EBACE Launches With Cessna, Honda Updates

The HondaJet is making its European debut this week, at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, in Geneva. The stop is part of a "world tour" for the twin-engine jet, which is getting close to certification and first deliveries in North Carolina. The tour began in Japan, where more than 10,000 people had a chance to see the jet up close, and after EBACE, the jet will continue on a two-week demo tour with stops in the U.K., Poland and Germany. The EBACE show, Europe's largest business-aviation event, runs from Tuesday to Thursday this week. Cessna, Beechcraft, Daher and Boeing also provided updates on Monday, during a busy pre-show news-conference day.

Cessna said the final performance specs for its Citation Latitude midsize jet are better than predicted, and added that FAA certification is "imminent." The Latitude will offer a long-range cruise of 2,850 nm, and takeoff distance of 3,580 feet.The jet is on static display at the show. Also on Monday, Beechcraft said all new-production King Air turboprops will soon feature Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics as standard equipment. Daher announced the first delivery in Spain of its TBM 900 single-engine turboprop. Boeing Business Jets said split scimitar winglets now will be standard on all of its jets, and offered as a retrofit for the BBJ fleet. The modified winglets increase range by 2 percent or more. EBACE is hosted at Geneva's Palexpo convention center, with a static display at the adjacent Geneva International Airport.