California FBO Terminal Debuts After a Decade

The Carlsbad Jet Center, whose terminal was started more than a decade ago as Magellan Aviation, is finally operational at California’s McClellan Palomar Airport. The business was purchased in January 2019, and its new private owner appointed Josh and Julia Hochberg, owners of Sonoma Jet Center at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, to manage it.

The two-story terminal has 4,000 sq ft of space dedicated to FBO operations and another 6,000 sq ft of leasable tenant offices. Located 15 minutes from the beach and decorated in Southern California style, with surfboards and art from local artists, it features a conference room, lobby, workspaces, refreshment center, pilot lounge, and concierge. Located just off Taxiway A, the Avfuel-branded facility offers 180,000 sq ft of hangar space that can accommodate aircraft up to a Gulfstream G650. A long-anticipated grand opening will be held on April 30.

“It’s been a fantastic year of growth in Carlsbad,” said Josh Hochberg this week at the 2020 NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference. “Everyone has welcomed us with open arms and we are enjoying working with our customers to elevate their experience at the airport.”

Million Air Corporate Acquires Vancouver Location

REW Investments, the management company for Million Air’s corporate-owned FBO locations, has acquired Million Air Vancouver from its licensee. Acquisition plans call for a remodeling of the property to include updated amenities and a new look for the existing facility, one of two service providers at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) that serves Canada’s third-largest city.

The FBO has 240,000 sq ft of ramp space and eight heated hangars, each capable of handling aircraft up to a Bombardier Global.

“Million Air is excited for the long-term commitment to the airport and the community,” said CEO Roger Woolsey in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week as his company exhibits at the 2020 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference. “We are investing major capital into the reimagining of the facility.”

He added the same design team responsible for the company’s new FBOs at New York’s Westchester County and Texas’s Austin Bergstrom International Airports is now at work in the studio creating a new interior for the YVR facility.

SDC Session Explores Combining Drones, Flight Department

Attendees at the NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, heard yesterday about how utility giant Duke Energy successfully integrated its drone operations within its corporate flight department during a session entitled “Droning On.” Bryan Williams, Duke Energy’s manager of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), told attendees the integration began more than 3.5 years ago and has been beneficial in standing up a UAS program including in areas such as developing a safety management system.

He said the UAS program has grown from a staff of three to 16, not including dozens of transmission linemen and other workers who have received their Part 107 certificates to operate drones from training by Duke’s UAS staff.

He recounted a successful operation by Duke following Hurricane Florence that involved 46 drone teams—pilot and observer—and 15 owned and contracted helicopters. “Drones aren’t the silver bullet for everything,” he said, but for some jobs drones have proven more cost-effective than operating helicopters, such as instances when the company needs to do aerial photography. Williams said to this day he “continues to lean on” the flight department when it comes to developing internal policies and other related matters. “I think it’s been very beneficial to be part of a corporate flight department,” he explained.

Air Elite Network Gains Three New Members

Three new FBOs have joined the World Fuel Services sponsored Air Elite Network, the fuel provider announced this week at the 2020 NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference. They include Bellingham Aviation Services at Washington state’s Bellingham International Airport (BLI), Aero-One Aviation at Dothan Regional Airport (DHN) in Alabama, and Maven by Midfield at Michigan’s Oakland County International Airport (PTK), bringing World Fuel's total locations to 76.

A tech stop to Alaska and the Pacific Rim, Bellingham Aviation services is a convenient port of entry, with on-site U.S. Customs, while Aero-One, the lone FBO on the field, specializes in quick turns and features an onsite café, pilot lounge, and a trio of new courtesy cars. One of six service providers at PTK, Maven by Midfield offers a recently renovated passenger lobby with fireplace, conference room, crew lounge, flight planning, crew cars, and new fuel trucks.

The premium FBO brand in the World Fuel network of locations, each candidate must be audited to meet a standard for facilities and amenities set by the member-led board. “Our three new members were invited because they exemplify the Air Elite standards and align with the network’s philosophy of creating an elevated experience,” said Steve Dryzmalla, World Fuel’s senior v-p for business aviation bulk fuel. “The network provides service training, shares best practices, and benchmarks the industry’s highest safety standards, all to ensure an elevated experience for crew and passengers.”

Harrods Invests In Customer-centric Equipment, Services

Harrods Aviation has invested in new services and equipment at its FBOs in response to rising customer demand. The investment includes electric car charging points at its London Luton facility and a VIP private ambulift at its Stansted Airport facility.

An increase in the number of electric cars parked at the Luton FBO led to the addition of electric vehicle charging points, which ensures customers’ cars are fully charged before they return. The service is managed through Rolec software by way of a mobile app. At Stansted, passengers with reduced mobility are helped to embark and disembark aircraft with the new, wide-body ambulift. It complements other ground service equipment in Harrods Aviation's inventory.

“We continue to listen to our customers and respond accordingly,” said Harrods Aviation operations director Kerry Besgrove. “The charging points at Luton were an obvious next step as we continue to upgrade our facilities. The ambulift not only enhances our service offering but also removes any concern over a delay caused by a third party. The ambulift can provide much-needed assistance at critical times and…provide our customers with a first-class, discreet service without the need to rely on an outsourced service partner.”