On the heels of the launch order for the 728JET just two weeks ago, Fairchild Aerospace told reporters at this year's RAA convention recent orders for the 70-seater jet plus those for the 30-seat 328JET have propelled the company's backlog of orders and options to more than $6.7 billion.

By the end of the year, the total for orders and options will exceed $10 billion, said chairman and CEO Carl Albert.

"Our strategy is simple," Albert said. "Pursue a rapidly growing market with revolutionary products, invest for the long term, maintain a first-class management team, and continue to build our substantial order book. We are ahead of our initial projections in all these areas."

Of the $6.7 billion on the books, more than $3.7 billion represents firm orders. The next 10 years will see an even more dramatic demand for regional jets, Albert said, adding that Fairchild will invest another $1.2 billion in research and development plus about $500 million in working capital in that arena.

Whether it was the relief of finally securing the launch order for the 728JET, having their new 30-seater on hand to debut, or just thankful to not be involved the heated WTO trade dispute, Fairchild Aerospace seemed upbeat and confident at this year's RAA.

On a special media flight of the soon-to-be-certified 328 JET, Fairchild chairman Carl Albert told AWN he's pleased with the order status for his new family of regional jets and expects a major customer announcement to be made at Paris.

At the customer's request, the news must wait for Paris, he said, but there was plenty of speculation surrounding the deal. Most expect the order to be for the 728JET, possibly from US leasing giant ILFC. Another making the rounds was that the order would involve the Envoy business jet family. Albert says several orders are in the works, so we may hear several things from this manufacturer next month.

Other big news coming from Fairchild is the movement of the wing production of the 328JET to San Antonio next year. The wings will be produced at the Fairchild headquarters in Texas in order to make room for assembly work on the 728JET program in Germany.

The 328JET has completed its certification flying and deliveries will begin sometime in June. The 328JET on which media members were flown to Sedona last week was the fourth to come off the production line. Fairchild executive vice president Barry Eccleston said the company will produce four per month from 2000 onwards, including the Envoy 3, the business jet version of the 328JET.

More details of the 328JET order book will be revealed at Paris, Eccleston said.

Albert also took time to dispel rumors that Fairchild was in talks with fellow regional jet manufacturer ATR about possibly merging the two companies. Albert said Fairchild did hold talks with ATR owners Alenia and Aerospatiale, but was never close to an alliance deal with ATR.

"The real issue was the concept of a private company dealing with two government-owned companies with different interests," Albert said. Fairchild's interests focused more on profitability issues, while the two state-run companies were consumed with labor issues, he said.