In order for oil-company employees stationed in Houston to reach the offshore wells of West Africa, they would first have to fly from Texas through a destination in Europe where they would board another flight down to Luanda, Angola. This journey, taking as long as 24 hours, was simply too time consuming and exhausting, even for leathernecks. To address the problem, Sonair Servico Aereo SARL, a subsidiary of Sonangol and the air-wing which manages a number rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, created the Houston Express in July 2001.

The decision was made by Sonair to lease a lone Boeing MD-11ER from World Airways. With this aircraft, whose passenger cabin was configured with 121 seats (98 business, 23 tourist), Sonair launched a biweekly non-stop service between Houston and Luanda and a weekly service between Houst on and Manobo in the Equatorial Guinea. The average 15-hour non-stop flights, initially created for oil workers accustomed to 30-days-on/30-days-off work routines, was a marked improvement over traditional means of air travel to the region.

In the summer of 2003, Onboard Services Group (OSG), a Connecticut-based consulting agency that provides catering services to Houston Express, was tasked to act as the client rep on Sonair MD-11 upgrade project. OSG president, William Pennella, embarked on an effort to provide a more comfortable cabin and better amenities for the company executives and government VIPs that now wanted to fly the Houston Express. His mission was to create a first class cabin. To accomplish this, it was decided to take 20 seats out of the sizeable business class and build the new first-class compartment in zone A (the area between doors no. 1 and 2) of the aircraft.

With the final go-ahead from Sonair and a budget of $2 million, Pennella began the task of organizing the necessary suppliers to accomplish his mission. The goal was to take advantage of aircraft downtime during a scheduled C-check (heavy airframe maintenance visit) in early July 2004 to outfit the new interior. Plans called for the interior design to be completed by March 31, and to collect all the seats and cabinetry on dock by June 25. The aircraft would then fly all the furnishings to MD-11 modification specialist EVA Air, in Taiwan, where the installation work would get done.

THIRD DESIGNER

With only six months remaining to the C-check and after unsuccessful attempts to work with two design firms, Pennella turned to Edése Doret Industrial Design (EDID) to create the enhanced interior architecture as well as a new identity and graphic collateral for the Houston Express. Known for its work on corporate, government and head-of-state aircraft, including the first VVIP interior of an Airbus A380-800 [see A/I Jul/Aug 2002], the New York-based design house welcomed the challenge to work on its first MD-11 and FAR Part 121 aircraft.

Once contract negotiations were completed and detailed criteria laid out by Pennella, EDID began the project on January 15. The firm faced an aggressive three-month work schedule to lock down the design of the all-new first class cabin.

The new compartment was designed around 12 seat positions; because of the short lead time, a decision was made to use B/E Aerospace's 16g Boeing Business Jet seat rather than develop a custom seat used by the likes of British Airways. "We took full advantage of the various features of the seat such as the fore- and aft-tracking, full-extension head- and leg-rests with full-recline seat backs that provide passengers the comfort of a full-flat bed. However, features such as the swivel mechanism were locked out, due to minimal aisle clearance and certification issues," explains EDID president, Edése Doret.

Doret adds: "Each seat is accompanied by a credenza, also supplied by B/E's Tucson facility, backed by engineering support from DRB Aviation Consultants of San Antonio. Each credenza houses a large 30-in by 26-in pullout table, storage for a DVD player, Bose headsets, Em-Power (laptop power), literature pocket and storage for duvet, blankets, pillows and sleep suit." On top of the credenzas, passengers will find an 18-in flex-arm lamp, DPCU, water-bottle holder, vase with fresh flowers and amenities tray with a recessed cup holder. The credenzas in the center aisle have the added feature of a mechanically actuated privacy divider and the curved partitions around the seat backs provide even more isolation. Special attention was given by the designer to the ergonomics of this environment to optimize the relationship between the seat, credenza and privacy panel.

CLOSE COORDINATION

Throughout the design phase, tight collaboration between the EDID team, Pennella, all the engineers and vendors helped keep the program on schedule. Biweekly meetings were held to review options, explore finishes and confirm the direction of the project. Among key issues that had to be addressed was cabin decompression and certification.

Further, constant attention was needed to ensure that the construction and finish materials met regulatory requirements. The codes that govern aircraft operating under FAR Part 121 are much more stringent than those that apply to private aircraft. As such, EDID had to carefully select the finishes for millwork, upholstery and bulkheads. "That required close collaboration between all team members on overall design strategy to gain maximum impact with a limited range of materials," recalls Doret. Flammability and weight criteria also drove the finish selection. And special attention was given to access panels to make life easier for World Airways' maintenance personnel.

Another first for this unique cabin design is the use of a 30-in LCD monitor on the center bulkhead (never used before in a commercial application operating under Part 121) with 18-in flat-panel monitors on the outboard bulkheads. Because of the load limits of the galley and lavatory walls on which the monitors were to be mounted, it was decided by Jet Aviation (San Antonio), contracted to oversee the certification of the new cabin, to add a structural bulkhead to handle the additional weight. In turn, Jet Aviation hired Specialty Millworks, also of San Antonio, to fabricate the bulkheads and monitor shrouds.

Other enhancements made to the cabin are new carpet, curtains and bulkhead coverings. Modifications were also done to the forward lavatories, which will only be used by first-class-cabin passengers. These included new amenity racks and updated lighting.

Looking outside the first-class cabin, a dressing room was added at door number 2, which takes full advantage of the lavatory. EDID was also asked to create artwork that would welcome passengers into the updated aircraft cabin. With the bare surfaces of the G4 and G5 galleys at entry door number 2, the designers fashioned a mural that symbolizes Sonair's business philosophy and the mission of Houston Express in bridging American and African continents.

When asked what he thought of the finished product, Doret said, "Our mandate from Mr. Pennella was to create a regal interior. The elegant simplicity of the cabin makes it a timeless solution; it is elegant without being opulent and the coordination of the finishes makes it comfortable, yet functional."

With the Houston Express MD-11 set to re-enter regular service in early August 2004, the new cabin is sure to turn some heads.