HE A D - OF - STATE C OMPLETION
The end result is an aircraft that can accommodate 28 passengers
across three cabins, and fly non-stop for 12 hours. There are also two
crew-rest seats. Passengers can control heat, window shades, lighting and
the IFE via a secure downloadable app for Apple and Android devices.
The aircraft is fitted with Ka-band, Ku-band and L-band antennae.
This allows the wi-fi bandwidth to be varied for maximum flexibility and
security, controlled by software from Eclipse. “We also had a government
security advisor look at it,” says Dunlop. “They worked, post-delivery,
to effectively cloak it. If there’s a situation, the captain can throw a switch
in the cockpit, and no signal comes off the aircraft and nothing comes in.
There are other security measures too.”
QUIET WORKSPACE
Dunlop says cabin noise is controlled to a much greater degree than
on the Fokker 70. “Sound has many frequencies, some detected by
the ear and some not,” he says. “The average across the whole aircraft
was not to exceed 51dB SIL3. In the main cabin we got it down 48dB
SIL3, which is really good. After all, it’s to be used to enable working
parties and government officials to continue their business. You need
a comfortable sound level to work long hours on what I am sure are
important topics.”
The completion by Fokker Techniek was carried out in Woensdrecht,
the Netherlands, between late May 2018 and early June 2019. With
Fokker’s broad supply chain, members of Altea’s team also visited
businessjetinteriorsinternational.com
024 OCTOBER 2019
LEFT: ZIG-ZAG STITCHING PROVIDES
A FUN DETAIL ON BATHROOM
VALANCE PANELS
BELOW: THE LIVERY DISPLAYS THE
GOVERNMENT’S INSIGNIA
Astronics CCC in Seattle, USA, to oversee
work on the IFE, IAC in Ostrava, the
Czech Republic, for the exterior paint,
and Fuchs in Wolfsberg, Austria, for the
bulk of the cabinetry.
All round, PH-GOV would seem to
be one of Altea’s most rewarding jobs to
date, in no small part due to its reasonable
final customer, as Dunlop concludes:
“They didn’t want to appear too overt or
luxurious, they wanted something that
was workable, simple and functional.
Then we were allowed to twist it up and
add Dutch character.”
A FLYING testament
The Netherlands is full of great home-grown designers
but the contract went to the UK’s Robin Dunlop. He also
worked on the modification of the government’s previous
aircraft, a Fokker 70, and had built strong relationships
on that project. “I set about keeping a really good
relationship with two key people when I worked on the
modification of the previous aircraft and somehow I
impressed them,” he says.
However, although Dunlop kept up these relationships
over the course of eight years, the new project was still
put to a tender process. “Of course we were nervous
that after such a long period of relationship building
we might not win the tender, however on election we
successfully demonstrated that we were simply best
placed,” says Dunlop.
“ You need a comfortable
sound level to work long
hours on important topics”
The aircraft
emits 20% less
NOx than the
Fokker 70 it
replaces
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