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160
PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE
A successful
flight starts at
the FBO page 30
BI-MONTHLY / JANUARY - FEBRUARY / POSTING OFFICE BE 1380 LASNE
PROVEN PERFORMER
160 - JAN FEB - 2016
BUSINESS AVIATION
BEAMED AT LAS VEGAS
page 68
OPTIMISM ON
THE MIDDLE EAST MARKET
page 60
GROWTH RETURNS
IN EASTERN EUROPE
page 80
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Customers come to FlightSafety for our advanced-technology training systems; our
efficient, effective learning environment; our global Learning Center network; and
our unrivaled Customer support. They keep coming back, time after time, for our
knowledgeable, experienced instructors. They are, simply, the best in the business.
Our instructors are dedicated to earning your trust by providing the highest quality
professional aviation training available today.
Technicians
• Accomplished Cabin
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Upfront
From the Editor
Comin' in on a Wing and a Prayer
BEING BORN AND RAISED IN BELGIUM,
my typical reading as a teenager was more
Tintin and Snowy than Flash Gordon or Dick
Tracy Comic Strip. More precisely, my all time
favorite was Tintin in the Congo. Published in
1931, the album is actually banned in the U.S.
for racist reasons. Many Congolese felt that
this book is xenophobic because the author,
Belgian born Hergé, displays the Africans as
“fat-lipped, childlike savages”. Of course this
can be attributed to the fact that Belgium held
control over the Congo at the time the book was
written. Hergé himself admitted having depicted
the Congolese people according to “the
bourgeois, paternalistic stereotypes of the
period.”
Meanwhile, it was also common for U.S.
magazines of the same era to publish cartoons
depicting missionaries being fricasseed in
huge pots boiling over an open fire while
savages danced frantically around the
cauldron. The cartoon comes with a caption
saying “King Kobutu says it lacks a little bit
of salt.” The humour is stupid by today’s
standards, and kids had the impression that
missionaries were weirdoes sailing off to
African jungles to end up in a cannibal’s
skewer. With the advent of advanced
communication and greatly improved modes
of transportation, the modern world has
discovered that these primitive natives were
human beings just like us, people who can be
happy or sad, enjoy life but also suffer, need
food, health care and education.
A faction of the U.S. aviation community
created Wings of Hope in 1964, a non profit,
non sectarian organization founded to assist
anyone struck by natural catastrophes in remote
area of Central and South America, Africa and
New Guinea. The funds collected by Wings and
Hope are spent for supplying aircraft and their
support. The planes carry doctors and teachers.
They transport the sick and the injured to
hospitals, and medicine. They do not fly clergy
into the Amazon to convey religion onto the
backwater tribes; they bring in needed services
of health, education and physical aid.
Alternatively, Mission Aviation Fellowship
(MAF) transport medical teams, relief workers
and missionaries. The organization began in 1945
as the Christian Airmen's Missionary Fellowship
(CAMF). Betty Greene flew the inaugural
missionary flight to Mexico on February 23,
1946. Collectively, the 140 airplanes of the actual
fleet serves some 1,500 non-profit, churches, and
humanitarian organizations while parachuting
serve people’s need in areas inaccessible to
aircraft. The organization based in Nampa Idaho
brings aid to people who have to deal with
challenges due to isolation such as Africa, Asia,
Eurasia and Latin America.
The Business Aviation community is far more
than what the general press and lifestyle
magazines are picturing in their pages. The aid
and assistance rendered by these charities
accomplish more good for peace and harmony
in the world than any government endeavor
could ever achieve.
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains,
but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
Nelson Mandela
Mark Huber
Helicopter Editor
PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC
BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE
Fernand M. Francois
Editor and Publisher
Kathy Ann Francois
Associate Publisher
Paul Walsh
Managing Editor
Marc Grangier
Senior Editor
Captain LeRoy Cook,
Michaël Grüninger
Safety Editors
Steve Nichols
Avionics Editor
30
Bernard Fitzsimons
MRO Editor
JANUARY - FEBRUARY - 2016
Volume XXVIII - No 1
BART No 160
WWW.BARTINTL.COM
Kirby J. Harrison
New-York Editor
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Fabio Gamba, Nick Klenske,
Louis Smyth, Giulia Mauri,
Derek A. Bloom,
Guy Viselé, Aoife O'Sullivan
PRODUCTION
Tanguy Francois
Production Manager
ADVERTISING
Kathy Ann Francois
Advertising Director
[email protected]
MARKETING
Titi Kusumandari
Marketing Manager
[email protected]
CONTENTS
SECTIONS
3
EDITORIAL
6
POINTER
8
FAST TRACK
22
TRANSATLANTIC UPDATE
26
BUSINESS NEWS
48
STEADY GROWTH FOR FBOs
The FBO industry is growing steadily as Kirby
Harrison reports.
ROTOR REPORT
Mark Huber looks at the innovative technologybased solutions for selling helicopter charter.
38
64
PLANNING FOR SUCCESS
We showcase trip planners who are using the most
advanced technology to make your trip a success.
SHOW REPORTS
We report from a successful show in Dubai and a
booming NBAA at Las Vegas.
44
80
MAINTENANCE MATTERS
Paul Walsh looks at the top predictive maintenance
solutions on the market today.
REGIONAL REPORT
We report on the growth possibilities in Eastern
Europe.
OUR ADVERTISERS AND THEIR AGENCIES
Member
OUR COVER
A good FBO is where a successful
flight starts. The reputation of Jet
Aviation FBOs is among the best..
AIR ELITE
Clay Lacy Aviation locations at both
Boeing Field/King County
International Airport KBFI in Seattle,
Washington and Van Nuys Airport
KVNY (pictured) in Los Angeles,
California have signed with the Air
Elite® Network, growing the
membership to a total of 51 Diamond
Service FBOs worldwide.
Both locations will be Ascent branded
19
9
15
84
23
27
2
75
7
39
47
79
25
55
43
11
17
35
83
37
13
Avfuel Corporation
CAE
Concorde Battery Corporation
Dassault Falcon (PUCK L'AGENCE)
Duncan Aviation
EBACE 2016
FlightSafety International (GRETEMAN GROUP)
GCS Safety Solution
Jet Aviation
Jet Expo 2016
Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI)
JetNet LLC
NBAA-BACE 2016
NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference 2016
Rockwell Collins ARINCDirect
Rolls-Royce
Satcom Direct
TAG Farnborough Airport
Universal Avionics Systems, Corp.
Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc
UAS International Trip Support
BART International Business Aviation Real Tool, Premier Transatlantic Business Aviation Magazine. ISSN 0776-7596. Printed in
Belgium and published by-monthly by Société Anonyme Frankie&Lette 20 rue de l’Industrie at BE1400 Nivelles, Belgium.
Phone +326 788 3603; Fax +326 788 3623. Email [email protected]. With offices in Texas and Arizona, BART International is
governed by the International copyright laws. Single copy USD12.00 our EUR12.00.
Annual Professional Subscription available at USD10.00 or EUR10,00.
Administration and Circulation Titi Kusumandari
Email: [email protected]
International Distribution ASENDIA. USPS 016707
Periodical postage paid. For details call IMS at 1 (800) 428 3003
Belgian Posting Office: BE1380 Lasne
Office Manager Paul Walsh
Responsible Publisher Fernand M. Francois
POINTER
Events
IN SEQUENCE
BRIEFING ROOM
MORE WAYS YOUR BIZAV TRIP CAN GO WRONG
In our latest issue 159, we published three out of 12 critical areas where a Business Aviation
trip can go wrong reproduced from the Universal Weather & Aviation blog. Many of these are
avoidable with proper preplanning. Today, we'll discuss six more areas in which a trip could go
wrong. This list by no means covers everything, but it does provide common pitfalls for operators.
Agenda
Scheduler & Dispatcher Conference
Jan 19-22, 2016
Tampa Fl, USA
HAI HELI-EXPO
Feb. 29 - March 3, 2016
Louisville KY, USA
AERO Friedrichshafen
April 20 – 23, 2016
Friedrichshafen, Germany
EBACE
May 19 - 21, 2016
Geneva, Switzerland
1. Flight plan and revision issues
Ensure that you have proper entry/exit points on your flight plan for countries that require this
as part of the permit process. For example China requires specific routes and entry/exit
points, and the same applies to Russia. If a local Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) requires you
to change your route or entry/exit points, you'll need to ensure that these new flight
information regions and routes are applied to your trip and do not impact other, associated,
permits.
2. CIQ may be restricted or unavailable
It's important to know Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) clearance arrangements
and operating hours. Airports that operate 24 hours do not always offer CIQ clearance 24
hours - or there may be blackout times when CIQ services are unavailable. CIQ overtime can
be negotiated at some locations, but not at others. Certain airports only provide CIQ
clearance upon request, and additional time is required to make these arrangements.
If you're transporting pets, you'll need to know local regulations and correct procedures for
bringing animals into the country. Otherwise, "Fifi" or "Fido" may be heading off for a 90-day
quarantine experience.
Onboard weapons are another potential complication. Regulations vary by location, but
advance notification is always required with regard to onboard weapons.
3. Cabotage can get you into trouble
Many regions - including Canada, the European Union, and Mexico - have cabotage rules
restricting carriage of local nationals within the country. These regulations have a greater
impact on charter operations, but also affect private flights. It's best to confirm, with your 3rdparty provider or local CAA, how cabotage may impact a planned operation.
4. Equipment breakdowns can derail a trip
There's always potential to experience an Aircraft on Ground (AOG) event due to equipment
or systems breakdowns. Know where local service centers and maintenance facilities are along your route of flight - prior to day of operation. If you experience an AOG, there may be
customs, tax, and regulatory issues to consider in terms of importing replacement parts or
bringing in a mechanic. It may take days to clear a replacement part through local customs.
For anything other than a minor breakdown, you may need to consider revising permits
and/or visas for crew members and passengers.
5. Weather events can trip up a flight
Weather issues and natural disasters - typhoons, volcanic activity, etc. - can significantly
impact a trip or force you to deviate to an alternate location. Always obtain weather briefs 2448 hours in advance to determine if there may be any issues en route. It's always best to
have a backup plan in the event weather or natural disaster issues crop up on the day of
operation.
If you have any questions about this article or if you want the Universal Weather & Aviation
blog "12 ways your bizav trip can go wrong - in full version",
contact: [email protected] at Universal Weather & Aviation Inc.
Follow us on Instagram
LABACE
Aug 23 - 25, 2016
Sào Paulo, Brazil
6 - BART: JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016
@bart_intl
CORRECTION
In our previous issue 159, in the completion article page 64 the name of AMAC Aerospace
has been on one occasion incorrectly referred as AMACE. We apologize for the oversight.
At Your
SERVICE
Jet Aviation’s Global FBO Services
Where you need us… when you need us. That is what drives the team at Jet Aviation to deliver exceptional
service at all times throughout the world. For nearly half a century, our FBO teams have been providing an
award-winning customer experience helping you feel more at home when you’re away from home.
Visit our global FBO locations:
Berlin, Boston/Bedford, Dallas, Dubai
Dusseldorf, Geneva, Houston, Jeddah
Medina, Munich, Nassau, Palm Beach
Riyadh, Singapore, St. Louis, Teterboro
Vienna, Zurich
www.jetaviation.com/fbo
EMBRAER RECEIVES LEGACY 650 ORDER IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Embraer Executive Jets has announced an order for a
new Legacy 650 large jet to an undisclosed customer,
based in the Middle East. This order adds to the 29
Legacy 650s and Legacy 600s that are currently operating in the Middle East. The aircraft is scheduled to be
received at the end of 2015 and will be managed by
Titan Aviation Group, a global aviation specialty service
provider headquartered in the United Arab Emirates.
“The Legacy 650 has impressed customers because of
its range, reliability and ample cabin and baggage space
offering – the largest in this category. This aircraft can
fly non-stop from the main cities in the Middle East to
London. We have about 45 business jets in the Middle
East and about 60% of this fleet are Legacy 650s or
Legacy 600s, which is a testament to the aircraft’s popularity.” said Marco Tulio Pellegrini, President and CEO, Embraer Executive Jets. “This is the customer’s second purchase from
Embraer. We are grateful for the confidence placed in us and thank Titan Aviation for their steadfast support. We are fully committed to
supporting their operations.”
WEST STAR ANNOUNCES RENEWAL
OF HAWKER AND CITATION SERVICE
CENTER AGREEMENT
West Star Aviation has announced the renewal of
their Textron Aviation Authorized Hawker and
Citation Service Center Agreement at their Grand
Junction, Colorado (GJT) Location.
"In an era of OEM Service Center Agreement
uncertainty we are extremely proud that Textron
Aviation has renewed our agreement", stated
Robert Rasberry, CEO of West Star. "The Hawker
and Citation MRO services segment has been a
focus of West Star for years and we continue to
invest resources in its growth."
West Star GJT offers full service, one-stop capabilities to Hawker and Citation Operators including
maintenance, avionics, component overhaul,
paint, interior refurbishment, and is a Honeywell
TFE731and GTCP36-150 Line Service Center. In
addition, West Star GJT is approved by Textron
Aviation for Hawker landing gear overhaul.
HONDAJET RECEIVES TYPE CERTIFICATION FROM FAA
The HondaJet has received type certification from the United States Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA). Honda Aircraft Company and the FAA made the
announcement at the Honda Aircraft headquarters in Greensboro, North
Carolina.
The FAA presented the type certificate to Honda Aircraft Company President and
CEO Michimasa Fujino in front of more than 2,000 people, including FAA
Administrator Michael Huerta, government representatives, community leaders,
HondaJet dealers, suppliers, and Honda Aircraft associates.
“Achieving FAA type certification for the HondaJet is a monumental milestone for
Honda,” said Fujino. “We established Honda Aircraft as a new aerospace company and introduced our first product — an advanced light jet with technologies
developed from serious research activities. We designed, tested, and have now
certified this clean-sheet design aircraft – an unprecedented challenge for
Honda.”
Honda Aircraft Company validated the HondaJet’s performance, safety, function
and reliability through rigorous ground and flight tests with the FAA. Total flight
hours exceeded 3,000, with testing conducted at more than 70 locations across
the United States.
At CAE, safe operations are our first priority, as demonstrated by our
excellent flight training. But your other needs also deserve attention.
That’s why we offer convenient and enjoyable locations, unsurpassed
service, and tailored programs and schedules that meet your needs.
So work with the people who work with you. CAE. Elevate your training.
TrainWithCAE.com
©2016 CAE. All rights reserved.
FLYINGGROUP QUALIFIED TO FLY LPV APPROACHES
For GPS approaches, technology evolved towards
LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance) :
based upon GPS, a safety-of-life enhanced signal
service enabled by EGNOS in Europe (or WAAS in
the USA, and/or several other space-based systems
worldwide) allows aircraft to perform even more
precise 3-dimensionally guided GPS approaches,
hence to lower minima, thereby rendering air navigation safer.
EGNOS comprises three satellites and a network of
40 ground stations that sharpen the original GPS
signal, and allow aircraft to perform near-precision
approaches using vertical guidance. Thus, a combination of onboard avionics, procedures and pilot
training enable LPV approaches. In turn, this helps
to reduce flight delays, diversions or cancellations
and allows airports (especially remote & regional)
to increase capacity, cut operating costs, and reduce CO2 emissions. It is a suitable alternative for regional, corporate and general aviation operators working in remote areas, as well as for small airports that cannot afford ground-based instrument approach systems using
expensive radio signals and lighting arrays, to enable safe landings in inclement weather. In this way, FLYINGGROUP aircraft are also
able to perform more precise landings on airports with short runways.
EURO JET AND NATA FORM
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
SATCOM DIRECT FIRST DISTRIBUTION PARTNER
TO TRANSMIT DATA USING JET CONNEX SERVICE
The National Air Transportation
Association (NATA) and Euro Jet
Intercontinental announce the formation of a strategic training partnership.
Euro Jet is teaming up with NATA to
help fulfill Euro Jet's goal of offering a
high standard of service by utilizing
Safety 1st training in its ground handling agent network.
Since 2007, NATA Safety 1st has provided line service and safety training
to over 25,000 individuals. The addition of Euro Jet to the Safety 1st program emphasizes the value of this
industry recognized, standard-based
training to aviation business around
the globe and marks another milestone in the international expansion of
the Professional Line Service Training
(PLST) program.
"NATA Safety 1st is committed to
promoting safety and efficiency
through our unique mix of online
and hands-on practical training," said
NATA President and CEO, Thomas
L. Hendricks. "We are proud to work
with the professionals at Euro Jet to
help them achieve their training and
safety goals."
Satcom Direct was the first
business aviation communications distribution partner to provision its services and transmit data
over Inmarsat’s new Kaband Global Xpress network via the Inmarsat-5 F1 satellite, in August. It is
again the first to validate
its services over the
Inmarsat-5 F-2 (I-5 F-2)
satellite, achieving this
milestone in December.
Jet ConneX is the business
aviation high-speed broadband service operating over Inmarsat’s new Global Xpress (GX) constellation. When globally
deployed, it will deliver a new standard in satellite broadband services that support high data
rate applications in flight, including streaming YouTube videos and Skype video calls, in real
time. The I-5 F-2 satellite serves the Atlantic Ocean Region.
Satcom Direct (SD) proprietary solutions enhance the Ka-band technology and optimize the Jet
ConneX service to deliver unmatched performance in the air. SD exclusive services allow operators to manage and maximize bandwidth, improve voice call quality, prioritize passenger data
and more – bringing them a better Jet ConneX experience. Tiered pricing plans allow operators
to choose from various data speeds, so they get the connectivity that’s right for them. And, Jet
ConneX offers guaranteed minimum data rates for each pricing tier.
“Aircraft operators want and need the fastest possible data speeds in the air. SD is out in
front in proving that our services are ready for the next generation networks as soon as they
are available to customers,” said Jim Jensen, SD founder and CEO.
rolls-royce.com
Nobody does it
like CorporateCare®
Bringing you the most comprehensive and sought after
business jet engine maintenance program in the world,
with industry leading service and expertise provided by
the original manufacturer. Regardless of where you
travel, CorporateCare will be there to support you. To
help maximize your assets availability, value and
liquidity, Rolls-Royce is proud to offer CorporateCare.
To find out more contact Steve Friedrich, Vice President
– Sales and Marketing, at +1 (703) 834-1700, or email
[email protected].
Trusted to deliver excellence.
TAG AVIATION ADDS GULFSTREAM G650 TO UK AOC
TAG Aviation (UK) Ltd is pleased to announce the addition of the
Gulfstream G650 to its UK AOC.
Following the successful completion of the AOC proving flight, the leading
private and business aviation operator has now received full UK Civil Aviation
Authority (CAA) approval to operate this ultra-long range type aircraft commercially, becoming the first UK operator to have achieved this status.
The granting of the AOC for the G650 type aircraft is the culmination of
several months of dedicated planning and reaffirms the ability of TAG
Aviation to operate the latest revolutionary business jets aircraft to the
highest possible standards.
Florent Sériès, Vice President Aircraft Management and Charter
Services, TAG Aviation Europe said, “TAG Aviation’s number one priority is the safety, security and the well-being of passengers at all times.
Receiving full UK AOC approval means that we can look to now attract
other Gulfstream G650 aircraft-type owners with a view to operate their
aircraft under a management contract for charter when the aircraft is not
being used by them. This has the added attraction of allowing aircraft
owners the opportunity to offset some of the operational costs against
their own personal flights.”
DAHER DELIVERS THE 100TH TBM 900
Daher’s latest member in its very fast turboprop product line – the TBM 900 – has reached the century mark
with the 100th aircraft delivery to date.
The milestone TBM 900 was received by U.S. customer Dale Schneider, a North Carolina businessman
who is an active airplane and helicopter pilot, having
logged more than 3,000 flight hours. Schneider’s first
aircraft was a TBM 700C2 version, which he purchased
in 2006 and has flown some 1,000 hours.
“This very symbolic delivery confirms that our TBM
900 not only is the fastest single turboprop, but also the fastest-selling TBM ever – as the program was officially unveiled only 20 months
ago in March 2014,” commented Nicolas Chabbert, the Senior Vice President of Daher’s Airplane Business Unit. “We thank Dale
Schneider for his confidence, and wish him the best for his next 1,000 TBM flight hours – and beyond.”
WEST STAR MODIFIES FALCON 2000
West Star has reconfigured a Falcon 2000 to a unique 13-passenger configuration.
The Falcon 2000 is normally configured for 8 or 10 passengers.
The reconfiguration required fabricating a new, reduced size RH galley and LH Aux
galley/entertainment center, shifting the forward cabin bulkhead/door forward, and
extending all the side ledges and window panels. The aft cabin bulkhead was also
modified to off-set the new door location resulting from the new conference group
Additionally structural modifications were required below and above the cabin floor
to accommodate the new loading.
Engineering support was provided by West Star’s in-house engineering group and
on-staff DER. Final certification for the reconfiguration was completed via an FAA
Form 337.
The final touch was all new veneers, soft goods, countertops, plating, and switch
panels for the new seating configuration.
“This is the first time we have completed a Falcon 2000 in this increased capacity
configuration stated James McCann, Interior Manager. The OEM may have delivered one in the 13-passenger capacity but it is a unique configuration”.
Your Trusted
Trip Support Partner
1
One-Stop Shop
for Trip Support, Executive Travel,
and Air Charter Requirements
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Continental Headquarters
and Regional Oﬃces
1200
Station Managers
Around the Globe
© 2015 UAS International Trip Support, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
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Quality Assured UAS Vendors
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Proactive Global Support
Around the Clock
Diﬀerent International
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93%
Average Client Satisfaction
Per Trip
Number of countries
where we have clients
At UAS International Trip Support, we are committed to delivering
a seamless client experience every time, everywhere.
Visit UAS Booth 936
NBAA 2016 Schedulers &
Dispatchers Conference
SDC2016
| www.uas.aero
Your Local Partner with global reachSM
JET AVIATION SINGAPORE DELIVERS 1ST BOMBARDIER GLOBAL EXPRESS 8C INSPECTION IN ASIA
Jet Aviation Singapore recently delivered the first 8C (120-month)
inspection undertaken in Asia on a Bombardier Global Express. In
parallel with the heavy inspection, the company further completed
a full interior refurbishment and exterior repaint.
The 10-year 8C inspection is the largest maintenance event for
Bombardier’s Global Express aircraft, requiring extensive dismantling of the cabin for a thorough check of the airframe and structures. To take advantage of the disassembled aircraft and thereby
reduce downtime, Jet Aviation Singapore simultaneously undertook a full interior refurbishment, including interior veneer, headliner, sidewalls and galley refurbishment. In addition, the company
accomplished with this delivery the first full exterior strip and
repaint on this type of aircraft in the region.
“This has been a milestone project for Jet Aviation Singapore,
demonstrating our high standards of workmanship and expertise,”
said John Riggir, vice president and general manager of Jet
Aviation Singapore. “We built our new hangar at Seletar Aerospace
Park precisely for projects of this scope and scale. This particular project was delivered on time and budget to a very satisfied customer,
and I am pleased to add that we will commence our second 8C inspection for an undisclosed client in January 2016.”
TAG DEVELOPS EASA STC
FOR TCAS VERSION 7.1 UPGRADE
TAG Aviation S.A. in collaboration with Rockwell
Collins has been granted approval for an EASA
Supplemental Type Certifications (STC) for the
installation of the TTR-4100 TCAS II version 7.1 on
Dassault Falcon 2000 and 2000EX.
Approval for The Falcon 900 and Falcon 50 will follow in the coming weeks.
These STCs are being developed jointly with
Rockwell Collins and are to serve the entire Falcon
fleet. STCs will be available to all Rockwell Dealers
upon request.
“We are delighted to bring to the Falcon 2000 and
2000EX operators an EASA approved solution with
the installation of the TTR-4100”, said Guillaume
Perez, Part 21 Manager, TAG Aviation Europe.
“This STC which we managed to develop in just a
month and a half is a great achievement for TAG
Aviation S.A’s DOA and has been jointly developed
with Rockwell Collins. It will be followed by two others in the coming weeks for the Falcon 50 and 900.
The TTR-4100 is the newest TCAS produced and
satisfies the TCAS II change 7.1 requirement, which
is impending.”
AMAC AEROSPACE SIGNS MAINTENANCE CONTRACT
A heavy base maintenance contract for a Head-of-State BBJ (737-700) has
been signed by AMAC Aerospace Switzerland AG. Various cockpit updates
and cabin modifications will be performed during this layover.During the
heavy base maintenance check, the aircraft auxiliary center tanks as well as
the full customized VIP cabin will be removed to perform structural inspections on the VIP aircraft. In addition, various cockpit updates and cabin modifications will be performed during this layover. The aircraft will be inducted in
the first quarter of 2016.
“For this project we have been in competition with MROs from Europe and the
United States. We are very proud to have been selected for this project which
will add another BBJ heavy maintenance input to a long list of projects performed at AMAC facility in Basel, Switzerland. We have become one of the leading MROs for Boeing Business Jet VIP aircrafts.” noted Alexis Ott, Senior
Manager Sales & Key Account, AMAC Aerospace Switzerland AG.
W
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C
O N
C O
R
D
E
B
A T
T
E
R Y .
C
O
M
CONCORDE
RG SERIES BATTERIES
®
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DASSAULT FALCON JET COMPLETES NEW LITTLE ROCK EXPANSION
Dassault Falcon Jet has completed another major expansion of its Little Rock Completion
Center that will add 350,000 square feet of production space to the Arkansas facility.
The centerpiece of the $60 million project is a new 250,000 square foot hangar earmarked
for Dassault’s latest two models - the Falcon 8X ultra long range trijet and the Falcon 5X
very large body twin.
The new completion hangar will bring the total facility footprint to 1.25 million square
feet. The expansion also includes refurbishment of cabinet, upholstery and headliner
shops and an upgrade to older hangars.
The grand opening ceremony was attended by Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, Bill and
Hillary Clinton, Airport Commissioner Stacy Hurst and Danny Games, Deputy Director of
the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. The guests were welcomed by Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier,
Chief Operating Officer Loik Segalen, and Dassault Falcon Jet President and CEO John Rosanvallon.
“Little Rock is a Center of Excellence for Dassault and a facility that has long been at the forefront of aviation technology,” said Trappier.
“Here we combine the most advanced digital completion techniques - which Dassault pioneered - with a level hand craftsmanship unrivaled in business aviation. This is where the distinct personality of each Falcon comes to life.”
FIRST BELL 407GXP PURCHASED IN GERMANY
Bell Helicopter has announced the sale of the first Bell 407GXP to
Germany. The aircraft will be outfitted for corporate and VIP transport,
which continues to be a popular market segment throughout Europe.
Dr. Ernst Langner and Nataly Langner signed for the Bell 407GXP at the
National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Convention and Exhibition
and will be the first to operate this aircraft throughout Germany.
Pictured Left to Right: Patrick Moulay, Bell Helicopter’s vice president of
Global Sales and Marketing, Nataly Langner, Dr. Ernst Langner and Atlas
Air Service’s CEO Nicolas von Mende.
“We are thrilled to have the first customer in Germany sign for the Bell
407GXP and deliver this superior aircraft to the region,” said Patrick
Moulay, vice president of Global Sales and Marketing for Bell Helicopter.
“The Bell 407 has proven to be a very popular aircraft with over 1,200 flying
worldwide today, with particularly strong demand for the upgraded Bell
407GXP from our European customer base. We are pleased to see the continued interest in our modern commercial product line.”
Bell Helicopter’s Independent Representative, Atlas Air Service AG, supported the signing and is a renowned aviation company with its
head office in Ganderkesee located in Lower Saxony, Germany and has been an Independent Representative for Bell Helicopter since
October 2014.
EMBRAER TEAMS WITH DHL ON NEW GLOBAL LOGISTICS MODEL
Embraer Executive Jets announced that it will team with DHL on the new global logistics model designed by the Company for business aviation. The partnership with the
major logistics service provider will optimize parts distribution worldwide as
Embraer’s business jet fleet continues to grow rapidly. Embraer now has over 930
executive jets operating in more than 60 countries.
“We have been continuously improving our customers’ experience in all aspects,
thanks to relevant actions taken in process quality and support infrastructure,” said
Waldir Gonçalves, Senior Vice President of Customer Support and Services worldwide. “I’m glad that DHL will join us for this unparalleled new global logistics model
for Business Aviation to keep Embraer among the highest-ranked companies in customer support and services.”
Embraer selected DHL because of its global footprint and relevant experience in the aerospace industry. This partnership will ensure
best-in-class logistics service, offering overnight deliveries even when an order comes in late in the day. An integrated IT solution will
offer real-time visibility and improved tracking.
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ONE AVIATION RECEIVES EASA CERTIFICATION FOR THE ECLIPSE 550
ONE Aviation has announced that the European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) has awarded type certification for the Eclipse 550 twin-engine jet.
“This is a significant event for ONE Aviation and the global future of the
Eclipse,” said Alan Klapmeier, ONE Aviation’s CEO. “The Eclipse perfectly fits the typical European mission profile, one that involves carrying
three or four passengers a thousand nautical miles.”
ONE Aviation currently has two European distributors who have been
anxiously awaiting this development, Aeris Aviation, located in Lane
Forest, Guernsey (EGJB), and Jetlounge in Schönhagen, Germany
(EDAZ) and Eelde, The Netherlands (EHGG).
“We are thrilled to have EASA certification in place,” says David Hayman,
CEO of Aeris Aviation. “This now opens the EU OPS market [European
equivalent of Part 135] for the Eclipse, allowing us to sell into charter
operations and air taxi services which we believe will be a great fit for the
this aircraft.”
EMBRAER LEGACY 500 EXECUTIVE JET SETS NEW SPEED RECORDS
Embraer Executive Jets has announced that the Legacy 500
midsize aircraft has set two new world speed records for its
class, totaling six in 2015.
“These new speed records reaffirm the Legacy 500’s superior
performance and its suitability for transoceanic missions as well
as coast-to-coast flights,” said Marco Tulio Pellegrini, President
& CEO, Embraer Executive Jets. “The Legacy 500 is also setting
new standards in comfort, technology, operational cost and reliability in the midsize class.”
The newest speed records were set for “Speed over a
Recognized Course” on a trip from the west coast of the United
States to Hawaii, with five passengers on board. The flight from
Burbank to Kahului (Maui), covered 2,165 nm (4,010 km) in 6
hours, at an average ground speed of 422.25 mph (680 km/h),
and the return flight to Phoenix achieved 525.97 mph (846
km/h), covering 2,470 nm (4,574) in 5 hours and 30 minutes.
ROCKWELL COLLINS EXPANDS INDIA OPERATIONS
Rockwell Collins has opened a new, expanded facility in Bangalore, India, that
bolsters the company’s presence in the country.
“The opening is a reflection of our commitment to India, as well as the
increasing demand for services from our India Design Center (IDC) in
Hyderabad,” said Sunil Raina, managing director of Rockwell Collins India.
“We chose Bangalore because of the high concentration of engineering talent
there and the fact that it is an aerospace hub.”
Rockwell Collins announced it has signed a 15-year lease for the Bangalore
building, which will initially house 30 employees. The company expects that
number to reach 100 in just one year of operation.
The opening marks the continued expansion in India for Rockwell Collins as
its growing economy and aerospace industry continues to present new opportunities for the company.
Rockwell Collins design center in Hyderabad, India augments the company’s
existing engineering and information technology (IT) capabilities. The IDC was created to help Rockwell Collins expand its global footprint, meet the needs of customers in this region, and increase access to high-quality technical talent. This center also enables Rockwell
Collins’ engineering and IT teams to work collaboratively around the world and around the clock to develop innovative solutions.
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FLIGHTSAFETY FURTHER ENHANCES G650 TRAINING WITH SIMULATOR UPGRADES
FlightSafety continues to enhance its Gulfstream G650 training program with
upgrades to the simulators.
The Autobrakes system has been added to the initial and recurrent training
programs. FlightSafety has worked with Gulfstream to ensure this addition to
the G650 training curriculum fulfills the requirements of the FAA FSB Report
and EASA OSD.
“The ongoing upgrades to our training programs and simulators demonstrate
FlightSafety’s commitment to provide our Customers with the highest quality
and most current programs,” said Daniel MacLellan, Vice President,
Operations.
The Normal and Abnormal operation of the Autobrakes will be covered during ground school and a simulator session. Pilots will see and feel the differences in the flight controls associated with this update to the aircraft.
FlightSafety also offers a standalone course for those wanting to receive the
training prior to their next recurrent event. It includes one hour in the simulator. The training is offered at the Savannah Learning Center and will be available in Long Beach by the end of 2015 and in Wilmington early next year.
“We’re very excited to now offer our clients access to unlimited datalink for any aircraft they operate, anywhere they fly,” said Denio
Alvarado, Senior Vice President, Global Product Strategy, Universal. “Working closely with the team at Satcom Direct, we’ve fully integrated their datalink service into uvGO. Our clients won’t have to switch between different apps or websites to access datalink services—
such as aircraft position reporting and messaging—and trip management services provided through Universal.”
UNIVERSAL NOW OFFERING UNLIMITED DATALINK FOR ANY AIRCRAFT
At NBAA 2015, Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. announced that it is now offering unlimited, fixed-rate SATCOM and SITA VHF
ACARS datalink subscriptions for any business aircraft, regardless of avionics type via a new alliance with Satcom Direct®. The datalink
service is provided by Satcom Direct, and subscriptions can be bundled with online flight planning from Universal.
The service is 100 percent integrated with uvGO, a new trip management app also introduced at NBAA. Through uvGO, operators can
track the status of their fleet, view aircraft message history, build and file flight plans, and uplink flight plans to the aircraft—without having to use separate apps or websites.
JET AVIATION CONTINUES TO ADD NEW AIRCRAFT TO ITS GLOBAL MANAGEMENT FLEET
Jet Aviation has added 29 aircraft to its global aircraft management fleet this year, including 14 aircraft in EMEA and Asia and
15 in the U.S.
Jet Aviation continues to see strong demand for its aircraft management, charter and flight support services throughout the second half
of 2015, adding 17 aircraft to its global fleet since the end of May.
In the U.S., the company has recently added three Global 6000s and a
Lineage based in New York; a Citation 525C and a Legacy 600 based
in California; and a Gulfstream V based at London, along with a
Wisconsin-based G450 to its managed fleet. Jet Aviation has also
added a G550 and G650 on its U.S. air carrier certificate for aircraft
charter.
The G550, based at Van Nuys, California, can seat up to 14 passengers and offers WiFi/internet connectivity, Airshow, a DVD player,
sound system, connection for iPods and MP3 players, printer, flight
phone and satellite communications. The G650, located in Teterboro,
NJ, can seat up to 13 passengers and features a full entertainment center highlighted by 12.1” widescreen HD LCD personal monitors
and DirecTV, a Blu-ray player, an exterior camera, and three additional 26” widescreen HD LCD monitors throughout the cabin.
“Aircraft owners and operators know they can rely on our full scope of aviation services,” says Dave Deitch, vice president of aircraft
management and charter sales in the U.S. “With safety as our top priority, customers value our 24x7 global reach, our cost-efficient solutions and our experience.”
PEOPLE
Acropolis Aviation, the fiveyear old Farnborough, UK
based VIP charter operator, is
bolstering its presence in the
US with the recent appointment
of former NetJets/Executive
Jets Management executive
Kuky
Salazar as Vice
President-US & Latin America.
Kuky will head the company’s
growth in the region, working
with charter brokers and private
clients, based out of Ft.
Lauderdale Executive Airport,
Florida.
International aviation fuel products and services supplier, Air
BP, has announced the appointment of Julio Casas as North
America General Aviation
Director. Julio will be based at
Air BP’s American headquarters
in Chicago, IL, and starts his
role with immediate effect.
Avionics. At the time, Lincoln
Avionics was partly owned by
Duncan Aviation providing
avionics support to general aviation aircraft like Cessna 182s
and Pipers Cherokees. In 1985,
when Lincoln Avionics was liquidated, the corporation was transitioned into Duncan Aviation.
Miesbach transferred to the
avionics installation department
and began working on business
aircraft such as Citations and
Learjets.
Miesbach later joined the
Components Repair team and in
1993 was promoted to NAV /
Comm Team Leader. The past
15 years he has moved from
Avionics Shop Supervisor to his
most current position of
Avionics Component Repair
Manager. During this time, the
shop developed and gained a
long list of new capabilities that
includes FMS, TAWS and digital
CVRs; NAT communications
and audio equipment, newer
weather radars and gyros.
FlightSafety International has
announced that Thierry
Pierard has been named as an
Assistant Manager of the company’s Learning Center in
Dallas, Texas.
Vice President, Operations
“Thierry is a highly-respected
member of our management
team and committed to providing our Customers with the
highest quality training. We
appreciate and value and his
ongoing efforts to help lead and
support our Teammates at the
Dallas Center.”
FlightSafety International has
also announced that Neil
Kunycky has joined the company as National Sales Director for
Beechcraft aircraft training programs.
“We are very pleased that Neil
Kunycky has joined FlightSafety
as National Sales Director,
Beechcraft training,” said Steve
Gross, Vice President, Sales.
“Our Customers will benefit
from Neil’s 32 years of experience serving Beechcraft owners
and operators, his extensive
knowledge of training, and
proven commitment to provide
outstanding Customer service.”
FlightSafety International
announced the promotion of
Daniel MacLellan to Senior
Vice President, Operations.
“We appreciate and value Dan’s
in-depth understanding of our
business and his many contribu-
the ways he continues to
strengthen FlightSafety, significantly contribute to our success.”
Dan is responsible for
FlightSafety’s global Learning
Center operations. His responsibilities also include Customer
service and the entry into service of flight simulators and
other advanced training devices.
He has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility
during his career with
FlightSafety. Dan served as
Worldwide Sales Director at the
former FlightSafety Boeing
Company, Regional Marketing
Manager, Assistant Manager of
the
Wilmington
Center,
Manager of the Dallas Center,
Regional Operations Manager,
with responsibility for six locations, and most recently, Vice
President, Operations.
James Dillon-Godfray has
returned to London Oxford
Airport with responsibility for
Business Development.
He
heads the company’s participation at the NBAA Convention
this week at the Las Vegas
Convention Centre on fuel
partner Air BP’s Booth.
In his new role he will also be
supporting commercial devel-
Thierry Pierard
Daniel MacLellan
James Dillon-Godfray
“We look forward to Thierry’s
contributions as an Assistant
Manager of the Dallas Learning
Center,” said Daniel MacLellan,
tions since joining us in 1994,”
said Bruce Whitman, Chairman,
President & CEO. “Dan’s leadership, innovative approach, and
opment of The London
Heliport at Battersea, London’s
only commercially licensed
heliport serving the capital.
Julio Casas
Duncan
Aviation
has
announced Kevin Miesbach as
Components/OEM
New
Business
Development
Manager. This is a new position
created to strengthen and drive
components repair services
toward new business opportunities with OEMs, government
entities and new product capabilities.
In 1982 Miesbach began his
career
as
an
Avionics
Technician with Lincoln
BART: JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2016 - 21
TRANSATLANTIC
EUROPE ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH
Looking forward to initiatives for 2016
Fabio Gamba CEO EBAA
As we quickly approach the end to 2015,
many of us in the Business Aviation
industry can utter a sigh of relief that a
tough and challenging year is coming to a
close. If traffic reports are any indication of
the industry’s overall performance,
Business Aviation has not reached the
expected growth that we hoped for at the
start of the calendar year.
Eastern Europe suffered the biggest decline
to date with traffic down by over 30
percent in some countries due to the
political and economic instability that the
region has experienced over the past year.
And while the Western parts of Europe
were able to achieve better results than its
Eastern counterparts, it is still tracking
below expectation by a 0.7% reduction in
the number of departures in the first three
quarters this year compared to last year.
Thankfully, with the winter holiday season
dawning upon us, we can all look forward
to the prospects that a new year will bring.
At EBAA, those prospects include a few
initiatives that I am confident will positively
support Business Aviation in the coming
years.
Joint EBAA / ECA study
on Flight Time Limitation (FTL)
One such initiative is a joint EBAA /
European Cockpit Association (ECA)
study on flight time limitation which will
provide the EASA with the hard data
that it requires to reconsider its current
policy on pilots’ fatigue. The fact is that
the level of fatigue experienced by
Business Aviation pilots is different than
in other aviation sectors, and as such,
the criteria for flight time limitation
should account for these differences.
The preliminary findings of the study
have already been presented to EASA at
the end of October 2015 and will lead to
ongoing discussions in 2016 on how we
translate the findings into concrete
recommendations on amendments to
the existing regulation.
If our proposals are successfully adopted
by the EASA, the resulting regulatory
framework on Flight Time Limitation will
lead to a fairer competitive landscape in
Europe. More importantly, the amended
policy would represent a major step in the
official recognition of Business Aviation as
a distinct form of aviation and one that
requires a unique set of regulations that
are adapted to the BusAv operational
model.
Changing the face
to safety reporting
In parallel to the flight time limitation
study, EBAA is equally addressing the
broader question of a safety culture in
Business Aviation through the
development of a new reporting tool
scheduled for release in 2016. This
reporting tool will serve as a repository of
safety occurrences that alerts subscribers
of any safety risks that may have been
encountered by others – gathering data
from the reports that are submitted in
accordance to the European Commission’s
revised regulation on the reporting,
analysis and follow-up of occurrences in
civil aviation. Undoubtedly, the tool will
reflect the leadership that Business
Aviation is providing to advance safety in
Europe.
/EUROPE
TRANSATLANTIC
Promoting fair implementation
of new Part NCC regulations
2016 will also be the year that Europe introduces
new Part NCC regulations. While the content of
the new regulation is less of a concern, its fair
and harmonized implementation across Europe
will likely be the point of focus. To help the
wider Business Aviation community to prepare
for the August 2016 deadline, EBAA has
throughout 2015, and will continue to organize
seminars until the implementation of the
legislation in August 2016, with specialists who
will decipher the fine print of the regulation and
will explain to operators what changes need to
be implemented. In addition, we plan to tackle a
number of pending questions together with the
Member States and EASA, such as the definition
of a complex operator which remains vague and
is in need of urgent revision.
Advancing the perception
of Business Aviation
Alongside the issue of safety, EBAA will also
continue to improve the perception of Business
Aviation in 2016 as means to stimulate growth
and competitiveness. Three inter-related
studies will be released in the course of 2016
that includes the long-awaited face lift to our
current economic impact report. The report will
not only enrich legislators’ understanding of the
sector and its contribution to the European
economy but also reveal the opportunities for
the sector given the backdrop of the global subprime crisis.
A broader perception study is also underway to
complement the findings of the economic impact
report. While there is a common agreement within
the industry that the general opinion of Business
Aviation is low, the study will be a first attempt to
formally baseline perceptions and will lead to a
more informed understanding of how we may
positively influence these opinions.
And last but not least is study to assess the skills
shortage within the industry. We are well aware that
the availability of resources is progressively declining
to subtle yet real changes in people’s career
aspirations. This, together with demographic
changes and fierce competition for resources, has
given birth to a real labor threat to Business
Aviation. Our study will take a closer look at how the
industry performs in attracting and retaining talent
to help us define a skills and resources strategy
moving forward.
In conclusion, while these initiatives are not a sure
remedy to cure the industry’s current woes, they at
least show us where and how the Association can
actively support Business Aviation. So we’re looking
at 2016 with excitement.
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TRANSATLANTIC
U.S.A. ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH
INTERNATIONAL CONCERNS IN FOCUS
AT NBAA’S ANNUAL CONVENTION
From the Desk of
Ed Bolen NBAA
President and CEO
As readers of BART International may
already know, NBAA recently
concluded a highly successful edition
of the association’s annual Business
Aviation Convention & Exhibition
(NBAA2015.) More than 27,000
industry leaders from across the globe
gathered in Las Vegas, NV to examine
the latest products and services, and
discuss the latest issues affecting our
industry.
Although our annual convention
typically focuses primarily on matters
affecting business aviation users in the
United States, we also understand that
- in much the same way business
aircraft transcend borders and cross
oceans to link cities and communities
around the globe - so too will the
issues and concerns in one country or
region often reverberate across these
vast distances.
To that end, NBAA2015 continued a
long-standing tradition of featuring
several educational sessions focused
on international operations, including
an interactive session regarding
planning and preparation for
conducting international operations in
a safe, secure, compliant, and
professional manner, a topic of
particular importance for first-time
operators flying across the pond.
Additional discussions focused on the
importance of safety management
systems (SMS), standard operating
procedures, flight operations, training,
administration/organization,
maintenance and international
standards requirements under the
International Standard for Business
Aircraft Operations, or IS-BAO. The
need for international operators to
equip with datalink systems in
compliance with global regulations,
including Europe's Link 2000+
program, was also addressed.
In keeping with past NBAA events,
NBAA2015 also offered several
opportunities for industry
stakeholders around the globe to
engage in discourse with influential
leaders and policymakers worldwide,
including several high-level NBAA
personnel, on issues affecting our
global community.
Topics raised in these conversations
will help drive NBAA's engagement
with international officials in the year
ahead on matters of concern to
business aviation operators across the
globe. These messages will also drive
the agenda for the upcoming, 16th
Annual European Business Aviation
Convention & Exhibition (EBACE)
coming to Geneva, Switzerland on May
24-26, 2016.
As demonstrated by the success of
NBAA2015, it's as clear as ever that
the global business aviation
community must ensure that the
industry's value is understood at all
levels. We accomplish this by
continuing to stand up and explain
clearly that business aviation is
essential to citizens, companies and
communities everywhere.
Without question, business aviation is
a vital industry – not only across North
America, but throughout the world. In
2016 and for years to come, NBAA will
proudly continue to promote this
message in dialogue with government
officials on both sides of the Atlantic.
✈
EXHIBIT AT THE WORLD’S LARGEST
BUSINESS AVIATION EVENT
The 2016 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition
(NBAA-BACE) will have over 27,000 attendees, 1,100 exhibitors,
and 2 static displays of aircraft – one inside the exhibit hall and
the other outside at Orlando Executive Airport. Don’t miss this
important opportunity to gain brand recognition and be seen as
an industry leader. Learn more and submit your application today.
SUBMIT APPLICATION: www.nbaa.org/2016/exhibitbart
/U.S.A.
TRANSATLANTIC
SENATE APPROVES
PILOTS' RIGHTS BILL
WITH NBAA PROVISIONS
PROTECTING AIRMEN
NBAA COMMENDS SENATE COMMITTEE
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) commends the Senate Committee
on Commerce, Science and Transportation for considering S.571, the Pilot's Bill of
Rights 2 (PBOR2), during a committee meeting on Nov. 18. The legislation, which was
introduced by U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), includes a provision to make modifications
to the FAA third-class medical program supported by the general aviation community.
During initial consideration of S. 571, the Commerce Committee agreed to accept an
amendment offered by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to advance the third-class medical
provision with several modifications.
On Nov. 16, NBAA, along with 16 other aviation groups, sent a letter to the Senate
Commerce Committee leadership, asking them to advance S.571, which continues
efforts to introduce reforms focused on the concerns of pilots and others in the
general aviation (GA) community, while enhancing the safety and efficiency of GA
operations in the U.S.
NBAA is pleased with the committee's approval of the Manchin amendment, which
calls for reforms to the Federal Aviation Administration's notice to airmen program to
better supply critical safety information to pilots, provides protections to volunteer
pilots who fly in the public interest, and reforms the cumbersome and costly third-class
medical process for general aviation (GA) pilots.
"We appreciate the Senate Commerce Committee's consideration of this important
measure, and we look forward to further action on it very soon," said NBAA vice
president of government affairs, Dick Doubrava.
✈
NBAA APPLAUDS FAA RULING
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)
commends the Senate on its approval of S.571, the
Pilots’ Bill of Rights 2 (PBOR2), which includes NBAAsponsored language that will ensure aviators facing
enforcement action have an opportunity to prepare a
proper defense, as well as important third-class
medical reform.
The measure must also be approved by the House of
Representatives before going on to President Barack
Obama for his signature.
"NBAA applauds the Senate for passing this
important legislation,” said NBAA President and CEO
Ed Bolen. “We especially want to recognize the
leadership of Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) in introducing
the bill, and working with 70 Senate co-sponsors to
achieve this important legislative victory for the
general aviation community. We are pleased that this
bill provides needed reforms for third-class medicals
and expands the due-process rights of airmen."
In 2014, members of the NBAA Regulatory Issues
Advisory Group joined Dick Doubrava, the
association’s vice president for government affairs,
and Brian Koester, NBAA’s manager of operations, in
drafting language for the bill that would ensure pilots
have an opportunity to prepare a proper defense
when time is of the essence.
The provision approved by the Senate requires
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to hand
over the enforcement investigative report when
serving emergency orders, and upon request in all
other cases.
✈
The National Business Aviation
Association (NBAA) today
welcomed a Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) ruling that
will require the city of Santa
Monica, CA to keep the historic
Santa Monica Municipal Airport
(SMO) open at least through
2023.
NBAA was among the parties that
filed a “Part 16” complaint with
the FAA, challenging the city of
Santa Monica’s claim that its
federal grant-based obligations
expired on June 29, 2014. The
complainants, which also included
the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), asked the FAA to make a formal
determination that the $240,600 in federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funds
received on Aug. 27, 2003 extended the 20-year grant-based obligation to continue to
operate SMO at least through 2023.
“America’s airports are part of a federal transportation system, and this determination
highlights FAA’s recognition of the overall importance of grant commitments and
demonstrates to other municipalities that recently have attempted to impose illegal
restrictions, such as the town of East Hampton, NY, the significance of the commitment
that airport owners and operators make when accepting federal funds,” said NBAA
Chief Operating Officer Steve Brown.
“We hope that the city will end its short-sighted efforts to restrict operations at SMO,
especially now that they have been declared impermissible," Brown added. "These
measures result in disputes and litigations that are a waste of public dollars.”
SMO is able to accommodate a wide range of business and personal aircraft. The
airport serves as a base to numerous aircraft, businesses, flight schools, provides jobs
and serves as an important economic contributor to the community. Additionally, SMO
is an important reliever airport for the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and
other airports in the Los Angeles area.
In addition to the 20-year grant commitments, the 1948 deed, which transferred
control of SMO from the federal government to the city, after substantial
improvements made by the federal government during World War II, requires the
airport to be maintained for public use in perpetuity.
✈
Join European business leaders, government
officials, manufacturers, corporate aviation
department personnel and all those
involved in business aviation for the
European Business Aviation Convention
& Exhibition (EBACE2016). Visit the
EBACE website to learn more and
register today.
REGISTER TODAY:
www.ebace.aero/bart
TEXTRON REPORTS THIRD QUARTER 2015 INCOME
Bell backlog at the end of the third quarter
was $5.1 billion, up $338 million from the
end of the second quarter.
Textron Systems
Revenues at Textron Systems increased
$62 million, primarily due to higher
Weapons and Sensors and Unmanned
Systems volumes.
Segment profit was up $12 million, reflecting the impact of the higher volumes.
Textron Systems’ backlog at the end of the
third quarter was $2.6 billion, down $142
million from the end of the second quarter.
Textron Inc. has reported third quarter
2015 income from continuing operations of
$0.63 per share, up 10.5 percent from $0.57
per share in the third quarter of 2014.
Revenues in the quarter were $3.2 billion,
down 7.3 percent compared to $3.4 billion
in the third quarter of 2014.
Textronsegment profit in the quarter was
$312 million, up $19 million from the third
quarter of 2014. Third quarter manufacturing cash flow before pension contributions
was $116 million compared to $144 million
during last year’s third quarter.
“Revenues were down in the quarter, primarily driven by lower deliveries of V-22s
at Bell, but we had solid revenue growth at
Textron Aviation, Textron Systems and
Industrial, reflecting our investments in
new products and sales capabilities,”
saidTextron Chairman and CEO Scott C.
Donnelly. “Furthermore, good margin
results across our segments contributed to
solid overall financial performance in the
quarter, despite the decrease in revenues.”
Outlook
Textron revised its 2015 earnings per share
from continuing operations guidance to a
range of $2.40 to $2.50 from $2.30 to $2.50
and confirmed its expectation for cash flow
from continuing operations of the manufacturing group before pension contributions of
$550 to $650 million with planned pension
contributions of about $70 million.
Third Quarter Segment Results
Textron Aviation
Revenues at Textron Aviation were up $79
million, primarily reflecting higher jet and
military volumes. Textron Aviation delivered 37 new Citation jets and 29 King Air
turboprops in the quarter, compared to 33
Citations and 30 King Airs in last year’s
third quarter.
Textron Aviation recorded a segment profit
of $107 million in the third quarter compared to $62 million a year ago. The
increase is primarily due to the higher volumes and mix and improved performance,
which included lower amortization of $9
million related to fair value step-up adjustments.
Textron Aviation backlog at the end of the
third quarter was $1.4 billion, approximately flat with the end of the second quarter.
Bell
Bell revenues decreased $426 million, primarily the result of lower V-22 aircraft deliveries, lower commercial aftermarket volume
and a change in mix of commercial aircraft.
Bell delivered 4 V-22’s and 5 H-1’s in the
quarter, compared to 12 V-22’s and 4 H-1’s
in last year’s third quarter and 45 commercial helicopters, compared to 41 units last
year.
Segment profit decreased $47 million primarily due to the lower volumes partially
offset by favorable performance.
Industrial
Industrial revenues increased $43 million
due to higher overall volumes, partially offset by a $59 million unfavorable impact
from foreign exchange.
Segment profit increased $8 million reflecting the impact of the higher volumes.
$
CAE REPORTS SECOND
QUARTER RESULTS FOR
FISCAL YEAR 2016
CAE has reported revenue of $616.8 million
for the second quarter of fiscal year 2016,
representing a 17% increase over the second
quarter last year. Second quarter net
income attributable to equity holders from
continuing operations was $75.3 million
($0.28 per share) vs. $42.0 million ($0.16 per
share) last year.
Second quarter net income before specific
items was $47.7 million ($0.18 per share),
up 14% from the same period last year.
Specific items in the second quarter included $1.8 million (net after-tax) restructuring
costs related to the process improvement
program underway and a $29.4 million onetime tax item. All financial information is in
Canadian dollars.
“I am pleased with our solid growth this
quarter and the market’s receptivity to our
innovative training solutions. We experienced a high level of order activity which
enabled us to reach a new record $6.4 billion order backlog,” said Marc Parent,
CAE’s President and Chief Executive
Officer. “In Civil, we generated double-digit
growth in operating income over last year
and we maintained our leading market position. In Defence, we also had double-digit
income growth and orders exceeded revenue for the third quarter in a row, affirming
our recently renewed outlook for growth.
Our progress in the second quarter positions us well to meet our positive outlook for
the fiscal year.”
$
WINGX`S LATEST
MONTHLY BUSINESS
AVIATION MONITOR
There were 56,200 Business Aviation departures in Europe in November 2015, a 2.5%
decline year on year. With one month of the
year to go, 2015 activity is down 0.8% on
2014, equivalent to 5700 fewer flights.
§ Russia saw the largest decline this month,
with 442 fewer flights, 30% less activity year
on year. So far in 2015, flights from Russia
into Europe have declined 23%. Flights from
Europe to the CIS region have fallen 27%
during 2015.
Europe´s four busiest markets, France,
Germany, UK and Italy were down this
month. Activity in Switzerland was slightly
up, and flights from Spain picked up 8%. For
the year to date, activity is still up in 4 of the
top 6 countries in Europe.
The substantial fall in flight activity in Italy
this month - 7% YOY – was mainly in AOC
flights, falling 12%. AOC activity was up
slightly in France, UK, Switzerland, well up
in Spain, and growing more than 20% in
Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden.
Private flights fell most this month, down 4%
overall and 7% for business jets. There was
slight decline in Private activity in all top 5
markets, double digit declines in Sweden,
Netherlands, Turkey, and 30% fall in Private
flights from Russia.
The business jet OEM fleet with largest
decline in Private flights was Embraer, sectors reduced by 27% YOY. Bombardier and
Hawker jets also saw >10% declines in
Private activity. Private flights increased on
CJ1 and Falcon 2000 jets.
" Turboprop activity was up this month, due
to a 4% increase in Turboprop charter
flights. In Germany, Switzerland, Austria,
Turboprop flights were up between 7%-12%.
Piston activity fell 1%, but Piston AOC sectors were up by 1.4%.
WINGX.
" Overall, AOC flights increased by 13% on
VLJs, and by 23% on Super Midsize jets.
Challenger 300 and Phenom 300 jets grew
YOY activity more than 60%. ULR jets continued to increase activity, flight hours up
5% YOY, operating 8% of all business aviation sectors.
" Activity at busiest airport Le Bourget
increased 4% this month, Turboprop departures up 17%. Flights were up 5% at Luton,
driven by a substantial increase in AOC
activity. Top Italy airports Linate and
Ciampino were down 18% and 13%, respectively.
Richard Koe, Managing Director of WINGX
Advance, comments:
"The market continued to slide this month, taking away the slight recovery of activity in
Europe in early summer. The renewed collapse
of the business jet market in Russia, down by a
third this month, is a factor but this now
accounts for less than 2% of total European
activity. Becoming more significant is Italy´s
decline, the charter market particularly weak.
On the brighter side, France and UK charter
markets are quite resilient, with strong growth
niches in ultra-long range, super midsize and
very light jet operations."
$
HONEYWELL’S
FORECAST SEES UP TO
9,200
DELIVERIES
As a slow growth economic environment
takes hold across many global markets, the
business aviation industry is not immune to
its impact. In its 24th annual Global
Business Aviation Outlook released today,
Honeywell Aerospace (NYSE: HON)forecasts up to 9,200 new business jet deliveries
worth $270 billion from 2015 to 2025, with
a 3 to 5 percent reduction over the value
noted in the 2014 forecast.
“While emerging markets like Brazil continue to be a bright spot for business aviation over the medium term, we have seen
weaker demand across other key growth
markets, which may affect near-term order
and delivery levels,” said Brian Sill, president, Business and General Aviation,
Honeywell Aerospace. “And while the slug-
gish economic growth and political tensions
are driving a more reserved approach to
purchasing, we are seeing operators invest
in retrofits and upgrades for their existing
aircraft, especially around connectivity,
boosting aftermarket opportunities.”
Key global findings in the 2015
Honeywell outlook include:
Deliveries of approximately 675 to 725 new
jets in 2015, a single-digit percentage
growth year over year. The improvement in
deliveries expected in 2015 is largely due to
new model introductions and an increase in
fractional-usage type of aircraft deliveries.
2016 deliveries are projected to be slightly
lower reflecting weaker emerging market
demand partially offset by deliveries to fractional operators.
Operators surveyed plan to make new jet
purchases equivalent to about 22 percent of
their fleets over the next five years as
replacements or additions to their current
fleet.
Of the total new business jet purchase
plans, 19 percent are intended to occur by
the end of 2016, while 17 and 20 percent are
scheduled for 2017 and 2018, respectively.
Operators continue to focus on larger-cabin
aircraft classes, ranging from super mid-size
through ultra long-range and business liner,
which are expected to account for more
than 80 percent of all expenditures on new
business jets in the near term.
The longer-range forecast through 2025 projects a 3 percent average annual growth rate
despite the relatively flat near-term outlook
as new models and improved economic performance contribute to industry growth.
Breakdown by Region
Brazil, Russia, India, China
(BRIC)Slight improvements in Chinese and
Russian purchase plans compared with last
year are not enough to support an improved
overall BRIC outlook.
Since Honeywell first began spotlighting the
BRIC countries in 2011, industry growth
there has lost momentum, reaching just
over 21 percent in this year’s survey.
Brazil remained a bright spot by recording
the strongest new aircraft purchase plans in
the survey, though overall buying plans fell
year over year.
The combined BRIC countries retain a very
strong near-term demand profile with 48
percent of intended new jet purchases
scheduled for the next two years.
$
SPECIAL FEATURE
FBOs
STEADY GROWTH AHEAD FOR FBOS
By Kirby Harrison
Based on recent studies, better
times are ahead for the FBO
industry, but they’re not out on
the ramp doing a happy
dance quite yet.
“I
STABLE
You’ll find steady
growth in today’s
FBO industry
(Universal
Weather Stansted
pictured).
t is a slow recovery,” said John
Enticknap, a principal at
Aviation Business Strategies
Group (ABSG). And he added, “It is
important to understand that this slow
growth is what we are calling the new
normal.”
“Prior to 2008 and 2009, we saw FBO
revenue grow as much as 12 to 15 percent annually. This disappeared in the
ensuing recession. Annual growth
since 2010 is about 2 to 2.5 percent,
roughly approximating that of the
annual Gross National Product
(GNP),” he added.
If growth is slow, there appears to be
plenty of activity within the FBO
industry as new operations are opening, from Atlantic Aviation in Salt Lake
City to Million Air in Beijing, and others, like Odyssey Aviation in the
Bahamas, are expanding existing facilities.
The recent move catching the most
attention was the acquisition of
Landmark Aviation FBO chain by BBA
Aviation, the parent company of the
Signature Flight Support chain, for a
proposed $2.065 billion.
It was described by the Londonbased global aviation support and
after-market services provider as “a
major expansion of Signature Flight
support,” making it the world’s largest
FBO network. Landmark has 68 FBOs
and Signature’s existing network consists of 133 wholly owned and affiliate
global locations.
“A lot remains to be done before it is
a done deal, and that includes a review
by the Department of Justice anti-trust
division. The review includes the fact
that Landmark and Signature operate
at some 11 locations with competing
FBOs. In addition, Landmark has a
large aircraft charter and flight management business and holds a FAR
Part 135 air carrier certificate. That
certificate cannot be held by a nonU.S. corporation, and Signature’s parent company, BBA Aviation, is a
British company.
With regard to that transaction, it
should also be noted that it will have
no effect on the remaining 1,400
viable or independent FBOS, said
ABSG co-principal Ron Jackson. “It
really doesn’t change the FBO industry landscape; in that regard, it’s
more of a merger than an acquisition.”
New and Expanding FBOs
In North America, a new FBO is
u n d er con s tru ction a t Tor ont o
Pearson International Airport and
expected to open in mid-2016, at
Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in
Massachusetts. Rectrix Aviation
acquired Five Start Jet to become
the sole FBO services provider.
Trego-Dugan Aviation has opened as
the s ole FBO s ervices c ent er a t
Central Nebraska Regional Airport
at Grand Island, and aircraft charter,
manager and MRO provider Desert
Jet has launched begun work on its
own FBO in Palm Spr i ngs ,
California
Meanwhile outside the U.S., Million
Air is set to become the first and only
“premium FBO” at Beijing Capital
International Airport, German FBO
operator Kurz Aviation Service and
Jet Aviation of Switzerland have
formed an alliance to offer clients a
seamless network within the Federal
Republic of Germany.
GAMA
Aviation has been promoting its FBO
at Sharjah Airport, near Dubai and
DC Aviation-Al Futtaim remains the
only FBO provider at Dubai World
Central/Al Maktoum International
Airport and has now obtained access
to U.S. pre-clearance for customers
and immigration at its Dubai World
Central hub.
B. Coleman Aviation FBO at
Gary/Chicago International is up and
running and announced in November
it has been approved as a gateway
under the DCA Access Standard
Security program. The program gov-
through contract fuel suppliers and
store the fuel on their own fuel farms.
“Then they’ll tanker their fuel from
their own fuel and, but on occasional
take on a ‘courtesy load’ at an FBO,”
explained Enticknap.
At the same time, it appears the age
of the “freebee” is not yet over, in particular among smaller chains and independent FBOs. It is often regional,
with an FBO offering maple syrup and
another offering free locally grown cof-
erns business aviation access to
Ronald Reagan Washington National
Airport, while on the West Coast,
KaiserAir of Santa Rosa, Calif. has also
won approval allowing direct flights
into Reagan National gateway airport.
“We are happy to report that for the
first time in several years, we’re seeing
a glimmer of optimism amongst the
majority of FBO owners and operators,” according to authors of the 2015
Annual FBO Industry Survey from
ABSG released in February of this
year.
According to Enticknap, there is a
direct correlation between cost-perbarrel for oil and the cost of jet fuel at
the pump, since most fuel purchased
by FBOs is based on an index pricing
formula. “As an overall national average, fuel prices have come down, but
how much the retail price of Jet A has
fallen is a regional and local phenomenon and hard to pin down.”
ABSG claims, on the other hand,
there is no direct correlation between
lower fuel costs and the number of
hours being flown by business aircraft.
The reason is that trips are typically
planned well in advanced, and
increased flying time is more closely
tied to an improving economy.
Further, many flight departments,
major operators and charter companies acquire fuel at strategic prices
Creating A New Business Model
One of the biggest challenges facing FBOs is whether the old business model based on fuel and real
estate continues to serve the industry well. According to AGSB, under
the European model, the FBO is
more often an intermediary with a
separate on-field fuel provider. In
addition, every service has a fee,
from putting coffee and ice on board
to unloading baggage and a rranging
a ride to the hotel.
It is a strategy that typically
changes the role of the FBO to that
of intermediary between the customer and the on-field fuel
provider. “There would be a fee for
everything, from ice and coffee to
ground handling and crew car,”
explained Ron Jackson, also a principal at AGSB. “In short, every airplane visiting an FBO should be
contributing in some way to the
revenue stream.”
Sun Air Jets at Camarillo Airport in
Southern California is a major aircraft charter and management company that also owns a full-service
FBO. And taking the usual FBO
business model a step outside the
norm, Sun Air recently opened Film
Sun Air, making its facilities available for everything from movies to
video shoots.
fee, Jackson explained. He also pointed to growing ties between FBOs and
events that are a major draw, such as
yacht shows and sports events such as
the World Cup and U.S. Open tennis
tournament. And there is one
Caribbean FBO that made a deal with
local marina to sell discounted diesel
fuel to large mega-yacht owners,
aware that an owner of a mega-yacht is
almost certainly the owner of a private
jet.
At the same time, more and more
FBOs are emphasizing the value of
customer service as a way to differentiate and at the same time create brand
loyalty. “There is a direct relationship
between customer loyalty and excellent customer service,” concluded
Jackson.
ABSG has taken the idea of service a
step further by creating a formalized
customer service program called
“Don’t Forget the Cheese.”
At the bottom line, the health of the
FBO industry is in many ways related
to the health of the business and general aviation industry. Therein lays
good news. At the NBAA convention
in November 2015, GAMA Aviation
revealed research revealing the “dominance of the U.S. in the business aviation market.” The study noted that
2,774 business aircraft were delivered
in the U.S. between 2010 and 2015, 47
FOREMOST
Jet Aviation
(right) and
Signature (left)
are two of the
world’s leading
FBO companies.
SPECIAL FEATURE
FBOs
percent of the global total. It further
pointed out that of the mid- to largesize jets is even stronger, accounting
for 52 percent of the global fleet.
Outside the U.S., there are dark
clouds in some of the world’s regions;
Brazil, China and Russia, to name a
few.
According to aviation analyst Brian
Foley of Brian Foley Associates in
Sparta, New Jersey, the sagging
Brazilian economy is affecting business aviation in that South American
country. “Economically, they hitched
their horse to China, and with the
slowdown in the Chinese economy,
there has been a drop in exports.”
For those tied to the Chinese economy, there is the question of what is
depending on economic conditions in
one country or region and another. It
depends on sanctions levied or
removed and in general the growth of
the business aviation industry as a
whole.
From insiders in the FBO industry,
the expectation is that the new normal
is likely to likely to be around for some
time to come.
FBOs Seeing Growth
Desert Jet, an aircraft charter, management and MRO provider at
Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport
in Palm Springs is launching its own
FBO service. The new, $5 million FBO
is to be open for service in the spring
of 2016. In the meantime, operations
will be housed in a temporary facility.
BOOST
Desert Jet,
Clay Lacy and
Atlantic are
offering
innovative ways
to boost the FBO
experience.
normal? “There hasn’t yet been a
steady period of sales normalcy and
predictability,” he pointed out, “only
extremes.” And he added, “It seems
to be a universal axiom that when a
country’s economy is in a down cycle,
political leaders and shareholders deprecate business aviation.”
As for Russia, the continuing conflict
in Crimea and recent military entry
into the Middle East conflict has
resulted in sanctions that have sharply
reduced business aviation traffic to
and from that country. Europe, said
Foley, will continue to hold its own in
terms of business aviation activity,
“maybe up a percentage point or two.”
In short, the future of the FBO industry appears alternately dim and bright,
expected in the first quarter 2016 and
will include a 20,000-square-foot second hangar at the Paragon Aviation
Group.
Rectrix Aviation has acquired Five
Star Jet to become the sole FBO
provider at Westfield-Barnes Regional
Airport. A small FBO and MRO chain,
Rectrix has FBOs in Bedford,
Worcester and Hyannis, Mass., as well
as Sarasota, Florida. The center first
established itself at Westfield-Barnes
with acquisition of AirFlyte in 2013.
It was a grand opening of TregoDugan Aviation on November 3,
making it the sole FBO services
provider at Central Nebraska
Regional Airport at Grand Island.
The new center is Phillips 66-branded and includes a pilot lounge, audiovisual-equipped conference room,
weather and computer services. The
Two other FBOs provide service at
Cochran Regional – Signature Flight
Support and Landmark Aviation.
Clay Lacy Aviation has joined the
World Fuel Services-sponsored Air
Elite network and will also carry the
Ascent Fuel brand.
In the past
year, Air Elite has added six other
FBOs to its roster: Cabo San Lucas
International Airport, Cabo San Lucas,
Mexico; Caribbean Support & Flight
Services, Barranquila, Colombia;
Fireblade Aviation, Johannesburg,
South Africa; Fort Collins-Loveland Jet
Center, Loveland, Colorado; Jet
Aviation, Nassau, Bahamas; WorldWay Aviation, Sorocaba, Brazil.
Atlantic Aviation was scheduled to
open new facilities at Salt Lake City
International Airport in December.
Atlantic was the winner of a requestfor-proposal process for a second
FBO. It is Atlantic’s 66 th U.S.-based
FBO. Until its new $25.5 million complex is finished in Salt Lake City,
Atlantic will operate out of the former
Keystone Aviation terminal.
Million Air is set to become the first
and only “premium FBO” at Beijing
Capital International Airport. The
move is part of an agreement signed
with China’s Capital Jet and Epic
Aviation to create CJET/Million Air
Beijing. A grand opening is set for
January 1, 2016. Million Air will train
and oversee operational and safety
standards and the facility will be an
EPIC Aviation fuel carrier.
A new FBO is under construction at
Toronto Pearson International Airport.
When it opens in the summer of 2016,
Aerospace Centre will be the fourth
FBO at Canada’s busiest airport. The
50,000 square foot facility will include
passenger terminal and offices, as well
as meeting, recreational, rest and
work space for passengers and crew.
There will also be a hangar and workshop complex capable of accommodating aircraft last large as a BBJ.
Odyssey Aviation at Nassau Lynden
Pindling International Airport in the
Bahamas has launched a $4-million
expansion of its FBO facilities. The
upgrade will add approximately 60,000
square feet of parking to its 60,000square-foot center. The new parking
will accommodate another two-dozen
aircraft. Completion of the upgrade is
facility is also a Part 145 repair station.
In a move that spells adios for
Stevens Aviation, the GreenvilleSpartanburg International Airport
Commission voted in September to
assume operations at the sole FBO
when the current lease expires at the
end of 2016. Stevens had been the
FBO provider since it opened in 1962
and supplies fueling for both general
and commercial aviation operators.
The commission elected to neither
renegotiate the contact with Stevens,
nor seek any request for proposals.
While approximately 60 of Stevens
FBO are likely to be laid off, according
to airport President and CEO David
Edwards, all the displaced personnel
PREMIER
Cjet Million Air
(top) is to
become the first
FBO at Beijing
Capital
International
Airport.
Aerospace
Centre Toronto
will be the fourth
FBO at
Canada’s
busiest airport.
SPECIAL FEATURE
FBOs
workers from Sevens will receive an
interview for employment at the airport district.
DC Aviation-Al Futtaim (DCAF)
made a decision in 2012 to establish an
FBO presence at Dubai World
Central/Al Maktoum International
Airport. It was the first FBO to show
an interest in moving from the old
Dubai International Airport and today
remains the only FBO provider at
Dubai World Central with stand-alone
facilities with maintenance support
service. The provider has obtained
access to U.S. pre-clearance for customers and immigration at its Dubai
World Central hub.
With announcement in November of
a partnership with local company Eolo
7,500-square-foot “technology garden”
highlighting advances by regional
companies. A 240,000-square-foot
hangar accommodates aircraft up to
large-cabin, ultra-long-range business
jets and the parking ramp can support
aircraft up to the size of a VIP Boeing
767.
With the acquisition of El Aero
Services facilities at Carson City
Airport and Elko Regional Airport
(both in Nevada), Mountain West has
added two more FBO centers to its
main center of FBO operations at Lake
Tahoe. The two new sites will be operated as separate business entities.
KaiserAir in Santa Rosa, Calif. has
won approval as a gateway for air operations to Ronald Reagan Washington
National Airport, allowing direct
LEGACY
Stevens Aviation
(top),
Rectrix Aviation
and TregoDucan Aviation
are
representatives
of the US’s
proud aviation
heritage
to co-brand its FBO at Toluca
International Airport, Jetex Flight
Support is upping its profile in the
Mexican market. It is being jointly run
by the two entities at what has become
Mexico’s main business aviation gateway. Jetex has a network of FBOs in
addition to its Dubai headquarters in
the United Arab Emirates, with centers in Beijing, Kiev, Ukraine, London,
Miami, Paris, the Philippines,
Santiago, Chile and Shannon, Ireland.
Signature Flight Support at Norman
Y. Mineta San Jose International
Airport recently began full FBO services in November. The $82-million
facility was built to LEED environmental specifications and includes a
10,000-square-foot terminal and a
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SPECIAL FEATURE
flights to the airport. It company
received similar gateway approval for
its Oakland, Calif. FBO approximately
a year ago. Among the requirements
for approval is a sterile area where
required security protocols can be
done in privacy.
Already operating seven FBOs in
Germany, Kurz Aviation Service and
Jet Aviation of Switzerland have
formed a strategic alliance offering
clients a seamless network within the
Federal Republic. The companies will
exchange nationwide operational and
service-relevant flight data. Kurz has
facilities in Cologne, Egelsbach,
Frankfurt and Stuttgart. Jet Aviation
has facilities at Berlin Teigel,
Schonefeld, Dusseldorf and Munich.
All those sites will be available to customers through a single point of contact.
STRENGTH
Tac Air (top)
and Odyssey
Aviation (center)
remain strong in
the US. Jet Ex is
expanding in
Mexico.
FBOs
Texas headquartered Tac Air is
focused on numerous improvements
throughout its chain of 14 FBOs. Most
recently, a 2,000-square-foot purposebuilt U.S. Customs and Border
Protection facility has opened at
Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb. and is
attached to the Tac Air facility.
Established in coordination with the
Omaha Airport Authority, it will provide a “seamless experience for all
general aviation aircraft arriving [at
Eppley] from outside the U.S.,” said
Matt David, Tac Air director of business development. The chain is also
involved in an $11 million redevelopment project at Bill and Hillary Clinton
National Airport in Little Rock,
Arkansas that includes a new executive terminal.
At DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in
Atlanta, the Epps Aviation FBO recently celebrated 50 years at the Atlanta
field with a 25-year lease extension.
The agreement allows Epps to begin
construction of a new avionics installation facility. “Our reinvestment program for the service center will create
a modern and unique work environment for our employees that effectively addresses the needs of our customers,” said founder and President
Pat Epps.
At the NBAA convention in 2014, B.
Coleman
Aviation
FBO
at
Gary/Chicago International Airport
had just opened its doors for business. In November this year, the FBO
also announced that it has been
approved as a gateway under the
DCA Access Standard Security
Program, the program that governs
business aviation access to
Washington Reagan National Airport
adjacent to the national’s capital. The
FBO is named for pioneering aviator
Bessie Coleman.
At California’s San Bernardino
International Airport, Luxivair is promoting itself as outside the normal
FBO experience. Located between
Los Angeles and Palm Springs, amenities feature a floor-to-ceiling glass atrium lobby, stadium seating theater and
personal concierge service. Services
not always available at other FBOs
include U.S. Customs and ground
power units.
✈
Introducing uvGO.
Trip management made easy.
Planning and executing successful missions is a 24/7 operation.
What if you had a simple, more intuitive way to manage your trips
from beginning to end – no matter where you are? Now you do.
Get started at universalweather.com/uvGO.
Apple and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Universal Weather and Aviation, Inc. is not endorsed, sponsored, affiliated with or otherwise authorized by Apple Inc.
DOSSIER
TRIP SUPPORT
PRIOR PLANNING IS CRITICAL
TO THE TRIP
By Kirby Harrison
In today’s Business Aviation
industry, a globally
interconnected economy has
created an environment in
which the workload has gone
up, lead time has gone down
and stress has risen
dramatically for operators,
schedulers and dispatchers,
and the demands on flight
planning and trip support
providers have risen in like
fashion.
A
COMPLEXITY
Keeping up with
today’s
regulations can
be a full time job
for some.
mong the major challenges in
international travel are the
plethora complexities of new
regulations. “For an operator who travels internationally, keeping up with the
new regulations and changes to existing rules is more than a full time job,”
said Pete Lewis, Universal Weather &
Aviation vice president of global trip
operations.
He also noted that UK Bribery Act
and U.S. Foreign and Corrupt
Practices Act violations are on the
rise. Further, not knowing the law is
no excuse and operators are being
held liable for illegal actions that a
third-party coordinates on their
behalf. “This is the reason for a fulltime 20-person global regulatory services team, a compliance department,
and a government and industry affairs
group at Universal,” said Lewis.
There is also a global partnership
management group is responsible for
vetting suppliers and ensuring they
are compliant and meeting
Universal’s standards.
Restrictions by various governments frequently stem from a lack
of understanding of the importance
of business aviation to economic
growth, said Matt York, Jeppesen
senior manager of international trip
planning. New restrictions are frequently the result of regime
change. “It seems that new leaders
coming in do not fully understand
the value of business aviation and
commercial airline traffic remains a
priority.”
Among regional difficulties are an
increasing number of regulations
regarding ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) requirements for airways and airspace that
force non-compliant aircraft to take
longer routes, requiring very technical
flight planning to ensure proper routing.
Countries embroiled in conflict typically have many, and frequently
changing,
flight
restrictions.
International sanctions, such as those
affecting Iran and Russian, among
other nations, also prompt new restrictions.
A decision whether to operate in and
out of one of these regions often
depends on the business aviation operator’s level of comfort in general,
according to Jeppesen. “If there is a
need, they will go,” said York. “One
only need follow the hot spots in the
news to know where a westerner may
not want to go.”
DOSSIER
TRIP SUPPORT
He added that Jeppesen has solid
guidelines from the U.S. State
Department that it uses to keep its
customers informed.
Some of the most restrictive regulations are in the Middle East, despite
reports from Honeywell’s Global Data
Center (GDC) of an increase in operations in the region. “Local governments there continue to support business aviation,” explained Kiah Erlich,
senior manager of product marketing
for Honeywell Aerospace.
Some of the most carefully enforced
regulations come from the state of
Israel. Officials there restrict airspace
over-flights for any flights that have
over-flown any of the bordering Arab
countries. At the same time, Arab
countries bordering Israel will not
SUPPORT
Honeywell’s
Global Data
Center and
Rockwell Collins’
Global ACARS
Network help
operators around
the world.
allow aircraft departing from Israel to
over-fly their airspace. Also, Israel
requires crew members to go through
rigorous and lengthy screen processes
for approval of flight into or within
Israel.
More recently, Indonesia has implemented flight rules that make it very
difficult for foreign operators to operate within the country. In Italy, no
additional passengers may board who
did not enter the country. China usually permits a maximum of five stops
within the country, and for any addition stops, the aircraft must leave the
country and re-enter, which requires
another permit and multi-entry visas
for many nationals.
Japan has its own hurdles, requiring
private, non-revenue operators to
obtain landing permits for any planned
domestic operations. To make the hurdle more of a challenge, requests must
be submitted by mail or in person, and
in Japanese.
Bottom line, said Universal’s Lewis;
“Every trip needs to be reviewed carefully to determine requirements for
that particular trip.”
Despite the regulatory difficulties,
Honeywell’s Global Data Center
(GDC) continues to see an increase in
operations in Asia and the Middle
East. According to Honeywell’s Erlich,
the reason can be found in U.S.-based
companies “that are continuing to
grow their businesses in those
regions, and local governments that
continue to support business aviation.”
Technology is also playing a role in
the changing face of flight planning
and trip support. It comes down to
connectivity, mobility and simplicity,
according to GDC.
“The amount of information being
made available at operators’ fingertips
is driving a major shift in the industry,” said Erlich. “The move from
paper charts to mobile EFBs (electronic flight bags) is driving demand for
streamlined, integrated and simple
flight support tools.
ARINC Direct Flight Support
Services from Rockwell Collins takes
the concept still further. “There is an
increasing need for flight services
companies to provide complete endto-end solutions for their customers,”
said Matt Pahl, director of flight operations services. “In an industry that is
constantly working with ever-changing rules and regulations, flight
departments need a single-source
provider that can provide all the solutions needed to meet these requirements.”
Among the new technologies is an
unlimited, fixed-rate satcom and SITA
VHF ACARs datalink to which any
business aircraft can subscribe,
regardless of avionics type. The
datalink service from Universal is provided by Satcom Direct and subscriptions can be bundled with Online flight
planning from Universal.
The datalink is 100-percent integrated with uvGO, Universal’s new trip
management app. “Our clients don’t
have to switch between different apps
or Websites to access datalink,” said
Lewis.
While the growth in ADS-B flying
has created some difficulties for
those crews whose aircraft are not
yet ADS-B equipped, the system has
made worldwide positioning reports
common, allowing flight departments
to track their aircraft in real time.
Mobile apps for itinerary and basic
trip and flight planning support functions have made big improvements in
this “shrinking world” when it comes
to communicating with trip planning
providers. Among those apps is
FlightAware, available on iTunes and
the Apple store, providing real-time
flight tracking and status anywhere
in the world.
With all the new technology, more
companies are looking to “do it yourself” flight planning and trip support.
Flying to Europe and the Caribbean
may not be overly difficult, but while
they may not need a trip planning
provider, operators are nevertheless
often looking for overall international
trip planning expertise in terms of
good data or tools in an ever-changing industry, explained Jeppesen’s
York. “Overall, I think providers’ role
is still viewed as important, albeit
changing a bit,” he added.
As in other business aviation segments, acquisitions and growth have
marked flight planning and trip planning. Rockwell Collins acquired
ARINCDirect in 2013 and quickly
integrated assets to create
ARINCDirect
Flight
Support
Services. “We continue to evaluate
our customer’s needs and consider
where adjustments need to be made
to our overall global solutions,” said
Pahl.
With the addition of its
International Trip Support partnership with JETEX to offer “a one-stopshop option for flight planning needs
of customers worldwide,” said Pahl.
“A desire for a one-stop-shop will
continue to drive service providers to
work closer together to create a
seamless experience for the customer.
Jeppesen notes that while a high
level of customer service remains a
key for any successful trip-planning
company, “having the right amount
of technology, such as a mobile app
for crews out in the field, is becoming more of a must,” York explained.
“Crews want to access information
quickly, not matter where they are.”
According to Universal, the growing numbers of large, long-range, aircraft has also changed the flight planning and trip support industry. They
allow operators to eliminate additional stops and get there faster, which
affects flight planning over longer
routes. It also requires additional
time to determine what routes will
work best based on such factors as
the leg, weather, the operating procedures and communications.
With the larger aircraft, trip support
must determine which airports can
accommodate the big jets, based on
such factors as weight, wingspan,
ground support equipment availability and suitable parking. Also, noted
Universal’s Lewis, some airfields may
not accessible 24 hours and itineraries may have to be revised, even in
flight, to meet the airport operating
hours.
ARINCDirect also pointed out that
as the range of these aircraft is
stretched, it is sometimes difficult for
crews to comprehend why they cannot get their expected cruise speeds
and be able to complete their mission
as scheduled. “This becomes more of
an issue during the fall and winter
months when the polar and sub-tropical jet streams become much more
pronounced in the northern hemisphere and negative wind factors are
more commonplace,” Pahl explained.
According to GDC, non-stop flights
of longer duration are also subject to
numerous events that may complicate the original flight plan and
increase the pilot workload, such as
adverse weather and foreign airspace
restrictions.
Also, there are a growing number of
long-range aircraft that can outfly
standard two-man crew rest and duty
requirements. This sometimes must
be solved by including stops for a
crew swap, or by a three-person
crew.
Security has always been and
remains an issue, said Jeppesen’s
York. “We believe more of our clients
have implemented a security program within their flight department
that they would have control over,
and not necessarily ask a trip planning provider to secure for them.”
Matt Pahl at ARINCDirect said in
this modern age, clients do need to
be more security conscious, “and
we have seen an increase in the
need for security briefings and
threat level assessments in order
for corporate security teams to
evaluate additional requirements.
Tracie Carwile, security and
transportation representative at
Universal, has seen an increase in
demand for aircraft security, especially where western interests are
highly profiled. “You need to check
which airports allow armed security guards on the ramp next to the
aircraft,” she said. “Even an
unarmed guard is still an excellent
deterrent in protecting your asset.”
As for ground transportation, in
the past, taxis or crew van type
vehicles were provided by the
FBO, which presents an elevated
risk for crew and passengers,
Carwile said. “At minimum, private
ground transportation that has
been pre-vetted and arranged prior
to arrival should be used to reduce
the potential for risk.”
Risk is relative to business operations, standard operating procedures and the region of travel. And
factors for increased risk could be
the profile of your company, local
business dealings within the region
and nationality/religious ties of
crew and passengers, she
explained
Finally, said Carwile, hotels are
considered soft targets and may
present more of a risk for business
aviation clientele in the future. For
this reason, the location of the
hotel should be considered during
planning. Also consider nearby
potential targets of demonstrations
and protest, such as government
buildings and schools.
Finally, ARINCDirect has noted
an increasing need for flight services companies to provide complete,
end-to-end
solutions.
Customer want one provider to supply services from back office support to cabin connectivity to flight
planning tools to trip support” said
Pahl.
“In an industry that is constantly
working through ever-changing
rules and regulations, flight departments need a single-source provider
that can provide all the solutions
needed to meet these requirements.”
DOSSIER
TRIP SUPPORT
gram. Enrollment allows operators compliance with European Union VAT
requirements. The service is free and
MoonJet takes care of all documentation.
Jetex To Open Op Center in Brazil
Trip support and ground handling specialist Jetex Flight Support has a preliminary agreement with high-end
Brazilian real estate giant JHSF to
open an operations center at Catarina
Executive Airport near São Paulo.
Catarina is the first dedicated business
aviation airport in Brazil and is scheduled to open in 2016.
Nexus Wins Contract With Saudi
Operator
This month, Nexus will begin providing flight support for a unidentified
Flight Planning and Trip Support
Briefs
UAS International Trip Support Joins
With Tyrolean Jet
UAS International Trip Support and
Tyrolean Jet Services have reached a
partnership agreement that will allow
global trip support provider UAS to supply aviation support services to the
Austrian VVIP charter operator. Those
services include flight support, flight
planning, dispatch, permits, navigation,
handling, hotel accommodations, fuel
and other international operational
assistance. The flight support provider
has also added an office in New Delhi,
joining two addition offices opened last
year in Hong Kong and Beijing
ADVANCED
Satcom Direct
Moonjet Expands to China
(top) and Jet Ex
(bottom) are MoonJet Flight Support, a seven-yearbringing old company focused on trip arrangeinnovations to ments through the Middle East and
trip planning. Africa, is opening an office in China.
MoonJet is based in Amman, Jordan and
has offices in Africa, Austria, Russia, the
UAE, United Kingdom and United
States. MoonJet has also completed its
VAT (value-added tax) exemption pro-
Saudi Arabian operator at 15 airports in the kingdom. The agreement
will add to the current fleet of approximately 170 aircraft for which Nexus
provides flight support. The company
is also considering more direct
involvement in ground handling in
India and Africa.
Universal Launchs uvGO App
Universal Weather & Aviation has
launched uvGO, a native iPad app that
allows users to complete do-it-yourself
trip control. It was created to fit the logical workflow of the operator and serves
a do-it-yourself solution to integrate
everything Universal offers. Among
options is the ability to coordinate trips
through the dedicated Universal trip
support team.
✈
MAINTENANCE
MATTERS
KEEPING YOUR ENGINES HEALTHY
H
MONITORING
Snec a’s
Silvercrest will
co e with a
ro ust engine
health
anage ent
syste .
By Paul Walsh
ow healthy are your engines? In
times past answering this question involved removing the
engines and conducting a thorough,
yet costly investigation. Nowadays
there’s technology that answers this
question for you, often while you’re
still in the air. We’re talking about the
engine health monitoring system, an
innovation that’s changing the way
that engines are maintained; making
the process more efficient, safer, and
less expensive than ever before.
Snecma’s Silvercrest, an engine
that’s currently in development for the
Dassault Falcon 5X is a clear example
of how health monitoring can save
operators money over the course of an
engine’s lifecycle. The Silvercrest is
designed from the ground up, and certified for on-condition maintenance,
which means that in Snecma’s world,
fixed maintenance schedules are a
thing of the past: each engine gets its
own personalized timetable, based on
the data that comes through from the
company’s monitoring system and
from on-wing inspection.
Based on a sophisticated, real-time
analysis of flight data, only reaching
the operational limits on certain parameters or parts can lead to the
removal of an engine for a shop visit.
The result is that the engine can
remain in service, all the way up to the
time stipulated by critical Life Limited
Parts (LLP).
Snecma draws on over 30 years of
experience in on-condition maintenance in the commercial aviation market. The monitoring system is called
ForeVision, an exclusive solution that
provides real-time monitoring of
engine performance and readings.
More than 1,500 engine parameters
are tracked in flight, using embedded
sensors. This information allows the
real-time monitoring of 30 key functions, including engine performance,
and the engine’s lubrication, fuel and
filtering systems. The system automatically transmits reports, several times
a flight summarizing each of about 50
main indicators, calculated by power-
ful onboard algorithms. These reports
are analyzed by specialized ground
crews, and the most urgent info is
immediately transmitted to the engine
manufacturer. Snecma analyzes this
data and, if needed, determines maintenance recommendations and sends
them to the operator.
Snecma uses fault detection and condition monitoring data analysis algorithms with validation enabled by a
software tool from IDBS, a global
provider of innovative data management, analytics and modeling software.
A Snecma proprietary research platform, Samanta, which is shared
among all companies within the Safran
group, drastically shortened product
development by creating prototype
algorithms. Samanta comes with a
database capitalizing operational data
for test and validation purposes. The
IDBS EWorkBook application is
linked to Samanta and is used to maintain a history of the algorithms’ maturation process. Once a prototype algorithm is matured and validated, the
code is sent for compilation and execution within real-time fault detection
and condition monitoring applications
in Snecma’s aircraft engines.
EWorkBook provides a single collaborative platform for the capture, analysis, searching and reporting of all
research and development (R&D) data
within a fully compliant, validated environment.
The algorithm takes inputs from the
engine of the aircraft, analyzes behavior and identifies abnormality.
EWorkBook links datasets with the
algorithm hence ensuring persistence
of experiments. Its rich functionality
improves information analysis by
ensuring that validation scenarios and
key performance experiments can be
carried out in real-time.
Neil Kipling, CEO and Founder of
IDBS said, “Snecma uses good data
management to create better, higher
value, safer products for its market.
This is the essence of innovation in
R&D, and it is exactly what we create
our software to support. We are
delighted that Snecma has demonstrated just how versatile a product E
WorkBook has become.”
EWorkBook provides a collaborative
environment which structures the
workflow process to ensure algorithms are developed and tested in a
timely, efficient manner. A variety of
academic partners, all involved in the
algorithmic maturation process, benefitted from its standardized platform
which stores and quantifies all experimentation within a single, secure location.
It’s also worth noting that Snecma is
using an oil-debris monitoring system
on its engines. The system is developed by Eaton and enhances engine
health and aircraft safety by capturing,
retaining and analyzing oil debris particles to determine if critical engine
component failures are imminent. The
system includes a quantitative debris
monitor (QDM) sensor and a signal
conditioner.
QDM is a proven, mature technology
that has produced significant gains for
engine monitoring and aircraft maintenance while improving safety and reliability and lowering operating costs.
Eaton’s QDM has logged more than
22 million successful engine flight
hours on the GE90 (Boeing 777); is
qualified for the GP7200 (Airbus
A380); and has been selected for
GEnx (Boeing 787, 747-8), Trent 1000
engines (Boeing 787) and Trent XWB
engines (Airbus A350).
Once again this technology saves
money by reducing the maintenance
burden for airplanes. Engines
equipped with QDM preclude the
need for manual checks and inspections and enable condition-based maintenance, a more cost-effective alternative that increases time on wing over
the life of the airplane.
Rolls Royce also uses Engine
Health Management (EHM) to track
the health of thousands of engines
operating worldwide, using onboard
sensors and live satellite feeds.
A corporate EHM team covers all the
business sectors which enables the
Group to develop technologies and
best practice. In the Civil market for
example, the Trent family of engines is
supported by a comprehensive RollsRoyce EHM capability operated in
conjunction with Controls and Data
Services (CDS), a Rolls-Royce company, and accessible as appropriate by
the airlines involved.
EHM is a pro-active technique for
predicting when something might go
wrong and averting a potential threat
before it has a chance to develop into a
real problem. EHM covers the assessment of an engine’s state of health in
real time or post-flight and how the
data is used reflects the nature of the
relevant service contracts. Essentially,
EHM is about making more informed
decisions regarding operating an
engine fleet through acting on the best
information available.
The evolution of EHM and the revolution in its use has significantly
reduced costs by preventing or delaying maintenance, as well as flagging
potentially costly technical problems.
New assets will incorporate EHM
capability, and techniques will, where
possible, be retro-fitted to existing
equipment.
Broader engineering disciplines can
benefit from the data that is collected.
As operational profiles of technical
performance are revealed in ever
more detail – from individual components to whole engines – so engineers
can develop more thorough and costeffective maintenance schedules, and
designers can feed higher reliability
features into the engine products of
the future.
EHM uses a range of sensors strategically positioned throughout the
engine to record key technical parameters several times each flight. The
EHM sensors in aero engines monitor
numerous critical engine characteristics such as temperatures, pressures,
speeds, flows and vibration levels to
ensure they are within known tolerances and to highlight when they are
not. In the most extreme cases air
crew could be contacted, but far more
often the action will lie with the operator’s own maintenance personnel or a
Rolls-Royce service representative in
the field to manage a special service
inspection.
The Trent engine can be fitted permanently with about 25 sensors. The
figure below shows the typical parameters measured for EHM.
Many of these are multi-purpose as
they are used to control the engine
and provide indication of engine operation to the pilot as well as being used
by the EHM system. These are selected to make the system as flexible as
possible.
The main engine parameters – shaft
speeds and turbine gas temperature
(TGT) – are used to give a clear view
of the overall health of the engine. A
number of pressure and temperature
sensors are fitted through the gas path
of the engine to enable the performance of each of the main modules
(including the fan, the intermediate
and high pressure compressors, and
the high, intermediate and low pressure turbines) to be calculated. These
sensors are fitted between each module, except where the temperature is
too high for reliable measurements to
be made.
Vibration sensors provide valuable
information on the condition of all the
rotating components. An electric magnetic chip detector is fitted to trap any
debris in the oil system that may be
caused by unusual wear to bearings or
STREAMLINE
he
onitor a es
engine
onitoring ore
efficient.
sensors (center).
MAINTENANCE
MATTERS
gears. Other sensors are used to
assess the health of the fuel system
(pump, metering valve, filter); the oil
system (pump and filter); the cooling
air system and the nacelle ventilation
(nacelle is the cover housing – separate from the fuselage that holds
engines, fuel, or equipment on aircraft). As engine operation can vary
significantly between flights (due to
day temperature or pilot selection of
reduced thrust), data from the aircraft
to provide thrust setting, ambient
conditions and bleed extraction status
is also used.
G E A v i a t i o n is also strong in
engine health monitoring, but
extends its expertise to health monitoring systems for an entire aircraft
offering Integrated Vehicle Health
Management technology for aircraft
such as G650 business jet aircraft.
“This is one of the first comprehensive health management systems for
a civil airplane and a first for business
jets,” said Lorraine Bolsinger, president and CEO of GE Aviation
Systems, when they were awarded
the contract for the G650. “We are
thrilled to be launching this new
product and service with Gulfstream.
Gulfstream is a leader in the business
jet market by introducing new technology, innovation and best-in-class
product support. The IVHM technology will clearly be a differentiator for
the G650 in the marketplace.”
HEALTH
offers vehicle
health
onitoring for
the
et.
GE’s Integrated Vehicle Health
Management (IVHM) technology
powers
Gulfstream’s
PlaneConnectHTM&trade Health &
Trend Monitoring system. The system continuously manages and analyzes data throughout the flight creating a comprehensive set of health
information for the engines, avionics,
power, cabin and other aircraft systems. Wireless connectivity links
every aircraft to a Ground Services
Network (GSN) providing a webbased service that delivers a real time
picture of aircraft health for
Gulfstream and the operator to access
24/7 from anywhere in the world.
The system is seamlessly integrated
with Gulfstream’s product support to
enable unprecedented capability to
enhance dispatch reliability and avail-
ability - a hallmark of Gulfstream’s
customer service orientation.
GE has also developed a cutting
edge technology with prognostics
capabilities that will become the
future of health management in business and general aviation. The system leverages GE’s extensive experience in aircraft health diagnostics and
prognostic analytics.
So far the system’s performance has
been more than satisfactory: “In one
case, a G650 reported a problem in
flight five hours before reaching its
destination airport – when it arrived
at its planned fuel stop, a technician
and replacement parts were on site to
fix the problem, expediting aircraft
dispatch to its final destination and
preventing an off-site AOG,” noted
Alan Caslavka, president, Avionics &
Digital Systems for GE Aviation.
“We’ve been really pleased with the
performance and continue to seek
enhancements to serve Gulfstream
operators.”
The system continuously manages
and analyzes data throughout the
flight creating a comprehensive set of
health information for the engines,
avionics, power, electrical, mechanical and other aircraft systems.
Wireless connectivity links every air-
craft to a Ground Services Network
(GSN) providing a web-based service
that delivers a real time, 24/7 picture
of aircraft health for Gulfstream and
the operator. Since entry into service,
the fleet has recorded more than 1/3
of a terabyte of data for short-term
troubleshooting support. More than
25 GB of this data has been automatically prioritized for retention/analysis
and transmitted from aircraft across
the globe.
“The power distribution system
uses modular, solid-state power tiles
that support either distributed or federated systems with a highly scalable
design,” said Vic Bonneau, president
of Electrical Power Systems for GE
Aviation. “The system has demonstrated solid performance on the
G650.”
The G650’s secondary power distributed system architecture incorporates
many aircraft utility functions allowing for the elimination of other aircraft system line replaceable units.
This combined with the distributed
architecture, eliminates miles of
wiring and 400 mechanical circuit
breakers.
The IVHM technology dates back to
1991 when GE developed the world’s
first certified Health and Usage
Monitoring System, HUMS, for helicopters. GE has recorded and analyzed in excess of 2 million flight
hours of data from more than 500 military and commercial helicopters.
Finally across Pratt and Whitney
Canada’s engines there are also flexible, proactive solutions for engine
health and maintenance management
The company manages engine
health and maintenance planning
requirements, helping operators
achieve superior reliability and controlled maintenance costs over the
life of engines.
It’s important to note that these services are customizable solutions,
allowing operators to select a monitoring method that’s best their needs.
The engine health data is then managed through our patented Advanced
Diagnostics & Engine Management
(ADEM™) system that employs a
suite of web-enabled software tools.
✈
All of these names
have one name in common.
AgustaWestland • Airbus • Airbus Helicopters • Bell • Boeing • Bombardier • Cessna
Dassault • Embraer • GE • Gulfstream • Hawker Beechcraft • Honeywell
MD Helicopters • Pratt & Whitney • Robinson
Rolls Royce • Sikorsky • Williams
Lower Maintenance Costs • Higher Residual Value • Global Support
JSSI ® is the leading provider of hourly cost maintenance programs covering virtually
all makes and models of business aircraft, engines and APUs, including helicopters.
jetsupport.com/gettoknowus • +1.312.644.8810 • +44.1252.52.6588
REPORT
ROTOR CHARTER MARKET
VARIABLE BUSINESS MODELS
IN U.S. HELICOPTER MARKET
By Mark Huber
n an age of he icopter mobi e
apps and rotor ride sharing
entures such a B ade or
o u , e ar based e iF ite
is de iberate y and defiant y
o d schoo you charter the
ho e he icopter and the
he icopters a ha e t o
engines and t o pi ots. ant
to sa e a fe buc s
e you
ust go ahead and mosey on
do n the f ight ine.
H
eliFlite will sell you a block of
hours on a “HeliCard,” thereby
putting you at the front of the line
with guaranteed access during peak
periods such as summer Sunday
nights coming back from New York’s
toney Hamptons. HeliFlite CEO Kurt
Carlson said about two-thirds’ of his
company’s customers opt for the
agreed upon pre-paid card service
while the other are straight charter for
customers who fly the company fleet
of four Bell 430s and three Sikorsky S76s. The company also offers shared
ownership and aircraft management
programs. It manages a Bell 429 and
the
maintenance
on
an
AgustaWestland AW109.
ACCESS
eliFlite’s
eli ard gives
you guaranteed
access during
pea periods.
eliFlite O
urt arson
(center).
“Our product offerings have been
consistent over the last several years,”
Carlson said. “Most of our business is
in the card sector but the one-off charter business has been robust as well,”
Carlson said. “So our business has
been strong. We have only twinengine, executive-cabin, dual-piloted
ships. All our ships seat between six
and eight passengers. Our niche in the
New York metro marketplace is the
flyer who requires the highest safety
standards in the industry and the highest safety-rated aircraft. When we
charter an aircraft we charter the
entire aircraft to whoever the buyer is.
We haven’t ventured into the selling
seats market, that’s not our niche.”
“Our customers are individuals and
corporate executives. We provide supplemental lift to corporate flight
departments. If a blue chip, Fortune
500 company is having a board meeting and their board members are flying into Teterboro (New Jersey) or
White Plains (New York) , we’ll contract with those companies to provide
first mile, last mile service for their
board members and executives.
Washington, D.C. to Boston is our
footprint. We’re based at Newark
Liberty Airport just six minutes from
Manhattan,” Carlson said.
Carlson said that, while demand is
well-balanced between individuals who
charter for personal reasons and business customers, demand is seasonal,
with more personal customer during
the summer months. “There’s definitely more corporate use in the fall, winter, and early spring,” he said. “But
overall it is pretty well-balanced among
the various categories of clients.
Business has been quite strong and
growing for the last 36 months. As long
as the financial markets are stable and
the overall economy is solid, that is a
significant positive for our business.
Our focus on perfect safety, perfect service makes us a service provider of
choice for the type of clients that we
focus our attention on.
Carlson said his company is hyper
focused on safety. All of HeliFlite’s
ships are IFR capable with the latest
avionics upgrades. “The only focus we
have is on the safety of our crews and
our passengers. We maintain ratings
including Wyvern Wingman and Argus
Platinum status and we are certified
business partners with national fixed
wing charter, management and fractional carriers providing first mile and
last mile service to their customers.
Carlson thinks some of his clients
probably price shop—up to a point.
“I’m sure they do compare us to what
else is out there, but we have the
largest and most sophisticated fleet in
the marketplace and we have been
around a long time. We’re specifically
focused on executive class cabin ships
and focus on maintaining our fleet at
the highest level. We have been
around since 1998 so we are pretty
well known in the market.”
Helicopter noise has been a hot button political issue in the New York
market for the last few years, but
Carlson says his pilots do their best to
fly abatement routes and procedures
to minimize the impact. “We work
closely with any local community that
has an interest in our service and we
follow a very stringent fly neighborly
program where we fly agreed upon
routes, including along Long Island’s
north shore and other agreed upon
entries and egresses at East Hampton
and other east end communities. So
we are very sensitive to the local residents when we are flying over their
communities and we work with various groups and municipalities to fly as
neighborly as possible. We are part of
the Eastern Region Helicopter
Council, in fact, I’m on the board, and
we are always focused on doing right
by citizens wherever our footprint
goes and it is a high priority for the
company and it always has been.”
BLADE MIGRATES SOUTH; EVOLUX GOES NATIONWIDE
That is not to say that Blade is not making inroads with the “by the seat”
value shopper: It is. After taking Manhattan by storm two years ago, Blade
announced in November that it was headed south into Florida to cash in on
the “snowbird” traffic.
Blade began service in Manhattan two summers ago by offering helicopter
ridesharing services during the busy summer months. Now it is tacking on
a weekly Florida jet service to Miami and Palm Beach called BLADEone in
cooperation with JFI Jets. Per seat cost is $2,200 each way and includes
the jet portion on the trip on a Gulfstream IV with the helicopter connection
to or from Manhattan. Upon arrival at the Miami Opa-Locka Blade lounge,
passengers can immediately continue onto Palm Beach via helicopter or
take crowdsources or charter flights anywhere within Florida, the Bahamas,
or any Caribbean destination.
Blade offers slick packaging and perks that include private lounges in New
York and Miami, “cuisine created by noted chef and restaurateur Todd
English,” Jack Spade amenity kits for men and women and EOS lip balms.
Accessible in-flight entertainment includes selections from the Tribeca Film
Institute.
EvoLux is vaguely like Blade, only nationwide and without a lot of the fluff.
The service is a mobile online helicopter charter marketplace and social
reservation platform to book custom helicopter travel. It closely mirrors the
car service Uber in terms of price differentiated service. EvoLux allows travelers to identify nearby available helicopters, compare options, and book
private “SkyLimo” charters, or organize shared flights by using the platform’s social “SkyShare” reservation feature. SkyShare reservations are
individual seat-priced, goal-oriented bookings where travelers leverage
their social networks to invite friends, business colleagues, or other EvoLux
members to join and fill additional seats to reduce overall charter costs.
Service levels and costs vary with airframe sizes, again much like the car
service Uber does with auto sizes. “EcoLux” is less than $1,500 per flight
hour and features helicopters with or without air conditioning that include
the Robinson R-44, R-66, the Bell 206, 206L-3, and 206L-4; “DeLux”
ranges from $1,500 to $3,000 per flight hour and features helicopters with
or without air conditioning including the Bell 206L-3, 206-L-4, 407,
Eurocopter EC-120, EC-130, AS-350, MD Helicopters MD-600, and
AgustaWestland AW109 and AW119; “AstroLux” is priced at $3,000 to
$5,000 per flight hour and is composed of cabin class, IFR capable twins
including the Bell 430, Eurocopter EC-155, EC-365, Sikorsky S-76A, S76B, S76C, AgustaWestland AW-109, AW-139, and AW-169; and
“UltraLux” helicopters at more than $5,000 per flight hour that feature VVIP
plush leather interiors with noise canceling cabins, seating for 6-12 passengers, and in-flight entertainment systems including the Bell 430, Eurocopter
EC-155, EC-365, Sikorsky S-76C++, S-76D, AgustaWestland AW-139,
169, and the 189.
CHARTER
vo u irrors
U er in ter s of
price
differentiated
service.
REPORT
The ERHC has been engaged in a
protracted political battle with regard
to mandatory routing and the recent
failed attempts to ban helicopters from
the East Hampton, New York airport
despite voluntary noise abatement
efforts from area helicopter operators
including HeliFlite. This summer East
Hampton was allowed to enact an airport curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. and
a ban on certain noisy aircraft between
8 p.m. and 9 a.m. The town board had
wanted to enact even more draconian
restrictions but was forestalled by
pending challenge litigation that, if
unsuccessful, could significantly limit
helicopter access to the airport.
Helicopter operators transiting New
York’s Long Island have been forced
to use the “North Shore Route” in a
move designed to mitigate noise, but
critics suggest has merely concentrated it along a narrow causeway.
Attempts to restrict or even outright
ban helicopter overflights continues to
be a matter of concern to helicopter
operators both in New York and the
Los Angeles basin in California.
Blade and EvoLux don’t concern
Carlson. “The market niche that we
are in has always been very receptive
to our service and products.”
NARROW
roviders such
as vo u are
operating in very
niche ar ets.
hicago raffic
( otto ).
ay eavitt
vo u founder
(center).
ROTOR CHARTER MARKET
EvoLux is currently active in
New York, Los Angeles, Miami,
and most recently, Chicago.
“We’ve had our eye on the Midwest
for some time. We were simply waiting
for an operation like Vertiport Chicago
to fill the void in helicopter infrastructure and support services to expand
our offerings. With their facilities outfitted with executive conference rooms
and a luxurious reception lounge,
together we can provide SkyShares
users a seamless VIP experience,” said
Ray Leavitt, founder of EvoLux.
EvoLux’s adoption in other trafficclogged regions proves the demand
for an alternative to sitting for hours
on an overcrowded highway,” Leavitt
said. “If Uber and Expedia merged to
focus on helicopter travel, they would
have created EvoLux to disrupt the
traditional charter boolking process
and provide some relief for travelers
wanting to rise above the congestion.
Additionally, high-end destinations off
the beaten path such as wineries, racetracks, golf courses, ski resorts, and
casinos who have a hard time attracting their clientele from a distance now
have an exhilarating option to offer
their guests,” he said.
In Chicago, an Upstart
Trevor Heffernan launched a successful Chicago helitour company,
Chicago Helicopter Experience, in
2011 and this past October inaugurated CHE Premier Charter, with an
Airbus Helicopters EC135 light twin
and an EC130 large single to offer
traditional helicopter charter, unlike
EvoLux. Heffernan has the helicopters on long-term leases. “There’s
never been helicopter charter here
before so this just makes sense,” he
said.
“It really hasn’t been an option for 50
years, especially since 2003 when
Meigs (lakefront airport) closed. So
we’re going to need to educate consumers about it and educate them as
to the benefits especially with regard
to driving to and from the city to various locations. Because it hasn’t been
an option before it’s not in the forefront of their minds. So we’re educating the consumer and putting our
product in front of them, showing
them how much time they can save
showing them how much time they
can save flying to the local airports, to
their warehouse facilities, whatever it
may be, instead of driving,” he said.
“There are so many corporations
headquartered in Chicago and have
corporate flight departments here with
planes in Palwaukee (Chicago
Executive) , Aurora, or Gary
(Indiana),” Heffernan said. “On any
given day it can be an hour and a half
drive in from Chicago Executive or a
ten minute flight in one of our helicopters. So as we continue to educate
these flight departments about the
conveniences of using the helicopters
it really starts making a lot of sense for
them. In the summer, there are tons of
golf courses and that brings up the
whole other element of corporate
entertaining—you can take clients out
for golf and get back to the city in time
for dinner. They wouldn’t otherwise
be able to do that do to (ground) traffic. It all focuses around traffic and saving people time. Even when people fly
into Midway to avoid the comparatively longer drives in from Executive or
Du Page airports, Midway is more
expensive and it is a pain to get in and
out, so we also educate flight departments about landing at and basing at
other airports that are less difficult,
more convenient, and less expensive.
It’s an education process on many DYNAMIC
fronts.”
revor effernan
CHE’s helipad is conveniently locat- is the rains
ed near the booming South Loop, near ehind the
the Eisenhower Expressway and the
hicago
Orange Line train.
elicopter
✈ e perience.
SPECIAL REPORT
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
ENTERTAINING TIMES FOR IFEC
latest interfaces for HD digital video
streaming.
Gogo is introducing automatic, inhangar wireless update capabilities for
its Gogo Vision inflight TV system for
business aviation. Customers will have
the ability to receive fully-automatic
content updates via Gogo Cloud, the
company’s nationwide content delivery
network.
The system uses “machine to
machine” Wi-Fi technology to automatically load fresh content when the
aircraft arrives at a Gogo Cloud location, with no interaction required from
the flight crew or maintenance personnel. Gogo also said that from
December, Vision is available for viewing on cabin monitors and not just personal Wi-Fi devices.
By Steve Nichols
This has been an interesting
year in terms of IFEC
developments for the Business
Aviation sector. As we’ll see
later this has been lots of
activity on the inflight
connectivity front, but first let’s
look at in-flight entertainment.
T
VIGOROUS
The inflight
connectivity
segment was
very active in
2015. Rockwell
Collins IFEC
(top),
Venue VIP cabin
(center).
he IFE highlight of NBAA was
the debut of Rockwell Collins’
Stage content service, which will
launch in mid 2016. This is a subscription-based media streaming solution
for corporate and private aircraft.
Stage enables up to 70 passengers to
stream media, including Hollywood
digital rights management (DRM)-protected movies and TV shows, to their
personal devices from an onboard
server through wireless access points.
Rockwell Collins says content is
selected by flight departments from a
frequently-updated cloud-based media
catalogue and then loaded on the aircraft server in a variety of ways,
including both physical and wireless.
Greg Irmen, vice president and general manager, Information Systems for
Rockwell Collins, said:“Stage makes
prepping an aircraft’s cabin entertainment for a trip much easier — espe-
cially when last-minute changes are
necessary — to give passengers
access to exactly the entertainment
and information they want.”
Stage apps are available for both iOS
and Android tablets and smartphones
and content can also be accessed via
web browsers on tablets without the
app, including Google Chrome.
Lufthansa Technik is to supply
Bombardier with a high-definition IFE
upgrade for the Challenger 300. It said
the upgrade needs limited wiring and
hardware changes and will support the
At NBAA TrueNorth Avionics said
it plans to offer a personalized entertainment application on its Optelity
Pro cabin communications platform.
Optelity Experience, powered by the
UGO service platform, has been tailored for business jets and allows passengers to view a variety of entertainment options on their tablets without
using satellite bandwidth as the content is delivered at the gate using the
Optelity system’s LTE network.
Now on to inflight connectivity,
Inmarsat’s ultra-fast Ka-band Global
Xpress service, the business aviation
arm of which is called Jet ConneX
(JX), is very close to a full global
launch.
This will probably now take place in
early 2016, but with three satellites
now in place and the hardware just
about ready to ship we have an exciting year ahead.
There are two antennas for the system available from Honeywell. The
first is the small and light JetWave
MCS-8000 tail-mount parabolic dish.
This will suit smaller business jets.
The larger MCS-8200 fuselage-mounted steerable array is aimed at larger
VVIP type aircraft such as BBJs, ACJs
and bigger.
The MCS-8000 should be suitable for
bandwidths up to around 30-33Mbps
and the larger antenna up to 50Mbps.
I saw an early draft of the Jet ConneX
service schedule that showed various
business packages will be available
with a range of speeds, called maximum information rates (MIR), and
also monthly data allowances.
This outlined MIR speeds from 315Mbps, with monthly data packages
running from 25-95Gb. There may be
a maximum monthly “carry over”
allowance of half the specified Gb
limit. As I said, this was an early
draft and the final packages may
change when the service is
launched.
At the time of writing the MCS-8000
tail-mount antenna was being tested
on two aircraft in the US and an STC
for the Dassault Falcon was expected
in late Q4 2015.
Many other STCS for other aircraft
are being developed, including one
for the 747-400 by J e t A v i a t i o n
Basel. The first STC for the larger
fuselage-mounted MCS-8200 antenna
is expected for the Boeing 757 in late
2015, as this was the Honeywell aircraft used in the initial JX flight tests
in the UK.
VistaJet became Rockwell Collins’
first business aviation customer to
adopt Jet ConneX via its ARINCDirect
arm.
Nick Van Der Meer, Chief Operating
Officer, VistaJet, said: “Our customers
are increasingly demanding faster and
more reliable in-flight internet service
as a routine part of their business travel.
Bombardier has also confirmed that
testing and validation for its
Bombardier WAVE (Wireless Access
Virtually Everywhere) high-speed inflight connectivity, which will use
Inmarsat’s JX connectivity, is nearing
completion, following multiple successful tests aboard its Global aircraft
test bed.
Operators with smaller bizjets that
can’t accommodate the Honeywell
JetWave tail-mount antenna may have
to wait until 2017-2018. Kymeta is
developing a small flat-panel antenna
for GX/JX, but there is currently no
launch date for it.
Given the hype, you could be forgiven for thinking that JetConneX was
the only inflight connectivity solution
available for business aviation. But
there are plenty of other options.
Over the mainland US and Canada,
Gogo still reigns with its air-to-ground
(ATG) Gogo Biz service. Gogo
Business Aviation recently announced
a number of enhancements to its service, beginning with its ATG 1000 inflight connectivity system.
The ATG 1000 system already
enables voice, e-mail with attachments, and calling and texting with
passengers’ own smartphones and
mobile numbers.
From December it will also support a
number of cockpit and operational
applications including FlightAware’s
Flight Tracker Global, ForeFlight’s
ForeFlight Mobile, Honeywell’s
myGDC, and WSI Corporation’s
Pilotbrief Optima.
INNOVATIVE
Gogo Inflight
Entertainment
BBJ (top),
John Wade,
Gogo Business
Aviation’s
executive vice
president, with
Gogo IFEC
(below)
SPECIAL REPORT
FOREFRONT
Honewell are at
the forefront of
the connectivity
revolution.
Jack Jacobs
Vice President
Marketing &
Product
Management at
Honeywell (top).
Gogo says it expects to continue
expanding the list of approved apps for
the ATG 1000 system in the future.
Gogo has also partnered with
Weather Services International (WSI)
and its Pilotbrief Optima iPad application to provide up-to-date weather data
in the cockpit.
WSI, the business-to-business division of The Weather Company, recently launched a new version of Pilotbrief
Optima for iPad. The partnership with
Gogo means pilots can now access upto-date weather information via the
Gogo Biz connectivity.
Satcom Direct, which has recently
rebranded to simply “SD”, has
launched its SD FlightLogs, which is
powered by SD’s FlightDeck
Freedom. The system provides aircraft
operators with an electronic flight log
that automates the tracking of aircraft
movements.
The company says SD FlightLogs is
the first web-based system designed
to intuitively manage aircraft flight
log data and reduces manual user
input.
SD FlightLogs provides pilots, maintenance and flight operations personnel with the ability to stay in sync with
their aircraft anywhere in the world.
The company has also been promoting its GlobalVT app, which works
with the SD Router (SDR) and enables
passengers to use their own mobile
(cellphone) number on their smartphone while in-flight, anywhere in the
world.
The service acts like a global cellular
roaming service, routeing all calls and
texts to a passenger’s smartphone
number via a satellite connection.
A big bonus is that your outgoing
calls have a ‘+87’ or other strange
number displayed when you call, so
your recipient is more likely to answer
it.
Another surprising development was
news that Astronics AeroSat and
Panasonic Avionics have partnered
to bring high-speed inflight connectivity services and global live television
programming to the business and
VVIP aviation market.
Astronics Aerosat will uses its tailmounted Ku-band antenna with
Panasonic’s Global Communications
Services to offer high-speed internet,
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
four channels of global television services and regional DBS-TV programming.
At NBAA Honeywell announced that
it was to acquire Denmark’s Satcom1.
Satcom1 provides routing software
and is distribution partner for
Honeywell’s JetWave terminals and
Inmarsat’s GX Aviation program , as
well as being a long-standing
SwiftBroadband expert.
It also provides an inflight TV solution called Satcom1.TV. The company
tells me that this has proved popular in
the Middle East where it is fitted on a
range of VVIP customers’ aircraf in
the region.
It said the service launch of
Satcom1.TV was on a head-of-state
Airbus A340, owned by an undisclosed
client and it has now been installed
locally for owners of Airbus, Boeing,
Gulfstream and Bombardier business
jets too.
The service allows passengers to
watch live TV via their satcom connection and works with PCs, laptops,
smartphones, and tablets, or with a
connected TV, via an HDMI cable, or
integrated onboard AV system.
The system is designed to work with
Inmarsat’s SwiftBroadband (SBB),
Inmarsat Jet ConneX (Ka-band coming
in 2016) and ViaSat’s Yonder Ku-band
and Exede in the Air Ka-band.
However, as it needs a minimum bandwidth of 750kbps SBB users will need to
use at least two bonded channels.
Finally, if you want Ka-band speeds,
but can’t wait for Inmarsat GX, don’t
forget that ViaSat’s “Exede in the Air”
service is available right now. ViaSat’s
tiny tail-mount antenna is only 12 inches (30 cm) in diameter, but packs
quite a punch, delivering nearly
8.83Mbps down and 3.2Mbps up using
Eutelsat’s KA-SAT satellite over
Europe and ViaSat-1 over the
Americas.
The ViaSat-2 satellite is due to be
launched by SpaceX in the summer of
2016 and expand coverage over the
Atlantic Ocean, plus add additional
capacity over Canada and Central
America.
✈
D E D I C AT E D T O H E L P I N G B U S I N E S S A C H I E V E I T S H I G H E S T G O A L S .
NBAA Schedulers &
Dispatchers Conference
JANUARY 19 – 22, 2016 • TAMPA, FL
Unlock Your Potential…
Connect and Inspire at SDC2016
At its core, SDC2016 is the premier professional development event
for anyone with responsibility for scheduling and/or dispatching
business aircraft. Elevate your career with 25 CAM-approved
education sessions from the industry’s greatest and brightest while
also getting business done for the year ahead. With countless
opportunities to network and connect with more than 2,700 of
your peers and 450 exhibitors, you don’t want to miss SDC2016.
REGISTER TODAY: www.nbaa.org/sdc/bart
PREVIEW
SCHEDULERS AND DISPATCHERS
SCHEDULERS AND DISPATCHERS
GATHERS PACE
A
By Paul Walsh
s the NBAA’s meeting and convention goes from strength to
strength, another event is slowly
gathering a following. That’s
Schedulers and Dispatchers; with 2,700plus visitors at the previous edition, it’s
becoming a must-attend event for
FBOs, fuel suppliers and trip-planners.
The 2016 conference theme is
“unlock your potential” and at the
opening general session, Ty Bennett
CEO, entrepreneur, & best-selling
author will share proven strategies
and techniques to increase overall
designed to give flight department personnel an overview of the various federal and state regulatory requirements
facing aircraft owners and operators,
and methods for compliance with
those requirements. The course will
expose students to the major compliance requirements of the DOT, FAA,
IRS, TSA, OSHA, DOA and many
other federal and state agencies.
Students will then work through
recordkeeping techniques and best
practices and discuss audit standards
and safety management systems. The
course culminates in an exercise in
which students are asked to put their
HI-TECH
UVair uvGO to
plan and
manage the
mission (top).
Universal
Avionics and
Rockwell Collins
team for ADS-B
solutions
(center).
Honeywell
JetWave
fuselage mount
antenna for high
speed satellite
communications
(bottom).
commitment needed for relationshipbuilding, increasing value, and improving interpersonal communication. He
will focus on the tenet that “people
support what they help create.” This
general session will also serve an
introduction to the second general session that will be on Thursday’s 8:00
a.m. where Bob Hobbi, President and
CEO of ServiceElements International,
Inc. will facilitate aviation scenarios
demonstrating challenges that flight
department personnel and vendors
experience in the workplace.
One of the events’ biggest draws is
its impressive range of educational
sessions, which kick off with a regulatory and documentation course,
knowledge into practice to address
several common scenarios facing
flight departments.
Then there are also sessions on how
to survive audits, thinking process, not
function, a dispatcher’s guide to flight
planning, and sessions on the challenges of operating into India and
China.
But aside from being a great opportunity for growth and personal development, Schedulers and Dispatchers
is also an important networking opportunity, with some of the leading decision-makers in the industry attending.
Universal Aviation will be one of
the main players at the event. It
recently announced uvGO, a new way
for business aircraft operators to easily
plan, build, and manage successful
missions worldwide—from beginning
to end. Available as a native iPad app,
uvGO gives users complete do-it-yourself control over their trips, as well as
the ability to optionally coordinate
trips through their dedicated
Universal® trip support team.
ity to execute key tasks—such as
flight planning, weather, fuel pricing,
datalink, and trip coordination—in just
our app, or our website, or a combination of the two. Whatever they prefer.”
uvGO is available for operators working with Universal® Trip Support
Services and/or carrying the UVair®
Fueling Card. Universal Clients can
start using uvGO immediately by
downloading it on the App Store.
Rockwell Collins’ ARINCDirect
will be present promoting the fact that
customers flying non-ADS-B equipped
aircraft can, for the first time, receive
real-time position reports around the
world through an enhanced flight
tracking service for business aircraft
called Mode S Multilateration
(MLAT).
The ARINCDirect flight tracking is
made possible through collaboration
with FlightAware. FlightAware’s new
MLAT technology leverages its extensive ground station network of
receivers to provide real-time flight
tomers with a seamless, integrated
solution that can be displayed in their
hangar, dispatch center, or corporate
office.
“Flight tracking is a critically important issue for both the business and
commercial aviation operators,” said
Daniel Baker, CEO of FlightAware.
“With the integration of FlightAware’s
aircraft tracking into its flight planning
services, ARINCDirect customers now
have access to more features and
improved aircraft location information
than ever before.”
The new service is now available to
ARINCDirect customers in Europe. It
is in beta testing in the rest of the
world, and is expected to be available
in December 2015
Another exhibitor: Honeywell is also
moving forward in the trip planning
space and recently announced that it
has signed an agreement to acquire
privately-held Satcom1, the leading
provider of on board communications
routing software and a satellite communications provider of airtime and
“uvGO was designed from the perspective of fitting the logical workflow
of the operator and serves as a do-ityourself solution that integrates everything Universal offers in one simple
interface,” explained Denio Alvarado,
Sr. VP, Global Product Strategy,
Universal. “Through uvGO, our clients
can manage trips on their own, or
send them for coordination through
Universal via a single, simple intuitive
system that streamlines the process of
how missions are managed.”
Alvarado added, “We also took into
account that operators wanted an app
that is not dependent on a separate
website, so our system has been
designed to give operators the flexibil-
positions for business aviation aircraft
that are not ADS-B equipped, even
where RADAR data is not available.
“More than 80% of Business Aviation
aircraft are not ADS-B equipped—with
many of them flying in Europe and
abroad—so this service provides
tremendous benefits to our customers
traveling internationally,” said David
Poltorak, vice president, Business
Aviation for Rockwell Collins. “Now
customers can track the exact location
of their aircraft globally in real-time,
enhancing safety and operations.”
ARINCDirect is also now reselling
FlightAware TV, a map-based fleet or
airport flight tracking display that can
run on any HDTV, providing cus-
consulting services. The acquisition
positions Honeywell to offer operators
a seamless experience with an all-inone connectivity solution spanning
routing software, airtime, hardware
equipment, avionics, flight support
services and applications. Revenues
for 2015 are expected to be approximately $25 million. The transaction is
expected to close by the end of 2015.
Satcom1 is the leading provider of
routing software that optimizes the inflight connectivity experience and an
existing distribution partner for
Honeywell’s JetWave™ terminals and
Inmarsat’s GX Aviation program. The
company provides in-flight airtime,
satellite communications services and
ADVANCED
Rockwell Collins’
ArincDirect put
forward MLAT, a
tracking service
for business
aircraft (left).
UAS
International Trip
Support (right)
will highlight their
expansion
across the world
including India.
PREVIEW
OCCASION
A strong
presence of
maintenance
specialists is
assured at SDC.
Duncan Aviation
will promote their
expansion at
Teterboro.
software for private business aircraft,
and government and head of state aircraft and helicopters. Satcom1’s highspeed solutions provide real-time, reliable Internet and Wi-Fi cockpit communications that help pilots fly more
safely and efficiently, and keep passengers connected in the air. Satcom1
also provides consulting services and
develops specialized software and networks designed for mission-specific
communication needs, such as in combat situations.
“Demand for in-flight Internet and
Wi-Fi connectivity is rapidly growing
and Satcom1 will strengthen
Honeywell’s position as a complete
provider and integrator of satellite
communications equipment, software
applications and global airtime services,” said Tim Mahoney, president
and CEO of Honeywell Aerospace.
“Honeywell is already uniquely placed
across the entire value chain of a thriving $8 billion in-flight connectivity segment, making the acquisition of
Satcom1 an excellent fit with our business. The addition of Satcom1 significantly bolsters our connectivity portfolio and enhances our growing software
engineering expertise. Our customers
will benefit from our ability to now
offer a complete suite of connectivity
solutions, with a much greater global
reach.”
“Strengthening Honeywell’s connectivity offerings with the addition of
Satcom1 provides existing and future
customers access to a full suite of connectivity offerings throughout their
aircraft. Together, we will have a
worldwide sales and support presence,
facilitating customer interactions and
improving the ability to provide customers a greater variety of voice and
data solutions to meet their growing
demand,” said Søren Elmann
Ingerslev, chairman of Satcom1.
Another strong player in the arena is
Satcom Direct, now known as SD.
The company is the first Inmarsat
SwiftBroadband (SBB) distribution
partner to provision and enable the
new
SwiftBroadband high data rate
(HDR) service with Honeywell avionics, nearly doubling in-flight data
speeds available to Business Aviation.
In its latest “first” for Business
Aviation, Satcom Direct has made
HDR
service
available
to
SwiftBroadband customers, providing
a faster and more efficient broadband
connection. HDR enhances passengers’ overall network connectivity
experience by unlocking the ability to
use high-bandwidth applications inflight. The service can provide up to
650 kbps per streaming channel.
Customers with a Satcom Direct
Router (SDR™) can use Satcom
Direct’s exclusive SkyBondSM service
to combine up to 2 channels, currently, providing speeds of up to 1.3 Mbps.
This is approximately two times
faster per channel than traditional
SwiftBroadband in-flight connections.
“The number one request we get from
operators, passengers and VVIP customers worldwide is faster internet.
Satcom Direct is constantly developing
and leveraging ways to increase airborne data speeds, so it’s only natural
we would be the first to bring HDR to
Business Aviation. Checking email,
streaming video, and internet browsing just got significantly faster for our
customers and we couldn’t be more
pleased to be able to deliver it,” said
Jim Jensen, CEO and Founder of
Satcom Direct.
UAS International Trip Support
is definitely worth checking out. The
company is expanding in places
across the world including India
where it now has station managers
with unlimited ramp access throughout India. UAS personnel now have
this freedom of access and can,
therefore, provide more personalized
and customized supervision for its
clients. Ramp access also affords
UAS more coordination in meet and
assist services. This development
also ensures the UAS standard of
service in India as UAS personnel
can deal with the handling directly
and no third-party involvement is
necessary.
A huge challenge many operators face
during operations into India is transparency in receiving information.
Currently, UAS station managers can
ensure the most reliable and trusted
information about operations and services across India. UAS’ strong, professional relationship with local authorities
means smooth flight transitions, and
direct ramp access ensures the highest
level of service quality.
Since the launch of the New Delhi
office in April 2015, UAS has experienced massive demand for its services
in the region, including flight planning,
overflying and landing permits, ground
handling supervision, fuelling, catering,
assistance in customs/immigration
clearance, hotel and transport. This
increased market penetration is part of
the company’s sustained international
expansion strategy. “This is a great
coup for UAS and our clients flying into
and out of India. We can now provide
superior supervision of all ground activities and, therefore, provide even more
efficiency and peace of mind for our
clients,” according to Vinay Garg, UAS
Regional Director, Indian Subcontinent.
“Our job is to respond to our clients’
demands, and give them the best service on the ground and in the air,” he
added.
“We are determined to give our clients
the best service, support and quality.
Ramp access in India will ensure that
our clients, their passengers and crew
actually feel the difference,” says Mr.
Omar Hosari, UAS Cofounder and
CEO.
On the fuel and FBO side, EPIC will
be present talking about the dramatic
expansion of their FBO network.
Indeed at NBAA, they announced eight
new domestic locations and two new
international locations to its FBO network. The new members who joined
the EPIC network in 2015, span from
coast-to-coast in the United States and
include two major international gateways, further expanding EPIC’s reach,
literally around the globe.
One company that is expanding is
Avfuel, which continued its trajectory of
growth in 2015 with updated technology, and a spike in customers and global
solutions.
“We’ve had a great year,” said Joel
Hirst, vice president of sales for Avfuel.
“I think that’s a testament to our qualified staff and the talent we’ve brought in
to support our growing customer base.
We always have our ear to the ground,
discovering new solutions to fulfil our
customers’ needs. I think they are very
perceptive to that mentality and look to
join a network that not only provides
the best solutions, but continuously
strives
to
better
itself.”
With this mindset, Avfuel created a new
website for its customers and excelled
in international expansion, contract fuel
growth and commercial fuel sales.
Given the high-profile attendance at
Schedulers and Dispatchers, many
executives from outside of the trip planning business are also present at the
event. For instance Duncan Aviation
will have a large presence, having
recently announced their expansion and
growth of its Teterboro, New Jersey,
satellite facility, where Manager Jeff
Glanville and the rest of the team members moved from the facility where
they’ve been located for the last few
years into a 1,300-square-foot facility in
the Landmark FBO.
Manager of Satellite Operations Matt
Nelson says, “This expansion represents the health of our business and the
optimism we feel for growth now and in
the future. It also means we’re planning
to see a significant increase in our daily
offerings, including Wi-Fi, ADS-B, and
FANS installations and WAAS/LPV
upgrades.”
Not only has the shop expanded its
space, but the company is looking to
hire two more qualified technicians to
work the second shift (3:30 p.m. to 11
p.m.) in order to better accommodate
the needs of Duncan Aviation’s customers at the Teterboro Airport. As the
busiest corporate airport in the United
States, Teterboro serves a number of
transient customers—drop-in customers from outside of the United
States whose schedules often have
them arriving early in the morning or
late at night.
Jet Aviation will also be present.
They’ve just announced the first follow-on installation of a Future
Airspace Navigation System (FANS)
in a Bombardier Challenger 604 after
completing and receiving FAA
approval for a Supplemental Type
Certificate (STC).
The industry’s first FANS installation
on the Challenger 604 sets yet another
precedent at Jet Aviation St. Louis. The
FANS 1/A upgrade package, which
includes the Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Contract (ADC-C) and
Controller
Pilot
Data
Link
Communication (CPDLC), will reduce
pilot workload and significantly
enhance the clarity and accuracy of
pilot communications with Air
Navigation Service Providers in oceanic
and remote airspace worldwide. It will
give those aircraft access to preferred
wind-efficient transatlantic routes to
save both time and fuel.
Finally attendees at the show will be
able to meet with executives from
Flightsafety International. Among
other things they’ll be able to talk
about how the company has enhanced
its Gulfstream G650 training program
with upgrades to the simulators. The
Autobrakes system has been added to
the initial and recurrent training programs. FlightSafety has worked with
Gulfstream to ensure this addition to
the G650 training curriculum fulfills
the requirements of the FAA FSB
Report and EASA OSD. “The ongoing
upgrades to our training programs and
simulators demonstrate FlightSafety’s
commitment to provide our
Customers with the highest quality
and most current programs,” said
Daniel MacLellan, Vice President,
OOperations. The Normal and
Abnormal operation of the Autobrakes
will be covered during ground school
and a simulator session. Pilots will see
and feel the differences in the flight
controls associated with this update to
the aircraft. FlightSafety also offers a
standalone course for those wanting to
receive the training prior to their next
recurrent event. It includes one hour
in the simulator.
✈
TRAINING
Flight Safety will
present an
advanced
Gufstream G650
training program
with simulator
upgrades. (top)
Jet Aviation
announced the
first FANS
installation in a
Challenger 604
(bottom).
MARKET
UPDATE
RESILIENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST
NUCLEUS
Dubai remains
one of the
world’s leading
Business
Aviation hubs.
Jet Aviation
Dubai (center).
T
By Richard Koe
he Dubai Air Show in the first
half of November was the largest
and best-attended of the bi-annual
event´s almost 30 year history. With
its new location in Dubai World
Central it hosted over 11,000
exhibitors, 65,000 visitors and 160 aircraft. Primarily a commercial and military aviation show, it also showcased
the Middle East´s resilient Business
Aviation sector. The region´s civil aviation activity owes much its geographic
centrality linking emerging markets
and advanced economies. For now at
least one of world´s most important
trading hubs is weathering the storm
clouds over the global economy, as
well as the region´s multiple conflict
zones.
For Business Aviation, the other fundamental impetus is wealth creation.
According to Wealth-X, the global
wealth research company, there are
5,975 ultra-high net worth individuals
(UHNWI) in the Middle East, some 3%
of the global population of ultrawealthy. With a Business Aviation fleet
of around 450 aircraft, the ratio of
UHNWI to aircraft is a third the ratio
prevailing in the US market, which
shows its potential for further growth.
There are some obvious short-term
headwinds, not least the prolonged
slump in oil prices. But on balance,
Bombardier´s 10 year forecast for the
Middle East to take 275 business jet
deliveries still represents a significant
growth trajectory.
From both the fleet-ownership and
aircraft activity footprint in the
region, it´s clear that the Middle
East is a mature Business Aviation
market, but with distinctive characteristics. Research provided by
Wealth-X and WINGX at the Dubai
event showed that business jet owners in the Middle East are demographically distinct – younger than
the global average, with more liquid
assets, and much more likely to have
inherited rather than self-made their
wealth – and particular in their aircraft preference – with the typical
aircraft purchase value at USD $48M
compared to the global average of
USD $16M.
The inclination to large cabin, longrange aircraft reflects a functional
need for inter-connecting a region
closer to the size of North America
than Western Europe, and of course
for operating non-stop flights to aircraft owners´ destinations outside the
Middle East. It also indicates a cultural
preference for individual owners to
travel with a large entourage of family
and advisers. In contrast to typical
business jet owners in the US market,
for whom the aircraft is primarily a
business tool, the travel motivation for
the Middle Eastern business jet traveler is a lifestyle decision, inextricably
linking business and leisure purposes.
This contrast is illustrated in WealthX research, as shown in Chart 1.
CHART 1:
BUSINESS JET OWNERSHIP IN MIDDLE EAST AND WORLDWIDE
Top 5 Industries
Industrial Conglomerates
Non-Profit & Social Organizations
Finance/Banking/Investment
Manufacturing
Real Estate
Middle Eastern Jet Owners
29.2%
25.7%
10.5%
10.5%
5.3%
Top 5 Industries
Finance/Banking/Investment
Real Estate
Non-Profit & Social Organizations
Industrial Conglomerates
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels
Global Jet Owners
19.3%
7.3%
5.7%
5.5%
5.1%
The most popular industry for the
global UHNWI population of business
jet owners is finance, banking and
investment. In the Middle East, by
contrast, more than 50% of owners are
involved in industrial conglomerates
and non-profit & social organisations.
This reflects the large representation
of traditional ruling families and merchant businesses. In the grey area
between government and private
enterprise, they are most closely
aligned to the region´s economic fortunes. They are also playing the leading roles in the region´s efforts to
diversify its economy, and no doubt
private jets are an important tool in the
coordination and oversight of major
infrastructure and construction projects.
The pattern of business jet activity in
the Middle East demonstrates the
regional customer´s predilection for
large cabin aircraft. WINGX data, as
shown in Chart 2, indicates there were
1,200 VIP bizliner flights from the
Middle East in Q3 2015, 42% up year
on year. A further 21% of flights were
operated in ultra-long range jets, and
the most popular are the heavy jets,
with over 27% of all Business Aviation
activity in the period. By contrast, only
a few hundred light jet and turboprop
sectors were flown in Q3, although
very light jet activity is rapidly increasing.
Cabin and range preferences are
reflected in the relative trends in activity of the various OEM fleets.
Bombardier and Gulfstream aircraft
operate at least half all flights from the
Middle East. The most well estab-
CHART 2:
Q3 BUSINESS AVIATION ACTIVITY FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
SIZE
Middle East
buyers prefer
large cabin jets.
Dassault Falcon
7X (top).
MARKET
UPDATE
CHART 3: MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS AVIATION ACTIVITY BY AIRCRAFT TYPE
ESTABLISHED
In a short space
of time the
Middle East has
become a
mature Business
Aviation market.
lished Bombardier jets are Challenger
600 and Global Express, but fastest
growing demand is for the Global 5000
and Challenger 300. In the last 10
years Bombardier´s fleet has doubled
and in the last quarter its activity was
up 10%. Gulfstream has over 100 aircraft in the region, with the
Gulfstream IV/G40 and V/G550 the
best established, and Gulfstream 650
in great demand, especially in UAE
and Saudi.
Some specific detail in shown in
Chart 3, which shows 2015 flight connections between the Middle East and
Europe. Through September 2015, the
Challenger 600 has been the most
active aircraft flying to European destinations. 1,159 flight departures have
been operated by 174 different aircraft.
This activity, 11% of all flights,
increased 5% year on year. Some of
these aircraft will have been European
registered or based, just visiting the
Middle East. But most are Middle
East owners, and the resilience of
their activity contrasts with the slump
in the same aircraft´s activity in
Europe as a whole – down 10% this
year – and particularly in Russia,
where Challenger 600 activity is down
more than 40%.
A number of ultra-long range jets
show very strong growth – Global
Express activity up 24%, Global 650
activity up 90%. Interestingly, Falcon
F7X activity from the Middle East is
down 10% this year. Midsize aircraft
activity has slumped, illustrated by the
more than 10% declines in Hawker
700-900 and Lear 60 flights. Light
Cessna jets barely make the shortlist,
although the Citation Bravo has obviously found a niche, flying 24% more
this year. At the other end of the scale,
several bizliner types are in strong
demand, with the BBJ1 flying almost
400 departures, and VIP A320s – 36 of
them - operating 332 departures, and
an increase of more than 50% this year.
The emphasis on large cabin business jet activity underlines the signifi-
cantly higher wealth profile of typical
business jet users in the Middle East.
The region´s income has been rocked
over the last 18 months by the tumbling oil price, which has undoubtedly
diluted appetite for new jet purchases.
And it may have had a significant
impact on the the disposable incomes
of mid-light business jet owners,
whose activity has fallen this year. But
overall activity is still growing, pointing to the resilient lifestyle habits of
the more typical large jet owner. In the
year until November, total flights from
the Middle East to Europe were up 5%.
There was a considerable recovery in
Q3, with flight from the Middle East to
all regions up by 15%. Flights to Africa
were up 18%, to North America, up
almost 50%.
The Gulf States generate the overwhelming majority of business jet
activity in the Middle East. Saudi
Arabia and the UAE have by far the
largest and newest fleets. Flights
between Jeddah, Riyadh, Dubai and
CHART 4:
DISTRIBUTION OF YTD 2015 FLIGHTS INTO THE EUROPEAN REGION FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
Abu Dhabi are the most frequent
intra-regional activity. For international flights, Rafic Hariri airport in
Beirut and Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv
generate the most departures, combining some 6,000 flights into Europe
during the year. Jeddah´s King Abdul
Aziz airport and Riyadh´s King
Khalid International are almost as
busy during the summer months,
particularly for bizliners flying to and
from Europe.
Business Aviation suppliers and
operators in UAE´s busiest Emirate,
Dubai, have been encouraged to
migrate from Dubai International to
Dubai Al Maktoum in the last 5
years. However the original airport
still sees more international business
jet departures – 160 flights outbound
to Europe from OMDB in Q3, up 30%
year on year, compared to 130 from
OMDW, slightly down on last year´s
activity. Down the list other busy airports include Al Bateen, Kuwait,
Doha, Muscat and Sharjah.
Sulaimaniyah airport in Kurdistan
also has growing light aircraft activity.
Of the flights which go from Middle
East to Europe, the vast majority of
all international departures, the 3
leading destination countries, as
shown in Chart 4, are Turkey, UK
and France. Flights to Turkey have
shown strong growth this year, with
Istanbul´s Sabiha Gökçen the most
frequent destination. Milas Bodrum
and Dalaman are also popular connections, mainly from Beirut. Flights
to UK and France have shown a
smaller but still solid increase this
year. Over 90% of the flights into the
UK have come into London, with
Luton and Stansted as preferred airports to accommodate the bizliners,
mainly coming in from Jeddah and
Riyadh.
✈
Richard Koe is joint Managing
Director of WINGX, taking the lead on
strategy, business development and
sales initiatives. Together with
Christoph Kohler, Richard has grown
WINGX to be the leading provider of
market intelligence to the global business aviation industry. As well as managing WINGX, Richard is a regular
speaker, panellist and moderator at
industry conferences worldwide, writes
on a wide range of business aviation
issues, and works closely with regional
regulators and industry associations.
POPULAR
Turkey, the UK
and France are
the leading
destination
countries for
Business
Aviation traffic
from Europe.
REPORT
DUBAI AIRSHOW
BUSINESS AVIATION
FLOCKS TO DUBAI
N
FIRST
The Dubai Air
Show is the
premier event for
the air transport
segment in the
Middle East.
By Steve Nichols
ovember saw the 2015 Dubai Air
Show take place at the new Al
Maktoum International Airport,
perhaps better known as Dubai World
Central (DWC).
The show is the premier event for
both the air transport and Business
Aviation sectors in the region with
something for everyone. And with the
Middle East being the world’s biggest
market for VVIP aircraft (even though
nobody like to talk about who the actual customers are) there were plenty of
potential buyers.
A total 1,103 exhibitors displayed
their wares at the show, which
received around 65,000 trade visitors
over the five days it was run.
In terms of aircraft, the new Cessna
Citation Latitude midsize business jet
made its Middle Eastern debut.
Ali Ashban, Textron Aviation’s
Regional Vice President of Sales for
the Middle East, Africa and India, presented the aircraft and gave visitors a
first-hand look at its spaciousness and
comfort. Textron says the Citation
Latitude is a game-changing product
and a perfect business travel option for
the region.
After Dubai the aircraft was due to
fly to Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Riyadh and
other destinations as part of a tour of
the region.
Embraer’s Legacy 500 was also making its Dubai debut. Embraer says the
aircraft was designed from the ground
up as a “game-changing, midsize business jet”.
It features a futuristic flight deck
with Rockwell Collins ProLine Fusion
integrated avionics system featuring
four high-resolution displays, synthetic vision system for enhanced safety,
graphical flight planning with
advanced flight management system,
Embraer Enhanced Vision System
(E2VS) for increased situational
awareness, Surface Management
System (SMS), and much more.
The company says it has an installed
fleet of 45 aircraft in the region with 29
Legacy 600/650s as well was 10
Lineage 1000s.
Dassault Falcon Jet brought along a
number of its large-cabin business aircraft to the Dubai static park.
plus an authorized service center and
technical office in Jeddah, Saudi
Arabia.
Dassault Aviation Chairman/CEO
Eric Trappier, said: “Falcons are particularly well suited for conditions in
the Middle East, where operators
appreciate the outstanding performance, comfort and flexibility of
Falcon aircraft.
“We are forecasting continued,
though slower, regional growth in the
short term, due to prevailing economic
conditions, and will continue to invest
in the region so we can continue to
support our operators with maximum
effectiveness.”
Bombardier said it was looking
forward to the delivery of two new
long-range Global 5000 aircraft to
The 7X featured prominently as did
the Falcon 900LX and a mock-up of
the all- new Falcon 5X very large
body twin jet, which rolled out in
June 2015. Next year, the larger
derivative of the type, the 8X, will
enter service. Dassault said the aircraft is midway through its development and the third one is now at the
company’s Little Rock, Arkansas facility for completion.
Dassault has a big presence in the
Middle East region. It says the Falcon
fleet in the Middle East has nearly
doubled in the last five years, to about
70 aircraft, and continues to grow
despite the softness of the current
market.
It also has an authorized service
center, spares distribution center
and regional sales office in Dubai,
be operated by ExecuJet Middle
East of Dubai, UAE. ExecuJet
Middle East will manage the aircraft on behalf of two customers in
the region.
Khader Mattar, Vice President of
Sales, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific
and China, Bombardier Business
Aircraft, said: “The business jet fleet in
the Middle East has more than doubled in the past 10 years, and our
entry-long range Global 5000 jet is the
most delivered large aircraft in the
Middle East region.
“The Middle East is a key region for
Bombardier, and we are delighted to
see our market leadership, in terms of
both share and installed base,
strengthened further by these deliveries.”
E
First appearance
at the Show
Citation Latitude
(top). Falcon 8x
(center). Khader
Mattar (right) VP.
Bombardier
Business Aircraft
for the region.
REPORT
DUBAI AIRSHOW
“Al Maktoum International is projected to be the world’s largest airport and appears poised to become
the preferred business aviation airport in the Dubai area. The state-ofthe-art facility within the fast-cycle
log is tics en viron m ent of Duba i
South will enable us to more efficiently address customer requirements.”
Gulfstream has started stocking
parts at the new center which is
approximately 6,000 square feet/557
square meters.
On the rotor craft front, Bell
Helicopter took along its 525 flight
simulator.
STARS
Speed record for
the
travelling to
u ai. (top)
Bell
with
FBW controls.
(center)
ExecuJet Middle East also serves as
a Bombardier Authorized Service
Facility in Dubai. The company is a
five-time winner of the Bombardier
Authorized Service Facility Excellence
Award in the International category.
The annual awards recognize the outstanding efforts and successes of individual ASFs within the Bombardier
network in five categories.
It added that more than 100
Bombardier business jets are currently based in the Middle East, and
Bombardier customers are served by
comprehensive regional support services on the ground.
Meanwhile Airbus debuted its
ACJ319, which was for sale via
Switzerland’s 28 East Group. The interior is split into four compartments
and featured dining space for 12, a
relaxed lounge and a shower at the
back of the aircraft.
Initially available in A319 and A320
variants, the Neo version of the 319
can fly eight passengers for an extra
1,500km, bringing the range up to
12,500km, while the 320 goes for a further 1,800km, or up to 11,100nm with
25 passengers on board.
With nearly 100 sq m of cabin floor
area, there are a large number of configurations on offer, including separate
lounges, a large master bedroom, and
a dedicated area for accompanying
staff.
Prices are expected to start around
$87 million with a typical VIP cabin.
Riyadh-based Alpha Star is the launch
customer for the ACJ319 neo in the
second quarter of 2019, while
Acropolis Aviation has taken the first
ACJ320 neo, due for delivery at the
end of 2018.
Gulfstream celebrated a new speed
record for its top-of-the-range G650ER,
travelling to Dubai from Savannah, a
distance of 6,679nm (12,300km) in 13
hours precisely. The aircraft was not
empty either, carrying a crew of four
plus three passengers, and travelling
at Mach 0.89.
The company was also promoting
its new regional parts distribution
center
near
Al
Maktoum
International Airport which houses
high-usage items and provides rapidresponse support to Gulfstream’s factory-authorized service center and
customers throughout the Middle
East, India and Africa.
Derek Zimmerman, President,
Gulfstream Product Support, said:
“Our new distribution center is in a
prime location to serve our customers.
The 525 is Bell’s newest helicopter
with a full fly-by-wire (FBW) control
system and lots of features, such as
triple red u n d an t flight syst ems,
cables routed in three different
places, five-blade rotors, cabin
doors behind the pilots and much
more.
Business wise, Jet Aviation Dubai
was celebrating 10 years in the UAE.
The company opened its fixed-base
operation (FBO) and maintenance
facility at Dubai International Airport
in May 2005, the first executive aviation maintenance services provider to
do so.
It now has a long list of regulatory
authorisations and aircraft manufacturer approvals. Almost three years ago,
in December 2012, the company
opened a second FBO facility at Dubai
World Central’s Al Maktoum
International Airport – home of the
Dubai Airshow.
Sister company Jet Aviation Basel
also announced it had delivered a VIP
cabin interior on a narrow-body ACJA320 to an undisclosed government
client in Europe. This is the company’s
third delivery this year, “all of which
were completed on or before the committed delivery dates”, said the company.
Another company celebrating a birthday was the slightly older ExecuJet
Middle East, part of the ExecuJet
Aviation Group.
It was celebrating 16 years in the
region coupled with 10 years MRO
operations.
Mike Berry, Executive VP, ExecuJet
Middle East, said: “We’ve grown
tremendously. The ExecuJet entity in
the Middle East began in 1999 with
just a couple of managed aircraft, but it
now employs over 345 people and runs
state-of-the-art MRO and FBO facilities
at Dubai International Airport and
Dubai South. We’ve also expanded our
FBO network into Riyadh and
Istanbul, making a total of four in the
region.
“We were especially pleased to participate at the Dubai Air Show this
year, as we are celebrating 16 years in
the Middle East. The show was a great
opportunity to network and promote
our full aviation services in the region,
and given the central location of the
UAE on the world map, we were able
to meet plenty of business people from
other regions too.”
GDC Middle East, which was formed
earlier this year, and is a division of
GDC Technics, said it has signed a
cooperation agreement with Turkish
ISR group ESEN System Integration.
It also signed a five-year contract at
the show for the operation and maintenance of VVIP helicopters in Saudi
Arabia.
Honeywell Regional Sales Director
Raghed Talih said it sees big potential
in the VVIP and business jet markets
in the MENA region, with increasing
demand for its aftermarket upgrades.
“The region’s business fleets have
been growing, but at a lower rate. But
we’ve seen a number of new VVIP
platforms entering service, such as the
Boeing 747-8 and 787,” Talih said.
“Operators have a healthy appetite
for after-market upgrades, such as
connectivity and personal entertainment for the cabin and safety
upgrades for the cockpit.”
Honeywell was also bullish about its
maintenance programmes.
“We launched our Mechanical
Protection Plan (MPP) a couple of
years back, which was mainly focused
on Gulfstream platforms, including the
G-450/550, G-IV and G-V. But we’ve
now expanded that onto the G-200 and
also Bombardier platforms like the
Challenger 604/605.
“The market has endorsed our programme as a way of controlling costs
and avoiding disruption,” Talih said.
There was also some inflight connectivity news.
Rockwell Collins said it has signed
VistaJet as its first business aviation
customer for Inmarsat’s Jet ConneX
Ka-band in-flight connectivity solution.
Jet ConneX is expected to launch
globally in early 2016 and will support both voice and high-speed internet via Inmarsat’s next generation of
K a -b a n d I -5 sa tellites . R ock well
Collins is a value-added reseller for
the Jet ConneX service as part of its
ARINCDirect business.
Jet ConneX promises to bring speeds
of up to around 30Mbps to a
Honeywell tail-mounted antenna on
business aircraft, allowing passengers
to surf the internet, send and receive
e-mails, video conference and much
more.
Satcom1 (which subsequently
announced it had been acquired by
Honeywell)
said
its
new
Satcom1.TV service is proving to be
popular with Middle Eastern customer. Its says the service launch of
Satcom1.TV was on a head-of-state
Airbus A340, owned by an undisclosed client.
Karina Larsen, Vice President and
Co-founder of Satcom1, said: “The
most popular channels requested in
the Middle East have been OSN, BeIN
Sports, and SkyUK.”
The service, which was unveiled at
the European Business Aviation
Convention and Exhibition (EBACE)
in May 2015, has now been installed
locally for owners of Airbus, Boeing,
Gulfstream and Bombardier business
jets.
Sticking with TV, Gogo Business
Aviation was promoting its range of
connectivity services including its
Gogo Vision wireless in-flight entertainment (IFE) and information service and Gogo Text & Talk, which
allows you to use your own phone and
number while in flight.
Gogo launched an enhanced version of Gogo Vision at the European
Business Aviation Convention &
Exhibition (EBACE) in May, bringing a wide range of Hollywood entertainment to business aircraft worldwide.
Gogo Vision, which was recently
selected by NetJets, serves up approximately 200 on-demand movies and TV
shows, along with moving maps, news,
flight progress information and destination weather.
Satcom Direct (now known simply as
SD since NBAA) also showcased its
limited edition GOLD SDR router that
enables cabin communications for
business aviation customers.
The anodised GOLD Satcom Direct
Router (SDR) can integrate with any
satcom system and manage cabin
communications, run software apps
and connect to 3G/4G cellular networks. It weighs less than 10 pounds
(4.5 kilograms), and meets DO-160G
and DO-178B Level D standards.
Satcom Direct says the SDR not
only interfaces with current networks, but is designed to work with
future networks including Ka, Ku and
L-Band, and others in development.
STCs are available for most major airframes.
In all, the show was a great success
for the region and its business aviation customers. The next Dubai
Airshow will be held on 12 - 16
November 2017.
✈
AIRLINERS
Big airliners like
the Boeing 777
were also
present at the
show.
REPORT
NBAA 2015
BUSINESS AVIATION SHOWS
ITS VITALITY AT NBAA 2015
Pay too much attention to the
global media you might have
the impression that Business
Aviation is a marginal player
within the air transport segment.
However, attend NBAA’s
Business Aviation Convention &
Exhibition and the impression is
entirely different. Business
Aviation isn’t niche, it’s an
economic force to be
reckoned with, providing
millions of jobs and making
businesses more efficient
across the US and beyond.
PREVALENT
More than
27,000
delegates
attended NBAA
2015.
Ed Bolen NBAA
President and
CEO. (left)
Capt.
Sullenberger.
(right)
T
By Paul Walsh
he convention, which took place
from Nov. 17 to 19, featured more
than 1,100 exhibitors in the Las
Vegas Convention Center, and more
than 27,000 attendees.
Additionally, about 100 aircraft were
displayed in several locations – at a
sold-out static display at Henderson
Executive Airport, at an indoor display
inside the convention center and at
various exhibitor booths on the convention hall floor. Attendees from the
show represented all 50 U.S. states,
and 96 countries.
“This year’s show was enormously
successful,” said NBAA President and
CEO Ed Bolen. “In addition to the
strong participation from exhibitors and
attendees alike, our industry’s largest
event once again showcased the size
and significance of the Business
Aviation community, as well as the passion and professionalism of its people.”
But it wasn’t just about the numbers;
there were many other examples of
the convention’s value:
For instance the Opening General
Session featured leaders from government, business and industry.
Government leaders included
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, Rep. Dina
Titus (D-1-NV) and FAA Administrator
Michael Huerta. Other speakers
included Mark Baker, president and
CEO of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association, and Dierks Bentley,
acclaimed singer, songwriter and pilot.
View an NBAA Video Minute with
Opening General Session video highlights.
The second-day Opening Session on
Nov. 18 was also well-attended and featured aviation leaders and legends,
including “Miracle on the Hudson”
hero-pilot, Captain Chesley “Sully”
Sullenberger. Also, Joe Clark, the
inventor of winglet technology, was
presented with NBAA’s Meritorious
Service to Aviation Award. In addition,
the National Aviation Hall of Fame
announced its 2016 class of enshrinees.
Safety was also high on the agenda at
the show and an inaugural National
Safety Forum – a day-long session
held on Nov. 19, the third and final day
of NBAA2015 –brought together top
government and industry leaders to
discuss and address the principal safety issues confronting business aircraft
operators.
There was also the introduction of
new or enhanced industry-advocacy
tools, which were unveiled at the convention’s Media Kickoff Breakfast. For
example, new, mobile-friendly versions of the No Plane No Gain website
and NBAA’s online Contact Congress
tool were introduced. Also, a new survey once again puts forward the true
face of Business Aviation, to help correct misperceptions about the industry. In addition, a new edition of the
“Business Leaders on Business
Aviation” booklet was introduced – the
expanded publication features testimonials from CEOs on the value of business aviation to their companies.
A
live
Emergency-Response
Simulation, which provided valuable
knowledge on emergency preparedness responsibilities from leaders in
aviation safety. The live demonstration
put attendees at the scene of a simulated accident and utilized role-playing to
demonstrate various flight department
roles during an emergency.
A full roster of education sessions,
held throughout the week, as well as
sessions on the future of aviation, and
on unmanned aircraft systems, held in
NBAA’s “Innovation Zone” on the
exhibit floor.
“We’re thrilled to unveil the future of
this larger Citation family. The debut
of the Longitude has been highly
anticipated among prospective customers, industry observers and our
Textron Aviation team members,” said
Scott Ernest, Textron Aviation president and CEO. “Driven by customer
input, the Longitude combines the
ideal mix of performance, cabin com-
fort and industry leading technology.
And, along with the Citation’s proven
design and dependability, the
Longitude is designed to revolutionize
the super-midsize segment.”
The aircraft integrates the latest
technology throughout the aircraft,
bringing customers the lowest ownership costs in this category. It also
features the next evolution of the
Garmin G5000 flight deck and is
powered by FADEC-equipped
Honeywell HTF7700L turbofan
engines with fully integrated
autothrottles. The aircraft offers a
full fuel payload of 1,500 pounds, a
maximum cruise speed of 476 knots
and a four-passenger high-speed
range of 3,400 nautical miles.
“We believe that this range and performance is what the market wants for
typical missions in this class,” Ernest
said. “No other business jet in this
space matches the Longitude’s combination of range, payload, cruise speed,
standard features and lower total ownership costs.”
But we also shouldn’t forget about
the manufacturers, who used the show
to introduce some of their industry
changing technology.
Starting out with Cessna which
lead with a double-whammy, debuting its new Cessna Citation
Longitude business jet and also
announcing it plans to enter the
large business jet category with the
clean sheet, 4,500-nautical mile
Citation Hemisphere. The Longitude
and Hemisphere will join the
Citation Latitude to complete a new,
large-cabin, three-aircraft Citation
family.
LIVELY
There was plenty
of activity on the
static and in the
halls at the
event. Cessna
Citation
Longitude
(bottom).
REPORT
NBAA 2015
deliver the most comfortable and
smoothest performing aircraft on the
market, with all systems and features
working like clockwork from day
one.”
Gulfstream also made a big splash
with their all-new GulfstreamG500
making its first cross-country trip for
the show. The flight test aircraft
arrived at Henderson Executive
Airport on Nov. 13 to join the G650ER,
G550, G450, G280 andG150 in
Gulfstream’s static display.
The
G500
flew
from
Savannah/Hilton Head International
Airport into 75-knot headwinds and
arrived at Henderson Executive 4
OEMS
Dassault made a
splash with its
Falcon 8X while
Gulfstream’s
G500 made its
first cross
country trip to
get to the show.
It was also a big show for Dassault,
with the Falcon 8X, making its debut.
Since first taking to the air last
February, the three aircraft in the
Falcon 8X flight test program have
accumulated 380 flight hours over 185
flights, and are now more than two
thirds of the way towards FAA and
EASA approval. The flight envelope
has been fully opened and s/n 01
recently reached a speed of Mach
0.97. The portion of the program dedicated to certification, including takeoff
and landing performance and validation of the aircraft’s third generation
EASy flight deck, is also advanced.
The 8X on display in Las Vegas, the
sixth to come off the assembly line,
headed to Dassault’s Little Rock,
Arkansas completion facility after the
show for cabin and equipment outfitting and painting. Two other 8Xs are
already in Little Rock, including the
first customer aircraft and the third
test unit, which is preparing for the
cabin comfort test campaign.
In parallel with flight tests, Dassault
is continuing to ramp up production at
its final assembly facility in Mérignac,
near Bordeaux, France. Eight aircraft
are currently in various stages of
assembly in Mérignac and ground was
recently broken there on a new six-bay
hangar to handle maintenance and
repair work for the 8X, the 7X and
other Falcon models.
“We are extremely satisfied with the
way the 8X program is progressing.
Aircraft flight performance, notably
long range capability, has fully met
design targets and production ramp up
has proceeded smoothly,” said
Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO
Eric Trappier. “We anticipate certification by mid-2016, on schedule, with
initial deliveries to follow in the second half of the year.”
The 100-hour cabin comfort test campaign, set to get underway in Little
Rock early next year, will focus on verifying comfort, acoustics, air conditioning, entertainment/communications
and other cabin features. These tests
will al so include a round-the-world
tour to demonstrate operational reliability and performance in different conditions of flight, including high and
low temperature, high humidity and
high altitude operation.
“The world tour will take the aircraft through flights of various duration in all kinds of difficult conditions
representing the extremes of what
our customers might expect to face
during their aircraft’s operational
life,” said Trappier. “Our goal is to
hours and 36 minutes later, accomplishing
the
1,630-nauticalmile/3,018-kilometer flight at an
average speed of Mach 0.85 and altitude of 45,000 feet/13,716 meters.
Gulfstream test pilots Scott Martin
and Scott Evans were at the controls,
with Flight Test engineers Paul
Ludlow and Nathaniel Rutland providing on-board support.
“Delivering on our promises is a tradition at Gulfstream, and we look forward to doing the same with our new
generation of aircraft, the G500 and
G600,” said Dan Nale, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and
Test, Gulfstream. “The robust testing
we accomplished on the ground and in
the air since announcing the aircraft
helped make this achievement possible. We are proud to give customers,
the Business Aviation industry and the
public a chance to see the G500 in person at NBAA.”
One of the most exciting news
releases at the show came from
Aerion Corp., which announced that
Flexjet has placed a firm order for 20
of Aerion’s AS2 aircraft, which will be
the first commercially available supersonic business jet. Flexjet becomes
the inaugural fleet purchaser of the
AS2.
“Throughout its history, Flexjet has
been on the leading edge of aviation
technology, introducing advanced
performance to our Owners. Today,
we are proud to be at the forefront of
the next revolution in business jets,
supersonic travel. We are pleased to
be the first fleet purchaser of the
Aerion AS2 and to be able to offer
supersonic, intercontinental flight
capabilities to our Owners,” said
The G500 flew to Las Vegas with a
significant amount of flight testing
equipment on board, including a noseboom, which provides air data, angleof-attack and angle-of-sideslip information to the pilots and engineers, an attitude Recovery System (ARS) safety
equipment for high-speed flutter testing and low-speed stall testing, adatamonitoring system that provides realtime data for engineers on board and
in the telemetry room as well as flutter
vanes on the wing and horizontal tips.
The first G500 test aircraft, T1, is
focused on flight performance and controls and has achieved a number of
flight-test milestones since its first flight
on May 18. The aircraft has flown more
than 160 hours, completed 44 flights
and reached an altitude exceeding
50,000 ft/15,240 m. Its longest flight
was 5 hours and 22 minutes. T1 has
reached a top speed of Mach 0.995.
Flutter and envelope expansion testing
are in progress, and initial testing of the
aircraft’s handling qualities and the
high-speed and recovery stall system
have also taken place.
Brazilian manufacturer Embraer was
also present, announcing that it will
extend the range of the Legacy 450, its
new mid-light business jet, to 2,900 nm
(5,371 km). This represents an increase
of 325 nm (602 km) over the range of
the recently certified aircraft. The
extended range will enable nonstop
flights from San Francisco to Hawaii,
New York to Los Angeles, Riyadh to
Cannes or Shanghai to Jakarta. The first
Legacy 450 with the additional range is
expected to be delivered in the third
quarter of 2016.
“The Legacy 450 was designed to be a
game-changing mid-light business jet.
Now, we have decided to go the extra
mile to meet customer needs for
transoceanic range in a best-in-class
cabin,” said Marco Tulio Pellegrini,
President & CEO, Embraer Executive
Jets. “The additional range extends the
aircraft’s operational envelope without
compromising its already certified performance. The Legacy 450 goes beyond
expectations.”
To reach the new range, there will be
some minor modifications to the wing to
allow it to accommodate more fuel.
Modifications will also encompass
updates to the Fuel Control Unit (FCU),
avionics and aircraft flight manuals. The
increased range will be retrofittable for
the first aircraft serial numbers assembled without this extra fuel tank capacity.
For now, the list price of the aircraft
remains unchanged at US$ 16.57 million,
based on 2015 economic conditions.
Flexjet Chairman Kenn Ricci. The
Aerion AS2 business jet has a top
speed of Mach 1.5, which is 67 percent faster than the top cruise
speeds of current or anticipated
long-range subsonic jets.
Canadian manufacturer Bombardier
used the show as an opportunity to
celebrate the imminent entry-into-service of the new Challenger 650 aircraft.
“Our collaboration with NetJets to
create their Signature Series concept
on our Challenger and Global platforms is evidence of what can be
accomplished when two visionary
industry leaders join forces,” said
David Coleal, President, Bombardier
Business Aircraft. “We’re also
extremely thrilled that the first
NetJets Signature Series Challenger
650 aircraft will mark the 1,000th
Challenger 600 series aircraft to enter
into service.”
NEWS
Aerion received
an order for 20 of
its supersonic AS2
aircraft (top).
Embraer
announced a
range extension
on its Legacy 450.
REPORT
NBAA 2015
the status of their fleet, view aircraft
message history, build and file flight
plans, and uplink flight plans to the aircraft—without having to use separate
apps or websites.
“We’re very excited to now offer our
clients access to unlimited datalink for
any aircraft they operate, anywhere
they fly,” said Denio Alvarado, Senior
Vice President, Global Product
Strategy, Universal. “Working closely
with the team at Satcom Direct, we’ve
fully integrated their datalink service
into uvGO. Our clients won’t have to
switch between different apps or websites to access datalink services—such
I E
ilatus co pletely
upgraded its
. (top)
while Bo ardier
announced the
entry into
service of its
hallenger
.
(center)
With its improved performance capabilities, cutting-edge interior design
and comfort, and proven reliability and
efficiency, the new Challenger 650 aircraft will assure Bombardier’s continuing market leadership in the Medium
business jet category.
“The Challenger 650 aircraft will be a
wonderful addition to our fleet,” said
Pat Gallagher, NetJets’ Executive Vice
President of Sales and Marketing. “It’s
a state-of-the-art, widebody aircraft
that expands our large-cabin offerings.
Bringing our Signature Series concept
to this new aircraft has been an important project for us and we’re very
appreciative that Bombardier shares
our commitment to the highest levels
of safety, comfort and convenience for
our Owners and their guests.”
Swiss Manufacturer Pilatus’ biggest
announcement at the show was that
for 2016 its best-selling single turboprop PC-12 NG will offer greater
speed, better takeoff and climb performance, more cabin comfort, greater
range, and a quieter cabin with no
increase in fuel burn or operating cost.
This boost in overall efficiency is
exemplary of the core Pilatus tenet of
being an environmentally conscious
aircraft builder.
The 2016 Pilatus PC-12 NG cruises at
a new maximum top-speed of 285
knots (528 km/h) thanks to an aerodynamic optimization effort which analyzed every square inch of the exterior
of the PC-12 NG to come up with a
number of enhancements to reduce
drag. Several subtle, but important
changes contribute to the increased
speed with no additional power. The
under wing flap actuator fairings for
example were redesigned for
smoother airflow around them and the
cabin entry door handle was changed
to a flush fitting design. Gaps and
joints around the flaps were sealed,
and several antennas were repositioned to align with localized air flow
patterns.
P
But it wasn’t just about the manufacturers. For instance Universal
Weather and Aviation, Inc.
announced that it is now offering
unlimited, fixed-rate SATCOM and
SITA VHF ACARS datalink subscriptions for any business aircraft, regardless of avionics type via a new alliance
with Satcom Direct. The datalink service is provided by Satcom Direct, and
subscriptions can be bundled with
online flight planning from Universal.
The service is 100 percent integrated
with uvGO, a new trip management
app also introduced at NBAA.
Through uvGO, operators can track
as aircraft position reporting and messaging—and trip management services provided through Universal.”
Clients who sign-up for a bundled
datalink and online flight planning subscription will be invoiced through
Universal at a fixed annual rate, along
with other services they receive from
Universal.
Jet Aviation’s big news was that it
has recently signed an agreement to
perform the world’s first installation of
a Ka-Band satellite communications
system (SCS) on a Boeing B747-400
aircraft. The company will install
Honeywell’s JetWaveTM fuselagemounted antenna (MCS-8200) to support the Ka-Band satellite communications (Satcom) system.
Ka-Band connectivity enables one of
the highest data transfer speeds available in the industry while further supporting the growth in data expected to
occur over the coming decades. Jet
Aviation Basel will develop a Ka-Band
supplemental type certificate (STC) for
the B747-400 and install the Ka-Band
system with Honeywell’s high-speed
Satcom hardware and the JetWaveTM
MCS-8200 fuselage-mounted antenna.
The Ka-Band SCS will ultimately interface with the existing local area network (LAN) on the aircraft.
“Business aviation demands the
very best in in-flight connectivity,”
says Vincent Rongier, head of
Refurbishment, Modification and
Upgrades at Jet Aviation Basel
Maintenance. “Our team of Avionics
specialists has the expertise and
experience in selecting and
installing Satcom systems for all aircraft types. And we take special
pride in being able to advise our
clients about systems specific to
We’ve been Satcom Direct since
1997, and now we’re even more,” said
Jim Jensen, SD founder and CEO.
More than a satellite communications
provider, SD delivers global connectivity via services that enable clients to
use satellite, air-to-ground and 3G cellular networks, seamlessly, via its
exclusive router the SDRTM.
Proprietary value-added enhancements accelerate data, improve voice
call quality, and enable use of smartphones at any altitude, anywhere in
the world. Along with significant additions to its product portfolio, in
October, SD celebrated its latest milestone with the grand opening of its
new state-of-the-art 42,000-sq-ft world
headquarters in Melbourne, Florida.
their needs to ensure the best possible user experience.”
Meanwhile Satcom Direct overhauled its whole brand identity and
renamed itself SD. The move stems
from the company’s ongoing technology advancements and strategic partnerships, which have broadened its capabilities as a global connectivity
provider. In addition to SATCOM, SD
offers secured network capabilities, airto-ground solutions, and value-added
services to make those networks faster,
more efficient and more secure.
The company name will remain
Satcom Direct, while using the “SD”
mark and initials to represent its evolution as a company. “From the beginning,
SD has been an innovator, delivering
numerous technology advancements to
business aviation and government customers. We received a patent for our
very first product, the Global One
Number®, and we’ve continued to bring
new technologies to the marketplace.
Finally Rockwell Collins and Duncan
Aviation announced that Citation CJ3
owners have a new aftermarket option for
meeting mandates while simultaneously
enhancing their ownership and flying
experience—the Pro Line Fusion flight
deck upgrade. The system is expected to
certify for the CJ3 at the end of 2016, and
will be available for additional CJ models
in the future.
Pro Line Fusion for the CJ3 replaces
the factory-installed portrait displays
with larger 14.1-inch landscape touchscreen primary flight displays. The
new system includes intuitive, touchinteractive maps, and easy-to-use
icons, giving the pilot the ability to
control items on the screen through
touch. Also, it eliminates the need for
Flight Management System (FMS)
control display units originally
installed in the pedestal.
“CJ3 owners have an extraordinary,
all-in-one alternative for complying
with airspace modernization dead-
lines,” said Craig Olson, vice president
and general manager, Business and
Regional Systems for Rockwell
Collins. “This upgrade brings turn-key
compliance with ADS-B, WAAS and
more, plus pilots will enjoy extensive
situational awareness and a revolution
in simplicity.”
“We are excited about partnering
with Rockwell Collins on the CJ3 Pro
Line Fusion program,” said Steve
Gade, vice president of business development and aircraft sales for Duncan
Aviation. “Our enthusiasm is based on
the confidence and trust we have in on
our working experience with Rockwell
Collins, the excellent platform represented by the CJ3 in its loyal ownership group, the proven features and
functions of the Fusion product, the
timing of the solution, and the fact that
Duncan Aviation is experienced with
these types of avionics installations."
✈
Satcom Direct
renamed itself
SD (top)
Jet Aviation
Basel develop a
Ka-Band STC for
the B747-400
(left)
CJ3 Pro Line
Fusion flight deck
upgrade (right)
SAFETY SENSE
PILOT HEROICS
PROFESSIONAL COOL
By Michael R. Grüninger
of Great Circle Services AG (GCS)
and Capt. Carl C. Norgren
A Captain with a History
Captain Robert Piché became a hero
when he managed to land his Airbus
330 safely at the Lajes Airbase on a
small island in the middle of the North
Atlantic on Aug. 24, 2001.
Having learned to fly in a remote
area of Canada, Captain Piché first
became a pilot for a regional airline.
But, after the airline went bankrupt
and he struggled to find a new flying
job, Piché ended up trafficking drugs
in small aircrafts and into difficult
makeshift airfields. He, then, got
arrested right after landing in the US
and served a prison term. Upon his
release from prison, Captain Piché
started a whole new life as a commercial pilot. The criminal past lay behind
him and he even settled into family
life. However, the experience of flying
literally under fire and in extremely
challenging situations has strengthened his cool-headedness, helping
him develop into a rather taciturn and
straightforward commander.
HERO
Captain Robert
Piché was hailed
as a hero for his
landing of an
Airbus 330
in 2001.
Engine Power Loss Creeping In
In his second year as Airbus 330 captain he flew Air Transat flight TSC236,
an A330-243 aircraft with 293 passengers and 13 crew on board, on a routine North Atlantic crossing from
Toronto (CYYZ), Canada, to Lisbon
(LPPT), Portugal.
At 04:38, while still in Mid Atlantic at
FL390, the flight crew became aware
of abnormal engine oil parameters.
The Electronic Centralized Aircraft
Monitor (ECAM) engine page showed
high oil pressure, low oil temperature
and low oil quantity. The values were
within operating limits, but abnormal.
Without a checklist for these indications the crew relayed the readings to
their Maintenance Control Centre
(MCC) via HF radio. MCC could not
provide any explanation and did not
provide any advice.
Little did the pilots know that the
abnormal engine oil indications were
caused by excessive fuel flow through
the fuel/oil heat exchanger.
It took almost another hour before
the ECAM displayed the Fuel
Imbalance advisory message at 05:33.
By heart and without consulting their
abnormal checklist the flight crew initiated the fuel balancing procedure.
They opened the fuel cross-feed valve
and turned the right-wing fuel pumps
off. However, they had not analysed
the root cause for the fuel imbalance.
With hindsight some observers commented that the flight crew contributed to aggravate the situation. By
opening the fuel cross-feed valve they
remove the redundancy of the two
separate fuel systems.
From here on the events unfolded in
a rather quick succession. The flight
crew realized that the remaining fuel
on-board would not be sufficient to
reach Lisbon.
At 05:45 they initiated a diversion to
Lajes airport on Terceira Island on the
Azores.
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SAFETY SENSE
At 06:13 the right engine flamed out
due to fuel exhaustion, followed at
06:26 by the left engine. By this time
the aircraft was 65 NM from Lajes at
FL390. The crew followed the ALL
ENG FLAME OUT procedure.
The accident investigation later
revealed organisational and performance errors in maintenance to be the
root cause of the fuel leak in engine
number two. Hydraulic tubes were not
properly installed. The hydraulic tubes
came into contact with the fuel lines
which resulted in the fracture of the
fuel line and the fuel leak. This was
the initiating event that led to the fuel
exhaustion.
The Airbus had now become a glider.
URGENT
Air Transat flight
TSC236 in Lajes
following the
emergency
landing.
Cold Blood and Tense Nerves
Until now, despite knowing that fuel
was critical and that reaching destination was out of question, the pilots
were convinced they could still divert
to Lajes with power. With the loss of
all engines they had to reassess their
mental model.
In this new mental model, energy
management and sound decision making became vital.
There was no doubt that a runway
within gliding distance was available.
Aeroplanes are designed to fly.
Emergency systems feed the main
flight controls. But having lost most of
its electrical power, it was now solely
up to the pilots to aviate, navigate and
communicate.
It is probably not wrong to say that
here Captain Piché’s experience and,
for lack of a better word, flying
instincts kicked in.
PILOT HEROICS
The accident report concludes:
“Assisted by radar vectors from Lajes
air traffic control, the crew carried out
an all engines-out, visual approach, at
night and in good visual weather conditions.”
The Pilot - A Hero?
Captain Piché was celebrated as a
hero in Canada. He had saved hundreds of people, leaving just a few with
minor injuries resulting from the
emergency evacuation. The aircraft
suffered some damage, but the hull
was not lost.
Back in Canada four days after the
accident Captain Piché answered
questions by reporters: “When you
don’t have that other engine, sooner
or later you’re going to go down, you
know. That’s just about it. You don’t
have time to think about anything else
than taking care of the safety of the
passengers. You do as you’ve been
taught. – There was not much to play
with. We didn’t have a second chance
to make the landing, so we did manage to guide the aircraft all the way
down.”
He has always asked not to be called
a hero.
Once the dust had settled down,
details of Captain Piché’s maverick
past became public. He had difficulties
coping with the accident experience.
Alcohol became his analgesic. Luckily
before destroying his family and his
career, he succeeded to quit his drinking habit.
Without knowledge of the clinical
details it is safe to assume that the
Lajes landing must have been a stressful if not traumatic experience.
Such an event leaves traces in any
human being. Anxiety, depression,
panic attacks, sleep disturbances
and a host of other symptoms are to
be expected following a perceived
life-threatening trauma to an individual or persons close to an individual.
It is a mean trick of nature that
symptoms may not always occur
immediately following the event.
Sometimes they may manifest themselves months and years later.
Pilots are at risk of this condition
particularly following an aircraft
mishap or near mishap, death of a
fellow aviator or participation in a
mishap investigation.
Considering the impact of an accident on the psyche of the persons
involved is therefore very important.
As Captain Piché himself repeatedly stated, he was not a hero.
He is a human being and traumatic
events affected him as they would
affect any of us. In the context of
the emergency response plan operators are strongly advised to provide
care services to all those involved in
or affected by an accident or serious
incident.
Captain Piché was strong enough
to come to terms with what he had
experienced, partly aided by his previous experiences in life. He continued flying as a respected and trusted commander at Air Transat.
✈
_________________
Michael R. Grüninger is Managing
Director of Great Circle Services
(GCS) Safety Solutions and Capt.
Carl C. Norgren is a freelance contributor to Safety Sense. GCS assists
in the whole range of planning and
management issues, offering customized solutions to strengthen the
position of a business in the aviation market. Its services include
training and auditing (IS-BAO,
IOSA), consultancy, manual development and process engineering.
GCS can be reached at www.gcssafety.com and +41-41 460 46 60.
The column Safety Sense appears
regularly in BART International
since 2007.
FROM THE COCKPIT
TRAINING
DOING THE JOB OF TRAINING WELL
I
By LeRoy Cook
t was a simple job. I was mowing a
small meadow on our ranch, clipping away weeds to improve the
stand of forage. All it required was
putting the tractor in gear and turning
left at the ever-diminishing corners.
Like a lot of life’s chores, I could take
time to do it well, or I could rush it
through in a sloppy manner. The area
was a kilometer away from any eyes, so
no one but me would know if I left a few
weeds standing or skipped a corner.
Thus it is with teaching flying skills.
When introducing new subjects of
study, the instructor can teach them
well or poorly, as he or she wishes. No
one will know except the CFIs themselves, at least for now. It’s possible to
cut corners in training, leaving some
lessons untaught, to be filled in later
by the student’s in-flight experiences.
One of my students from 25 years
ago came by to see me the other day.
He lives half a continent away and is
now flying pressurized twins, but he
still remembers how he started out,
and he told me we were the best
instructors he ever had. That he has
survived his career through unpredictable skies is evidence that he was
started right.
Beyond Bare-Bones Training
It’s easy enough to simply teach the
test standards, and certainly the CFI
has to go over these expected tasks to
make sure the student is capable. But
the standards are a bare-bones framework of things to be taught, nothing
else. Life in the cockpit has so much
more it can throw at a pilot. If we conduct all the training in a long winter of
cool, stable air, the student may finish
the course without ever knowing what
summer turbulence and convective
build-ups are like. And students who
learn in a warm climate may have
never seen an engine that has to be
coaxed into starting. Theory is fine,
but application is better. Ground
school alone can’t substitute for real
flight training.
PREPARED
Ground school
can never
replace real flight
training.
FROM THE COCKPIT
TRAINING
R
I
E
A good instructor
will encourage a
student to keep
on learning.
As I swung around the meadow’s
perimeter on my initial cut, I took
care to make the corners smooth,
because each subsequent pass had to
follow them. Thus it would be with a
student’s first hours of initial training. What he learns from them will
be the foundation upon which the
rest of the curriculum will rest. Do it
well, and your job as a teacher will be
easier in the future. Make it sloppy,
and it will require cover-up corrections later.
I drove the mowing machinery in a
left-hand pattern, just as regulations
require at a standard non-towered airport, because the discharge sweeps a
windrow to the left side of my cut.
Each pass mulches the windrow into
the previous cutting, leaving the
meadow clear of weed piles that could
kill new grass. In the same way, we
incorporate what we learn in each
previous period of training into new
material introduced in today’s class.
Rather than tossing it aside
untouched, we put it to use, dispersing its lessons through our body of
knowledge.
The field looks so big when I begin,
yet I know it will go faster after some
of the longest rows are done. The
task of learning how to bring an airplane into the air and safely back
again also looks immense at the
beginning. It has to be taken one period at a time, occasionally looking
back to see how far we’ve come.
Progress in training is seldom as regular and even as chopping down
swaths of weeds, but neither can it
happen without steady practice on a
regular schedule.
I once had to abandon a pasturemowing job because rain moved in,
and I couldn’t get back to it because
my travels took me out of the country. This allowed the weeds to pop
back up. When I revisited the halfclipped field a month later, I had no
choice but to start over. I have also
had students drop away and come
back after a year’s absence, and it was
evident that we had to start over,
from the very beginning. If the job is
to look finished at the end, we have to
make sure everything is covered to
the same depth.
I
The important goal is flight training
isn’t just to teach procedures and pass
a check, but to inculcate into the student a desire to keep learning. It isn’t
enough to finish a course by filling in
boxes. If the student has healthy
respect for the environment and
machine, he’ll research a subject that
is unfamiliar and find out if safety is
affected by the challenge ahead. To
want to learn is the way to live life productively, not just endure it.
As with the job of mowing the meadow, I start students without worrying
about how long it will take to get them
done. Hopefully, I’ll make the burden
of flight training seem light, and they’ll
comment about how short the lessons
seem. The best students want to keep
on going past the scheduled time,
staying perhaps another 15 or 30 minutes for questions and answers. More
is not always better, of course. When
fatigue sets in, it’s best to cap their
enthusiasm with a break from strenuous study. Then we can start fresh
next time.
The uncut portion of the meadow
shrinks as the sides of my rectangle
become smaller with each round.
Tempted to rush, I must resist and
actually gear down to keep the
mower’s speed up through the turn’s
slowdown. When flight training gets to
advanced stages, we need to raise our
expectations to hone skills even sharper. Landing anywhere on the runway
is no longer good enough; we must
pick a runway marker and give ourselves a narrow window in which to
plant the wheels.
As the short rows come into view,
we’ll change our mowing technique,
cutting only two sides instead of four
because there isn’t time to swing
around the narrow ends. I revert to
swathing like an aerial applicator
spraying crops, turning 30 degrees
to the right, then making a teardrop
back to the left to line up with a minimum of effort. Efficiency demands
innovation, in flight training as well
as weed-whacking. That’s how we
reduce wasted motion and move to
the finish more quickly. A good syllabus will have the student working
on the next thing next, blending in
new work without repeating aimlessly.
Having a plan makes any important
job go smoother. I drove into the
pasture knowing what I wanted to
do. Had I never seen it before, I
would have studied the hazards and
taken the first cuts more slowly than
usual. Occasionally, non-typical students show up, often inherited from
other instructors needing a second
opinion on their work. Physical limitations, apprehension and prior failures may require a slower start. The
plan’s outcome can’t be altered, but
we can try different methods to meet
the goals.
I stop to take a look at the pasture—the whole pasture. Some of
the turns caught me dozing and I
see sprigs of survivor weeds still
standing. I’ll plan a clean-up pass to
knock them down. We need to take
stock of each student in the class
near the end of the training to make
sure we didn’t forget to cover a vital
detail. This is where a second opinion from a fellow instructor can be
valuable, looking for things we didn’t see.
Sooner than we thought, the job is
done. We can take satisfaction in
looking back at what we’ve done,
leaving the world a little nicer than
when we found it. If we put one more
mortal on his personal path to the
stars, giving them the opportunity to
guide a set of wings wherever they
wish to go, it’s a job well done. Other
fields await, but we can take a
moment to savor the clean look of
the one we’ve just done.
✈
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KNOW MORE.
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800.553.8638 +1.315.797.4420 jetnet.com
VISIT THE JETNET EXHIBIT AT THE NBAA SCHEDULERS & DISPATCHERS CONFERENCE
JANUARY 19-22 IN TAMPA, FLORIDA, BOOTH #400A
REGIONAL REPORT
EASTERN EUROPE
GROWTH RETURNS
TO EASTERN EUROPE
By Paul Walsh
RECOVER
The Eastern
European
market is slowly
getting back on
its feet.
After a year marked by the
Ukrainian crisis and Western
sanctions on Russia, Eastern
Europe is slowly getting back
on its feet, with economies
such as those in Poland and
the Baltics starting to see
growth rates that outstrip their
Western European counterparts.
A
s the IMF reported recently,
much of the Central, Eastern,
and Southeastern Europe is
growing at a healthy pace, while
Russia and other CIS economies
are facing economic challenges.
The region as a whole is expected
to return to positive growth next
year. Overall, activity in the region
is set to contract by 0.6 percent in
2015 and expand by 1.3 percent in
2016.
But what about Business Aviation?
Well if recent developments in the
region are anything to go by, it seems
that the industry is doing everything
that it can to capitalize on the momentum. Indeed even last year, in spite of
the political crisis, Business Aviation
sales were steady and according to a
recent report in the Aviation Times,
213 aircraft sales transactions took
place. If 2015 continues to follow this
trend the estimated number of transactions could grow by 5% on a year to
year basis. Indeed, so far in 2015, 67
new aircraft have been bought by
Eastern European operators while 65
used aircraft have been sold to owners
outside Eastern Europe, therefore the
region currently has a net gain of 2
new aircraft.
One company achieving considerable success in the Baltics is FBO
Riga, which has recorded significant
growth in demand for its services after
the launch of a new Business Aviation
center that consists of an aircraft
hangar and a boutique-terminal at Riga
International Airport (RIX). In October
2015, the total number of business aviation flights handled by the company
has more than doubled while the number of business passengers climbed by
60% compared to company’s results in
the year-ago period.
“We are glad that our customers
have highly estimated the capabilities
of the new FBO RIGA business aviation center. The first results speak for
themselves – in less than two months
after the launch of the new FBO facility we have climbed to the volumes of
2010-2011 both in the number of handled flights and passengers, and we do
not intend to stop here. Today we are
in negotiations with business operators and jet owners offering them flexible and beneficial solutions that we
develop individually according to the
objectives and needs of every single
customer”, said Roman Starkov, coowner of FBO RIGA.
With the beginning of the winter season, FBO RIGA also records high
demand for hangar storage services.
The company has already signed a
number of contracts with jet owners
and business operators, accommodated first jets and is expecting to fill the
hangar capacity by the end of the year.
“While working on the construction
and technical equipment of the FBO
RIGA facilities, and planning service
portfolio we focused on customers’
needs as well as market trends that
might have an influence on business
aviation industry in the future.
Therefore, in FBO RIGA project we
have applied the best world practices
and expertise. We are glad to offer our
customers a full range of services,
flexible pricing policy and an individual approach to each order. In early
2016, we are also planning to launch a
MRO station for business aircraft at
FBO RIGA”, said Leonid Gorodnitski,
co-owner of FBO RIGA.
FBO RIGA Business Aviation center
consists of a multiuse boutique-terminal, a high tech aircraft hangar (8400
m²), a parking apron for business jets
and a helipad. The hangar is fully
equipped for storage and maintenance
of business aircraft. It can easily
accommodate up to five Boeing
Business Jets or nine Gulfstream
G550s
FBO RIGA business aviation center
opened its doors in early September
2015 and became one of the most
ambitious infrastructure projects successfully implemented in the Baltic
States and the CIS in recent years.
The total investment in the project
amounted to 12.5 million euros.
Another company that is experiencing significant Business Aviation
growth in the region is ABS Jets. The
company announced recently that
they have received approval from
Embraer and the Czech Republic
CAA to perform base maintenance on
the Phenom 300. This means that
ABS Jets are now approved to maintain all types of Embraer Phenom aircraft.
As an Embraer Approved Service
Centre and operator of Embraer aircraft,
ABS Jets have been able to efficiently
integrate the maintenance requirements
of the Phenom 300. The 300’s ease-ofmaintenance and long intervals between
services complement the maintenance
requirements of the other Embraer aircraft that ABS Jets currently maintain.
Vladimir Petak, CEO of ABS Jets,
says: “Our maintenance center facilities are the most state-of-the-art so I
am delighted that we have the
approval of Embraer and the Czech
CAA to work on the Phenom 300. We
are an authorized Embraer Executive
Jets Service Centre for all types of
their aircraft and more than half of our
fleet are Embraer aircraft, we have indepth knowledge and experience of
the Phenom 300. I am very pleased
that we are now able to maintain all
types of Phenom aircraft.”
Thierry Barré, Technical Director at
ABS Jets, added “We have been working hard to ensure we have the best
facilities possible to maintain the
Phenom 300. It is a great achievement
to see our work rewarded by the
approval to maintain the aircraft. The
popularity of this aircraft in Europe
means that there is a great demand for
maintenance facilities and therefore I
am sure we will be very busy. I look
forward to working closely with
Phenom 300 operators and owners.”
ABS Jets Aircraft Maintenance
Services play an important role in ABS
Jets’ business activities. ABS Jets´
Service Center is approved to perform
maintenance for aircraft registered in
EASA countries, as well as Russia (RA),
Aruba (P4), The United Arab Emirates
SIGNIFICANT
ABS Jets plays a
substantial role
for the
development of
Business
Aviation in the
Baltic States
region.
Vladimir Petak
CEO pictured.
REGIONAL REPORT
EASTERN EUROPEEASTERN EUROPE
ees to be certified in the NATA Safety
First training program. Safety First
training works to further develop handling agents on such items as ramp
security, proper fuel inspection, correct equipment handling, and emergency procedures. While all Euro Jet
agents are fully badged and have
received similar training by each airport authority, this training allows
them to review all these items over the
course of two months ultimately
obtaining full certification. Euro Jet is
the only handling agent of its kind to
have received this training.
According to Euro Jet CEO Charlie
Bodnar, “The year 2015 was a year
filled with investment. We invested in
expanding our company and adding
more features that make our product
better. We also worked extensively on
developing our team with increased
training. The better trained our people
(A6), The Isle of Man (M), Ukraine
(UR), Turkey (TC) and Kazakhstan
(UP). ABS Jets provides dedicated daily
maintenance
support
(Line
Maintenance and AOG recovery), as
well as more complex technical and
repair services (Base Maintenance) for
its managed aircraft and all external
customers. ABS Jets became an EASC
(Embraer Approved Service Centre) for
Base Maintenance of specific types of
civilian aircraft in 2007.
CREDIT
Charlie Bodnar
CEO EURO Jet
Business
Aviation says
that the industry
deserves more
recognition.
Euro Jet
Has Record Growth in 2016
The year 2015 for Euro Jet
Intercontinental was yet another
record year that saw continued growth
and expansion and also a strong focus
on employee development.
The Eastern European and Central
Asian handling support agent coordinated more flights in 2015 than any
other year. This also included a
record year for fuel uplift and global
permit coordination. Euro Jet is now
located in over 32 countries at 195
airports.
Euro Jet further developed their
operation in Turkey and Ukraine by
appointing Gozde Uncu as their
Turkey Country Manager. Based out
of Istanbul, she oversees all flights
into Turkey while adhering to the
same high standards maintained at all
Euro Jet locations.
In Ukraine, Euro Jet recently
obtained a supervision license allowing full access at all airports throughout the country, including Kiev’s two
airports, Boryspil and Zhuliany. Euro
Jet will also open up a brand new complimentary VIP crew lounge at Kiev
Boryspil along with a crew car on the
ramp.
Euro Jet is not only focused on supporting flights in Europe and Central
Asia, but has also seen significant
growth in its Middle East and Far East
Asian handling support. This has been
lead by Muhammad Shakeel, the
Country Manager for Pakistan, who
also oversees this whole region.
In addition to expanding its presence, Euro Jet has invested heavily
this year in team member training,
working to ensure that their agents on
the ground are the best in the business.
Euro Jet’s operations and ramp
team were recently certified in dangerous goods procedures. This allows
Euro Jet to apply for permits for aircraft flying dangerous goods. Key
Euro Jet operations team members
participated in a training course that
instructed them on how to correctly
apply IATA rules for dangerous goods,
such as how to properly recognize
dangerous goods, ensure it is properly
packaged, understand the relevant
legalities of all items, and correctly fill
in the shippers declaration.
In addition to the Dangerous good
training, Euro Jet has also untaken the
task of properly training all its employ-
are, the better the customer experience. But this is just the beginning, I
am excited for 2016 and the many new
developments that will occur in the
New Year.”
Euro Jet’s expansion will continue
into 2016 with the opening up of new
VIP complimentary crew lounges in
the Czech Republic, Croatia, and
Ukraine. The company will also be
expanding to new airports. Many of
these items will be released throughout the year and will be unveiled leading up to EBACE, where they will
also have an updated exhibit space.
✈
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MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE
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Customers come to FlightSafety for our advanced-technology training systems; our
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our unrivaled Customer support. They keep coming back, time after time, for our
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Our instructors are dedicated to earning your trust by providing the highest quality
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[email protected] • flightsafety.com • A Berkshire Hathaway company
uasc.com [email protected] (800) 321-5253 (520) 295-2300
160
PREMIER TRANSATLANTIC BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE
A successful
flight starts at
the FBO page 30
BI-MONTHLY / JANUARY - FEBRUARY / POSTING OFFICE BE 1380 LASNE
PROVEN PERFORMER
160 - JAN FEB - 2016
BUSINESS AVIATION
BEAMED AT LAS VEGAS
page 68
OPTIMISM ON
THE MIDDLE EAST MARKET
page 60
GROWTH RETURNS
IN EASTERN EUROPE
page 80
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