Private jet operator Airshare is launching a new pilot retention and recruitment program that is primarily focused on captains in the midst of increasing demand for private flying. The Lenexa, Kansas-based fractional, charter, jet card, and aircraft management company is also looking to boost aircraft supply for its growing fleet.
Specifically, Airshare will be increasing its captain pay by an average of 25 percent across the board. It also will offer signing bonuses for pilots joining Airshare with Embraer Phenom type ratings, as well as establish a bonus program for each hour a pilot flies over the standard 125 hours a month. First-year captains can earn up to $150,000. Airshare pilots generally work an eight-day-on, six-day-off schedule.
Between new aircraft and a 14 percent increase in new fractional owners and jet cardholders in the past few months, pilot recruitment and retention have taken on greater urgency for the company. “We’re kind of going through this growth mode and as Covid hit demand has gone crazy," Airshare CEO John Owen told AIN. “We’re just constantly figuring out how we can better ourselves and be ready for the future.”
Airshare is also offering more base cities to attract pilots. They include Chicago; Denver; St. Louis; Wichita; Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Houston, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, and San Antonio, Texas; Buffalo, New York; and Kansas City.
Mena Aerospace Enterprises is relaunching its business aviation activities through a partnership with Europe-based Sparfell, which will support Mena's efforts to expand services such as aircraft and passenger handling, charter flights, and the provision of hangars.
Until recently, Mena operated a pair of Bombardier Learjet 60s that were based in Dubai through a partnership with Austria-based International Jet Management (IJM). But a change in ownership at IJM resulted in the aircraft being transferred to another company’s air operator certificate (AOC) and moved to another base.
On November 3, Mena announced a new air freight division called Mena Cargo. At the time, it said this represented a strategic shift resulting from the stronger demand for cargo transportation seen in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
Since the start of the year, Mena says it has seen a 30 percent increase in demand for handling services at its Bahrain International Airport FBO. The partnership calls for Switzerland-based Sparfell to manage aircraft on behalf of Mena, which will now seek its own AOC in Saudi Arabia, allowing it to offer charter flights in that country. Last week, it announced that its Mena Technics division, which provides various aircraft engineering services, has opened an office at Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia.
Sparfell plans to manage aircraft for Mena under its Austrian AOC, which falls under EASA’s Europe-wide jurisdiction.
NBAA recently celebrated the award of the 700th certified aviation manager (CAM) recognition. Capt. Kathy Stafford, a pilot with more than 30 years of experience, achieved the milestone CAM recognition.
“I felt earning the CAM certification would reflect my commitment to professionalism, learning, and self-improvement, while bringing potential value to an employer,” said Stafford, who moved into a new role of chief pilot and has worked for Air Midwest, US Airways, Office Depot, and Executive Jet Management, among others. “Discovering the complexities of operating a flight department legally as a Part 91 operator was new and challenging. My studies through the CAM program greatly enhanced my knowledge base while providing guidance and resources I was unfamiliar with.”
The CAM program is designed to prepare and recognize business aviation professionals to lead departments and organizations. CAM professionals must demonstrate proficiency and experience in leadership, human resources, operations, technical and facilities services, and business management.
The program continues to gain steam—NBAA launched the program in 2003 and it passed the 200th CAM award in 2013. “We are positioned extremely well to continue to grow with the ever-changing needs of our current and future leaders,” said Tyler Austin, NBAA's director of certification. “With the workforce challenges we continue to see, the CAM credential is a perfect tool for succession planning and retention.”
Gulfstream Aerospace has appointed the UAE’s Empire Aviation Group (EAG) as an authorized international sales representative for the U.S. aircraft manufacturer's business jets in India. EAG has provided aircraft sales, aircraft management, and charter services in India and the UAE since its launch in 2007. Under the agreement, EAG will be responsible for promoting and supporting Gulfstream with customers and prospects throughout India.
“As interest in the Gulfstream family of aircraft grows throughout India, we wanted to ensure we have local representation that not only possesses significant experience dealing with Gulfstream aircraft, but can also deliver a personal approach befitting the number one brand in business aviation,” said Gulfstream senior v-p of worldwide sales Scott Neal. “Empire Aviation Group will provide Gulfstream with both as we continue to expand our presence in this important market.”
EAG provides private aviation services from its base in Dubai, specializing in aircraft management, flight operations, charter, and aircraft sales, as well as continuing airworthiness management organization services.
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Air Partner has announced a new sustainability strategy that includes appointing an executive leader, using carbon offsets, and reviewing additional sustainability efforts for implementation.
Specifically, the UK-based aviation services provider recently appointed Greg Charman as environmental, social, and governance manager to oversee its sustainability initiatives, including staff development and carbon reduction programs. The company also will be encouraging stakeholders to tap into its partnerships with Raleigh International and Climate Care, the latter of which will calculate carbon emissions from flights and offset those by adding a cost directly to the price of a flight.
Air Partner also will host its first tree-planting activity in December, where it expects to plant hundreds of trees in East Sussex. Other sustainability practices Air Partner plans to implement are: working to make all of its offices paperless by 2022 and increasing their use of renewable energy; encouraging online training courses for staff; reviewing its use of sustainable aviation fuel; and developing a sustainable procurement policy.
“We are committed to acting responsibly with our people, clients, and partners to deliver positive change through our evolving sustainability strategy,” said Air Partner CEO Mark Briffa.
Cirrus Aircraft held a grand opening of its Aircraft Innovation Center in Chandler, Arizona, last week. Located about 16 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, the facility will employ about 24 engineers to provide avionics, electrical, and software engineering services to the company’s product development team at its headquarters in Duluth, Minnesota.
“The Chandler innovation center is more than just an exciting inflection point in the trajectory of the growth of Cirrus,” said Cirrus president of innovation and operations Pat Waddick. “It not only signals an aggressive investment in our innovation and product development capability, but it highlights the role of technology in the future of general aviation.”
In addition, Cirrus this month will soon hold an official grand opening for its innovation center in McKinney, Texas, that supports all engineering disciplines. Both facilities are now in operation and support the product development team responsible for advancing new technologies and designs for product introductions.
Meanwhile, the company started operations at its new flight training facility in Scottsdale, Arizona, last month, providing Cirrus flight training and aircraft management services. “The expansion of Cirrus Flight Training in Arizona continues our mission of providing world-class training through both our company-owned facilities and partner network around the world,” said Cirrus Aircraft CEO Zean Nielsen.
The Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) is confident that the 2021 Dubai Airshow, the first major international aviation event in almost two years, this week will presage a return to form for the region’s business aviation community. In fact, the sector has a strong showing in terms of traffic volumes over recent quarters due in part to the dearth of scheduled flights available in the Gulf.
"Everybody was hoping to see confidence come back," said MEBAA founding and executive chairman Ali Alnaqbi, even though smaller helicopter and travel events had taken place in Dubai in the past year. “There were a couple of smaller shows in Dubai in the past 12 months, but not on the scale of Dubai Airshow or the MEBAA show. The Dubai Airshow is a gathering for aviation, an event that will give people a sense of perspective in the effort to get back to normal.”
Meanwhile, Alnaqbi said the business aviation migration from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Al Maktoum International in Dubai South (DWC) in Dubai South, a key gauge of industry health in the city, was continuing. Official first-half traffic numbers at the DWC VIP terminal jumped 347 percent in the first half, to 8,088 flights. “Business aviation is now in better shape than in the [second] quarter and the beginning of the year,” he concluded.
VR Technologies, the developer of the Russian coaxial VRT500 light turbine single helicopter, has been 50 percent share acquired by the UAE’s Tawazun Economic Council, which also signed a letter of intent to purchase 100 of the aircraft collectively valued at $248 million. Tawazun is the UAE defense and security acquisitions authority for the UAE Armed Forces and Abu Dhabi Police.
This move is part of a coordinated campaign to ease Western certification of the aircraft and thus widen its commercial appeal. The first part of that strategy emerged last year when VR acquired Italy-based Vertex Aero from the Mecaer Aviation Group (MAG). Vertex holds EASA design organization approval.
Under the new ownership structure, VR will now be owned by Singapore-based Aeroter, along with Tawazan and another undisclosed entity as joint owners. VR had previously been wholly-owned by Russian Helicopters. As part of its ownership of VR, Tawazun committed $400 million of fresh investment to the enterprise. Currently, EASA certification of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207V-powered VRT500 is expected in 2024. First certification test flights are expected next year.
Separately, Aeroter announced an exclusive five-year agreement with Savback Helicopters AB of Sweden to distribute and sell the VRT500 in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland.
Aviation Safety Question of the Week
Provided by
If the stop bar lights have not been switched off after receipt of an instruction to proceed forward during taxiing, the pilot:
A. Must seek clarification from ATC before proceeding.
B. Must proceed as instructed.
C. Must discuss the issue with the other crewmember and make sure the instruction heard was correct before proceeding.
D. None of the above.
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