we've also had a few clients request two BBJs with the same or similar configurations – which is unique in our business. Producing two of the same aircraft in parallel or back-to-back provides both production and economic benefits, resulting in a price point favorable for these clients. These benefits are harnessed in the BBJ Select program.”
“In the press release it says the program will offer 144 different configuration options. Are the modules that support those options already pre-engineered or will they sort of get engineered as a matter of ongoing process as the program unfolds?
“Correct, the program currently offers 144 total permutations of actual deckplans. Many of the modules are repeated in different zones, so from an engineering perspective it's not quite as daunting as it sounds. The engineering is in work, and we have time before the first aircraft goes into production to optimize, with the ALOFT team, how to design these with the modularity and speed of install needed to get these to market quickly – so we're finalizing engineering over the coming 12 months or so. Once the program is well underway all the engineering will be done fully, ready to plug and play.
“And you contrast that say to a typical BBJ completion,” adds Matthew Hill (Aloft VP of Sales & Marketing) “Most often (customers) order the green airplane and then develop their requirements, their design and then the engineering is done. So even though some engineering is still in work for the BBJ Select modules, a lot of the high-level work has been done ensuring that when we design a module, it can seamlessly work with other modules – that what features we put in this space can be swapped out for a different feature set that fits in the same modular space. So, we are well ahead of the customer making an airplane purchase decision and feel very comfortable about the development of BBJ Select relative to the initial green aircraft positions available. We're eight months into some very intensive work on this aircraft and we've thought through and defined the requirements and layouts so, yes, it’s quite far along.”
“I've observed throughout my career and in fact have written multiple articles on how daunting it can be for a customer, as an example coming out of a Gulfstream or Global and they've never ordered a large a large jet before. To make that jump is a big aspiration of course but that first-time buyer cross-section I would assume has been the case for many BBJ buyers. And what I’ve observed among those buyers is that they rarely understand what they’re getting into. You can employ an army of people to help you through it, but at the end of the day, it’s impossible to insulate yourself (the buyer) from the complexities of a clean sheet completion – not to mention the engineering and certification impasses that can inflate budgets and throw delivery dates for a toss. I’ve seen more than a few of these individual buyers excited beyond measure on the frontend and then beleaguered and deflated by the end of it. So, I get it. For that particular buyer set, I think this is not only a good option but a prudent one. But I do have to ask, is this in any way a long-range attempt by BBJ eventually to only offer such an option – in other words, discouraging full clean-sheet green aircraft completions?”
“No,” says Mr. Gough, “we see this as additive to the existing BBJ product portfolio. As was referenced earlier, there are roughly 160 BBJ 737 BBJs in service and there will always continue to be a set of customers that want to invest that time and their energy into a fully bespoke cabin. And there's a lot of benefits to a fully bespoke clean sheet cabin, right? They get exactly what they want without restraint. They get an airplane that embodies themselves in every sense. This sort of customer will always be around, people who have a very specific design style and want something that fully encapsulates who they are as a person. But that does take some effort, numerous additional steps and generally a longer completion cycle. What BBJ Select offers, as I said at the outset, those customers that see the value in the BBJ product but want their airplane sooner and an airplane that’s easier to acquire. I anticipate, and we've already seen this since launch, is airplane cross shoppers finding appeal in BBJ Select. They’re saying to themselves, Ok, I'm shopping for a traditional ultra-long range business jet …oh wait, here's BBJ Select and I get this incredible cabin experience with a purchase process that is essentially like the other options. That's where we see BBJ Select really drawing new customers into the bizliner space. The legacy customer set that's always enjoyed the BBJ product line - they're going to continue to find value in the bespoke offering. BBJ Select is about expanding the envelope and reaching a new customer set.”
“I see, and would you say that the typical BBJ Select customer would not then need to employ an independent designer or at least in most cases? Is that accurate or do you still see them maybe bringing in their own designer to help them pull it all together etc.?”
“I envision the vast majority of customers will work with the Aloft-Greenpoint design team, says Mr. Hill. Where Bret and Annika are located at the Greenpoint offices - they have a great design studio. Their team are the ones who produced all the renderings and the floor plans that you saw, so I think they're really going to be the experts that will lead customers through the process. And since Annika is here, maybe she wants to add some thoughts.”
“Sure,” explains Annika Wicklund (Greenpoint Director of Design) “to consider the full offering – there are three main schemes to pick from, Serene, Earthbound and Midnight, and each scheme includes a library of alternate material options. Clients will have a broad array of decision making, if they want. One benefit of BBJ Select is that we have a full completion team available to support the client through the process. We've thought about maintainability and the practicality of what you want in your business jet. Of course, if the client has their own designer, that person can help work through the options or potentially offer more.”
“Great, thanks. So, are you formally accepting customers now? I mean have you you've accepted orders already?”
“No, we haven't accepted orders just yet,” says Mr. Gough. “NBAA was really the launch of the fully conceived offering. But I will say that at the show, we had a lot of productive customer conversations. So, we're very pleased with the market feedback thus far.”
“During the spin up, the development of the program, I assumed you reached out to customers and polled them some in an effort to get buyer feedback for the program? Was there some of that?”
“Yes, and we went to three places for data,” recalls Gough “The first of course, was the installed fleet and as I mentioned earlier, this is where we learned about the features customers most often install in their BBJ – things like a bed, a shower, the crew rest, and the galley. Additionally, a partial width private room is a really popular BBJ feature - allowing for private space while still enabling access to the rest of the airplane via a hallway. The fleet really informed the offering, as we brought all of these features into BBJ select.
The second place we went for data was current business jet operators. Through one-on-one conversations and focus groups, we asked them what features were most valuable on their current business jets. Most of these folks were not BBJ operators. So we also asked, what do you wish you had on your current business jet? One of the examples that came out of those conversations was additional places to sleep. We found that on the largest ultra-long range business jets, if some operators needed to sleep more than four people, they felt it necessary to either cut their passenger list or take two airplanes. When building BBJ Select, the ability to sleep a higher number of passengers was a very important part of our modular offering.
Finally, once we had rough drafts of the floor plans and the modules, we approached a select few of our current customers to gather their feedback and make sure we were heading in the right direction. That feedback was universally positive and ultimately led to the launch of BBJ Select at the NBAA.”
Wow, the sleeping positions thing is interesting. So, when you mean sleeping positions, you're talking about any lay flat single chair or bed space? If it went over four they were leaving people or actually taking a second aircraft. That I would not have guessed to be such a paramount breakpoint.
F E A T U R E D V I D E O
Stylish Cabins
Stylish People
by: Melissa Tokoriyama
The days of stylish air travel when dressing to the nines to board an aircraft, are long gone . . . or are they?
In this piece, I examine a bit of a phenomenon occurring before our eyes. Now by phenomenon I don't mean a wave that's gone viral, or anything even close. But as sure as high-fashion superheroes and Taylor Swift are trending upwards, so too are more stylishly dressed people boarding airplanes - especially private airplanes. Now you might be saying, what BS! All I see in airports is the normal sea of slubs and fashion illiterate tadpoles. But among the private set, the times they are a changin' - or so it seems. To get a handle on this pressing matter, we reached out to several of the nation's top FBOs to ask the question. With all but one exception, concierge execs all noted that there has been a steady uptick in upscale duds among private aircraft owners, charter passengers and the like. I'm not exactly sure when something becomes a "thing" but I think we're getting close and remember you heard it here first! According to ground personnel and private cabin crews, both men and women, in increasing numbers, are turning up in high fashion apparel. Vogue's Christian Allaire calls it's a throwback, a nod to the coolness and cachet of post-war travelers for whom neckties, pocket squares, heels and seamed stockings were standard travel accouterment.
In one sense, the general notion is . . . "Hey, I own my own jet. I'll dress any way I damn well please. But of late it seems, and for some, the way they damn well please is UP! Men are turning up in Stefano Ricci jackets, slacks, pocket squares, open pressed white shirts and Hermes loafers with no socks - relaxed but decidedly sheik. Woman are showing up in everything from pencil skirts to a smart summer dress and heels to full on couture. "It's fun to look the part" says Christian Allaire (Vogue) , "and if we're honest, the whole sweats and sneakers thing . . . the I'm rich but gotta get my homey on, has aged waaaay beyond its cool factor." Jet owners and their entourages, especially those under fifty, have got a new jam and it's gettin' their fashion on. Their wardrobes are shifting and the places they wear the upscale duds are expanding.
I remember going to a house party in LA a decade or so back, one of those don't show up until 11:00, be gone by dawn things. There were four of us and we all decided to dress up in suits, thin ties and Sinatra style hats. Now granted, it was more of a sorta costume and I don't remember boarding a jet - but we definitely owned the room and for me at least, it changed my whole demeanor on an elemental level. I carried myself a little differently and spoke with more authority - less words but with gravitas. Part of it was the pretense that we'd all turned up (time-machine-style) straight from another era. That was the vibe and the other partygoers got it. But another part of it was simply having draped yourself in crisp, well-tailored clothes - the kind of duds George Peppard wore in Breakfast at Tiffany's - or Nat King Cole at the height of his career. No matter who you are, it just feels good to wear expensive, well tailored, in fashion clothes. And for jet owners, it's becoming a thing. No longer is it quite so fashionable to downplay your wealth by sporting faded hoodies and backward ball caps. If they're headed off to NYC or LA or Aspen for a week of fun, more and more they're reaching for the high-end side of the closet - and putting real thought into the ensamble.
Private Aircraft cabin design stands at a very high level, higher than at any point in our history. But an interesting thing has occurred. While the aesthetic of aircraft cabins has continued to evolve . . . just the opposite seems to have happened with their passengers. Yea, yea, if I own my own aircraft, I can dress any ?>%$ way I want to.
But you have to admit, the phenomenon is quite curious. The more refined the designers bring us in the cabin, the slouchier the owners seem to turn up when it's time to board them.
But there ARE exceptions and maybe even a bacward trend to more stylish owners.
Until a little more than a century ago, there were very few ways to disguise your social class. You wore it—literally—on your sleeve. If you were middle class and worked in a factory, that's the way you dressed. If you had achieved wealth, you wore pressed shirts and neckties. And the reason you did, in either case, is because conformity was the social norm. Nobody sought to stand out. The fact that your attire defined your class or social-economic strata . . . well, that was just the way it was.
But here's the thing. everybody in today's world is seen - and I mean EVERYBODY. It doesn't matter what you are, what you're trying to be, or for what reason. Chances are, you're going to show up in front of your friends, in front of your school or, depending on how many zeros you have behind your name or your fame - a few billion people.
So, if you wanna dress like a mid-sixties, starving poet and crawl onto your spanking new G-650, it's not because you don't care what you look like. It's precisely because you DO care. Social media is the great social-economic leveler. Unless you're locked in your bathroom, chances are you're going to show up in somebody's feed doing whatever it is you do, and looking precisely the way you worked it out in front of the mirror that morning. And even if you don't have two nickels to rub together, chances are you've got a smart phone, and that means the only difference between you and the guy with the new G-650 - is that you can selfie yourself looking cool instead of having a bunch of people do it for you. But at the end of the day, it just doesn't matter because the guy parading around in front of your selfie stick and the guy over there on the other side of the tracks in his BBJ - both are maintaining their image. And the only differentiator between one or the other, is the look . . . the vibe, the image, the brand.
Now one might argue that if you're an Elon Musk, an Emmanuel Macron or a Cristiano Renaldo, your globally renown accomplishments created your image for you - but that's bullshit. Titles and accomplishments are one thing, and if you're lucky, they stay with you a lifetime - or longer. But your image . . . that's created and recreated every day. Either you do it yourself or you have a group of PR folks that manage it for you. But when it comes to how your dress (politicians excepted) it's all about you and for a certain strata of Billionaires, the starving poet, I'm too cool to dress up vibe, is being replaced by the John Krasinski, KJ Apa, Margo Robbie, Audrey Hepburn vibe. So yea, it's a thing and I for one am lovin' it! I love it that Seth Rogan, Hollywood's undisputed pot head, stoner can't help himself of late from donning a Bottega Veneta suit to take the stage. The same is true of his pal, Janah Hill whose flipped from the pudgy introverted misfit to owning the cover of GQ three times!
Let's face it, the likes of Princess Grace, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, Gary Cooper and David Niven . . . these people had it going on, way beyond their careers as actors. Yea they were Hollywood's golden age stars but it doesn't change the swagger and the monumental style they carried off camera - and especially when they boarded an aircraft or a cruise ship in those days. It mattered. It was about an image that belonged to an era. And I think that era is returning.
The images above need no introduction. These women knew how to dress and while they may have learned it on the soundstages of the movies they starred in, it became second nature to them. When the turned up to board a TWA jetliner, they by god turned heads and it wasn't all because of their fame. Check out the white gloves in every shot. Overkill in today's world perhaps but decidedly cool in the era - all part of the day's couture uniform.
But here's the more subtle substance of my little article. Todays top-tier $80 ML business jets are highly sophisticated, high-tech and most of all, seductively beautiful airborne machines. And if you discount literally everything I've said above, we're still left with the fact that in most cases over the last few decades, the machine is far more graceful and seductive than the people flying on them. To me, that's a disgraceful inequity in the visual world - and one long in need of correcting. But as we've proven over and again, neither human behavior nor social trends can be hurried along. It takes time, it takes the will of the almighty fashion community and maybe, just maybe . . . it takes a certain kind of boredom with outdated, over-nourished trends
Next time you're down at New York's Teterboro Airport and take a few minutes to watch the well-to-do board their airplanes. You might just be in for a pleasant surprise!
Article by: Melissa Tokoriyama
Sources: GQ Magazine, Vogue, Marie Claire, Flaunt
“You like my new stereo radio son?”
“It’s cool…I mean yessir. But what’s this?”
“Well come on, let’s turn it on and I’ll show you.”
There was so much stuff in the room that its acoustics were perfect for such a trial. It would prove the perfect space for my first taste of Hi-Fi (high fidelity) sound. The room was instantly filled with symphonic instruments seemingly coming from all around me.
What’s the point of all this?
Well, first I reckon, is that the abbreviated handle Hi-Fi, would be the first of many such techno-designates that would impact my life. Next would be Sci-Fi – something I discovered around the same time and still remains my favorite fictional genre for books and movies. Then there’s Wi-Fi of course, the ubiquitous umbilical that grants heavenly access to, well, everything we can’t otherwise see or touch. And lastly is (wait for it), Li-Fi, the slow to get at, but well worth waiting on subject of this updated article.
Each of the “-Fi” variants (Sci-Fi excepted), have represented significant technological advancements. One year ago in our November, ‘22 issue, we ran an article on Spectrum Networks, a Seattle based relatively new start-up with a technology as crazy advanced and game changing as the internet was on April 30th, 1993.
At Speeds You Can't Imagine.
An Update On Spectrum Networks
When I was a kid, I remember going to my granddad’s place every other Sunday evening. He had a great place but my favorite room to wander into was his personal ‘den’ (a.k.a. mancave). The room had dark wood paneled walls, guns of every description, game trophies on the walls, framed pictures with hunting and fishing bros from far away continents – and of course a giant oversized heavy wood desk at the back of the room, littered with yet more manly paraphernalia. I walked slowly around the room touching everything of course until finally landing at the equally massive credenza behind his desk. There I spotted something I hadn’t seen on prior visits, a new addition. It was a fancy radio console with the name Magnavox spelled across one of its four speaker grills. And below that was a word I’d never seen. It read Hi-Fi. As I stooped down to study it, my Granddad cleared his throat. He was leaned against the doorway across the room – a grin on his face, a drink in his hand and a pipe in his mouth.
Very few had even heard the term Li-Fi only a year ago but I’m betting by now, especially for those directly involved in aviation interiors – you have by now. In short, it’s a technological leap in data transmission that, in real terms, is almost unimaginable. It will alter the speed and security of data transmission in aircraft cabins to the point where current HF signals and traditional routers will soon feel like the stone age when we look back.
Today, I’m going to recap some of my article from a year ago and at the end, drop a little bit of news that will quantify how far the technology has come in just twelve months and some of the early adopters that are leading the way toward its commercial success and practical viability for VIP and airline applications.
Below are some excerpts from my article a year ago. My interview was with Mr. Jay McGrath (Spectrum’s Founder & CEO) and Mr. Alex King (Chief Technical Officer).
“Ok, Let’s say for a minute I’ve just ordered a new BBJ and this is something that could potentially be installed on my airplane. What's it going to do for me and my family’s flight experience?
“Ok, so the main thing is the speed of Li-Fi.” Says Mr. McGrath “It’s literally leaps and bounds above current WiFi technology. LiFi truly and finally will enable the wireless cabin where Wi-Fi just hasn't been able to keep up for some years now. Current CMS / IFE systems are struggling to keep up with increasingly higher resolution devices and simultaneous users throughout the cabin.”
"Ok, hang on” I asked. “Just what kind of speeds are we talking about?"
“We have customers that are saying, hey I'd like 4K uncompressed content going out to all of my displays with no latency. They want real time sources and Wi-Fi just can't support that - and so traditionally CMS/IFE providers use wired infrastructure, like fiber or copper to deliver the content to multiple devices around to the cabin. But now with the capabilities of Li-Fi we can support those things wirelessly to the point where that wired infrastructure can literally go away. So, if you were my customer, yea, this is what I would say. You will never again experience degraded signals or crashes when your children are in the aft cabin gaming and your guests are up front trying to watch movies on multiple screens in 5K and Dolby Atmos. Oh and by the way, all that weight associated with cabling, wiring etc – just went away also.”
“Well, that’s pretty amazing and extremely compelling from the customer’s standpoint,” I confessed. “not to mention the completion centers. As a customer, it sounds like a game changer to be sure. But what exactly is Li-Fi…how does it work?”
This is where Alex took off in the tradition of any good ‘techy’. But he was kind to do it in terms I could understand.
“Ok, so obviously LiFi is fundamentally the same as WiFi, except we’re using laser-light to carry the data vs. an RF signal. Light as a means of carrying data has been used for decades. Fiber optic cables for example, have for several decades now, been used to transmit data at very high speeds. So, in aircraft interiors these days, almost all light sources are LED, right? Very efficient, no heat and very controllable in terms of light temperature etc. But while LED light is great for visible light – cabin illumination, aesthetics, mood etc., it didn’t really support the use case for transmitting data at super high speeds. LEDs can be modulated at 100MHz, which typically can only support speeds of perhaps a couple of hundred megabits per second. While Laser based light sources can be modulated at 10Ghz, which can support multi-Gbps speeds.”
Ok, hang on” I asked. “Just what kind of speeds are we talking about?
He smiled before answering.
A Positively
SMASHING
Thanks to everyone for making it a great year!
Ken Reita ‐ Completion Designers (Indianapolis) Completion Designers is an aviation design firm focused exclusively on aircraft interior design and refurbishment. Our passion for creating spaces that are as brilliant as they are beautiful is guided by a multidisciplinary approach borne of decades of aviation design experience.
Owner and creative director Ken Reita’s depth of knowledge and prolific portfolio of work spans more than two decades and 20 plus airframes, including Falcon, Gulfstream, Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer, and Hawker Beechcraft. Before founding the Indianapolis studio in 2021, Ken led hundreds of successful aviation design and refurbishment projects across the globe—only a project in Antarctica remains unchecked, but he’s not closed that door. His generational knowledge of each airframe’s variations and version history have sharpened and expedited his ability to meet even the toughest design challenges with creativity and confidence, and his expertise in industrial, interior, and product design ensures every design choice and technical detail have been rigorously considered to reflect your individual style and your aircraft's precise purpose.
Ken thrives as an independent designer, enjoying relationships and collaborations with a network of highly vetted vendors and design professionals nurtured over decades. His robust library of 3D data allows him to complete production‐ready renderings in‐house, offering you greater transparency and control from start to finish. Strategically located in one of the fastestgrowing private aviation hubs in the country, Completion Designers offers designs that are as smart as they are stunning.
Ken Reita has been an aviation designer since 1997, holding positions as Senior Industrial Designer, Lead Interior Designer, Mechanical Designer, and Multi‐media Designer at U.S.‐based OEMs and MRO centers. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Design and an M.S. in Industrial and Product Design.
Meet the mission. Mission-centered and individually inspired designs consider who, where, why, and how the aircraft will be used at every point in the journey.
Business travel? What daily routines and amenities keep you productive, refreshed, and ready to perform? Family vacations? You’ll need thoughtful solutions for charging, stowing, and viewing everyone’s device.
Charter flights? How can we extend the lifespan of seat upholstery and carpeting without sacrificing comfort and style? Every question is intentional. Every answer inspires.
Create an experience
From the minute our customers and their guests board the aircraft, details will define the experience.
The sumptuous feel of mohair carpet underfoot. The gentle brush of light against polished veneer. The imperceptible swoosh of a wine drawer closing. Everything you see and don’t see, hear or don’t hear, feel or don’t feel is the result of our abiding attention to detail.
Protect our client's investment.
It’s not enough for the cabin to look beautiful. It has to perform well over time to be a good investment— for you, or the next owner of your aircraft. Choosing textiles that will endure both time and trends. Sourcing hard goods that reduce weight without sacrificing luxury. Introducing small, low-cost, design changes that elevate the overall look and feel of the cabin. Each mental calculation is intended to protect your investment.
Completion Designers Intentions
Design Discovery. This conversation covers a lot of ground. From the 40,000-foot mission of the aircraft to whether in-flight beverages are more likely to come with creamer or a cork. We’re seeking to understand the needs and behaviors of your passengers at a level of detail that will inform and inspire your unique design. No detail is insignificant.
Style Profile. It’s easier to know what you want (or don’t want) when you can see it. But too many choices can be overwhelming. This guided exercise will help you identify and articulate your style preferences early, so our initial design concepts reflect your preferred aesthetic, and your final decisions are as easy as choosing which one you love more.
Conceptualization. Using hand sketches and computer visualization software, our designers will convert ideas and measurements into design concepts that precisely demonstrate the footprint, flow, and function of the cabin and its monuments. Multiple cycles of internal collaborative review and material application will go into refining each concept for your consideration.
Design Review & Feedback. This is your first look at the refined design concepts and material recommendations. An in-person presentation is best. But virtual works too. We’ll walk you through each concept and carefully note your feedback for future revisions. Most changes can be made quickly (some instantly), so don’t feel rushed. We’ve intentionally created space for reflection and revision, and we’ll continue to refine your designs until you’re absolutely thrilled.
Final Design Renderings. When all revisions are completed, and you’ve approved the final concepts and material selections, we’ll convert the designs into realistic, production-ready 3D renderings that visually illustrate the concept and detailing of the interior space and components. We’ll create a comprehensive spec sheet with all measurements and callouts, an 11 x 17 fabric board, plus a vendor list and timeline for ordering textiles and finish materials.
Project Hand-off
As promised, everything the completion centers need to provide you with an accurate quote and complete the interior of your aircraft is available for download and sharing from your digital project folder on our secure server. And because we feel personally invested in your project’s success, we provide unlimited phone support to you and your completion center throughout the RFQ and installation processes.
What to Expect
Completion Designers would like to announce their formal rollout at the start of 2024. Check back here or look for our posts announcing their new website. In the meantime, JCFM wishes to welcome Completion Designers entry to the US based design landscape.
TEXTRON AVIATION CONTINUES INVESTMENT IN BESTSELLING CESSNA CITATION BUSINESS JETS WITH INTRODUCTION OF NEW CESSNA CITATION CJ3 GEN2
LAS VEGAS (Oct. 16, 2023) — Textron Aviation today announced the newest Cessna Citation business jet in the company’s legendary lineup — the Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2. Unveiled on the eve of this week’s National Business Aviation Association - Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) in Las Vegas, the Citation CJ3 Gen2 raises the bar in the light jet market as the company’s most comprehensive Gen2 product announcement to date. Attendees will enjoy access to a new Citation CJ3 Gen2 mock up debuting during the show at the company’s static display at Henderson Executive Airport. Currently under development, the aircraft is expected to enter into service in 2025.
The Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 is designed and manufactured by Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company.
“The Cessna Citation CJ3 Gen2 is our most comprehensive Gen2 product announcement yet, offering customers proven performance, leading edge technology and an unmatched cabin experience,” said Ron Draper, President and CEO, Textron Aviation. “As a pilot of the CJ3 series, I appreciate the aircraft’s excellent range, payload and efficiency, along with new productivity and comfort features. This announcement is a testament to our vision to be the leader in aviation, inspiring the journey of flight.”
When you open the door to the Lou Hansell Bespoke studio, the possibilities begin. Our artisans and designers have selected a palette of exquisite materials, with 51 shades of ltalian leathers, five metal and inner trim pairings, and personalization options. Driven by their boundless creativity, they combine their talents and craftsmanship to create pieces you’ll cherish forever.
louhansell.com
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