Tips to Modernize Your Jet's Cabin & Flight Deck

Kevin Hoffman discusses how the company’s Integrated Team approach provides value for owners and operators of large-cabin business aircraft wishing to modernize and upgrade their aircraft to the passenger cabin standard and flight deck options currently available on new aircraft models at a fraction of the cost of a new aircraft. 

Topics covered include:

• The likely candidate for an aircraft upgrade or modernization.
• The elements of a comprehensive Modernization program.
• The program management process – how it works.
• Applying the JANUS Integrated Product Development Team to the modernization of aircraft.
• The optimal age range to modernize an aircraft.
• An overview of the interior design evolution during the past 20 years.
• What can we expect with respect to aircraft interiors in the future.

About Kevin Hoffman

Kevin Hoffman has over thirty years of experience in business aviation, ranging from aircraft design to executive roles with OEMs and in a number of companies he founded. One of Kevin’s strengths is forming and managing high-performance teams. He is a builder, whose passion is creating teams and managing complex projects. Kevin is a pragmatic, results-orientated leader. One of his biggest strengths is his ability to see through superfluous, complex information and cut to the points that matter to obtain results. He gets to the heart of the matter by boiling down complex programs to simple and easy-to-understand fundamentals that meet the company and program objectives.

Kevin’s academic background includes degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and a degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Alabama. He continued his studies in management at the University of Virginia, Darden School of Business, and attended seminars on Negotiations at Harvard University. Kevin provided lectures in Aircraft Design at Stanford University and the University of Kansas as well as instructed a course in Aircraft Design at Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal.

In 1985, Kevin started his career in business aviation when he joined the Engineering Flight Test department at Gulfstream Aerospace where he honed his skills in flight tests and certification. This entailed preparing test plans, writing and issuing flight test reports as well as participating and conducting flight tests. Following the certification of the GIV, he joined the Product Development group where he was exposed to CAD/CAM while working on conceptual aircraft designs, aerodynamic analyses, and computational fluid design analysis on 3D models. In 1990, he accepted a position at Bombardier Aerospace where he was in charge of the Conceptual Aircraft Design and Aircraft Design Tool Development for the Advanced Design Group. 

Kevin also coordinated and directed the Conceptual and Preliminary Design phases of the Next Model Executive Jet (Global Express). This included configuration design, aircraft design, and sizing, program planning, maintaining program schedules and budgets and coordinating and leading teams through the Conceptual and Preliminary Design phases. In 1994, Kevin joined the Sales and Marketing Group as the Director of Global Express Technical Sales. This entailed providing technical presentations and traveling the world to meet with clients and discuss the technical attributes of the Global Express. In 1997, he transitioned to Product Management as the Global Express Product Director until he founded Aerospace Concepts in 1998. 

Kevin has not only presided over Aerospace Concepts as President and CEO but he also founded the Aerospace Group in 2004 where he was a Partner and served as CEO. In 2009, Kevin founded Project Phoenix Ltd. and was appointed Chairman.

In 2011, Kevin was nominated and awarded the prestigious Aerospace Engineer and Mechanics Distinguished Fellow status from the University of Alabama. That same year, Kevin founded the Lilly Hoffman Heart Foundation to help the families of children who suffer from Congenital Heart Defects. He currently serves as Chairman of this Foundation. In 2018, Kevin joined Aloft AeroArchitects as the Vice President of the Program Management Office and lead the team to successfully deliver on their commitments to design, build and certify the Auxiliary Fuel Tanks for the Boeing BBJ Max 8 in addition to VVIP completions and numerous Maintenance projects.

JANUS Aerospace LLC

JANUS offers a highly experienced Integrated Team approach for owners and operators of large-cabin business aircraft. JANUS is a unique, value-add service for Large Cabin aircraft owners wishing to modernize and upgrade their aircraft to the passenger cabin standard and flight deck options currently available on new aircraft models at a fraction of the cost of a new aircraft. JANUS™ Aerospace removes the uncertainty of making a complex decision by providing you with the information and knowledge to make the best decision. We are a team of industry experts that share a passion for nurturing long-term relationships and making the experience of acquiring and configuring an aircraft simple and efficient. JANUS Aerospace is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with offices in Chicago – Hong Kong – Montreal – Paris – Washington and Zurich. 

To read the transcript for this podcast, click here