In a blockbuster transaction between FBO chains, Sheltair, the largest privately-owned aviation services provider in the U.S., has agreed to sell its five New York locations to Modern Aviation. Included are its facilities at John F. Kennedy International (KJFK), LaGuardia (KLGA), Republic (KFRG), Long Island MacArthur (KISP), and Francis Gabreski (KFOK) airports. The deal, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to close by year-end.
“During the past year, we received an unsolicited overture from Modern Aviation that compelled us to review our role in New York at a time when we are significantly enlarging our national footprint in other parts of the country,” said Sheltair president Lisa Holland. “Modern Aviation became an obvious and appropriate buyer given their corporate presence in New York, their track record of excellence at major airports elsewhere in the country, and their roster of respected professionals with extensive experience in the New York aviation community.”
Modern, supported by Tiger Infrastructure Partners, a middle-market private equity fund, began operations back in 2018, with its purchase of Air Wilmington. Since then the company has grown to include FBOs in other major cities including Denver and Seattle.
“We know the New York market is a highly attractive, growing general aviation market, and we plan to invest in additional infrastructure as we have continued to do in our other markets,” said Mark Carmen, Modern’s CEO.
The integration of Aircraft Performance Group’s (APG) runway performance data for more than 350 aircraft profiles and 9,000 monitored airports with RocketRoute’s global routing and filing capabilities and Seattle Avionics’ global ChartData has resulted in the development of iPreFlight Genesis Pro, a collaboration between the three AFV Partners companies. A web- and iPad-based application, iPreFlight Genesis Pro provides coordination between dispatchers and flight crews for global routing, runway performance, weight and balance, and flight plan calculation and filing.
In turn, the new system eliminates inefficient telephone calls, significantly decreases operational change reaction times, and improves communication accuracy between dispatchers and flight crews, according to AFV Partners.
“iPreFlight Genesis Pro uniquely combines the assets and intellectual property of all three companies within our aviation group to optimize the flight route based on multiple parameters such as type of aircraft, load factor, weather conditions, and many more data points to deliver a high return on investment solution with a meaningful sustainability impact due to an optimized fuel burn profile for our customers,” said AFV Partners founder, chairman, and CEO Tony Aquila. “This solution is the first of many that will leverage the people, technology, and data across APG, RocketRoute, and Seattle Avionics to create new products that will have a lasting positive impact on aviation and the environment.”
Sheltair To Expand Hangar Space at Tampa FBO
Sheltair is breaking ground this week on a hangar and office complex at its Tampa International Airport (KTPA) facility in Central Florida. The $25 million project, the start of which was delayed due to Covid, will consist of four hangars ranging from 14,562 to 33,269 sq ft, each with build-to-suit offices. This will add a total of more than 77,000 sq ft of aircraft storage space for business jets and 32,000 sq ft of tenant office space.
When completed in the third quarter of 2022, the project will expand the FBO’s existing 150,000 sq ft of hangar space. It will also add a gated parking lot with special security for the city’s local sports teams, including its champion Buccaneers football and Lightning hockey teams.
“The growth of general aviation and private aircraft operations has been one of the success stories of the past few years, even through the pandemic,” said Tampa Internatonal Airport CEO Joe Lopano. “Sheltair has been a wonderful partner in serving this sector of our business and we’re thrilled to welcome this major expansion.”
MD Helicopters Hit with Federal Fraud Verdict
Two former MD Helicopters executives could cash in big after a federal jury last month found the company guilty of fraud in relation to military sales to El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, and Costa Rica in 2011 and 2012. Under federal law, the $36 million damage award could be trebled, and whistleblowers Philip Marsteller and Robert Swisher, who originally filed the complaint in 2013, could receive up to 30 percent of the final amount.
The award calls into question the future market value of MD, which is widely believed to be being primed for sale since the departure of former CEO Lynn Tilton in 2020. Tilton was dismissed as a party to the suit prior to trial. An MD spokesman has not responded to AIN’s request for comment.
These fraud charges centered on Col. Norbert Vergez, who ran the U.S. Army’s non-standard rotary-wing program from 2010 to 2012, and his relationship with MD, which became his employer via Tilton and her management company, Patriarch Partners, in 2013. Vergez pled guilty to making false statements and criminal conflict of interest in 2015. The charges stemmed from his failure to report receiving $30,000 for “relocation expenses” related to his immediate post-service employment with Patriarch.
Safer Training Through High-Tech Reality Replication
To be prepared for anomalies and emergencies, crews need to know the aircraft systems, avionics, flying characteristics, and emergency procedures before they jump into the simulator. With more than 70 years of training, FlightSafety brings as much realism into the classroom as possible using advanced-technology simulators, virtual reality and computer-assisted debriefing tools.
The National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is advising its members to remain alert on a number of changing policies surrounding international travel and vaccine mandates. These include the lifting of travel restrictions on November 8 for fully vaccinated international visitors. Proof of vaccination will be required to enter the U.S. NATA noted it anticipates further guidance to be forthcoming on accepted vaccination and any potential exemptions from the requirement.
In addition, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) last week released a draft emergency temporary standard (ETS) covering upcoming requirements for private companies with more than 100 employees to ensure all are vaccinated or tested weekly. According to NATA, the enforcement timeline is still unclear but could take effect as early as December 1.
NATA is recording a question-and-answer session with Alison Squiccimarro of the Law Offices of Paul Lange to help members prepare for this mandate and expects to release the resource shortly.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government is requiring all air passengers departing from airports in the country to be vaccinated, effective October 30. Further, all employers in the federally regulated air transportation sector must establish vaccine requirements. NATA additionally is awaiting further guidance on whether there will be exceptions for non-Canadian-based flight crews.
Ex-NTSB Chair Sumwalt To Head Up New ERAU Safety Center
Robert Sumwalt, who spent 15 years at the NTSB, including nearly five as its chairman, is taking on a role as a distinguished fellow in aviation safety and executive director of a new Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety. He will step into the position on January 4 to launch the center that will tackle a range of safety issues surrounding new technologies from unmanned aerial systems and urban air mobility technologies to human-machine and machine-to-machine interfaces.
“Embry-Riddle’s Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety will serve as a business magnet for our region, by attracting industry and government partners eager to identify timely solutions,” said University president P. Barry Butler. “Robert Sumwalt’s deep knowledge of aerospace safety issues and his professionalism and commitment to excellence make him an ideal leader of this much-needed new enterprise.”
Sumwalt also will spearhead other aerospace safety research and outreach activities for the university and will have oversight responsibilities of existing safety initiatives.
He departed the Safety Board in June after becoming one of its longest-serving members. Joining the NTSB in 2006 and serving under four U.S. presidents, he was appointed chairman in 2017. Sumwalt has been a pilot for 32 years, including 24 years with Piedmont Airlines and U.S. Airways, and has amassed more than 14,000 flight hours.
Business Aviation Group has selected Million Air as the FBO operator for its Discovery Air complex currently under construction at Northern Colorado Regional Airport. The project, first announced in January, is planned to eventually include four large hangars encompassing nearly 180,000 sq ft of hangar space and a new 24,000-sq-ft FBO terminal, making it the second service provider on the field.
The first hangar—dubbed “Torrey’s Peak”—is nearly fully rented and is expected to open by year-end. Phase two of the development—which will consist of another heated 30,000-sq-ft hangar capable of sheltering the latest ultra-long-range business jets and the attached, two-story FBO terminal—is expected to follow in mid-2023. The terminal will also feature a restaurant and tenant offices on the upper level. Based on demand, phase three of the project would include a pair of larger hangars.
For the FBO chain, the Fort Collins/Loveland facility will be its first in the Rocky Mountain area.
“Million Air is thrilled to be a part of this 32-acre campus to mark our entrance into the Mountain West region,” said company CEO Roger Woolsey. “This is a great opportunity to share [our] standards of outstanding customer service and quality with a like-minded partner in Discovery Air.”
NAA Selects Shelly Simi for Brewer Trophy
The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) named Shelly Simi, a long-time industry executive and advocate, as the recipient of the 2021 Frank G. Brewer Trophy honoring “significant contributions of enduring value to aerospace education in the U.S.”
NAA, which will present the Brewer Trophy to Simi during its Fall Awards Dinner on December 6, said she is being recognized for “her professional leadership and unwavering dedication in promoting aviation and aerospace education through industry partnerships, workforce initiatives, and organizations dedicated to aviation across the United States."
Principal of industry relations and communications consultancy New Heights PR & Communications, Simi has had a career spanning more than three decades, including roles with GAMA, Adam Aircraft, Jeppesen, Boeing, and Aurora Flight Sciences. She also formerly led the National Association of State Aviation Officials.
During her career, NAA said, “Simi is known for going above and beyond to expand and promote aviation education outreach efforts that encourage students to choose aviation as a career.” She is a co-founder of the National Coalition for Aviation and Space Education to create a clearinghouse of resources for teachers through a partnership with FAA and other organizations. In addition, she helped establish the GAMA “Be a Pilot” learn-to-fly program and is a founding board member of Women in Aviation International.
Honda Aircraft lifted the curtain and unveiled a “concept” of its next aircraft—a larger light jet with a transcontinental range of 2,625 nm and with a midsize-jet cabin that seats up to 11 occupants—last Tuesday at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas. The configuration of the HondaJet 2600 is similar to the original HondaJet HA-420, with Honda Aircraft’s patented over-the-wing-engine-mount design, in which the two engines are attached to pylons mounted on top of the wings. The company is testing the market to assess demand for a jet like the HondaJet 2600, and that is in part why it unveiled the concept airplane at BACE. No decision on launching the jet program has been made. If the 2600 does get the go-ahead, it will be certified in the Part 23 commuter category and will be a single-pilot airplane.
People in Aviation
Cadence Aerospace appointed Jeff Capponi senior v-p of sales and marketing. Capponi joins Cadence with more than 20 years of aerospace business development experience, most recently with the structures division of engineering services provider Senior PLC and also with Synchronous Aerospace (later acquired by PCC Aerostructures).
Anthony Gaal joined West Star Aviation as a financial operations analyst at its Grand Junction, Colorado facility. Gaal has seven years of financial analysis experience in healthcare and IT fields.
AllianceJet brought Hervé Laitat on board as CEO. Laitat, who has 20 years of aviation experience, most recently was group chief strategy officer and CEO of Luxavation Belgium. He also has served as a board member and treasurer of EBAA for 15 years.
Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI) named Trevor Merszei v-p of business development for the Asia-Pacific region. Merszei has more than 14 years of international business jet sales, marketing, and executive leadership experience, most recently as CEO at Bangkok-based charter company OrientSKYs.
Jet East hired Dwayne Chandler to serve as senior director of avionics sales and business development, with oversight of all avionics sales and avionics upgrade sales. Chandler, who was a tactical data repair technician in the U.S. Marine Corps, has served as an avionics technician for Timco and Landmark Aviation and later held avionics sales roles with Constant Aviation and Stevens Aerospace.
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
AIN Alerts is a publication of The Convention News Company, Inc., 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2021. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
