Dubai’s DCAF Sees Double-digit Rise in Bizav Activity

Crediting the UAE for its handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, DC Aviation Al-Futtaim (DCAF) in Dubai reported a 25 percent increase in private and business jet activity in the first quarter, which also fueled gains in its other services such as charter, ground handling, and MRO.

“The increase in flight movement is the result of the increased confidence in the UAE government’s vaccination program, tourism-related initiatives, and other economic stimulus measures taken to boost consumer and business sentiment,” said DCAF managing director Holger Ostheimer. “We have seen this increased number even into Ramadan, which is generally a quiet period, and we expect this trend to continue for the remainder of the year.”

Increases in VVIP guests from the Commonwealth of Independent States, Europe, India, and Pakistan, as well as visitors from Israel—following the signing of the Abraham Accords agreement to open diplomatic, trade, and economic relations between the two countries—helped to drive business higher during the period.

A joint venture between German business aviation operator DC Aviation and UAE conglomerate Al-Futtaim, DCAF operates from Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South with a 1,300-sq-m (13,993-sq-ft) VVIP lounge and two hangars measuring 5,700 sq m (61,354 sq ft) and 7,500 sq m (80,729 sq ft).

AINsight: New vs Preowned Gap Narrows for Bizjet Buyers

At my business aircraft brokerage, we are starting to see the delineation shrinking between new and preowned. This is because the opportunity to buy really good, late-model preowned aircraft is now harder to accomplish, and the price between the two choices is narrowing.

Take the Gulfstream G550, which is a popular aircraft with high demand and low supply. In the last few years, there has been a smaller number of G550s produced, and those have been reduced even more by the special-mission builds. This leaves very little choice at the top, which can drive a buyer to consider new in addition to just preowned.

This is exciting for the manufacturers. Of course, it can be intoxicating for manufacturers to consider ramping up production. Good news, though—the manufacturers are both very smart and have great memories. They understand what can happen by getting out ahead with production and then having hiccups in the market that result in an oversupply of inventory.

But even when buying new, having skilled support is critical in both the sales contract and completion processes to help ensure that all the components play well together, including the seats, paint, and avionics all being installed with the highest degree of fit, finish, and functionality.

Hadid-managed FBO Opens at Italy’s MayRiviera Airport

Riviera Executive Aviation, which is managed by Hadid International Services, opened its FBO this week at MayRiviera Airport, a private jet airfield on Italy’s northwest coast. “The launch of the new FBO was planned for April last year, but with the international Covid crisis—and we are still in a situation where nobody really knows when this will be substantially over—we just postponed it,” airport chairman Clemens Toussaint told AIN.

Announcement in 2018 of the Hadid deal with Riviera Airport marked the Dubai-based flight support specialist’s first entry into the international FBO space, creating Riviera Executive Aviation. Hadid also now operates an FBO at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan.

Meanwhile, a runway expansion project at the airport is expected to be completed a year from now, in time for the 2022 holiday season, according to Toussaint. A four-week suspension of operations in winter would be required for work to lengthen the runway to 5,900 feet (1,800 meters), but the exact timing of the works would depend on approvals from the Italian authorities.

Toussaint would prefer to operate under a 50-year lease rather than the current 20-year agreement with Italian civil aviation authority ENAC, as this would improve the economics of runway, MRO, and hangar expansion. He said the airport's business model relies on servicing aircraft that use the field as a year-round base.

NTSB Proposes Changes to Accident Notification Form

Revisions have been proposed to the NTSB’s accident notification form 6120.1, the document required to be filed with the Safety Board by the pilot, operator, or representative of an aircraft involved in an accident or incident that meets the reporting criteria of NTSB Part 830. Notably, the NTSB is proposing to update the form’s certification statement to include that, by signing the document, the pilot/operator consents to the public release of the information contained therein. The agency is also requesting additional information in several other sections of the form.

Because the NTSB may investigate accidents involving unmanned aircraft, the agency is adding “Certificate of Authorization” (COA) to the list of type of ATC services provided in the flight itinerary information section at the time of the mishap. The COA is an authorization issued by ATC to a public operator for a specific unmanned aircraft activity. 

In the weather information section, the agency is adding “Electronic Flight Bag (EFB)—Application” as an option followed by a space to specify the name of the EFB. Also, the agency will include “BasicMed” to the list of options in the medical certification section. Comments on the proposal are due July 6, 2021.

P&W, Collins Parent Supporting Covid Relief in India

With nearly 5,000 Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace employees in India, parent company Raytheon Technologies (RTX) is donating 1,000 oxygen concentrators through the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum as the country deals with a second wave of Covid-19 cases.

Additionally, teams across RTX are leveraging resources and using supply chains to provide personal protective equipment to employees and local communities in India. It will also match employee donations through May 22 for nonprofits that are supporting Covid-19 relief. RTX added it will continue to look for other ways to support India in this new wave of infections.

“We need a global response to tackle India’s second wave of Covid-19 infections,” said Pratt & Whitney president and head of country Ashmita Sethi. “The aerospace industry has been on the frontlines, with our military and airline customers transporting vaccines, oxygen, and medicines with urgency.”

For more than 70 years, Pratt & Whitney has supported India’s civil and military aviation communities with engines used on more than 680 turboprop, turbofan, and turboshaft aircraft in the country.

NATA Names Industry Excellence Award Recipients

NATA announced its slate of recipients for its 2019-2020 Industry Excellence Awards, recognizing five aviation executives for their leadership, customer service and professionalism, safety and training, and partnership efforts.

The association is honoring Orlando Sanford International Airport president and CEO Diane Crews with the Airport Executive Partnership Award in recognition of her “outstanding efforts to nurture the relationships between aviation businesses and airport operators.” Todd Shellnut, CFI academy standardization manager for ATP Flight School, is the recipient of the Excellence in Pilot Training Award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions in safety, professionalism, leadership, and excellence in the field of pilot training.”

Ernest Felix, a line service technician for Bohlke International Airways, was selected for the Safety 1st Certified Line Service Professional Award. This honor recognizes the achievements of certified line service professionals in an effort “to raise awareness of the positive impact they have on safety, service, and business success.” Betsy Santos-Torres, a customer service supervisor for Bohlke, was named as the recipient of the FBO Customer Service Representative Award, which recognizes “the valuable impact FBO CSRs have on the success of our industry.”

The association further is honoring GrandView Aviation COO Jessica Naor with the Future Leader Award, which is presented to an individual “who has shown outstanding promise, passion, and professionalism within the general aviation community.”

Columbia and Aurora Team On Vision System

Columbia Helicopters and Boeing’s Aurora Flight Sciences are collaborating to explore the development of an enhanced pilot situational awareness (EPSA) degraded visual environment (DVE) flight capability on a Columbia helicopter to be used for aerial firefighting. The DVE flight system is expected to combine onboard sensor inputs with Aurora’s automated trajectory planning technology to identify safe flight paths.

Data from these systems will be visually represented in a transparent heads-up display mounted to the pilot’s helmet. Columbia noted that while night vision devices (NVDs) are enabling some expansion to night operations, nothing currently exists to enable pilots to fly safely in DVEs caused by thick and persistent smoke during the day and that aerial firefighting largely remains a daylight operation.

A 2018 report by the U.S. Department of the Interior estimated that aerial fire suppression during DVE conditions could save $300 million per year, in addition to reducing fire losses by one million acres. “When aircraft have the ability to fight fires in all conditions, they can significantly contribute to reducing acres burned and the overall ballooning cost of fires,” said Santiago Crespo, Columbia’s v-p of growth and strategy.

Obituary: ‘Nips’ Offenberg Was Early Corporate Pilot

Nikita “Nips” Offenberg, 91, who was among the earlier corporate pilots and had a career that spanned nearly four decades, died on April 28 in St. Peterburg, Florida. Born May 18, 1929, in New York City to parents Anastasia (Hartwig-Gluhareff) and Sergei Offenberg, he was the stepson of Michael Gluhareff, one of the key Russian aeronautical engineers who worked with Igor Sikorsky in the development of flying boats and rotorcraft.

Learning to fly at Bridgeport Flying Service in Stratford, Connecticut, in 1947, Offenberg earned his commercial certificate in 1951 and became a pilot flying an L-18 Lockheed Lodestar for Kollsman Instrument. He became an FAA flight instructor and examiner and in 1956 joined the US Industries corporate flight department in White Plains, New York. There, he obtained an airline transport pilot certificate and became type rated on the Douglas DC-3 and Convair 440. He flew for Radio Corp. of America (RCA) and ultimately joined Great Lakes Carbon (GLC) in 1960.

Offenberg flew for GLC for 25 years, retiring in 1985 as chief pilot. Based at Sikorsky Memorial Airport, he flew a Convair-580 and Lockheed JetStar all over the world.

He is survived by his wife of 74 years, Lillian, and children Sandra Donaldson (Dennis), Laura Offenberg Dague (Arthur), and Glenn Offenberg. A memorial service is planned for June 20 in Stratford.

Count on AIN for Full Coverage of EBACE Connect

You can count on AIN for full coverage of EBACE Connect. Our team will publish one issue of our award-winning EBACE Convention News in early June. We will also have comprehensive real-time reporting of all the top news at AINonline.com and in our daily e-newsletters. Companies that wish to share news or propose pre-EBACE Connect interviews and briefings can contact show editor Chad Trautvetter.

Photo of the Week

Suncatcher. Photographer John Willis captured this photo of what appears to be a large-cabin business jet crossing the sun during a solar photography session from his backyard in Plano Texas. For camera aficionados, he used an 80-mm Lunt Solar telescope—specially filtered to bring out more solar surface detail—and an astronomy camera. The final image is a combination of five-millisecond exposures of solar surface and prominences (the flares on the edge of the disc). Thanks for sharing, John!

If you'd like to submit an entry for Photo of the Week, email a high-resolution horizontal image (at least 2000 x 1200 pixels), along with your name, contact information, social media names, and info about it (including brief description, location, etc.) to photos@ainonline.com. Tail numbers can be removed upon request. Those submitting photos give AIN implied consent to publish them in its publications and social media channels.