California-based aviation services provider Clay Lacy Aviation has broken ground on a new $20 million FBO and MRO facility at Connecticut’s Waterbury-Oxford Airport (KOXC). The company, which has had a maintenance and charter presence at the airport since 2015, initially received approval for the new facility in 2020.
Phase 1 of the 11-acre expansion is expected to be completed by first-quarter 2024 and will include a 5,000-sq-ft terminal with covered vehicle parking and a 40,000-sq-ft heated hangar that will accommodate ultra-long-range business jets. The company explained that the facility will result in 200 new high-paying jobs with an annual payroll exceeding $32 million and more than 400 indirect jobs during the construction process.
“We’re breaking ground on what will be one of the finest FBOs and aviation facilities in the country,” said company president and CEO Brian Kirkdoffer. He noted that the location will also serve as Clay Lacy’s East Coast headquarters. “Oxford will be an incredible economic and employment engine, attracting and supporting the finest aircraft and flight operations in the world.”
A second development phase anticipated for completion by mid-2025 will add a pair of 40,000-sq-ft hangars and 10,000 sq ft of office space. Further increasing the airport's utility, U.S. Customs service was just introduced at KOXC.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which passed the Senate on Sunday through a tiebreaker vote by Vice President Kamala Harris, is drawing praise for provisions that would provide incentives for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), including a blender's tax credit.
Under the bill, a tax credit would be provided to qualified biodiesel producers or blenders on a sliding scale, depending on greenhouse gas emissions savings, valued at $1.25 to $1.75 per gallon for fiscal 2023 and 2024. Beginning in 2025, a Clean Fuel Production Credit would provide incentives up to $1.75 per gallon.
“The commercialization and scale-up of sustainable aviation fuel will accelerate our industry’s progress to net-zero carbon emissions. The SAF tax credits included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 are a crucial first step toward meeting the Biden Administration’s SAF Grand Challenge goal of three billion gallons of domestically produced SAF by 2030,” said National Air Transportation Association president and CEO Timothy Obitts.
"Through the Business Aviation Commitment on Climate Change, our industry has pledged to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, and increasing the availability of SAF at general aviation airports is crucial to achieving our goal,” added NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen. “Establishing a robust federal tax credit for SAF is the single most important thing policymakers can do to increase production and availability.”
Hova Flight Services, the single aviation services provider at Richmond (Virginia) Hanover County Municipal Airport (KOFP), has opened its new FBO facility. The $2.3 million complex on the east side of 5,400-foot long Runway 16/34 includes a 7,500-sq-ft terminal that will replace a 1,200-sq-ft facility that will then house the company’s flight school and Part 145 maintenance offices.
The new terminal features a passenger lobby, 12-seat conference room, pilot lounge with showers, a pair of quiet rooms, catering services, and flight-planning areas. The FBO also offers a 15,000-sq-ft hangar that can accommodate the latest ultra-long-range business jets. Hova, which has been in the service provider industry since 1992 and has run its FBO at KOFP since 2004, also operates a full avionics shop.
“From line service to gourmet catering to concierge services, we strive to provide outstanding service with attention to the smallest details,” said Keith Bryan, the company’s operations manager. “Every team member…is committed to the safety, comfort, and privacy for our business aviation guests.”
Dubai-based Vista Global Holding reported 43 percent growth in its business jet member services platforms, with VistaJet alone surging 25 percent. Gross program hours sold in the first half were up 76 percent year-on-year and were about 27 percent higher than all of 2019.
“It has been an impressive start to 2022 for Vista as we continue to grow across all markets globally, particularly in the United States,” said Vista founder and chairman Thomas Flohr. “As business aviation remains robust, we have seen huge demand as clients turn to Vista for their flying needs.”
As sales more than doubled, North America accounted for around half of VistaJet’s program revenue. Europe was the fastest growing region in terms of flight activity and revenue, both of which more than doubled year-on-year, while Asia saw a 77 percent increase in hours sold.
Middle East sales accelerated, with VistaJet’s subscription program gross hours up 60 percent. Saudi Arabia saw the largest national increase in the number of VistaJet flights, at 81 percent.
Vista added more than 100 aircraft in the first half thanks to the completion of acquisitions of Air Hamburg and Jet Edge, giving clients access to a members’ fleet of more than 350 aircraft and 2,100 alliance jets, it said. Vista’s fleet of Bombardier Global 7500s now stands at 12, with 10 new Challenger 350s to be delivered this year.
Airbus Helicopters has handed over the first ACH160—to a customer in Brazil—just ahead of the LABACE show that opened today. The ACH160 is the VIP-outfitted version of the H160, which entered service in December with Japanese operator All Nippon Helicopter for newsgathering missions.
“We are proud that the world’s first ACH160 has been delivered here in Brazil, and look forward to seeing its distinctive and elegant silhouette flying through the skies of São Paulo,” said Jean-Luc Alfonsi, the managing director of Airbus Helicopters’ Brazilian customer center Helibras. “We are confident the ACH160 will set new standards for customers and operators wanting to make a distinctive choice in terms of safety, comfort, and performance.”
According to data from the Brazilian business aviation association ABAG, there are more than 2,500 business aviation airports and 1,300 heliports in Brazil. “The growing general aviation market in Brazil is crucial for increasing economic and social productivity, as well for maintaining the country’s air connectivity,” noted Alfonsi.
The ACH160 family is designed in three versions—Line, Line with Lounge package, and Exclusive—each with different levels of customization. The ACH160 also features a canted Fenestron for greater useful load and a flat attitude in flight, as well as sound-reducing Blue Edge rotor blades.
Wheels Up will expand its pipeline of pilots through a new agreement with ATP Flight School. The hiring partnership enables Wheels Up to interview flight instructors at 1,000 hours total time. Successful candidates will receive a conditional job offer and, at 1,200 hours, they can transition to Wheels Up as Beechcraft King Air 350, Cessna Citation CJ3, or Beechjet 400 first officers.
“With demand for professional pilots at peak levels, ATP is committed and excited to work with our airline and corporate aviation partners to develop scalable pilot hiring solutions,” said ATP marketing director Michael Arnold. “We’re proud to partner with Wheels Up and bring this opportunity to our graduates, providing them with yet another accelerated pathway to quickly establish their career at a leading carrier.”
ATP’s airline career pilot program offers the instruction and certification students need to become professional pilots through a fixed cost and accelerated timeline. In the past 12 months, ATP has placed more than 1,250 pilots with airlines and corporate operators.
Gulfstream Aerospace is bolstering its customer support in South America with the appointment of a field service representative (FSR) in Brazil and new partnerships. Roberto César Oliveira comes to the FSR position with more than 20 years of aviation experience and knowledge of Gulfstream aircraft, avionics, and maintenance planning.
“Roberto has already been working directly with Gulfstream customers in this region for years, and his extensive knowledge and existing relationships will serve him well as a trusted and invaluable resource for our customers in Brazil,” said Gulfstream Aerospace customer support president Derek Zimmerman.
The Savannah, Georgia-based business jet manufacturer also has partnered with Brazilian firms Líder Aviação and Aero Rio Táxi Aéreo, which will augment company-owned service centers in Palm Beach, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia, by providing warranty repairs, maintenance, and spares for Gulfstream 650/650ER, G550, and G280 twinjets.
The General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) membership base is nearing 150 organizations as six more companies have joined. The latest additions continue to push GAMA’s international reach, as well as help fill out its “associate members EPIC” level as the association increasingly works with emerging companies focused on new technologies.
However, GAMA also continues to gain in its more traditional membership ranks with the additions of Avex Aviation in Camarillo, California; Elixir Aviation in La Rochelle, France; and Game Composites in Bentonville, Arkansas. Avex specializes in sales and services of Daher TBM aircraft, while Elixir produces a two-seater Part 23 trainer. Game Composites produces the all-composite Part 23 acrobatic GB1 GameBird.
AutoFlight, which is headquartered in Shanghai, China, with locations in Germany and California, has joined as an associate member. It is developing an autonomous eVTOL.
As for GAMA’s associate members EPIC category, Eve Air Mobility and Wing are the latest to come on board. Part owned by Embraer, Eve is involved in the UAM ecosystem in addition to its under-development eVTOL. Wing became its own business under Google’s parent company, Alphabet, in 2018 and has launched on-demand service on three continents.
People in Aviation
Aircraft Specialties Inc. (ASI) has expanded its repair management division and appointed Chelse Shaff as manager. Shaff joined ASI in February and has since worked to develop this new role for the company. She brings 12 years of industry knowledge and experience with a background in full-service logistics, aircraft engine, parts, and maintenance programs, aircraft maintenance tracking programs, and aircraft parts acquisition and sales to her new position.
Cutter Aviation has appointed Matthew Olguin as general manager of its FBO in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Olguin joined Cutter in 2008 as a line technician and has been promoted within the company several times over the past 14 years, having also held roles including evening supervisor and line manager.
Jetcraft is expanding its presence in the Americas with the appointment of Preston Jasper and Derek Long as sales executives. Jasper joined Jetcraft in 2019 as a sales engineer before later moving up to sales manager. He is based in Minneapolis and will oversee the company’s client partnerships in the U.S. Midwest. Long joins Jetcraft following a 14-year career in banking and business development, including a decade-long tenure at PNC. Based in Atlanta, he will drive the company’s aircraft sales and acquisitions in the mid-Atlantic U.S.
Bruce L. Marshall—executive v-p and general counsel at AIC Title Service—has been named as director of the board for the Lawyer-Pilots Bar Association. Marshall is an air transportation executive and attorney who has served the industry for nearly four decades. He also serves as chair of the National Aircraft Finance Association’s regulatory committee.
Mente Group has hired Kyle Bonda as managing director for the U.S. Northeast. Bonda is a U.S. Navy veteran with more than five years of experience in the aviation industry, having previously held roles as a sales specialist for four years with Avjet Global and sales director at NexGen Flight Solutions.
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