With areas of Florida’s Central Gulf Coast devastated last week by Hurricane Ian, rescue and relief efforts continue at many of the area airports. Southwest Florida International Airport (KRSW) in Fort Myers remains a hub of activity as responders have set up a command post there.
That post was visited by President Joe Biden, who landed at KRSW aboard Air Force One on Wednesday to view the damage in the area. Speaking at the PrivateSky Aviation Services FBO, he described the activity as “the largest search and rescue force ever assembled in the U.S.”
Victoria Wolanin, CEO of PrivateSky, the sole service provider on the field, told AIN that they were asked during the storm if they would allow their facility at KRSW to be turned into a temporary military base to facilitate search-and-rescue missions. Since then, the FBO’s hangars have become home to hundreds of National Guard members, soldiers, and EMS personnel.
A swarm of military rotorcraft—including Chinooks, Black Hawks, Lakotas, and Ospreys—has been flying missions from dawn until dusk, carrying survivors and emergency supplies to and from the heavily-impacted areas. “We couldn’t be more proud of the ladies and gentlemen of team PrivateSky, many of whom have lost their homes, but continue to show up each day to assist the National Guard with their operation to save our community at large,” said Wolanin.
AINsight: Life Milestones
I would imagine that you have your own set of milestones that help you set your personal clocks. Mine are very specific and get me through the year. As you read this, I will be celebrating a big one in Europe. Birthdays are a time to recount one’s health and well-being.
Look around yourself and count your blessings. This birthday for me has me thinking of my career and how I have fared. I started thinking back to 1974 when I started a Piper dealership in Houston, Texas. My partners and I took over a defunct dealership at Hobby Airport.
Within the first year, we had turned the business around to be the largest by sales volume of the Piper network in North America. Then the next year to be the largest by volume in the world. That’s lots of Piper aircraft sold.
I can remember a sales lesson I learned and one that strikes me to this day, when customers would come into my office and say, “Give me your best price.” I was so young and naive that I thought that was what they meant. So, of course, I would give them my best price.
General Aviation Manufacturers Association president and CEO Pete Bunce expressed skepticism that a “broken” FAA could adequately manage an increasing workload imposed by advanced air mobility. Speaking at the Vertical Aviation Safety Team Conference on Thursday, he noted that 40 percent of FAA employees have less than three years’ job experience and many are still working from home due to the overhang from Covid restrictions.
“If they can't work together and learn from each other by being in the same offices together, how are they ever going to regulate our industry properly?” Bunce asked. “Those of you that have tried to register aircraft out there, the registry is broken. It's taking nine months to a year to register an aircraft. That should be a push of a button, and there's no excuse for that. And it's because they're working from home and there's no accountability out there for the workforce.”
Bunce called for the implementation of workplace, personnel, and procurement reforms at the agency that were passed in the 1990s but never implemented. “So we are going to really try to emphasize how broken things are and it's not because the FAA has poor leadership. I think we've got very good leadership in the FAA, but we have not given tools to the FAA leadership to be able to properly lead and manage the organization.”
Global business aircraft flight activity during September came in 2.9 percent stronger than a year earlier but is expected to slow in North America and Europe this month, according to the latest report from business aviation safety specialist and data analyst Argus International.
In North America, flight activity during the month was up just 0.1 percent, with 405 more flights logged than a year earlier. Before Hurricane Ian, flights in North America had been on track to finish higher by 2.3 percent.
The results by aircraft category were uneven year-over-year, with turboprops, small cabins, and midsize cabins down by 0.2 percent, 0.5 percent, and 1 percent, respectively, for the month. Flights involving large-cabin aircraft, meanwhile, increased by 4.5 percent
In Europe, flights were down 0.8 percent overall as midsize jet activity dipped 7.4 percent year-over-year. Large-cabin operations, however, improved by 6.7 percent last month versus a year ago. In the rest of the world, flights surged by 34.2 percent, with turboprop activity climbing 62.6 percent.
As for October activity, Argus estimates there will be a 3.3 percent year-over-year dip in North America, while flights in Europe are expected to be down 0.6 percent at the same time.
The Relationship of Technology and Corporate Flight Departments—Q&A
Join myairops for a question and answers session focused on US 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.
Lockheed Martin Skunk Works will put a secret hypersonic airplane on static display at the Edwards AFB airshow from October 14 to 16. But it will never fly. It is the Darkstar full-scale model that is featured in the opening scenes of this year’s hit movie “Top Gun: Maverick.”
The exhibit looks set to be the main attraction, at least on the first day of the show, when some 12,000 students from high schools in the region will attend. Lockheed and the show organizers hope that it will stimulate interest in aerospace careers.
Skunk Works is currently on a hiring drive, having secured multiple, mostly classified contracts from the Pentagon over the past few years. Last year, it opened a new 215,000-sq-ft advanced manufacturing facility at its Palmdale headquarters.
“Darkstar may not be real, but its capabilities are. Hypersonic technology is a capability our team continues to advance today by leveraging more than 30 years of hypersonic investments and development and testing experience,” Skunk Works said when the movie debuted in April.
Rumor and speculation about such developments at Palmdale, California, have circulated for years. First it was the “Aurora” and later the “SR-72.”
Preowned business aircraft exceeded or continued to hold their value in September even as inventory levels rose, according to Sandhills Global’s latest aviation industry market report. That’s especially true among turboprops, the asking values of which surpassed highs that were reached earlier in May.
In the U.S. and Canada, turboprops’ asking equipment value index (EVI)—a Sandhills proprietary measure used to monitor equipment markets—in September increased 3.3 percent month-over-month and 33 percent year-over-year. Used turboprop inventory increased by 4.3 percent in September but remained down 30.4 percent from a year ago.
For preowned business jet aircraft globally, September inventory rose 3.7 percent—the eighth consecutive month of increases—and was up 14 percent from a year ago. However, asking EVI edged higher at 3.4 percent for the month and 22.4 percent year-over-year.
“Aircraft market segments continue to show strength despite a weakening economic outlook,” said Sandhills’ Controller department manager Brant Washburn.
NBAA is honoring former board member and industry safety advocate Doug Schwartz with its John H. Winant Award. Named after the association’s first full-time staff president, the Winant Award is presented annually to a former NBAA board member with extensive service to the industry. Schwartz will be recognized this month during NBAA-BACE 2022 in Orlando, Florida.
The former manager of global aviation services at ConocoPhillips, Schwartz spent nearly 14 years on NBAA’s board of directors before he retired in 2016 and has served as chair of the association’s Safety Committee. NBAA credited Schwartz with advancing focus surrounding data-based safety initiatives and the identification of root causes for accidents. In addition, he helped forward safety and security considerations in best practices while he was chair of the NBAA Security Council.
In his role at ConocoPhillips, Schwartz oversaw executive flight operations, corporate shuttle operations, global charter flight support, and aviation facilities management. He also served with FlightSafety International for 25 years, helping in the development of crew resource management training and the introduction of such programs for business aviation. He further held leadership roles at TAG Aviation and AT&T.
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said Schwartz's “continued, tireless work to advance business aviation safety has extended well beyond his service with NBAA’s board of directors, in the best tradition set by John Winant.”
Aspen Flight Academy (AFA), a nonprofit organization and flight-training school that provides high school students the opportunity to become pilots, hosted its annual fundraiser on October 1 at the Atlantic Aviation FBO at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport in Colorado. The event raised thousands of dollars in new scholarships for AFA’s “Every Student Flies” initiative.
Founded in 2014, AFA has partnered with the Aspen School District since 2019 on a program that gives every student the opportunity to receive one hour of flight instruction and learn about aviation careers. AFA, which stakes its claim as the first carbon-neutral flight school in the country, provides both classroom and flight training to help students achieve their pilot’s license.
The fundraiser showcased AFA’s technology and flight-training capabilities with festivities including live music, airplane displays and rides, and food. Industry representatives, academy students, and instructors were on hand to discuss the opportunities.
Atlantic Aviation is among the sponsors in the effort, providing complimentary fuel for the participating flights. In addition, the FBO announced a $100,000 scholarship program for five students to obtain their private pilot certification. In addition, Englewood, Colorado-based charter provider Mayo Aviation announced the establishment of a Gwendolyn O. Mayo Memorial Scholarship at the event, with plans to award a $20,000 university scholarship to a student in the program to pursue a career in professional aviation.
One of a KIND sunrise. Corporate pilot Chris Steele sent in this beautiful image of a recent sunrise at Indianapolis International Airport (KIND) with his company’s jet in the foreground. We appreciate you remembering to snap a photo so early in the morning before you start work for the day, Chris. So thanks!
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