Gulfstream Aerospace today officially opened its expanded service center at the company’s Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV) headquarters in Georgia. Dubbed Savannah Service Center East, the 137,000-sq-ft facility adds more than 200 new jobs and significantly expands Gulfstream’s MRO capabilities in the region. The ribbon cutting was attended by state and local dignitaries, community partners, and Gulfstream leaders and employees.

“We continue to expand and enhance our service capabilities in support of the continued growth of Gulfstream’s next-generation fleet, including the recently certified G700,” said Gulfstream Customer Support president Derek Zimmerman. “The Savannah Service Center East expansion is part of our long-term strategic plan to create the industry’s most modern and sustainable service network, while significantly enhancing access and convenience for our customers.”

The new $150 million building complements the company's main service center at KSAV by adding more hangar space, offices, and back shops. This additional capacity brings its total service footprint at the airport to 1.1 million sq ft and allows Gulfstream to simultaneously accommodate up to 85 aircraft there, 26 more than it previously could handle.

Gulfstream Customer Support’s service network also includes new facilities in Van Nuys, California; Appleton, Wisconsin; Fort Worth, Texas; Palm Beach, Florida; and Farnborough, UK. Additionally, the company’s new service center in Mesa, Arizona, is expected to fully open later this year.

Owners and potential aircraft purchasers have for a while told me they want to buy or continue to own an aircraft but intend to share ownership with at least one other person. They recognize the value of freeing up capital from the aircraft purchase price, deploying the cash into their businesses or investments, decreasing ownership costs, and sharing the risk of depreciating aircraft values.

How do the parties start their shared aircraft ownership experience? Before all else, they should agree to buy and/or share a mutually acceptable aircraft that accomplishes their respective missions. They should genuinely and confidently trust each other to honor their aircraft arrangements.

To avoid false starts or panic when a prospective buyer understands the true cost of aircraft ownership, each party should model and/or consult professionals to ensure that the economics make sense individually and collectively.

The parties should also address the other major issues entailed in sharing an aircraft. Tax planning and limitation of liability—starting with a request to form a limited liability company—often surface first. More broadly, the parties should discuss their respective ideas for buying, owning, managing, operating, maintaining, and improving an aircraft, as well as sharing costs.

From a legal standpoint, it is critical to comply with the FARs. As the parties plan risk management, they should promptly confirm that adequate insurance is available to cover their aircraft ownership and operations.

The families of two construction workers killed in the collapse of a hangar in Idaho earlier this year have sued the contractors who were building it. 

Workers of Big D Builders were assembling the framework of the 39,000-sq-ft structure at the Jackson Jet Center at Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (KBOI) when it collapsed in high winds on January 31, killing the two workers who—according to the lawsuit—were sent by the contractor from another site because the project was behind schedule. Also killed in the disaster was the construction company’s co-owner.

The legal documents claim a variety of infractions, including that the builder had a set of building plans approved by the city but decided to use a second set provided by Steel Building Systems that called for less bracing. They also allege that on the day of the tragedy, three of the four support cranes on the site were removed by Inland Crane, while the remaining one was not rated for high winds and was improperly attached to the structure.

Lastly, the lawsuit states that the building was being constructed from a mix of pre-fabricated and locally manufactured components that did not fit together properly. A report on the accident from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration is expected in the coming months.

Online flight crew staffing specialist CrewBlast is broadening its offerings to include full-time placements. Since its introduction two years ago, the CrewBlast app has helped business aircraft operators locate temporary and contract flight and cabin crewmembers.

"CrewBlast was built to bridge a gap in the speed at which operators can source contract pilots and flight attendants worldwide,” CrewBlast CEO Timothy Griffin told AIN. “That efficiency and reliability have prompted operators to start requesting that we provide the same service for full-time placements.”

Using the app, customers can receive responses from qualified applicants within seconds of initiating a search. Griffin said that shortly after opening up the full-time option in CrewBlast, a Gulfstream G650 operator found a full-time candidate within just a few days. "Part of our process also allows for the operator to use the contractors on contract flights as part of the interview process," he added.

One of the key features of the platform is its “social share” capability that allows flight crewmembers in the CrewBlast database to easily share any staffing requests they receive from the app to colleagues and professional networks, greatly expanding the reach of any search.

Avports, the operator of New York’s Westchester County Airport (KHPN), recently partnered with Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology and Westchester County to establish a paid college internship program. The launch—first announced last month at the NBAA Northeast Regional held at KHPN—will give students valuable aviation experience in airport administration and operations while allowing them to interface with airlines, Fortune 500 flight departments, FBOs, and private pilots.

KHPN and its tenant businesses include nearly 1,500 workers, and Avports is seeking to fill 60 positions. “The partnership with Vaughn will prove to be a vast pipeline of emerging talent for airports like Westchester and others throughout the region and nation,” said KHPN manager Francisco Tejada. “We hope to draw young aviation professionals with fresh perspectives as they begin their careers.”

Intern Hassan Khan, who is heading into his senior year at Vaughn, explained that the experience takes his education beyond the classroom. “I’m so fortunate to be working alongside professionals and receiving the practical experience that I only read about in school. Here, I’m doing it every day and making inspections, safety and weather checks, and so much more.” He added that the opportunity will help him establish a career in airport management.