AINalerts will not publish tomorrow or Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S. AINalerts will resume publishing on Saturday, November 26 with the Weekly Digest issue. 

Dallas Metroplex Airport To Open New FBO Terminal

With business aviation traffic continuing to climb at Texas’s Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport (KAFW), Alliance Aviation Services will debut its new FBO there next month. The 20,000-sq-ft terminal replaces the former building, which will be remodeled and retained for tenant offices. It includes a vehicle porte-cochere, covered walkway from ramp to terminal, passenger lounge and café bar, interactive video wall in the lobby atrium, nursing room, and pilot lounge, along with conference rooms and tenant offices. Outdoor seating with ramp views has been integrated with the landscaping.

The project also included 68,000 sq ft of adjoining hangar space, giving the complex more than 200,000 sq ft of aircraft shelter that can handle the latest ultra-long-range business jets. KAPF originated from a public-private collaboration between Hillwood, the City of Fort Worth, and the FAA and is now one of the largest cargo airports in the U.S., as well as the anchor of a 27,000-acre industrial zone.

“The new FBO…uniquely positions us for the growing demand for an elite, private flying experience,” explained Alliance Aviation Companies president Christian Childs. “Pilots and passengers will soon have access to expanded amenities and the highest level of customer service they’ve become accustomed to over the years.”

AINsight: Six Feet from Disaster

Pilots have benefited from RNAV (GPS) approaches with vertical guidance for more than two decades. These approach procedures provide constant vertical guidance to a decision altitude (DA) and provide a huge leap in safety by eliminating the hazards associated with “dive-and-drive” non-precision approach procedures.

Undoubtedly, RNAV (GPS) approaches have reduced the threat of a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accident, but if not flown properly can be just as dangerous. 

Case-in-point: in May, the pilots of an Airbus A320 flying an RNAV (GPS) approach came within six feet—based on the radio altimeter (RA)—of hitting terrain 0.8 nm short of the runway at Paris Charles de Gaulle (LFPG) Airport. French civil aviation accident investigation agency BEA immediately commenced an investigation and classified the event as a serious incident.

The approach, as flown, was stable and procedurally correct with one exception—the crew failed to catch an error by an air traffic controller.

Jet Aviation Marks 20 Years of Supporting RAAF King Airs

Jet Aviation this month is marking 20 years of supporting the Royal Australian Air Force’s Beechcraft King Air 350. Since 2002, Jet Aviation has supported the turboprop twin from its facility in East Sale, Australia.

Initially, the General Dynamics company was contracted for the lease and full turnkey support of the modified King Air 350s for 10 years. In 2012, that contract was extended another 10 years and was expanded to include support for more than 110,000 flying hours, airborne training, light transport, and army support roles. Jet Aviation East Sale supports 11 of the type operated by the Number 32 Squadron.

“The King Air 350 Program is an exemplar in demonstrating the unique opportunities that can be available through the development of commercial aircraft and support systems to support defense outcomes,” said Jet Aviation Defence APAC v-p Craig Purry. “From the very beginning, the capability has proven to be safe, reliable, flexible, and effective for the Australian Defense Force. I am particularly proud of our employees, those who were with us at the beginning as Hawker Pacific, and those who continue with us today as Jet Aviation. All have contributed to the capability over the past 20 years.”

Fly Air Seeks To Be Private Aviation’s Amazon

Stuart Bullard—a jet-rated pilot, classically trained violinist, and music executive—is looking to be a major player in the high-tech world of aviation charter apps.

A musical prodigy who appeared on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child and went on to master 13 instruments and collaborate and produce multi-platinum albums with the likes of Dr. Dre, Bullard founded Fly Air five years ago. In 2020 he created the Fly Air app, which allows users to book private jet charters worth up to $1 million on their credit cards or using the world’s top 10 cryptocurrencies—on demand, anywhere, using voice integration, artificial intelligence, and blockchain technology. The Fly Air app connects to more than 400 FBOs worldwide and up to 10,000 aircraft, enabling customers to directly pick their jet.

Fly Air this year also has begun coordinating affinity group travel to the world’s leading art, music, film, and sporting events; high-tech and crypto conferences; and B2B and business-to-government gatherings. Fly Air counts as its clients leading music industry figures, other celebrities, and “crypto-influencers,” Bullard said.

According to Bullard, the Fly Air app differs from the competition in that the payment process is “effortless” and “comfortable.” He added, “We look at ourselves as the Amazon of private aviation. We source from anybody who is within the region of the customer.”

Delivering Reliable Connectivity at the Speed of Flight

With the ability to simultaneously monitor the performance of tens of thousands of air-to-ground connections, Gogo Business Aviation’s new Business Operations Center (formerly the Network Operations Center) is at the core of a more than 30-year commitment to delivering the best in-flight connectivity experience possible.

Southern Sky Aviation Adds Second AOG Team

FBO operator and maintenance provider Southern Sky Aviation has expanded its AOG service with the addition of a second mobile unit and team that will serve customers from Panama City, Florida, to New Orleans. Randy Radford has been named AOG team leader for the Gulf Coast region.

Southern Sky president Donald Howell noted that many of the company’s customers that use its repair station in Birmingham, Alabama, are based along the Gulf Coast. “These customers are very in-tuned to aviation services in their region, and we believe the Gulf Coast aviation community will support the additional AOG team,” he said. “We have seen strong growth in aircraft ownership all over the Southeast. The additional AOG team will help meet demand in the Gulf Coast area.”

Based at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, Southern Sky operates an FBO in Moss Point, Mississippi, at Trent Lott International Airport, and will open a second FBO at Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport in Panama City late next year. The company also provides charter and aircraft management, as well as aircraft sales.

Oklahoma’s Weatherford Stafford Airport Opens GA Terminal

Oklahoma’s Weatherford Stafford Airport (KOJA) held the ribbon cutting of its newly constructed general aviation terminal yesterday. The $1.6 million project, which took 11 months to build, replaces the former terminal that was part of the Stafford Air and Space Museum and could no longer accommodate the increase in traffic to the airport. The 3,479-sq-ft facility is nearly three times larger than the previous one.

The terminal features a spacious lobby and passenger waiting area, a conference room with built-in multimedia capabilities, and a dedicated pilot lounge with after-hours access, and is decorated throughout with pieces from the adjacent museum. The design and siting of the terminal—which houses the airport-operated FBO—afford an unobstructed view to both ends of the runway, allowing visitors to enjoy watching landing and departing aircraft. Its proximity to the ramp also allows for closer and more efficient parking of transient aircraft. 

KOJA is responsible for $6.3 million in annual economic impact to the local community.

“Weatherford is a growing community because of its forward-thinking policies and prime location in western Oklahoma,” said keynote speaker Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), one of several legislators and state officials who attended the event. “The new terminal will empower economic development, support jobs, and grow workforce opportunities as it draws new businesses to the area for years to come.”

JSSI Parts & Leasing Plans Florida Warehouse

JSSI Parts & Leasing plans to open an aircraft parts warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to attend to what the company said is a growing business aviation market. Through the warehouse, the unit of Jet Support Services—an independent provider of all-OEM maintenance support and financial services to business aviation—will offer more efficient, cost-effective, and quicker aircraft parts procurement to operators and maintenance facilities in the area.

“We are excited to open our first satellite location to support our valued customers in the rapidly expanding South Florida corridor, where we’ve seen increasingly strong demand for parts,” said JSSI Parts & Leasing president Ben Hockenberg.

The company has also hired Eric Callahan for parts sales in the Southeast, including Florida. “The new warehouse provides a convenient base for us to establish partnerships with key operators in this high-growth area,” Callahan said.

Serving about 20 percent of the global business jet fleet, JSSI’s three warehouses have an inventory of 50,000 parts that support 80 percent of airframes and 90 percent of engines.

EAA Chapter 40 Prepares for Milestone Young Eagles Flight

EAA Chapter 40 in Los Angeles is gearing up to provide its 10,000th Young Eagles flight on Saturday, November 26th. The chapter expects to provide 75 to 85 flights to youths that day and is planning a special flight for the milestone airplane ride. Volunteer pilots will offer free flights to children ages eight to 17 from 10:30 a.m until 2 p.m at San Fernando Valley's Whiteman Airport. In the event of unsuitable weather, the alternate date for the event will be December 17.

The Young Eagles program was established by EAA in 1992 to offer youth their first free ride in an airplane with the sole mission to introduce and inspire kids in the world of aviation. Pilots from the surrounding Los Angeles area have provided flights to area kids on the fourth Saturday of each month since the inception of the program, excluding Christmas Day or Eve and poor weather conditions.

To date, nearly 2.3 million young people have received an introductory flight through the international Young Eagles program. Young Eagles events in other regions can be found on the EAA's online calendar.