VIP Completions has acquired and fully refurbished a 22-year-old Dassault Falcon 2000 that it is now using as a flying showroom demonstration aircraft. The Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based aircraft completions and refurbishment specialist has outfitted more than 600 aircraft and decided to undertake the acquisition and revamp its own business jet to show customers proof of its work.
“Owning our own business jet is the perfect way to demonstrate what we do,” said VIP Completions president Ben Shirazi. “The Falcon 2000 is an excellent aircraft and an ideal platform for our team to display their creativity and talent. It will be based at our Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport facility and will be shown at NBAA regional forums across the country.” The next such forum will be held in Miami-Opa locka, Florida, on February 8.
The company’s twinjet features 10 custom-designed seats using Garrett leathers, oak woodwork in a matte brown finish, carpeting and cabin details using Loro Piana fabrics, and a custom bar area adjacent to the galley and open to the cabin. The aircraft’s cabin management and in-flight entertainment systems include a custom Alto audio system calibrated for the cabin using Alto’s MySound optimization tool, as well as cabin management system control by way of Creston touch panels at each seat and in the galley.
Congress is debating raising the mandatory retirement age of airline pilots to curb flight cancellations caused by a shortage of pilots. The legislation—called “Let Experienced Pilots Fly Act”—introduced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and five other Republican senators, is a “stopgap” measure that would keep airline pilots on the flight deck for two additional years, raising the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 years of age.
If this proposal becomes law, there will be no changes to current medical certification standards, such as assessments of cognitive abilities, for these older pilots. Likewise, there are no proposed changes to pilot training and qualification programs.
Graham said his proposed legislation “extends the mandatory retirement age by two years and will make an immediate and appreciable difference in keeping highly-trained pilots on the job.” He added, “We have a crisis when it comes to airline travel—we have a pilot shortage and those who say we don’t, well they are just full of it.”
Citing medical reports from 2007—when the retirement age was increased from 60 to 65 years—lawmakers backing the proposal say raising the retirement age of airline pilots will have an “insignificant impact” on performance in the cockpit. Will it, though?
This year’s Citation Jet Pilots (CJP) Owner Pilot Association convention kicked off on Wednesday with more than 560 attendees, many who flew to Georgetown Executive Airport north of Austin, Texas, in 160 Cessna Citations. CJP now has 1,427 members who operate 916 Citations, and during the past two years there have been zero incidents or accidents involving members and their airplanes.
With safety as a key focus of CJP and its CJP Safety and Education Foundation, yesterday’s first full day of the convention began with a safety standdown. CJP Safety Committee chair Charlie Precourt, a CJ1+ owner and former space shuttle commander, led the first session, “The Quest for Safety.”
He provided details of CJP’s new flight operations quality assurance program and its Safe To Land initiative. The latter is specifically designed to tackle the high rate of runway excursions in personal and business jet operations. “Data shows about 35 percent of all hull losses are from runway excursions,” Precourt said. “That’s a big area for us to focus on. We’re working hard to do our part to drive these trend lines lower.”
CJP members were able to attend a two-hour ground school for Safe To Land on yesterday afternoon, and within certain time constraints this can be credited towards FlightSafety’s upcoming Safe To Land course, which will be available next year.
The FAA has released an advisory circular (AC) to guide pilots on the regulatory obligation to see and avoid other aircraft. AC 90-48E, “Pilots’ Role in Collision Avoidance," alerts pilots of their potential contribution to midair collisions and near-midairs and recommends improvements in training, operating practices, and scanning techniques to reduce conflicts.
While not mandatory, the guidance is designed to clarify the pilots' responsibilities under existing requirements, the agency said, adding it is considered one of the tools and advisory materials designed to reduce the risk of midair collision. Released on October 20, the AC replaces AC 90-48D CHG 1, which was dated June 28, 2016.
Included in the AC are numerous regulatory citations, along with links to available reference materials. It reminds of regulations surrounding the basic see-and-avoid requirement—“when weather conditions permit, pilots operating IFR or VFR are required to observe and maneuver to avoid other aircraft”—and points to regulations surrounding right-of-way rules, operating on or in the vicinity of an airport, operations in classes of airspace, basic and special visual flight rules (VFR) minimums, equipment requirements, and ADS-B, among others.
At the same time, though, the AC also warns of limitations of see-and-avoid, including human factors, environmental conditions, and operational distractions. It discusses technologies, communications, in-flight procedures and maneuvering, and training to protect against midairs.
The Relationship of Technology and Corporate Flight Departments - Q&A
Join myairops for a question and answers session focused on U.S. Corporate Flight Departments. Tim Ford, President of myairops, provides market insights in addition to providing a view on the challenges that corporate flight departments face and how a transition to a new platform could drive greater efficiencies.
Airbus Helicopters's earnings surged during the first nine months, with the company today posting strong revenues, profits, and orders. Revenues increased year-over-year by 9 percent, to S4.51 billion, up from $4.13 billion in the same period last year. Meanwhile, earnings before interest and taxes jumped 22 percent, from $311.5 million to $379 million. In the third quarter alone, revenues increased by 15 percent from a year ago to $1.77 billion, while EBIT grew by 28 percent to $164.7 million.
The company said the growth was “partly driven by a growth in services and a favorable mix of programs. It also reflects non-recurring elements booked in Q1, including the positive impact related to retirement obligations.”
Helicopter orders in the first nine months jumped 33 percent from the year-ago period to 246 units, while the order backlog enlarged by 21 percent to 792 aircraft.
Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno Even said last month that he expects the worldwide helicopter market to continue to rebound into 2023 for the military and civil sectors, both in terms of new orders and hours flown by the installed fleet.
U.S. Department of Transportation and Homeland Security officials are increasing their reach into business and general aviation in their efforts to raise awareness about and combat human trafficking. Through the joint Blue Lightning Initiative, more than 200,000 aviation professionals have been trained to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how to report suspicious activity.
Speaking yesterday to the Greater Washington Business Aviation Association, Michael Camal, senior advisor at DHS’s Blue Campaign, said the campaign has received a lot of support from the industry, including pilots, airlines, and airports. But he added that recognizing such activity can be difficult—“That’s why we do this training.”
Camal noted that traffickers are using a variety of means to ensnare victims and said, “A lot of trafficking victims are transported via very public modes of transportation” but that the transport also includes “our private jet community and charter flights.” He said traffickers like the privacy afforded by private jets and they have become savvy about international crossings using out-of-the-way airports with little Customs and Border Protection presence.
Officials encourage workers to report suspicions of human trafficking any time of the day or week to the tip line at (866) 347-2423 in the U.S. and Canada and (802) 872-6199 at international destinations. Along with training, the Blue Campaign is planning a Human Trafficking Awareness Summit for aviation professionals on January 26 in Washington, D.C.
The Vuichard recovery method for vortex ring state, otherwise known as settling with power, will be taught during a half-day course at the upcoming European Rotors. The conference will be heldNovember 8 to 10 in Cologne, Germany.
Claude Vuichard, who began his pilot career in 1981, has logged more than 16,000 flight hours and holds 15 different type ratings. He is the developer of the “Vuichard Recovery Technique,” a method of recovering from vortex ring state that produces minimal altitude loss. Today, the technique is included in the FAA’s “Helicopter Flying Handbook” as “the quickest exit” from vortex ring state and is taught worldwide. In 2018, the Helicopter Association International named Vuichard as the recipient of its Salute to Excellence Safety Award. He is active worldwide as a speaker, aviation consultant, and flight instructor.
The Vuichard Recovery Aviation Safety Foundation will conduct the course along with another half-day course dealing with human-factor accidents in helicopter operations. Vuichard also will make a presentation on safe autorotations in training and operation.
In addition, the conference will feature hands-on safety demonstrations at the EASA Rotor Safety Zone on the exhibit floor with a Robinson R44 provided by German operator and MRO Heli-Flight. Attendees can practice their skills in pre-flight checks, power management, and passenger briefing and boarding. Trainers include representatives from Heli-Flight, Balearic Helicopters, and Human Factors Consult.
Go Rentals—a rental car company specializing in the private jet industry and luxury hotels and resorts—is partnering with NuVinAir, a Dallas-based provider of proprietary and environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. Under the partnership, NuVinAir will support 66 of Go Rentals’ locations.
Launched as a franchise operation in 2019, NuVinAir's products are specifically tailored toward the automotive industry. “By ensuring all Go Rentals' vehicles are cleaned with NuVinAir's products, we reinforce confidence in their discerning customers every time they step foot inside their luxury rental,” said Kyle Bailey, NuVinAir's CEO and founding partner. “For the past 20 years, Go Rentals has been offering an unparalleled customer experience to their high-end clientele, and partnering with us to deliver pristine rentals deepens their level of dedication."
Go Rentals operates from 103 locations in 24 states. Go Rentals CEO Kaye Gitibin said the partnership allows the company’s customers to have the confidence of a healthy vehicle interior throughout their travels.
Photo of the Week
Seeing green. An eyeful of Eyafjallajokull. Pilot Anders Hostmark snapped this image of the Eyafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland at FL430 on his way from London to Vancouver. He described the scene perfectly: “The beautiful dark-blue sky accented by the midnight sun looks so peaceful and serene. But recalling the disruption it caused air traffic in 2010, it is a reminder to plan for the unexpected.” Thanks for sharing this beautiful view, Anders!
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