Sheltair Makes Colorado Debut

Sheltair Aviation has expanded beyond the East Coast of the U.S. for the first time in its more three-decade history, with the opening last week of a temporary FBO facility at Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, the fourth-busiest airfield in the state. In September, the aviation services provider and airport real estate developer announced it had obtained a 20-year lease there with a renewal option and would build a $12 million full-service facility at the airport.

Phase one of the project includes a 10,000-sq-ft terminal, a new Avfuel-supplied fuel farm, and a 35,000-sq-ft hangar capable of sheltering the latest large-cabin business jets. It is anticipated to open in the first quarter of 2020. The 10-acre location is Sheltair’s 18th FBO overall and the second service provider on the field. The current facility includes a comfortable passenger lobby and reception area with fireplace overlooking the ramp.

“Our newest corporate address in Colorado reflects the natural progression of a company that carefully studies the market, identifies communities that embrace general aviation, and considers the role of airports in supporting regional economies and the vision of local officials,” said company founder, chairman, and CEO Jerry Holland. “Based on this criteria, it was easy to conclude that Sheltair wanted to be at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport.”

FlightAware Adds Signature Flight to FBO Toolbox

A new partnership between FlightAware and Signature Flight Support is expected to provide enhanced communication and coordination between Signature’s FBOs and aircraft operators and owners who are FlightAware Global customers. FlightAware will establish its FBO Toolbox web-based software at Signature’s nearly 200 locations, the company announced today ahead of the 2019 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, which begins tomorrow in San Antonio, Texas.

It will allow FlightAware Global users to pre-select a Signature FBO they intend to visit, sending the FBO an email to prepare for their arrival. Even if an aircraft is blocked from public tracking, Global users can permit the receiving FBO to track their airplanes. 

Signature’s FBOs also will host FlightAware’s proprietary ADS-B ground stations called FlightFeeders. That functionality, a service that FlightAware calls Ready to Taxi, will permit Global users to know when their airplanes power on at their originating location, when they are taxiing, and when they park at their destination. “The integration of FlightAware’s technology will further enhance our ability to provide customers with efficient and accurate service delivery no matter where customers fly within the global Signature network,” Signature chief commercial officer Shawn Hall said.

FlightAware CEO Daniel Baker said his company looks to add new features to further connect Signature’s FBOs with aircraft operators.

From Crayons to the Web, Alerion Rolls Out Owner Portal

Charter and management firm Alerion is hoping for a full rollout in early spring of its owner portal that provides access to an array of real-time information, including schedules, expenses, maintenance updates, and passenger lists. The portal was launched in beta version in December, and CEO Bob Seidel said the company is making some changes as a result of the beta test before furnishing it to all clients.

The portal, which had been a “holy grail” for Seidel for well more than a dozen years, provides the ability for owners to look both backward and forward to have a more comprehensive overview of operations and trends. In addition, the portal will enable multiple owners to coordinate schedules with aircraft itineraries.

The idea for the portal came in 2006 when Seidel sat down with an owner who was tracking the schedule of his airplane by using different colored crayons. Seidel was asked, “Does that seem like the right way to manage a schedule?”

The site answers “the kinds of questions we get every single month as [clients] look at their monthly statements…If they had this information, it would save numerous phone calls, fretting, and hand wringing. It would save all kinds of miscommunications between us and the customer,” he said. The site will be a value-added benefit for customers, but Seidel believes it will pay for itself in time. 

Florida FBO Breaks Ground on New Base

Florida-based Jetscape Services broke ground last Friday on an FBO complex at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL). Located on the west side of the field, the $20 million-plus facility will include a 25,000-sq-ft terminal and a pair of 40,000-sq-ft hangars.

Jetscape, a founding member of the World Fuel Services-sponsored Air Elite Network, currently operates from two locations at FLL, known as Jetscape Base and Jetscape Alpha. When the new facility is completed in summer 2020, the company plans to return the eight-acre Base facility, which includes a 4,600-sq-ft terminal and 29,000 sq ft of hangars to Broward County, which operates the airport.

“Over the last 16 years, we have outgrown our original leasehold,” said Jetscape president Troy Menken. “With the purchase of Victory Aviation’s facility last year and this new 25-acre project, we will be able to accommodate all of Jetscape Services’ customers.”

“Jetscape has always been committed to delivering service excellence,” said Steve Dryzmalla, World Fuel’s senior vice president for bulk fuel sales in North America. “We applaud their investment in the new and expanded facility as it will provide the current and future Air Elite customers a very distinct and comfortable place to enjoy when they arrive in Fort Lauderdale.”

Yingling Looks To MRO Growth while Investing in FBO

Yingling Aviation is marking its 73rd year in business in 2019 and is at the front end of an expansion project that’s adding 70,000 sq ft to the full-service FBO at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport (ICT). It’s part of CEO and owner Lynn Nichols's plan to build upon Yingling’s MRO capabilities as well as strengthen its services as an independent FBO. The company is also exhibiting at the upcoming NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers conference for the first time.

Since Nichols bought Yingling in 2000, he has expanded the company’s footprint on the west side of runway 1R/19L from 56,000 sq ft to 125,000 sq ft, most of which was for hangar and maintenance-related expansion. The company completed a refreshing of its 8,000-sq-ft terminal last year and plans to add an above-ground 12,500-gallon avgas tank this spring.

Last week, Yingling was named a preferred FBO by the Corporate Aircraft Association. CFO Andrew Nichols—Lynn Nichols’ son and heir apparent—said the designation has already “been a great success. People we normally never see are stopping here in Wichita.”

While Yingling’s widely known as an FBO, 85 percent of its business comes from MRO. An expansion of facilities to perform that work announced last month will enable Yingling to further expand its MRO capabilities to work on aircraft as large as a midsize Citation Sovereign, it said.