COVID-19 On the Table at SDC Opening Session

Following a show floor reception last night at the Charlotte Convention Center in North Carolina, NBAA’s Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference held its opening session this morning. While this year’s theme of resiliency was chosen long before the rise of COVID-19, the irony of that choice was not lost on Schedulers & Dispatchers Committee co-chair Stephen Clark, who acknowledged the resulting diminished attendance at the show but reiterated the committee’s goal to put on a world-class educational program.

NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen, attending his 15th SDC, ceded much of the time for his usual address to two guest speakers. Dr. Clayton Cowl, chairman of the Mayo Clinic’s preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine department, addressed the audience of several hundred show-goers and recapped the rise and spread of coronavirus in basic terms, noting that while most cases are mild, 20 percent are considered severe. He was encouraged by the declining trend in new cases in China, which was the epicenter.

With people able to view online tote boards showing the current number of infections, Don Chupp, president and CEO of emergency response coordinator Fireside Partners, warned against “compressive stress” brought on by the continuing barrage of crisis news. As a silver lining, he noted that as airlines scale back service, business aviation will likely need to scale up operations.

NATA Integrates Safety 1st Training with CrewID

Concluding an agreement made last year between the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) and industry credentialing provider CrewID, participants in NATA’s Safety 1st Training Center can now receive a CrewID badge at no cost.

The integration of the two programs allows parties such as flight crews and other airport personnel to quickly access an individual’s Safety 1st ratings in real time through the CrewID platform by scanning it with any mobile device. The CrewID platform provides instant verification of training credentials, affiliation, and company position.

“Communication and transparency set the tone for an organization’s safety culture,” said Michael France, NATA’s managing director of safety and training. “The CrewID/Safety 1st integration provides the tools to enhance these areas between flight crews and ground handling team members.”

CrewID CEO Michael Sundheim added “Partnering with Safety 1st significantly raises the bar on safety and security, providing technology resources that were unavailable until recently.”

The system will be demonstrated this week at NATA’s booth at NBAA’s Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Idaho FBO To Add New Hangar

Resort Aviation Jet Center, one of two service providers at Idaho’s Coeur d'Alene Airport-Pappy Boyington Field, has partnered with business aviation real estate construction firm Centrex to build a new 20,676-sq-ft heated corporate hangar. With a door height of 28 feet, the new structure will accommodate aircraft up to a Bombardier Global 7500 and can house several large-cabin business jets simultaneously. It will more than double the FBO's available hangar space and give new flexibility in terms of the airplanes the facility will be able to shelter.

“We want to expand at a pace that serves our customers best, and we’ve mapped out a five-year plan to do just that,” said general manager Joe Rossetti. “Centrex has been supportive and encouraging through phase one of the designs, and with their expertise, we feel confident moving forward.”

The new hangar is scheduled for completion in late 2021, and the company, which is exhibiting this week among the World Fuel Service FBOs at the 2020 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference, is accepting letters of interest from prospective occupants at the show.

PepsiCo Bizav Scheduler Receives NBAA SDC Award

Jeanie Friscia, a 31-year PepsiCo veteran and business aviation scheduler, was named the recipient of the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers (S&D) Outstanding Achievement and Leadership Award at the S&D Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. During her tenure at PepsiCo—which includes receiving the PepsiCo chairman’s award for outstanding performance—Friscia has integrated a fatigue management tool into scheduling procedures; created a new, efficient onboarding system for new hires; improved the flight department’s data gathering and analysis program; and developed her knowledge of international traveling to become a go-to source for global security planning.

“At PepsiCo, Jeanie has consistently been a model for ethical conduct, and an advocate for establishing and following procedures,” said PepsiCo director of aviation Pat Cunningham. “When members of her team have to work an issue late into the night, Jeanie insists that they stay home, or come in later the following day.”

Friscia also is a “fierce advocate” of the company’s flight crews through painstakingly documented health and safety procedures. In addition to voluntarily coordinating PepsiCo’s participation in the Corporate Angel Network, she also actively shares her expertise through the Dispatch Leads Group in White Plains, New York, as well as at the S&D Conference.

Paragon Network Adds Hawaii, Iceland FBOs

The Paragon Network has added two new members to its FBO network: Castle & Cooke Aviation in Honolulu, Hawaii, and Iceland Jet Center. Castle & Cooke is based at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and among its unique amenities are customer greetings with a lei, Mai Tais, and on-site U.S. Customs, and agriculture support services.

“We look closely at airport pairings when choosing markets to bring into the Paragon Network,” Said Paragon Aviation Group president Megan Barnes. “With our ExecuJet members in the Australia and New Zealand markets, Castle & Cooke in Honolulu fits perfectly as a tech stop location.”

Iceland Jet Center operates a full-service FBO at Keflavik International Airport (KEF) and ground handling services through sister company Air Iceland Connect at Akureyri Airport (AEY), Egilsstaðir Airport (EGS), and Reykjavík Airport (RKV). At Keflavik, it offers customers a new lounge that’s open around the clock, as well as access to complimentary drinks and snacks and duty-free shopping. The addition of Iceland Jet Center brings the total number of countries served by the Paragon Network to 20 through more than 59 FBO members.