Textron Aviation Revives Special Olympics Airlift

After an eight-year hiatus, Textron Aviation is planning to revive an effort to transport athletes to the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games with the help of owners and operators of Cessna Citations; Hawkers; and Beechcraft King Airs, Premiers, and Beechjets. The Wichita-based airframer anticipates that owners and operators will help transport more than 4,000 athletes and coaches through the Special Olympics Airlift (SOA) to the games that will be held June 5 to 12, 2022, in Orlando, Florida.

“This signature event is a unique opportunity that enables everyone, from our employees to our customers, to ignite our shared passion for lifting others up and supporting our communities by giving the athletes the joy of a once-in-a-lifetime aviation experience,” said Textron Aviation president and CEO Ron Draper.

This will be Textron Aviation’s eighth participation in SOA, which began under Cessna Aircraft in 1987 as the Citation Special Olympics Airlift. Since the first airlift, nearly 10,000 athletes and coaches have been transported by Citation owners and operators to the games. For this eighth airlift, Textron Aviation hopes to recruit 228 aircraft owners. According to the company, it didn't organize an airlift around the 2018 Special Olympics Games in and around Seattle because of the complexity and lift requirements.

Study Predicts Pilot Shortage Will Return by 2022

While the pandemic alleviated the pilot shortage almost overnight a year ago, the shortage could reemerge within nine months and grow worse over the decade, according to a study released yesterday by global management consulting firm Oliver Wyman. In fact, it estimates that the global demand for pilots on Jan. 1, 2022, will be 326,594 versus a supply of 316,435; by 2029, the study predicted, those numbers will be 416,709 and 357,214, respectively—a nearly 60,000-pilot shortfall.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has caused airlines to curtail cadet programs as they furloughed pilots and banks reduced lending for pilot training, creating a pilot-supply shock and causing pilot candidates to think twice about entering such a cyclical industry. “With the global nature of this shock, we believe 25,000 to 35,000 current and future pilots may choose alternative career paths over the next decade,” the study said.

Though many furloughed pilots will return, some might pursue other opportunities, according to the study. Additionally, airlines in some regions have relied heavily on early retirements to reduce costs, which permanently decreases the supply.

“The most important question is not whether a pilot shortage will reemerge, but when it will occur and how large the gap will be between supply and demand,” the study concluded.

Flightshares Aims To Make Frax Aircraft Viable in India

Facilities and factories popping up in smaller towns in India with transportation infrastructure gaps could allow fractional aircraft ownership to finally gain a foothold in the country, said Jayant Nadkarni, founder of startup Flightshares. The fractional ownership model is not new to India: Club One Air unsuccessfully introduced the concept there 15 years ago; it recalibrated and now operates as an aircraft charter business.

Nadkarni aims to succeed where Club One failed. Flightshares, he said, will have its first aircraft by September and operations in place by December. “By year-end, our first ownership group should be launched,” Nadkarni stated. Flightshares will offer preowned turboprop and light jet models that would allow executives at midsize industrial companies to fly to factories in remote areas with small airstrips. Nadkarni told AIN that Flightshares’ turboprop offerings will be the Daher TBM 850 and Pilatus PC-12, while its jet lineup will include the Embraer Phenom 100 and 300.

Aircraft shares will be sold in one-eighth and one-quarter increments, according to Nadkarni. Like other fractional programs, Flightshares will charge monthly management fees and hourly occupied rates.

“We see an aggressive time ahead next year, when we expect around nine to 10 aircraft in our fleet,” he said.

GlobeAir: Urgent Action Needed on UK Block Permit Deals

GlobeAir, Austria’s largest business aircraft operator, said it will face huge delays and costs for its UK-bound flights starting April 1 unless its country’s civil aviation authority urgently offers a reciprocal block permit arrangement for UK charter companies. After the Brexit transition ended on December 31, the UK government permitted non-scheduled operators in the 27 EU member states to fly to and from the UK under a block permit agreement. Each permit would be reviewed by the UK CAA after three months, with renewal conditional on each EU country offering reciprocal freedoms to UK operators.

“Austria is one of the many states that has not offered a favorable arrangement, so our block permit expires on March 31,” says GlobeAir founder and CEO Bernhard Fragner. “Now we are facing having to apply for a permit every time we want to fly to the UK, which will cost around £80 ($111) per flight and take up to 48 hours for approval.”

According to EBAA, GlobeAir’s predicament could be mirrored by many fellow EU operators. “The UK will most likely supply new block permits [on April 1] but only to countries on a reciprocal basis,” it said. “So far that has been agreed with Italy and France.” EBAA is urging affected EU-based operators to “reach out” to their respective governments, national associations, and aviation authorities to raise awareness.

New Million Air location open in El Paso (ELP)

Expected to set the bar for the region, Million Air opened a new state-of-the-art FBO at El Paso International Airport.

FAA Set To Release New Ops Procedures in Florida

The FAA is set to roll out the first phase of its long-planned South-Central Florida Metroplex airspace optimization program with the publication of 54 new operational procedures on April 22. Designed to improve air traffic flow throughout the South-Central Florida region, the procedures will facilitate more direct flights with more efficient climb and descent profiles, the agency said.

While all 54 procedures will be released at the same time, the FAA stipulated they are not intended for simultaneous use. Seventeen of the procedures will require additional controller training and automation upgrades at ATC facilities before they can be implemented, the agency said, adding this should occur by mid-August. In addition, the availability of the procedures will be dependent on weather and operational requirements. The changes will incorporate new routes that may alter aircraft flight paths and altitudes in certain areas, the agency further advised.

Release of the procedures follows the FAA’s issuance of the Finding of No Significant Impact and Record of Decision for the project in October 2020. That finding was the culmination of an environmental evaluation process that included 29 public workshops, two comment periods, and more than 3,200 comments.

South-Central Florida is one of 11 metroplex initiatives that the FAA has had ongoing nationwide, and the final project to be implemented, the agency said.

New Hangar Complex Construction Starts at SoCal Airport

Work has begun on CloudNine, a private hangar complex at California’s Camarillo Airport. The $34 million facility, which is expected to open in May 2022, will offer four 25,200-sq-ft Group 1 hangars with 30-foot-high doors to accommodate the latest ultra-long-range business jets. Each hangar will also have up to 5,100 sq ft of attached Class A office space.

The complex is being built on a 50-year leasehold and will be the first infrastructure on the north side of the field. It will also have its own private entrance off Las Posas Road. The seven-acre site is now being prepared to receive the first load of structural steel, which is slated to arrive early next month.

Real estate developer and CloudNine founder Ron Rasak noted that one of the four hangars already has a long-term lease commitment and that discussions on the remainder continue with potential tenants. Ground-handling services for the facility will be contracted to Air7, one of four FBOs on the field.

“Building a private hangar campus strengthens the aviation businesses already at the airport by attracting new tenants,” said Rasak. “Aircraft operators of the caliber we seek for CloudNine bring with them professional, high-paying jobs and support our community of FBOs, MROs, and other businesses in the area.”

Wheels Up, Waldorf Astoria Enter Partnership

Wheels Up has entered into a partnership in which its members will receive exclusive perks at 10 Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts properties in North America. It’s also the largest hotel partnership for the private aviation membership company.

The perks for Wheels Up members include luxury ground transportation to the Waldorf property, access to a dedicated concierge, personalized service, room upgrades based on availability, complimentary breakfast and Wi-Fi, and guaranteed late checkout. “Our two brands are aligned and committed to an impeccable standard of service that has inspired this program, and we look forward to future collaborations on the ground and in the air,” said Wheels Up senior v-p Mark Krolick.

Participating properties are Waldorf Astoria Atlanta; Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Point, California; Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills; Grand Wailea (Hawaii), a Waldorf Astoria Resort; Arizona Biltmore, a Waldorf Astoria Resort; Waldorf Astoria Park City (Utah); Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal in Cabo San Lucas; Waldorf Astoria Orlando; Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas; and Waldorf Astoria Chicago.

Piper Aircraft CEO Simon Caldecott Retiring

Piper Aircraft president and CEO Simon Caldecott is retiring on April 2 after leading the Vero Beach, Florida aircraft manufacturer for the past 10 years and spending 47 years in the aviation industry. The company leadership has been working with the board of directors over the past several months on a succession plan and expects to announce a new leadership structure soon, Piper said.

“I am proud of the dedicated team at Piper and our global dealership network,” Caldecott added. “With everything in place, the company’s future prospects are extremely encouraging and I look forward to a smooth transition.”

Caldecott took the reins at Piper in 2011 and led the company during a rapid expansion as it extended its reach into the training market and its M-Class product line. When he became CEO, Piper had delivered 136 aircraft valued at $130 million. By 2019, that had swelled to 290 aircraft valued at $260 million. Under his stewardship, Piper introduced the M600 turboprop single and launched the Garmin Autoland technology, Halo, on the M600 SLS. 

“It has been an honor and privilege leading Piper Aircraft through a transformative journey,” Caldecott said. “We strengthened the leadership team with new talent, made major facility improvements to make a safer workplace, and strengthened relations with the community, as well as with major suppliers.”