Pilot Communications (Australia)

neWs General Aviation Briefings
General Aviation Briefings
avia aircraft acQuires
Global Wings Aviation
O
ne of the Australia’s most innovative light business
aviation companies, Avia Aircraft, today announced it
had completed the acquisition of Global Wings Aviation,
a Bankstown based full motion simulator company.
The strategic acquisition was completed at Avalon Airshow and
will make Avia Aircraft the largest General Aviation full motion
(6DOF) synthetic flight simulation company in Australia.
“The acquisition of GWA will enable us to deliver quality
pilot training in both Melbourne and Sydney using the most
advanced and realistic motion systems available. General
aviation pilots will be able to undertake recency and re-current
training in a variety of aircraft types including multi engine
piston, turbo-prop, and jet.” said Avia Aircraft Co-founder, Mr
Charles Gunter.
Based at Moorabbin and Bankstown Airports, Avia’s simulator
centres will utilise the latest technology developed by CKAS
Mechatronics to offer a full motion 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF)
experience. In a move to consolidate its simulation training
program, Avia Aircraft will take delivery of the latest full motion
simulator in May, offering 200 degree visuals and three Garmin
G1000 screens.
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According to Mr Gunter, the benefits of simulation
training are endless “Simulators save lives and reduce the
risk of accidents triggered by the training environment.
We have developed a training program for asymmetric
and emergency procedures that are critical in ensuring
pilot safety and efficiency. Our goal is to give pilots an
airline standard of training,” he said.
“The acquisition of GWA will enable
us to deliver quality pilot training in
both Melbourne and Sydney using
the most advanced and realistic
motion systems available.
The new CKAS MotionSim5 will be operational from May
out of Avia’s FBO facility at Moorabbin Airport with aircraft
types including Cirrus SR20/22, Cirrus Vision SF50, twin
engine piston, Beechcraft King Air 200, Embraer Phenom
100, and a Boeing 737NG with a four seat configuration.
The Bankstown CKAS MotionSim3 currently operates
piston twin, turbo prop and jet aircraft types. Avia Aircraft
will continue to operate Global Wings Aviation out of
Bankstown Airport under the Global Wings name.
For further information please contact: Avia Aircraft
+61 402 530 817 or [email protected]
neW airport for south east Queensland
Own your own future without a landlord
A
new regional airport, designed to meet the
aviation as low as possible,” said Randal McFarlane,
growing aviation demands in South East
founder of the project.
Queensland, has taken a big step forward with
Airport hangar and commercial sites are selling now
the approval by the Lockyer Valley Regional Council of
and several are under contract. Lot sizes average
a new facility known as the Lockyer Valley Regional
approximately 2000m2 and include free parking and no
Airport. LVRC Mayor, Steve Jones said, “This airport is
landing charges or fees for up to three aircraft per lot.
situated in the centre of the
A body corporate manager
western growth corridor
will administer the airport
and is ideally located to
and fees are designed to be
…this new facility will offer freehold
service the future aviation
kept low. The Lockyer Valley
needs of the region. In
Flying Group will establish a
hangar lots for commercial and
addition, it will be a base for
club presence and social
private owners and operators.
emergency services and is a
aviation hub. This will be covery welcome addition to
located with an aviation
our community.”
museum.
The all-weather sealed runway will cater for private
In addition, the airport has donated a portion of land
and charter aircraft initially and will be Australia’s first
for the establishment of an emergency helicopter pad
‘green’ airport utilising solar power, water harvesting
for the Lockyer region. The site was flood free during
and best building practices. Power and sewerage,
the devastating floods of 2011. Construction is set to
together with telecommunications, will be provided to
start in 2013 with the first aircraft landing possibly by
each lot.
year end.
In a first for a regional airport, this new facility will
www.lockyervalleyairport.com.au Contact: Randal
offer freehold hangar lots for commercial and private
McFarlane. Tel: 0400 764 027. Email: randal@vnesystems.
owners and operators. “The aim is to keep the costs of
com.au
dealer
enquiries
welcome
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www.pilotcommunications.com.au
OZCOMM AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD. ABN: 56 106 963 320 trading as
Pilot Communications (Australia)
Telephone: 07 5485 3016
Fax: 07 5485 3017
Email: [email protected]
16
APRIL – MAY 2013 AUSTRALIAN PILOT
P.O. Box 811,
Tewantin, Qld., 4565,
Australia.
www.aopa.com.au
www.aopa.com.au
APRIL – MAY 2013 AUSTRALIAN PILOT
17
feature Avia Share-O-Planes
Avia Share-O-Planes
share-o-plan es:
Australian Pilot chats with Charles Gunter, Director of Flight Operations at Avia Aircraft,
Moorabbin about Avia’s fractional ownership program, AirShares.
charles, avia is the first company
in australia to offer fractional
ownership of aircraft. could you
tell us a little about what fractional
ownership means?
FO is about value and
affordability. For about
the same cost as a
last century single
engine aircraft you can
have a quarter share of
a brand new Cirrus
SR22 with the latest
technology and safety features. And
operate it for about 40% of the cost of
sole ownership.
how does fractional ownership
differ from a share?
Shared syndication relies on a group of
owners who get together to jointly manage
their aircraft and share the responsibility of
ownership. It involves the day-to-day activities of scheduling, maintenance, restoration, updating, cleaning, administration
etc. Necessarily, the owners must get on
with each other and share similar values
on maintenance, hangarage, and operating
64
APRIL – MAY 2013 AUSTRALIAN PILOT
the aircraft. All of which sounds like
a marriage!
Fractional ownership, on the other
hand, is a professionally managed program
where the company provides everything in
the background, so the owners can enjoy
their flying without the hassles.
can you buy shares of differing
sizes?
Yes, shares start at a very affordable
75 hours per annum which equates to a
1/8 share of the aircraft. You can also
purchase 1/4 with 150 hours per annum
or more if you want.
can you buy shares in more than
one aircraft?
Yes. We understand that you may have
different mission profiles suited to differing
aircraft. Avia AirShares has launched with
the Cirrus SR22 however we have plans to
fractionalise a PC-12 and a new Cirrus
SF50 Vision Jet.
What about insurance?
Aircraft insurance is covered in the fixed
monthly fee. We also work very closely
www.aopa.com.au
with insurance partners to reduce any
excess, depending on the flying experience
of the client. We provide advanced training
as an authorised Cirrus Training Centre.
We insure every plane for its full hull
replacement value and give every owner
the protection of a$20 million liability
insurance policy.
do you cover the maintenance
costs?
All maintenance is covered in the single
monthly management fee. Unscheduled
maintenance ‘spikes’ such as an early
top-overhaul (about $20,000) are also
covered. Fractional aircraft ownership
comes with predictable costs and peace
of mind.
how do you manage the booking
system on a fractional program?
Avia AirShares is managed through an online booking system which owners can
access. Advanced scheduling is available to
all owners with timeframes dependent
upon their membership program: Silver =
6 weeks in advance, Gold = 10 weeks in
advance, Platinum = 1 year in advance.
A fraction of the whole
for a fraction of the cost
Why is fractional ownership more
convenient?
When your aircraft is professionally
managed your can enjoy the benefits of
ownership without the hassles; you just fly.
You don’t have to worry about maintenance, database updates, cleaning, and
administration. We do all of that which is
included in the single monthly fee.
do you have minimum restrictions
on joining/buying a share?
No, anyone can purchase a share in an
aircraft. Though to fly the Cirrus SR22
aircraft pilots need a minimum of 250 total
hours and hold a Command Instrument
Rating, or be training for the CIR.
do you offer training and
instruction?
Absolutely. Avia Aircraft is an authorised
Cirrus Training Centre (one of only
two in Australia) and our pilots are
Cirrus Standardised Instructor Pilots
(CSIPs) trained by Cirrus factory pilot
instructors. Avia Aircraft offers structured
training syllabi that ensures all owners have
achieved the minimum standards required.
Furthermore our new Cirrus SR22
simulator, which is a six axis full motion
device with 200 degree visuals, enables
advanced training including the Garmin
G1000 Perspective and deployment of the
life saving Cirrus Airframe Parachute
System (CAPS).
i travel a lot, can i use an aircraft in
a different city, or even different
country?
Avia AirShares is being rolled out
nationally. This means that an owner from
Brisbane (for example) can fly to Perth
with the airlines and then fly out of there
having booked a ‘ShareCraft’. A ShareCraft
is an identical aircraft operated by other
Avia AirShares and is available to be
booked just the same as your own. The
booking system always allocates clients to
their own aircraft, unless that aircraft is
already booked.
Avia AirShares has partnered with
AirShares Elite in the USA and there are
reciprocal arrangements such that an Avia
AirShares client can fly one of the many
AirShares Elite Cirrus SR22 aircraft in
the USA.
for how long can i take an aircraft
away?
For each 25 hours of flight time purchased
in the program you can take the aircraft
away for a minimum of 5 nights. This can
be increased to 7 or 10 nights per 25 hours
depending on the ownership level (Silver,
Gold, Platinum).
is there an option for me to sell my
share, should my situation change?
You can sell your share at any time;
however the resale market value for
airshares is determined by the market at
the time.
how does fractional ownership
differ in australia, compared with
the us?
Firstly, in Australia, all assets shared as a
fractional ownership program are
regulated by the Australian Securities and
Investments Commission (ASIC). Avia
AirShares is approved by ASIC to advertise
and sell fractionalised aircraft via strictly
defined and approved processes.
There are also differences with insurance
compared to the USA which has a much
more restrictive and litigious tone
compared to the Australian offering.
For more information on
fractional ownership see:
www.aviaaircraft.com.au
www.aopa.com.au
APRIL – MAY 2013 AUSTRALIAN PILOT
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