Gamba takes thehelm at EBAA

The view from the top:chief pilots’ perspectives

They may have many responsibilities on the ground, but most chiefpilots will still find any opportunity to take the controls. Execujet’s Cedric Gitchenko competes in aerobatic championships and fliesvintage aircraft. See our Perspectives feature, starting on page 6.

BUSINESS AIR NEWSE U R O P E A N

ISSUE 217 AUGUST 2011

DEA expands into Italy as firstspecialist DA42 comes online

The European BusinessAviation Association hasappointed Fabio Gamba aschief executive. InSeptember he will take overfrom Brian Humphries,who will remain in the roleof EBAA president.

Gamba will run theEBAA business on a full-time basis from the

association’s Brussels headquarters.He was most recently the deputy secretary

general of the Association of EuropeanAirlines, where he promoted the interests oflegacy carriers and established strong ties with the European institutions and EUmember states.

Now he is focused on the needs of businessaviation: “In order to realise its truly amazingpotential and deploy its full benefits to theeconomy, business aviation needs fair and equitable rules that recognise itsspecificities,” he says. “Having spent the lastfive years fighting the airline corner, I now lookforward to using that expertise to helpbusiness aviation grow and develop its vitalrole in Europe.”

“We are delighted to welcome Fabio toEBAA,” says Humphries. “His extensiveexperience in the airline sector will be aparticular asset in continuing to convinceEuropean leaders of the vital role of our sectorin the European economy.”

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Diamond Executive Aviation hasreceived its first DA42MPP multi-purpose aerial sensing aircraft andnow has plans to expand itsoperations to bases in Italy.

The latest aircraft arrived at thecompany’s Retford base at the end ofJune after a five hours 45 minutenon-stop flight from the factory inWiener Neustadt.

The delivery flight was carriedout by Captain Chris Dawes andflight officer Sam Weston, and wasescorted by a DA42NG piloted byHenrik Burkal, managing director ofdistributor Diamond Aircraft UK.

The DA42MPP has the ability to support a wide range of externalsensors and has several featuresspecifically added to supportsurveillance and reconnaissancemissions.

With electronic Stormscopeweather detection and a trafficalerting system, both of which aredisplayed on the G1000 flightmanagement system in real time,the aircraft is able to handleconvective weather and conflictingtraffic with ease, says DEA.

It has been earmarked for avariety of pilot projects andevaluation programmes, some of

which are being directly managed by DEA and some jointly betweenDiamond Aircraft UK and DEA.

Last year DEA and RadiolaAerospace of New Zealand signed afive-year agreement to develop theDA42 as a platform for flightinspection. Two aircraft were fullymodified and now carry another 12aerials, enhanced power supplies,TCAS and strengthened load bays to carry the $500,000 flightinspection test systems.

In December DEA was granted aflight inspection extension to its AOC

by the CAA and has since flown over70,000 miles on flight inspectionwith over 50 inspections andcalibrations so far.

With regular journeys to theSahara, Morocco, Albania and theMiddle East, including new radio beacons near Baghdad, theflying has been ‘interesting at times', especially being followed out of the Baghdad area by apredator drone.

As EBAN went to press Radiolawas expecting to have receivedCAP670 approval, which DEA’s ceoPeter Bondar describes as “the CAA’sgold standard for flight inspection inthe UK, and arguably the mostdemanding standard anywhere inthe world.” This will allow themarketing of the DEA/Radiolasolution in the UK.

In addition to this, DEA hasprovided unaccompanied donorflights working with brokers such asFlight Serve, Fly Me Now and Aviastra on UK contracts. “Todayaround 65% of our time is spentflying passengers, small freight anddonor flights with the rest for flightinspection,” says Bondar.

“We have announced our plans

Henrik Burkal (left) officially hands the DA42MPP over to DEA’s co-founderChris Dawes and first officer SamWeston.

Continued on page 5

Pages 13 -14

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VistaJet has joined the RussianUnited Business Aviation Association,in recognition of the importance of the region to its future growth, and of the increasing activity of the association.

“Russian customers have alwaysadmired our luxury service and weare seeing unprecedented demand in Russia,” says chairman ThomasFlohr. “VistaJet is excited aboutfurther leveraging the Russian marketand sharing experiences through our membership.”

Anna Serejkina, RUBAA executivedirector, is sure that VistaJet’sparticipation will help a lot topromote and develop businessaviation in Russia. “I would like tothank VistaJet for their readiness toshare their knowledge andexperience through workshops weare planning together.”

VistaJet plansrole in RUBAA A FlairJet crew were surprised on

arrival at Humberside airportrecently to be presented with acelebratory bottle of champagne, astheir Phenom became the firstaircraft to be handled by new FBOWeston Aviation.

Managing director Nick Westonwas there to welcome the crew asthey touched down. “This is anexcellent start to our new BusinessAviation Centre at HumbersideAirport,” he says.

“We were working hard towardsopening on time for June 1st and then we started to receive requests for handling dates in late May so we decided work around the clock to open the doors early toaccommodate the high level ofdemand we received.”

Mike Chamberlain, groundoperations director at FlairJet, adds: “We are delighted to be the first aircraft handled by Weston

at Humberside. This extends a long-standing relationship and we

wish them every success with theirnew venture.”

Paul Litten, head of businessdevelopment at Humberside airport,says: “Opening for business ahead of schedule due to demand is a great indication of WestonAviation’s future.

“The business secured in the first week of operating from a brand new dedicated fixed basedoperation, clearly demonstrates thestrength of their reputation and theneed for a business aviation facilityin the region.”

FlairJet is the first Europeancommercial operator of both thePhenom 100 and Phenom 300aircraft and currently operates threePhenom 100 and two Phenom 300executive jets from its bases atLondon Oxford and Cannes airports.

Humberside airport is the thirdUK FBO developed and operated byWeston Aviation, joining its otherfacilities at Durham Tees Valley andNewquay Cornwall airports.

FlairJet is first through the door at Humberside

Celebrating are Weston Aviation customer services co-ordinator Diane Scott and regionalmanager Amanda Clark, Humberside airport head of business development Paul Litten,Weston md Nick Weston, FlairJet crew Ian Day and David Lucas, Weston general managerBecky Carver and Humberside airport operations manager Chris Wild.

Cello Aviation has been celebratingits first year of operations with anAvro ABJ from its Birmingham airportbase. During this time the staff rosterhas grown to 22, and the company isnow planning to increase its fleet with the addition of a second aircraftlater this year.

The company says it has alreadygenerated a loyal customer baseincluding Premiership andinternational football teams, royalty,EU Parliament members, golf andWWE superstars and A-list film starsand pop stars.

Matt Purton, commercial jet salesdirector with broker Air CharterService, is impressed: “Working withthe team has been a thoroughlyenjoyable and professionalexperience. Nothing has beenimpossible for them and they don’tseem to know the word ‘no’. Ourclients are very specific aboutpunctuality and onboard service, forboth of which Cello have not been left wanting.

“The aircraft, ops and engineeringteam did a great job of ensuring thatall 11 departures were on time andthat the aircraft was serviceable –while the cabin services team and

crew made sure that the service metand exceeded all expectations, andwere especially receptive andresourceful in finding some specificfood and beverage requests.”

Purton continues: “Working withCello is like having a blank canvaswith which to do as you please. We aredelighted to have secured with themthe aircraft for the November tour forthe same client.

“We also have worked with them on flights for Middle Easternroyalty and the same client has asked us specifically for this aircraftthis summer.”

Cello earnspraise forfirst year

Cello was selected to convey HRH QueenElizabeth II to Ireland earlier this year(photo courtesy Irish Air Corps).

Eisele Flugdienst has become the firstcharter operator in Europe to offerthe Citation CJ4.

Fred Eisele, chief executive officerof the Stuttgart-based company,accepted the jet in a handover hostedby Atlas Air Service, Cessna’s Citationauthorised sales representative forGermany, at the Citation ServiceCentre at Bremen Airport.

Eisele says: “The CJ4 is the perfectnext step to help us expand ouroperations. We already fly a verysuccessful fleet of Citation CJ1+, CJ2+,CJ3 and Sovereign aircraft, so we

know our customers appreciateCessna’s trademark combination ofspeed, comfort and reliability.Building on that fleet, the additionalrange, speed, payload and cabincomfort of the CJ4 will allow us tofurther expand the scope andeffectiveness of our charter servicesthroughout the European Union andinto Russia.

“Furthermore, the CJ4 shares acommon pilot type rating with theother CJs, meaning our CJ pilots arealready rated to fly it, so we canintegrate the aircraft seamlessly into

our fleet and begin charter operationsstraight away.”

The CJ4 is the newest and largestmember of the CJ family and isapproved for single-pilot operations.The aircraft gained type certificationfrom EASA in May this year. It has arange of 2,002 nautical miles and atop speed of 453 knots.

Manufacturer Cessna has beenusing all the digital options topromote the aircraft including a videoon its YouTube channel, and updateson its Twitter page at #fly_cessna andon its Facebook page.

AUGUST 2011 3EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Greece is a country in turmoil, itsgovernment grappling with debtwhich can only be afforded withinternational assistance.

In exchange for this, the countrywill be required to gather its taxesmore efficiently and cut publicspending, but more crucially in thewords of its Minister of Finance: “Toremove restrictions from businessand trade, reducing administrativecosts and structural overspending,combating bureaucracy, providingfor faster administration of justice,securing stability of legislation andtransforming Greece into aninvestor-friendly country.”

This leaves Doulis Karafil of

Greek charter broker Air BusinessInternational in optimistic mood. “It is commonly acknowledged that opportunities occur in periodsof crisis, and I strongly believe thatthe reforms the Greek governmentmust now apply under pressurefrom creditors will make Greece abetter country for the developmentof business and general aviation,”he says.

“Where there is no governmentinvolvement in Greece, things runsmoothly and with success. Forexample, there is minimuminvolvement of the government inthe merchant marine.”

Greece has always been a poor

country with rich people. Theshipping industry is second only totourism in its earning power, thereare many expatriate Greeks of greatpersonal wealth, and there is anational trait for entrepreneurship.

Although Karafil reports thattraffic from Greek individuals andcorporations has been lower ingeneral during this year it has stillbeen one of the best for aviation.Unfortunately this increase incharter demand is due to the factthat strikes and cancellations ofscheduled flights have forced peopleto charter aircraft.

To meet such demand Karafil’sbrokerage department is organisingan air taxi network to cover theGreek mainland, the islands and theneighbouring countries. “Suitableaeroplanes and helicopters basedwhere they are needed and not onlyin Athens will offer a competitively

priced service,” he says.So at least Greek business

aviation operators will have had theopportunity to approach new cust-omers and hopefully have a chanceto retain their business in future.

And there is little doubt that theprivatisation of Greek airports willbenefit general aviation both inoperational terms and ininfrastructure development.Airports run by privately ownedcompanies will surely open for morethan just a few hours a day, beyondthe limited times when scheduledflights demand it.

David WrightManaging editor

Financial crisis may leave business aviation in Greece all the strongerEDITORIAL COMMENT

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Fred Eisele, ceo of Stuttgart-based Eisele Flugdienst (left) and Nicolas von Mende, ceo of Atlas Air Service (centre with red tie) enjoythe sunny arrival of the CJ4 at Bremen.

Eisele offers Europe’s first charterCJ4 as ‘perfect’ next step

Charter operator Ambeo has movedfrom its base at Marshall BusinessAviation Centre in Cambridge toLondon Stansted as part of anambitious expansion plan.

Ambeo employs 15 people andruns two Cessna Citation Mustangs,with clients including seniorbusiness executives and stars fromthe worlds of sport and music.

Darryl Haynes, Ambeo coo, saysthe move was necessary to meet thecompany’s goals for continuedexpansion of its services and corecapabilities, including the provisionof bespoke aircraft managementservices for corporate jet owners.

“Making the move to a 24/7operational airfield closer to Londonmeans that we can now improve bothour level of flexibility and costeffectiveness,” he says.

Commercial director CarloMontanini adds: “Based on twosuccessive years of growth we knowthat this is the right time to make amove. We believe that relocating iscritical to meeting our strategicobjectives over the next few years and beyond.”

Ambeo’s UK-based aircraft willnow be based at Inflite Executive JetCentre at Stansted. The secondaircraft is operated from its existingbase at Le Bourget airport in Paris.

Ambeo moves toStansted to meetexpansion goals

Blueway to add fourth EC225 overNorth Sea

Blueway has ordered a fourth EC225helicopter to expand its North Sea oiland gas market services.

Based in Denmark’s Esbjerg area,its duties will include transportationand logistics flights covered in aNorth Sea services contract withMaersk Oil.

To support Blueway in its bid for these services, Eurocopterensured a timely delivery slot andwill now help identify businessopportunities for the EC155helicopters that are also in Blueway’s fleet.

“Blueway is pleased to sign for thefourth EC225, which will be operatedin support of the Maersk Oil contract,as well as for future opportunities inNorth Europe,” said Jakob Bae, whowas recently named Blueway’s ceo.

Certification extends MENA’s scope to Cayman and Bermuda aircraftBahrain-based MENA AerospaceEnterprises’ aircraft operationdivision, MAE Aircraft Management,has achieved full compliance with theInternational Standards for BusinessAircraft Operations (IS-BAO).

Issued by the InternationalBusiness Aviation Council, the IS-BAO certification is confirmation that the company operates to a codeof worldwide best practices designed

to help flight departments andbusiness jet operators achieve andmaintain the highest levels of safetyand quality.

“Meeting this world class standardof safety and quality is testament tothe hard work and professionalism ofthe entire team” says Steve Wilks,general manager MAE AircraftManagement. “Our charter andaircraft management customers will

benefit from the assurance ofknowing our operations meet andexceed international best standards.

Captain Andreas Wieser, thecompany’s director of flightoperations, adds: “Prior to the IS-BAOcertification, MAE Aircraft Manage-ment successfully implemented aSafety Management System asapproved by Bahrain Civil AviationAffairs, and is now targeting

international safety and qualityregistration for the airline.”

Ralph Eisenschmid, MENAAerospace Group ceo, says: “Inaddition to the benefits of thisaccreditation, IS-BAO approvalallows the company to operate andmanage aircraft registered in theCayman Islands and Bermuda. Manyaircraft based in the Middle East areregistered in these jurisdictions.”

RVL Group’s second Partenavia P68survey aircraft has entered intocommercial service.

Acquired a year ago with its sistership, the aircraft has since beenundergoing extensive maintenanceand modification work.

The aircraft has a busy summerahead of it flying for Blom Aerofilmsin the UK and in Europe. Plans arealready well advanced to send theaircraft to Norway and Finland onhigh resolution photography work.

This will be the fourth RVL Groupaircraft flying for Blom this year,which will itself be relocating intoRVL Group’s new East MidlandsAirport complex at the end of theirbusy summer season.

Building of RVL Group’s office andhangar facility at East Midlandsairport has reached anotherimportant milestone. Restoration ofthe office block – which willeventually house Ordnance Survey,Blom Aerofilms and the EnvironmentAgency as well as RVL’s own staff –and the car park is complete.Construction of a new hangarcomplex is now under way, and by theautumn RVL Group’s entire operationwill be located in the new facility.

Second surveyPartenavia P68enters service

with RVL

NEXT MONTHEBAN reviews

business aviationin the UK.

their existing day-to-day activity, the14 principal business airports in theUK are expected to handle morethan 110,000 movements during the 31-day peak period, according tothe UK DfT.

Our Olympics panel willcomprise: Trevor Jones, directorclient relations of business aviationoperator Gama Aviation, head-quartered at Farnborough, UK, and one of the largest chartercompanies with a worldwide fleet of80 aircraft; David Macdonald,director private jets, Air Partner plc;Archie Garden representingCambridge Airport that, with its longrunway, is well positioned to acceptOlympics traffic; James Cole,director international of Airport Co-ordination Ltd that is workingclosely with DfT and its consul-tant Atkins on accommodatingOlympics traffic.

They will be joined by a seniorrepresentative from ExecuJet, that runs FBOs in Europe, South

4 AUGUST 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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The practicalities of the Olympics for business aviation will be debatedat the forthcoming Business Aviationand General Aviation Day (BGAD), tobe held at Cambridge airport onTuesday, 20 September.

An industry panel, together withmoderator Charles Alcock,international editor of AviationInternational News, will discusssome crucial issues facing operators,charter providers, FBOs and the 30-plus UK airports that have beenidentified to handle business andgeneral aviation flights for thisimportant summer event.

Practicalities to be addressed willinclude when to start securityscreening of new employees, thebuying in of fuel, provision foraircraft parking and securing groundtransportation, which airports aregoing to be declared 24/7 during theperiod and how and when operatorsand charter brokers should go aboutbooking their slots and parkingstands at airports.

Industry players have been

voicing their concern for some timeabout the strict restrictions andproposed airspace changes beingplaced on London airspace, to theextent that they are starting to posethe question ‘has this greatopportunity already been missed –or can it be recovered withpersuasion to central government?’

One concession has been therecent move to reduce the timeframeon full airspace restrictions. It is now14 July to 15 August 2012. Separate,geographically smaller, airspacerestrictions will cover the London2012 Paralympic Games from 16August to 12 September 2012.

Charles Alcock will also questionwhether this is the time for businessoperators to put aside the fact theyare competitors and work togetherfor the collective good of Team GreatBritain and to showcase businessaviation’s winning edge.

During the Olympics all take offand departure slots are to beallocated and slots at peak times will be in heavy demand. On top of

Operators urged to find out more about London 2012

The full airspace restrictions coveringthe London Olympic for 2012 apply from14 July to 15 August 2012. Separate,geographically smaller, airspacerestrictions will cover the ParalympicGames from 16 August to 12 September.Changes announced in March includedan exemption to allow flights to and fromthe airfields at White Waltham, Denham,Fairoaks and the London Heliport toaccess the Restricted Zone from theProhibited Zone.

Liz Tsoukatou of Athens Executive Aviation and A Papayiannis, responsible for theAthens GAT, welcomed visitors to the Special Olympic Games this summer asreported, right.

Athens airport witnessed a modestincrease in business and vip traffic ofaround 12 per cent this summerduring the Special Olympics, reportsAthens Executive Aviation.

The games are much smaller thanthe main Olympic event, but stillattracted participation from 180countries from all over the world with attendant arrivals of media,sponsors, donors, athletes, coachesand spectators.

Athens International Airport hadestablished procedures that allowed asmooth flow of all arrivals throughthe main terminal building and thegeneral aviation terminal.

At the GAT the airport, police,customs and handlers collaborated to

welcome vips and sponsors, butbecause the majority of officialsaccompanied the athletes’ dele-gations on scheduled commercialflights, the GA movement increasewas not high and did not causecongestion problems.

Athens airport handles SpecialOlympics traffic with ease

The apron at Athens was modestlyswelled by the Special Olympics.

Africa and Australasia. They will share their experiences handling theDavos World Economic Forum eachyear and the recent 2010 World Cupin South Africa.

Register to attend this free-of-charge one hour session at 11.00 on 20 September duringthe BGAD show by registeringusing the enclosed leaflet oronline at www.bgad.aero.

London Executive Aviation has beenbusy flying heavy metal legends IronMaiden for most of the Europeanstage of the band’s ‘Final FrontierWorld Tour 2011’ from May to August.

On June 30 the band and their tourmanagement team, comprising 11people in total, flew in one of LEA’sfleet of six Legacy 600 aircraft toperform at the Roskilde Festival,leaving the next day, and CaptainTony Myers says the experience wasexceptional. “We fly all over the worldand Roskilde gave us the very bestand most dedicated service we havereceived in a long time. The friendly,attentive and cooperative attitude ofall the team was faultless. Alice Eg,Roskilde Executive Handling’s head ofvip and FBO relations, even took thetrouble to personally wash and ironour table napkins overnight.”

Myers continues: “Roskilde airportis a very well-equipped facility with first-class handling.”

Copenhagen Roskilde airportdirector Lars Lip says: “I’ve alwaysknown Alice Eg, Peter Larsen and theteam here provide an excellentservice, but there is nothing betterthan to hear an operator like LEAoffer such high praise.”

LEA flies heavymetal around

Europe

PrivatAir is to partner with BizAvServices Limited, a Malteseconsultancy business, to jointlydevelop a regional centre for flightand cabin crew airline training in Malta.

BizAv Services recently gained thestatus of Approved TrainingOrganisation and will provide initialand recurrent ground training.

“This is an exciting concept we aredeveloping in the southernMediterranean region and the northAfrican continent,” says Victor Grove,PrivatAir vp selection, training andcustomer service. “We believe that wecan grow the training business andoffer customers a wide range ofservices that will enable us to developa unique brand of Swiss efficiencyand Maltese hospitality.”

“PrivatAir’s reputation forexcellence in vip flight services,complemented by our localexperience and expertise in aviation,offers the positive synergy that willresult in a reputable trainingorganisation,” says BizAv directorAdrian Spiteri.

PrivatAir planstraining centre

in Malta

Bristow has taken delivery ofEurocopter’s 100th EC225 worldwide.“We are looking forward to theintroduction of this, our 18th EC225,increasing our capacity to serve the oiland gas market. This aircraft togetherwith the two delivered in June arealready contracted to a customer inMalaysia.” said Bristow svpcommercial Mark Duncan.

Bristow was the launch customerin the oil and gas market for theEC225 when the type was introducedinto service in 2005 as well as beingthe launch customer for itspredecessor, the AS332L in the early 1980s.

More than 50,000 hours have beenlogged by Bristow’s EC225s,representing approximately one-third of all flight time accumulated bythis helicopter type worldwide.Bristow and Eurocopter also have aMemorandum of Agreement in placefor acquisition of the EC175 for whichagain Bristow will be the launchcustomer, underscoring the specialrelationship and partnershipbetween the two companies.

Bristow Group provides helicopterservices to the offshore energyindustry worldwide. The company hasa major presence in the US Gulf ofMexico and the North Sea, along with

operations in most of the other majoroffshore oil and gas producing regionsof the world – including Alaska,Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria,Russia and Trinidad.

The landmark EC225 was supplied in the oil and gasconfiguration, but it can be used byBristow in other missions due to themulti-role helicopter’s designed-inoperational flexibility.

The helicopter is the latestgeneration of the Super Puma/Cougarfamily, which has flown more thanfour million flight hours. The EC225can accommodate up to 19 passengersfor offshore crew change flights.

AUGUST 2011 5EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Cessna Citation Authorised Sales Representative

www.timleacockaircraft.com +44 (0)1258 818181

DEA expands into Italy as firstspecialist DA42 comes onlineContinued from page 1

“We have announced our plans to operate in Italy and the first twoaircraft are being prepared. Thisoperation has received regulatoryacceptance from the CAA, and baseswill be in Rome Urbe and PadovaAeritalia airport.

“Passengers love the DA42,” headds. “Clearly it’s a small andrelatively intimate aircraft, thereforefor customers who want to be‘involved’ in the flight, it is very good,while for those who would like to beremote and detached clearly this isnot the correct aircraft.

“Our conversion rate and repeatbusiness rate is very high. A numberof well-known individuals have flown with us on a regular basis; TVpersonalities, authors, footballers,comedians and so on.”

DEA provides inflight satellitetracking for its customers whichmeans that friends, families andbrokers can be involved in the wholeflight process. “This was one of thespin-offs from our very demandingflight inspection approvals process,”says Bondar.

The company is planning for thefuture development of its fleet, butfavours limiting the number ofdifferent aircraft types.

Coincidentally, the DA42’smanufacturer Diamond Aircraft hasrecently secured new funding toresume the development of the D-JET. Flight testing and building asecond test aircraft are now expectedto resume imminently.

Bristow’s Mark Duncan (left) was in Marignane to accept a momento of the delivery of Eurocopter’s 100th EC225 from presidentand ceo Lutz Bertling.

Bristow dispatches milestone EC225to Malaysia for oil and gas duties

Jet Aviation is to add a factory-newEmbraer Phenom 300 jet to its fleet of managed aircraft, and expectsthis will be the first of its typeavailable for charter services incentral Europe. The company iscurrently working in closecooperation with FOCA to obtainSwiss type certification.

Delivery is expected in Novemberof this year, and the aircraft will beavailable for charter services as soonas certification for commercialtransport is secured.

The Phenom 300 accommodatessix passengers for a range of up to3,500 km. The aircraft will be based in Zurich, and is claimed to offer the

largest baggage compartment in itsclass, as well as leather seats andcabin entertainment amenities. Ithas an extended galley, a lavatorywith a rigid sliding door and thecabin interior is finished in naturalwood veneer.

“We are thrilled to offer thePhenom 300 to our chartercustomers,” said Martin Bernegger,svp and general manager of JetAviation’s aircraft charter division inEMEA and Asia. “This light jet aircraftis ideally suited to our style-conscious customer base that enjoyspremium comfort and the latesttechnology for shorter range flightsthroughout Europe.”

Jet Aviation’s exclusive private fleet also includes three CitationBravos and a Citation Excel available for charter.

All aircraft in the fleet are similarly outfitted and include thelatest safety enhancements,navigation devices, communicationtools, business amenities andentertainment systems.

The private fleet charter aircraftare 100 per cent controlled by Jet Aviation and are maintained bythe company’s factory-trainedmaintenance crews. Cabin and flightcrews are specifically trained to offerthe utmost in service and discretion,says Bernegger.

Jet Aviation adds Phenom 300 for European charter

Martin Bernegger is aiming to appeal tostyle-conscious customers with thePhenom 300.

Cessna Aircraft will deliver three208B Grand Caravan aircraft to anunnamed commercial aircraftoperator based in Vicenza, Italy,during this year. The Caravans willaugment the operator’s globalhelicopter fleet operation.

“In the past 12 months, we’ve seena very strong interest in the CessnaCaravan in Italy,” said Pana Poulios,Cessna’s European sales director.“The Caravan fits very well in theEuropean geography and thecustomers appreciate the roomycabin and its comfortable ride. Thelow operating costs together with its high reliability and dispatch rates make the Caravan a greatworking platform.”

The worldwide model 208 fleethas now passed 11 million flighthours carrying out passenger, vip,utility and cargo missions.

Caravansin demand

in Italy

German long range and vvip operator DC Aviation has joinedforces with UK security businessMODA Solutions to provide extendedflight and destination securityservices for its passengers.

Dubbed the Flight ConsortService, this is designed to provide anintegrated on-call service for royal,presidential or state regular users aswell as corporate users.

Charter clients will be offereddestination guides and briefings andthe current security situation there,security audits on unusual destin-ations where a risk may be perceived,and advice on specific client needs.

Specialist inflight air marshals canbe provided, as well as safe andsecure vehicles, diplomaticprotection drivers, translators andspecialist close protection officers,including special forces personnelwith country-specific know-how andlocal connections.

A crisis management responseteam can be on hand to deal with anyin-country problems that may occur,including security, specialist lawyers,diplomatic lobbyists and PR.

MODA Solutions provides securityservices to individuals, companiesand governments worldwide and hasa reputation for ensuring security bythe use of special forces personnel.

“We appreciate that our clients’journeys do not begin or end on therunway,” says DC Aviation. “Theirjourney has a purpose and thefunction of the alliance is to offerclients the choice to seek associatedand facilitated support to ensure thatpurpose is successfully and safelycarried out.”

DC Aviationoffers security at challengingdestinations

6 AUGUST 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

It takes a top pilot to keep the flightdepartment on the straight and level

At the heart of any flight operation,the chief pilot generally rules theroost over many vital aspects ofsuccessful business flying. Hiringand firing flight crew, ensuring fullcompliance, organising effectivetraining and much more.

But being a great pilot does notnecessarily mark any individual outfor promotion to chief pilot – theskills required are different and morewide ranging.

Every pilot is accountable for thesafety of the passengers they carryand so will be used to acceptingresponsibility, paying close attentionto detail and protocol. But the chiefpilot has to take this one step furtherand be responsible for the wholeteam of pilots, their organisation andthe regime under which they operate.

Says Executive Helicopters’ ChrisShiel: “There are only a smallpercentage of pilots that suit the roleof chief pilot. I think they need tohave an interest in the position, bewell versed in the regulations and be aline pilot, and preferably a TRE. Theyalso need to be experienced in thearea that the company operates andthe type of operations it carries out.

As with all these positions, theyshould have good commercial senseand get on with people.

“Providing specific training for achief pilot is useful,” he adds, “butyou need to find a suitable candidatefor the position first and work fromthere. The operations manager can bea big help to the chief pilot.”

For the purposes of thisPerspectives feature we areconsidering the chief pilot to be theperson with overall responsibility forthe flight crews in an organisation,and for some AOC operators this maycome under the title of director offlight operations. But everyorganisation is different, as MikeRoberson of Air Med points out: “Thechief pilot is not normally the postholder for flight operations. In ourcase, the chief pilot is the post holderfor crew training.”

Despite the increasing volume ofpaperwork and regulation, most ofthe chief pilots we talked to still findplenty of time to go flying. Somethings will never change!

Meet thechief pilotsSteve Woodfine is newly-promotedchief pilot at the UK’s Gama Aviationwith responsibility for themanagement of Gama’s pilots and allaspects of safety for the pilot teams. “Iam responsible for the safety andefficiency of Gama’s European andRussian operations – embracing 28 to30 aircraft and some 105 pilots ofvarying experience,” he says.

“I take a pivotal role in recruitingpilots, we are recruiting now havingadded three aircraft to the managed

fleet. Typically, newly qualifiedcommercial pilots start flying withour Scottish Air Ambulance contractaboard the King Air 200s,progressively moving on to be typerated on a business jet. I am alsoresponsible for HR, new pilotcontracts, disciplinary issues and willplay an active role in any flight safetyissue.”

Pilots can be on up to 16 or 18different types of contracts owing tothe registry of the aircraft they areflying, Woodfine explains. “In Europewe have UK registration, CaymanIslands, Bermudian and Isle of Man(private flying only) registries, so itcan be a complex business. I have ateam of seven fleet managersreporting to me and we work closelytogether, meeting monthly to discussissues.”

Training at Gama Aviation meetsand goes beyond statutoryrequirements, with the introductionof in-house systems.

“Training is thorough”, saysWoodfine, “with CAE and FlightSafetyproviding simulator time, plusground school for initial andrecurrent training. We always carryout proving flights before a new typeis introduced to service and before anaircraft comes on to our AOC – just asthe commercial airlines do. We arecurrently working on a new style ofrecurrent training closer to airlinesystems which we hope to roll outcompany-wide in January 2012.”

PERSPECTIVES – Business aviation through the eyes of the chief pilot

Flying is just thestart of itAmong the many and varied dutiesa chief pilot may be required tocarry out are:

■ Safe flying!

■ Flight crew recruitment

■ Verifying crew qualifications

■ Providing or ensuring recurrenttraining

■ Supervising cabin crew

■ Monitoring flight operations

■ Issuing and updating thecompany operations manual

■ Ensuring ground facilities andservices are provided

■ Ensuring aircraft meetsrequirements for the plannedoperations

■ Ensuring current maps andcharts are available

■ Determining the suitability ofairports, identifying restrictionsand implementing specialprocedures

■ Managing suppliers

■ Evaluating safety and economiceffectiveness

■ Cooperating with financial, HR, sales and operationsdepartments

Only a small numberof pilots suit thechief pilot role

I take apivotal role inrecruitingpilotsSteve Woodfine,Gama Aviation

The chief pilot is one of the key players in any flight department and sodiscretion is often essential.

We fully understand that, in particular, those working for private orcorporate operations may not be able to take part in this type of survey forprivacy/security reasons.

For Donald Douglas of helidubaievery day is new and exciting,presenting its own challenges.

Kocoglu Aviation Inc of Turkey haspassed the milestone of 10,000 flighthours with its fleet of AW109 Powerlight twin helicopters in just two years.

The eight helicopters, operated bySky Line Transportation Trade Inc, aKocoglu Group company, have beensuccessfully operating across Turkeyin demanding hot and highconditions, achieving 97% dispatchreliability. Over 3,800 EMS missionshave been performed. Three Izmir-based Power pilots, out of the total of73 pilots employed by Sky LineAviation, have now logged more than1,200 flying hours each on the AW109.

Ugur Nusret Kocoglu, ceo ofKocoglu Aviation Inc says: “This latest achievement highlights ourpersonnel’s dedication and the AW109Power’s exceptional reliability.”

Kocoglu Aviation was awarded acontract by the Turkish Ministry ofHealth to provide EMS helicopters aswell as doctors and paramedics, for asun-up to sun-down service,following a tender process in 2008.The Ministry of Health contractestablished the first EMS helicopterservice in Turkey to serve a large part of the community, using bases in 16 cities.

Kocoglu Aviation is part of KocogluGroup which is involved in severalsectors including construction,tourism, energy, transportation andaviation. Established in 2005, KocogluAviation currently owns the largestcommercial helicopter fleet in Turkey. It has 16 heliports, 18 hangarsand maintenance facilities withalmost 300 employees following an investment of more than €120million so far.

Sky Line, a Kocoglu Groupcompany and an authorised JAR 145organisation for repair andmaintenance services, was appointedas an AgustaWestland Service Centrefor the AW109 Power and Grandmodels in Turkey in June 2009. SkyLine is offering on-site supportservices to Kocoglu Aviation’s fleet andto other AW109 Power and Grandoperators in Turkey. Its mainmaintenance centre is located atAnkara airport with line maintenancehangars available in other cities. Asecond base maintenance hangar atIstanbul’s Ataturk airport is underconstruction and is expected becompleted shortly.

Kocoglu Powerspass 10,000flight hourmilestone

Loganair buys SucklingLoganair is to acquire SucklingAirways, the Cambridge-basedcharter specialist trading asScotAirways. Suckling is to become awholly-owned subsidiary and willcontinue to trade as a separateairline. It operates a fleet of fiveDornier 328-100 aircraft on ad-hocand contract charter flights, servicingan extensive customer base thatincludes high profile sports teams,political parties, blue-chip corporateclients and other airlines.

AUGUST 2011 7EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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Primarily Gama’s business aircraftfleet is managed, but it operates an80-strong aircraft fleet across Europe,the Middle East and the USA, flyingtypes from 10 different businessaircraft manufacturers (soon to be11), so the company has plenty offamiliarity with the characteristics ofa variety of types. “Indeed, aircraftowners occasionally ask our adviceon the best type for their mission. Ourlatest fleet additions in Europe are the

CJ2, Global Express XRS and Falcon2000,” Woodfine adds.

He flies the Challenger 604, Learjet45 and the BBJ for a private ownerthat Gama manages, averaging about30 hours a month.

A five-year Gama employee,Woodfine joined as a pilot on theLearjet 45, before moving to theChallenger 604 and becoming fleetmanager on the Challenger fleet. “Ihave 30 years’ commercial flyingexperience and gained over 12,000flight hours with various airlinesincluding South African Airways,Virgin Express and, before joiningGama, at easyJet as captain on theAirbus A319/A320.”

Woodfine says he loves the varietyof his role. “Every day is different. Iespecially like helping young pilotsdevelop, seeing the young guysdevelop their careers.”

Gama supports the Fly2helpcharity for terminally ill children andprovides an occasional pleasureflight. “It is tremendous to experiencethe pleasure these children derivefrom flying. It gives the whole crewmassive pride,” he says.

Trying to meet the high standardsof the UK regulators is tiresome,believes Woodfine: “Only to find thatthe European playing field is not aslevel as it should be. Managingexpectations can be frustrating. Weendeavour to deliver a consistentlyreliable service all year round.Sometimes inclement weather orother unlikely scenarios develop thatare completely out of our control (forexample last year’s ash cloud) whichstop us from delivering.

“Private charter is all aboutmanaging time and for the client –putting them in control – butsometimes we are not immune.”

Rotana Jet Aviation (RJA) is a new face in the UAE, receiving its AOC inApril this year.

Offering on demand charter andaircraft management services, thecompany brings together amanagement team with a wealth ofoperating experience within theMiddle East and worldwide.

RJA’s director of operations isBrian Harrison-Barry. He told us that,unlike many regulatory bodies, in theUAE the General Civil AviationAuthority does not recognise the chiefpilot as a nominated post holderposition. “In common with manylocal operators,” Harrison-Barryexplains, “we choose to have the

director of operations assume thetraditional responsibilities of chiefpilot. And we will likely add linemanagers as our fleet grows.”

Currently operating a Gulfstream450 with three pilots, RJA is poised toadd a G550 and three more pilots. AnA319 Business Jet is expected to join itin the second quarter 2012. “We lookwell positioned to add at least fiveaircraft a year over the first three yearsof operation,” says Harrison-Barry.

Rotana Jet crews work a twomonths on/one month off schedule.“Initially, I was sceptical when it wassuggested that such a rotation wasmore cost-effective than other non-rotation options. However, afterconducting a careful study it wasfound (regionally) to be the case.”Recurrent training and vacations arescheduled during crew time off.

Harrison-Barry feels that aviationhas been particularly kind to him;starting his early flying career in theUK he soon determined that he wasbest suited to the challenges andrewards of being based overseas.“Apart from the Middle East and theFar East, I flew in North America forFedex and the fractional operatorFlight Options. I was with FlightOptions during 9/11.

“That event promptedphenomenal growth as the companyexpanded from five aircraft to 220aircraft and 50 pilots to 1,050 pilots,seemingly overnight.”

Administration and advance

planning form a large part ofHarrison-Barry’s responsibilities,alongside balancing the expectationsof the corporate sales departmentwith available resources such as crewand aircraft.

“I know from past experience, asmore crew arrives, I will increasinglybe called upon to ‘put out fires.’ Thechallenges of working and living in analien environment can sometimesblow fairly insignificant issues,professional and personal, out of allproportion. An open door policy and(a little grey hair) can often defuse thesituation and show a way forward.”

And he adds ruefully: “Somewherealong the way, I seem to have beensucked in to the management role.However, I firmly regard myself as pilot and manager – not managerand pilot!”

The GCAA have adopted theEuropean CAR-OPS (EASA) asstandard and crews must also train to additional, regional standardsmandated by the GCAA, thereforeHarrison-Barry feels that regulatoryoversight of crew training is considerable. “Althoughadministratively cumbersome, thiscombination of requirements resultsin very highly trained crew,” he says.

Looking at his position as a whole,Harrison-Barry ranks sitting at a desk attending the necessaryadministrative matters among themost tiresome aspects, and operatingglobally is always challenging – a

sense of humour is essential. But onthe positive side: “I have beenfortunate to meet and sometimeschat with many world leaders andcelebrities. I regard it as an honourthat they entrust me with their safety.

“Certainly, the joy I experiencewhen advancing the thrust levers ofan aircraft loaded with passengersand fuel embarking on a long journeygives me a smile from ear to ear. I flyas often as I can, and I anticipate 600hours a year.”

He concludes: “The greatestenjoyment always remains – makingmy parents proud of what I do.”

Chris Shiel made his way up to chiefpilot by learning to fly and to instruct,and setting up his own training andthen charter business ExecutiveHelicopters.

As owner of a leading helicopterbusiness in Ireland, he is post holderfor training and operations manager.He employs three highly trainedpilots, but Shiel ensures he takes thecontrols himself at least two or threetimes a week. “I enjoy the flying themost,” he says.

And when he is not flying, his most

important everyday tasks involveoperations, crew, training andchecking.

At Executive Helicopters there arealways new challenges, such asintroducing an AS355N late last year(see EBAN April, page 14) for the Irishelectricity power line inspectioncontract.

“I started off training on an R22,gained my PPL and then went on toget my CPL and instructor rating.Then I started up a training schoolwith an R22, developed that business,next moving into maintenance, salesand charter,” says Shiel.

“We have operated a number ofdifferent types and I have been ratedon R22, R44, EC120, EC130, AS350,AS355, B222 and S61N. I am a typerating examiner for the company andflight examiner for the Irish AviationAuthority. I hold a JAA ATPL with7,000 hours and also FAA helicopterand fixed wing licences.”

Phill Hall-Davis’s position as chiefpilot at Veritair Aviation requires himalso to be post holder for flightoperations and crew training. Hecites his main duty at the Cardiff-based helicopter enterprise asensuring safe and efficientoperation, adhering to relevant laws.

Veritair has three full-time pilots,one regular freelance pilot andseveral ad-hoc freelance pilots, all ofwhom are provided with trainingabove and beyond the baserequirements, along with roletraining for all staff.

On choosing an addition to thecompany fleet, Hall-Davis says: “Weall like to take part in companydiscussions and operations and wehave recently taken on a police roleBK117.”

He admits: “I really fly a little toomuch to carry out my role as chiefpilot. However, this does keep mecurrent and familiar with all theneeds and problems arising throughline flying and helps me to provide abetter service to our staff/crews.”

A varied career began in 2002with qualification as a CPL inOctober 2004. A couple of years ofvery hard work followed, initially inflight ops and passenger handlinguntil chief pilot Colin Larner passedaway. “Sadly, this left the companywith no chief pilot and a veryinexperienced pilot of 240 hours.The CAA agreed to tutor me and I

became the ‘least experienced chiefpilot in history’.

“Since that day I have alwaysbeen open and honest with the CAA,whether we have inadvertentlycrossed the legal line, or whether weneed some expert knowledge andopinion.

“They have been excellent andvery supportive at times when wewould have least expected it.”

Hall-Davis then joined Veritair: “I met Julian Verity of Veritair whereI converted to twins and myexperience since then has been anexponential learning curve. During

this period I have written CAMEmanuals, AOC manuals and recentlyISO 9001 quality and 14001environmental manuals, I also writemy own training programmes. Andrecently I designed a new targetrecovery system for one of ourcontracts, which has proved to bevery versatile and efficient.”

In the past 18 months he hasbeen working on improving hispersonnel management skills,including a higher managementcourse at Cardiff University. Not tomention a most unusual missioninvolved moving a dinosaur’s headas an underslung load across acongested area into a school inMerthyr Tydfil.

“I definitely enjoy exciting flying,two of my favorites are underslungload work and events such asSilverstone, both jobs where youneed to be focused, professional andmost of all calm, while maintainingsafe flying practices.”

Hall-Davis concludes: “At times itcan be exhausting but I have neverbeen bored in my job. However,spending so much time away fromhome has had its effect on myprivate life, to the point I don’t reallyhave time for one at the moment.Maybe one day soon when thisrecession slows down and ourindustry stabilises again!”– Phill Hall-Davis, Veritair Aviation

Underslung load work requires you to be focused and calm“

”Brian Harrison-Barry (left) says thatRotana Jet is planning to add three pilots.

I will increasingly be calledupon to ‘put out fires’Brian Harrison-Barry, RJA

I enjoy theflying themostChris Shiel,ExecutiveHelicopters

Continued on next page

I love seeing theyoung pilots develop

their careers

Milan’s Aviation Services manages aBaron 58P and a Do328-100.

8 AUGUST 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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Shiel recalls his most unusual tripas when he flew a Bell 222 from Los Angeles to Ireland, routingthrough Canada, Greenland, Iceland,the Faro Islands and Scotland. “Theconditions in north Canada duringthe end of February and early March are quite cold, -35 to -40°C,and the airport locations isolated,” he explains.

Jonathan Gordon is chief pilot atAtlantic Bridge Aviation based at LyddAirport, Kent, and takes on additionalduties as accountable manager andtraining manager. Alongside flying asoften as possible he sees regulatorycompliance as his key responsibility.“And keeping an open atmospherethat encourages honest exchange isalso important,” he adds.

Atlantic Bridge employs five pilotsand uses home grown rostering andflight time limitation control.Particular emphasis is placed on linetraining. Gordon says he particularlyenjoys line training a really receptiveand willing pilot. “Conversely, Idislike training pilots who arebasically lazy and want to do only theminimum acceptable. We usuallyfind these pilots are poor onpaperwork and need constantchecking.”

Gordon’s flying career begin atOxford Air Training in 1975, followedby a spell with British Caledonianflying BAC-1-11 and DC-10 as firstofficer and captain on long and shorthaul routes. Later on, Gordonspecialised in setting up airlines,operating Sky-Trek and LyddAir fromLydd airport for the last 14 years. He israted for BAC-1-11, DC-10, F27, King

Air series, multi-engine pistons andHawker 400A with UK and FAA ATPLsand has flown 13,500 hours.

Looking back, Gordon rememberssome tricky situations: “We used to operate Trislanders and sold thelast two to the Philippines in 2009. Iflew them both out. The Monsoon inJuly 2009 was particularly severewhen I flew through it. The Trislanderis built strong (I can testify to that)but lacks niceties such as radar and

autopilot – and it lets the water in! “I have also had to off-load

drunken passengers and cope withpassengers opening windows andblowing up life jackets in flight.”

At global business aviationorganisation Execujet, chief pilot

Cedric Gitchenko is also post holderfor ops and training, focusing onensuring that everything runs safelyand smoothly.

Gitchenko explains the company’sset-up: “We employ about 200 pilotsorganised through lead pilots who are responsible for an allocatednumber of staff.”

Pilots receive additional onlinetraining with CAE and the company’sown training, including line oriented

flight training at various locationsaround the world.

Gitchenko frequently has theopportunity to fly. “One of my recentbigger projects was flight training forthe German Air Force. I have justreturned from a trip to South Americawhere we did some ground training,and various approaches and landingsin many quite challenging locationssuch as Cusco, Peru, where theairport lies within a mountain range.

“I have done a lot of flying in mylife, including medevac operationswith Rega, all over the world, flying in aerobatic championships andflying vintage aircraft.

“On our last flight training trip toSouth America I took dog biscuitswith me for the custom’s sniffer dogs. You could say I “bribed” them,but of course we had nothing to hideon board!”

Gitchenko says that one of themost enjoyable aspects of his job isworking with the crew. “Everyone isdifferent but making us all operate asa team has been one of the mostinteresting aspects of my job so far.”

Aviation Service srl, Milan, is a smalloperation where Gianpiero Allegri ischief pilot, among other seniorduties. Everyday tasks includesupplier management involvingchecking routes/terminal charges,maintenance operators and handlingcompanies. Allegri is aided by twopart-time pilots and each is

Veritair Aviation chief pilot Phill Hall-Davis (centre) with former Welsh Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones (left) and Prof BrianMorgan from Cardiff University.

Particularly enjoys linetraining a receptive pilotJonathan Gordon, Atlantic BridgeAviation

I took dog biscuits for thecustom’s sniffer dogsCedric Gitchenko, Execujet

Less opportunity to fly than beforeGianpiero Allegri, Aviation Service

Perspectives: the chief pilot

Making us operateas a team has

been interesting

AUGUST 2011 9EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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responsible for their own training.The company manages a Baron

58P and a Do328-100 and has recentlytaken into consideration a Cheyenne.Allegri says that he is finding less

opportunity to fly than before.His career began as an investor in

small aircraft, moving intoconsultancy in financial solutions forgeneral aviation companies. He is

type rated for the Do328 and hasprogramme rating for the Citation500, is approved as an auditor andquality manager and an expert inbusiness planning.

One of the inconveniences Allegrisays he encounters as chief pilot isthat some handling companies try tocharge unfair fees, taking advantageof their position.

“I am the nominated post holder withthe title of director of flightoperations,” says Richard Thomas atUK general aviation services providerTwinjet. “In addition to my postholder position, I fly the companyAirbus A319 regularly and amofficially ‘half a pilot’, the other halfbeing the senior training captain(STC). I also deputise for the STC andground operations manager.”

Thomas considers his mostimportant daily task to be the overallsupervision of the operationsdepartment, including monitoring allflying activities. Liaison with the CAA,manual revisions and general day-to-day administration keep him well occupied. “Also, as DFO, I havebeen closely involved in theimplementation of a safetymanagement system into thecompany and this has taken up quitea chunk of my time,” he says.

Twinjet employs nine pilots, fourof whom fly the Challenger 604 and five the Airbus A319. Pilots arerostered but, as Thomas explains, the nature of the ad-hoc charterbusiness often makes forwardplanning impossible as many tripsare arranged at short notice.“Flexibility is the key, while payingclose attention to FTLs.”

Generally, Twinjet’s pilots stick tomandatory training. “It is soextensive, but we do practice certainactivities more often than requiredbecause of our type of operation,such as ETOPS, MNPS and circlingapproaches. We make full use of

Capital Air Charter has headoffices and operations based atExeter International Airport andoffers private chartered flights,medical repatriation and urgentair freight services.

Managing director MalcolmHumphries fills the post of chiefpilot and accountable manager.

“I have been flying for 35years, training captain for 25years and chief pilot for 20,” he says.

“For me, the mostimportant day-to-day task isensuring our operationcomplies with currentregulations and this means I am in constant touch with theother company post holders,and available for consultationby my operations staff and flight crew.”

The company now flies anaverage of 80 sectors a week.“This means that I can’tdisappear down the line fordays on end like I used to whenthe company was muchsmaller,” says Humphries.

Capital Air Charter has ateam of 13 full-time pilots,

normally joining on thecompany’s PA31 and thenmoving on to a Beech 200. “As acompany we have developed avery high standard of onlinetraining that allows all of ouremployees, whether they fly ornot, to learn at their own paceand in greater detail than wouldnormally be possible, inaddition to the normal flyingand ground training that thecompany provides.”

Humphries is not phased bythe paperwork andadministration that comes withthe job. “Strange as it sounds, Iactually enjoy keeping thecompany up-to-date with thelatest rules and regulations,because I believe this builds astronger organisation. With theimplementation of EU-OPS andSafety Management Systems, Iam sure my team and I aregoing to be kept busy.”

And the best thing aboutbeing chief pilot? “You are incharge of course, isn’t that whatall pilots want to be?”– Malcolm Humphries, Capital Air Charter

I enjoy keeping up-to-datewith the latest regulations

”

“Fly to keep upwith what ishappening atthe coal faceRichard Thomas,Twinjet

Continued on next page

10 AUGUST 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

online training, in addition to theusual classroom work, to covermandatory ground training.

“Furthermore, if any crew memberfelt they needed specific training toenhance their overall performance,the company would do all that itcould to meet such requests.”

Flying single seat aircraft in themilitary for many years was thestarting point for his career, beforeThomas left to join Airtours (MyTravel) flying A320s for three years.

“For the next eight years I ran anorganisation that operated a vvipAirbus A340 worldwide. Apart fromflying the aircraft, I was responsiblefor every aspect of the operation:safety, operations, HR,administration, finance andmaintenance activities. All-in-all afascinating job in which I wasconstantly challenged.”

He adds: “Nowadays, I fly the ACJregularly, not only to keep up to speedon the aircraft but also to keepabreast of what is happening at thecoal face.”

As chief pilot, Thomas believesevery day is different and eventuallythe unusual becomes the norm. “Iwould say that a chief pilot in thevip/corporate world views everythingas 'business as usual'.

“I enjoy the variety that the jobprovides and the people with whom Iwork. I like the unpredictability thebusiness brings which can be difficultdomestically, but makes lifeinteresting.

“The endless paperwork and theconstant work on company manualsare my least favourite part.”

John Dundon is head of flightoperations, head of training and andhead of flight safety at DiamondExecutive Aviation, headquartered inNorth Yorkshire, UK, with a fleet ofDiamond DA42 Twin Star aircraft.

He maintains a close overview ofday-to-day tasking, operationalconstraints and ensures safeexecution of those tasks bynominated crews.

Three active captains, two co-pilots and a number of pilots in thetraining programme make up thecrew roster. Captains are tasked bymutual agreement betweenthemselves and ground operations,while the co-pilots, who are only usedon flight calibration missions andrepositioning flights, generally act as ground operations support whennot flying.

Dundon believes that single pilotIFR is possibly the most demandingof commercial flying disciplines,saying “It seems the gaining of acommercial licence and instrumentrating are a long way short of thegenuine piloting abilities we need forour operation.”

Dundon first acted as pilot incommand of an Air Cadet glider at theage of 16 some 39 years ago. Havingjoined the Royal Navy as an aircrafttechnician he was promoted intoflying duties in 1981. “I flew Lynxhelicopters for eight years and spentthe final eight years of mycommission on exchange with theRoyal Air Force, flying Bulldog andeventually T67 Firefly fixed wings,” he explains.

“I completed my service life as aninstructor with Elementary FlyingTraining Standards Squadron in 1997.I then operated Bagby Airfield foralmost 10 years prior to joiningDiamond Executive Aviation.” Andnow? “I fly as often as I can, I’m often

close to my FTL limits. We all have todo our bit in a small company.”

As for job satisfaction, Dundonenjoys the successful completion of adifficult calibration task ahead ofschedule, despite any obstacles in theway. On the downside, he dislikeschasing issues that need addressingwhich may seem obvious butsometimes drift over the heads ofcrews, as well as “finger marks on theG1000 glass cockpit and crews notleaving aircraft as they would like tofind it!” he says.

Dimitris Kehayas explains thatGainjet Aviation SA does not have achief pilot position, instead heundertakes relevant duties asnominated post holder for flightoperations manager.

A private charter operator andmanagement company withheadquarters in Athens, the mostrecent addition to the fleet was aGlobal Express.

Kehayas’ duties are typically wide-ranging. “I am involved in the day-by-day running of our operations controlcentre where we monitor the aircraftand deal with any problems such asbad weather, rerouting, airportcapability, crew availability andcompetence.

“I ensure the legality of ouroperation in all its aspects, includingoverseeing maintenance andcompliance with EASA standards andregulations and HCAA requirements.”

Supervising the flight standardsdivision and the cabin crew is part ofhis daily routine, as is the hiringprocess and validation of pilottraining.

“Bringing our company to thehighest level of safety is the mostimportant achievement I ampursuing,” Kehayas adds.

Gainjet Aviation has around 35pilots on its roster, with a fewfreelancers used mainly for trainingpurposes. Pilots are organised mainlyby aircraft and then by fleet, requiringthe cooperation of the training

manager and crewing department.Piloting only for line en route

evaluation approximately twice ayear for each aircraft type andsometimes for training evaluation,Kehayas does not have muchopportunity to fly.

With around 18,000 hours ascaptain on YS11A, B707, B727, B747,A300, A310, A340 types, Kehayas’career has also encompassed rolessuch as flight ops control director,safety manager, a ceo in Macedoniaand HCAA flight operationsinspector. He has a degree in airlineoperations management and is anaccident investigator.

When flights are running late or anad-hoc request comes up, Kehayassays that finding a solution can bevery complicated. “This can beespecially difficult when disruptionsoccur that are out of our control, suchas bad weather causing aircraft to begrounded. An alternative solution isalways a challenge.”

Kemal Suler is general manager ofIstanbul-based Kaan Air, operating afleet of helicopters flown by threepilots to provide executive airtransport and air tours.

Suler does get involved in theselection of aircraft for the company,with Agusta helicopters being themost recent additions. “I fly oftenmyself,” he says before concluding:“flying makes me feel good.”

Portugal-based Aero VIP is atransport company operating twoDornier 228s, one Piper Chieftain andone Shorts 360 with four permanentcrew at its service. Being a smallcompany means that chief pilotAntónio Alberto Fernandes Correiacan personally hire the pilots he feelsare the best for the job.

Correia says that the companyaircraft were chosen specifically forthe kind of operations that are thevocation of the company. “Right nowI am looking at the Dornier “NewGeneration” to renovate our fleet,”adds Correia. “Negotiations are at anearly stage but with a steady pace.”

Presently, Aero VIP’s core businessis regular flights between Lisbon VilaReal and Bragança, but the companyalso operates charter flights.

Correia says: “As a small company Ifly often, not only to keep proficientbut also to be close to the crew, it’s ahands-on philosophy. Being smallhelps me to know everybody in thecompany, but has its disadvantagesbecause I have a lot of administrativework, that robs me of the time to dowhat all pilots love to do best – fly.”

A love of aircraft for Correia grewfrom living near an airfield. “I oftenhelped at the Monte Real Countairfield where I mingled with lots offamous Portuguese pilots. Fuelled by these experiences, I enrolled in the Portuguese Air Force in 1973, andI earned my wings in 1974. I haveflown many types of military andcivilian aircraft.”

From 1975 to 1986, he was a pilotinstructor and was then transferred to503 Squadron during which period heperformed many missions from seasearch and rescue to medevac. “Inone of the medevac missions inwhich I was captain, a baby was bornand named after the aircraft in whichhe was born!”

Clients at the iconic Burj Al Arab hotel can sometimes have some demanding requirements for helidubai, who occasionally have topull out all the stops to satisfy them.

Following a period at thePortuguese Air Force High Commandas a flight training coordinator he wasrequisitioned in 1997 to thePortuguese Ministry of Defensewhere one of his duties involvedcoordinating the Open Skies mission.

“In 1999, I was contracted bycivilian company AerocondorTransportes Aereos where I was chiefpilot until its demise in 2007, then Iwas chief instructor at Leavia Schoolof Aviation. Later I was invited tolaunch a regional flight betweenLisbon Vila Real and Bragança withAero VIP.”

Among many interesting episodesas a pilot, the strangest situationCorreia has had to deal with was atAerocondor Transportes Aereos. “Ihad to replace a pilot because thecommander refused to fly with theco-pilot assigned to its crew, due to anincompatibility of personalities.”

At Rotex Helicopter AG inLiechtenstein, chief pilot MichaelSpörri is also post holder for flightoperations. As chief pilot, he isresponsible for recruiting pilots,training, licensing, monitoring dutyand flight time. Flight operationsinvolves the supervision of the salesand project managers, and ensuringthat a job is carried out in accordancewith the law.

Additional duties as groundmanager mean that Spörri recruitsflight assistants and monitors theirtraining and education.

Five pilots are organised over amonthly duty plan, ensuring thecontinuous availability of pilots andthat each pilot can enjoy their ownfree time.

According to Spörri, Switzerland isunique in that national law dictatesan External Cargo Sling programme.“If a pilot starts a career with Rotex Helicopter they must have atleast ECS 4,” he says. “After K1200Rating (in the USA) they will besupervised for 100 hours on the job bya qualified Kamax pilot, usually thechief pilot.” Rotex Helicopter hasoperated two Kaman Kamaxhelicopters since 1994.

The company has received someunusual applications from would-bepilots. “I got an application from aguy who wanted a job as a co-pilot onthe Kamax – which has only one seat –and another application fromsomeone with a “Zeppelin” rating.”

From a personal perspective,Spörri enjoys logging andconstruction work. “To fly sling loadsis an everyday challenge and to fly inthe Swiss and European alps needs agood understanding of the weather.Situations can change very quickly,”he explains.

“And of course I love to fly theKamax because you definitely have tounderstand this helicopter. It is likewalking the dog. If you fight againstthe Kamax it will fight back.”

Executive Airlines in Spain iscomposed of several fleets andJoaquim Salvador Roca is operationsmanager and chief pilot. He takesresponsibility for the coordination offlight operations, instruction, flightdispatch and everyday incidentsrelated to operations.

A fleet of DA42 Twin Stars are operatedby Diamond Executive Aviation.

We all do ourbit in a smallcompanyJohn Dundon,DiamondExecutive Aviation

An alternative solution isalways a challengeDimitris Kehayas, Gainjet Aviation

Flying makes me feel goodKemal SulerKaan Air

I have lots ofadministrativeworkAntónio AlbertoFernandesCorreia, Aero VIP

Situationscan changevery quicklyMichael Spörri,Rotex Helicopter

Need to learnon an every-day basisJoaquim SalvadorRoca, ExecutiveAirlines

Perspectives: the chief pilot

AUGUST 2011 11EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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In collaboration with groundoperations, Roca manages theschedules of a sizeable team of 50pilots daily when there are relevantchanges, or monthly. “We have toupdate our pilots’ documentation, wealso control and coordinate boththeir training and flight hours toobserve regulations,” says Roca.

“Our training standards are higherthan the legal requirements to coverthe demands of our customers.”

A new Gulfstream 200 has joinedthe Executive Airlines fleet, followinga decision making process thatincluded Roca’s department. Rocahimself is captain of a Falcon 900EXwhich he flies regularly.

Before joining Executive Airlines11 years ago, Roca worked for severalairlines with different responsibilitiesand has flown many different jets.

Those years of experience haveshown Roca many things. “As ourcompany operates all over the world,I have been greatly surprised by theoperation in some far countries. Inthis profession, you need to learn onan everyday basis and face newchallenges.”

Gerry Rolls is chief pilot at FlairJet, aPhenom 100/300 business jetoperator based at London OxfordAirport. Since the summer thecompany has one of its two Phenom300s based out of Cannes and withmore Phenoms set to join the fleet, itis currently recruiting more pilots.

Rolls explains that the chief pilot ofFlairJet is not a nominated postholder position as such, although hedoes hold the flight ops and trainingpost holder positions.

“The chief pilot is a line managerrole for the line pilots, withresponsibility for HR, contracts anddiscipline.”

FlairJet currently employs 16 pilotsrostered in accordance with CAP371at least two weeks prior to the start ofa new roster period. Says Rolls: “It isprobably the most challenging part ofkeeping the business operational, butluckily for me the responsibility forrostering comes under groundoperations.”

With his director of training haton, Rolls is responsible for ensuringall initial and recurrent training forthe flight crew is completed to asatisfactory standard before beingreleased on the line.

“My mission is to ensure that allthe training we deliver in-house orprovided by third party organisationsis relevant to our operation,” he says.

“There are too many genericcourses out there that just tick EU-OPS boxes for my liking. For instance,we have secured an original set ofPhenom 100 seats with which we areplanning to build a fire and smokecabin training rig. There are plenty ofairport fire stations offering trainingwith jumbo sized training rigs butwhat about carrying out the trainingin a rig representative of the size ofaircraft that we are actually using?”

Aircraft selection at FlairJet is

something the entire managementteam is involved in. “We regularlyassess the pros and cons of varioustypes so that we can be ready to movequickly if an opportunity presentsitself. Most recently we have been

involved in adding the Phenom 300 tothe AOC but since then we haveprepared applications for a numberof larger types.”

Rolls started his flying career as acadet pilot for Air Atlantique inCoventry. “After painting many officesand cutting lots of grass, I completedmy studies and flying training for thefrozen ATPL in 1997. During my timewith AAQ I flew lots of different types

Helicopter operator helidubaiemploys Donald Douglas as chiefpilot and training manager.

The company’s motto ofMaximus – Fleximus reflects its aimto do the best it can to accom-modate customer needs, andDouglas says of his role in theorganisation: “I would say that oftenI have to put out little fires.”

Each of the company’s eightpilots must be either a post holderposition or have a major secondaryduty. “Being a small operator we allhave to roll up our sleeves andcontribute,” says Douglas.

“As a training manager, mymandate is to maintain thestandard. As the company grows, weare looking at expanding in the areaof flight instruction.”

Two AS350B3s have recentlyjoined helidubai’s fleet, one insupport of the increasing helicopterscenic tour industry and the second

for filming. “We were involvedrecently in aerial filming for thefourth installment of MissionImpossible,” Douglas adds. “We areconfident that this will increase andthat Dubai will become aninternational destination for majormovie productions.”

Douglas flies as often aspossible: “In order for our pilots toenjoy their weekends and annualleave, I gladly sign out a helicopterand get out of the office.”

In the service industry, saysDouglas, it is common to accept thatthe customer is always right. “Butwith the aim to please, we mustremind the customer of ourlimitations.”

One incident he recalls is a casein point. “We were asked to pick uptwo passengers from a short fieldarea; the customer showed up withfour passengers and so the pilotcalled me for advice. I ask him to

relocate to the nearest suitable cleararea and that the customer shouldmeet him there by road to completethe transfer.

“I am glad that these situationsseldom happen. Our highest profileclient is the iconic Dubai hotel, theBurj Al Arab. On occasion we have topull out all the stops to meet thesomewhat demanding require-ments, on occasion, of some of theirclient base.

“It can be difficult to explain to acustomer that the helicopter theybooked several months in advancehas gone AOG and we cannotprovide an immediate replacement.When this happens we always try toprovide an alternative, or compro-mise in terms of rescheduling or areasonable discount and theopportunity to have a priority listingfor a rebooking.”

Despite these minor trials andtribulations, Douglas confirms that

he enjoys getting up in the morningand not knowing what lies ahead.“Every day is a new day. They are alldifferent and exciting. I enjoy thechallenges that are presented to meand that I can ask my colleagueswhat we can do about them.Therefore, we can come up with agood plan.”

– Donald Douglas, helidubai

We are confident Dubai will be a destination for movie production“including DC-3, Metroliner, Citationand ATR-42/72. I also gained TRI/TRErating for the Metroliner andCitation.”

After 11 years he joined BritishMediterannean, flying the Airbus A-320/321 to the Middle East andAfrica. The company was bought byBMI and Rolls stayed with BMI for ayear or so during which time theopportunity to set up FlairJet arose.

When it comes to job satisfaction,Rolls says: “I enjoy the training. Fromcompleting a newly rated pilot’sinitial circuits and landings, linetraining them and then seeing themput their training into practice duringthe biannual simulator sessions –there is a terrific sense of satisfaction.I also enjoy the Phenom deliveryflights from Brazil.

“I fly too much to be honest. I justcan’t help it!”

Joakim Kalijarvi is nominated chiefpilot with Hastens Sangar AB andcome September will be also act astraining manager for a EuropeanAOC. “My most important task is tokeep my aircraft fit for flight, mypilots and staff up-to-date and to do itas cost-efficiently as possible.”

As chief pilot on the Citation X, hashas two full-time pilots and one pilotas a back-up part-time.

Kalijarvi says: “On the training sidewe have contracted FlightSafetywhich means we are in the US twice ayear for a week at the time, so we are

Diamond Executive’s John Dundon first acted as pilot in command on an Air Cadet gliderat the age of 16.

I fly toomuch – I justcan’t help itGerry Rolls,FlairJet

Previously a chief flightinstructorJoakim Kalijarvi, Hastens Sangar

Continued on next page

I gladly sign out a helicopter and get out of the office

”

12 AUGUST 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

BUSINESS AIR NEWSE U R O P E A N

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providing training well beyond therequirements stipulated in EU OPS.”

The chief pilot at Hastens Sangar is responsible for selecting aircraftand the latest addition was a Citation X which Kalijarvi flies almostevery week.

Kalijarvi’s aviation backgroundincludes corporate aviation, flyingthe Learjet 55 and Citation 501/551. “Iam also rated on the Learjet 45 and Ihave flown cargo and domesticregular traffic with the BAeATP/Jetstream 61. I was previously achief flight instructor in one ofEurope’s largest flight trainingorganisations and CFI and CGI forWest Air Sweden,” he says.

“Nowadays I fly commercially with

the Citation X. My ratings and licenceare FAA and JAA ATPL and I am ratedon the Citation.”

Since 2000, Karl Ratcliffe has been thenominated post holder as chief pilotat London Executive Aviation (LEA),one of Europe’s largest business jetcharter operators.

LEA has grown consistently sinceits founding in 1996 with two smallpiston aircraft, and throughout muchof that expansion Ratcliffe combinedhis chief pilot’s position with the roleof chief training captain. Now, withLEA operating a fleet of 24 jets forcharter, he focuses exclusively on thechief pilot role.

Ratcliffe says: “My primary taskeach day is to liaise with and support

my team, responding to everyonefrom fleet managers to individualpilots. We currently employ 71 flightcrew and that number is rising. Givensuch growth, I cannot directlymanage everybody, so I now have ateam of fleet managers – one personfor each of the aircraft types we fly –who report to me but directly manage

their own fleet and crew.”He believes that communication is

the most fundamental tool needed toensure pilots are able to carry outtheir work on a day-to-day basis.“Beyond that, my responsibilities arevery wide-ranging, from checkingrelevant new publications andproposed amendments through to

involvement in matters ofrecruitment, training, promotionsand new business.”

“I am also closely involved inselecting new aircraft. We haveenjoyed excellent experiencesoperating Cessna jets, from Mustangsto Excels, but we are increasinglyadding larger, longer-range aircraft toour fleet, such as the Legacy 600/650,the Falcon 900EX and the Challenger300.”

Ratcliffe spent 15 years as anengineer before deciding to fulfil histeenage passion for flying. Havingsecured his private pilot licence, hegained his commercial licence atOxford Air Training School beforemaking his way to start up LEA in1996. “I still fly for LEA, which I thinkis good for team morale and helps mekeep in direct contact with crew –aware of their concerns andresponding to their questions. I like tothink anyone can approach me onany matter. I always seek to offeradvice so that we train our pilots farbeyond the statutory requirements.In fact, I’d say the best and mostrewarding part of my job is teachingyoung, low-houred pilots andwatching them achieve their goals.”

ABS Jets has bases in Prague andBratislava and recently reached anagreement with Avcon Jet that willresult in the opening of an Embraerline maintenance station at KievBoryspil airport.

Chief pilot and flight operationsmanager Stefan Kukura manages toput in around 300 flying hours a year and provides an advisory servicefor owners looking to acquire anaircraft, the most recent being anEmbraer 600.

According to Kukura his everydayduties can involve, among manyother things, flight operations,issuing and updating the companyoperations manual, approvingnecessary procedures for flightoperations, verifying crewqualifications, evaluating safety andeconomic effectiveness and ensuringcurrent maps and charts areavailable.

Twenty-seven pilots and 12 flightattendants are coordinated by crewcontrol department, with trainingorganised by the crew trainingmanager and his deputy. ABS Jets’long list of training items and trainingprogrammes are approved by CAAand published in the ops manual,part D.

Examples include special Cairports simulator trainings, P-RNAV,winter operations and proceduresstandardisation training.

Says Kukura: “Our target is toincrease the standard of trainingprocedures, we are developing ourown training programmes. In ourteam we have several instructors fordifferent types to ensure the highestquality of training.”

Kukura’s more than 10,000 loggedhours began as a business aviationpilot 25 years ago, over which time hehas gained experience with the KingAir, Citation Bravo, Hawker 800 andEmbraer Legacy 600. ■

Rotex Helicopter’s Michael Spörri believes that, if you fight the Kamax, it will fight back.

Mostrewardingteachingyoung pilots Karl Ratcliffe,London ExecutiveAviation

Ensures thehighestquality oftrainingStefan Kukura,ABS Jets

Calling alllobbyistsIn our September edition our reportwill focus on the lobbyist. If you would like to offer yourthoughts and opinions, please contactnewsdesk@ebanmagazine.comurgently.

Perspectives: the chief pilot

My mission is toensure training is

relevant to operations

FULL

DETAILS AT

WWW.BGAD.AERO

AUGUST 2011 13EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

SWEDENREGIONALREVIEW

PiperJet assembly beginsPiper Aircraft has startedfabrication and assembly will beginin August of the first conformingflight test article of the singleengine PiperJet Altaire business jet.Inaugural flight of the conformingAltaire is planned for 2013 withcertification and deliveries in 2014.

Autopilot upgrade for BaronAvidyne Corporation is to offer theDFC90 Digital Flight ControlSystem for Beechcraft Baronmodels. The system is certified forEntegra-equipped Cirrus SR20s andSR22s, and near to certification forPiper PA-46 Matrix and Mirage.

The DFC90 adds the precisionand reliability of an attitude-basedflight control system, along withIndicated Airspeed Hold, improvedflight director and a “straight andlevel” button.

G150 speeds from Ganderto GenevaA Gulfstream G150 demonstrationaircraft has set a world speedrecord between Gander andGeneva, Switzerland, beating theexisting record by 37 minutes. The2,464 nautical miles were coveredin five hours and six minutes at anaverage Mach 0.80, with two crewand four passengers.

Planning for Citations nowon iPadCitation operators can now planflights using iPads with iPreFlightsoftware from Aircraft PerformanceGroup. The app features real-timeMETARs and winds aloft, graphicalweather, routing, graphical weightand balance, a worldwide database,flight planning, Runway AnalysisMax Payload Estimator and otherfeatures. iPreFlight will also featuretakeoff and landing performancederived from Cessna’s CitationPerformance Calculator, part of theCESNAV package. Calculations arecompleted on APG’s server, whichmeans internet access is required.

Gulfstream renames G250The Chinese take numbers veryseriously, based on similarsounding words in Mandarin orCantonese language. So, thenumber 4 should be avoided as itspronunciation is similar to theword for death, while 8 is highlysought-after as it sounds likeprosperity. In Mandarin thenumber 250 can cause offence.

Gulfstream cites culturalsensibilities as its reason forrenaming the G250 aircraft as theG280. The change will not affectany other in-productionGulfstream aircraft.

The G280 flight test programmeis well under way. Three aircraft

have exceeded 1,400 flight hoursover 525 flights. Manufacturing ofthe first non-test aircraft iscomplete, with productionacceptance testing under way.

Caravan upgrades approvedA newly certified engine upgradepackage from Blackhawk will boostthe power and capabilities ofCessna Caravan aircraft. The XP42Aupgrade has received its FAA STC,and involves the fitting of a morepowerful 850 SHP PT6A-42Afactory-new PW&C engine, astreamlined carbon compositenose cowling, Frakes exhaust stacksand Hartzell four-blade propeller.

The package effectively doublesthe aircraft’s rate of climb whileusing less fuel.

Legacy 500 takes shapeEmbraer has joined the first Legacy500’s cockpit, centre and aftfuselage sections and anticipatesbeginning flight tests before theend of the year. The main structureof the midsize jet is built ofaluminium alloy, with a substantialcontent of composite materials.

Empire sells utility KodiakDubai-based Empire AviationGroup is to distribute the Kodiakutility aircraft for Quest AircraftCompany, covering 12 countriesincluding the GCC (Bahrain,Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE), Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen,Turkey, Iraq and India, whereEmpire is about to open its firstbranch, in Mumbai.

Al Bateen targets tech stopsAl Bateen Executive Airportcontinues to promote itself as aconvenient tech stop, as well asbuilding its own based fleet. In thefirst half of the year private jetmovements grew by almost 40%compared with the same periodlast year. The airport recentlyunveiled its DhabiJet FBO.

Flying farmers boostsOxford’s summerSunny weather, the Henley Regattaand a number of local celebrityfunctions, including Kate Moss’wedding, all contributed to adoubling of normal businessaviation activity at Oxford airporton the first weekend in July.

Over 100 commercialmovements passed through, andthe airport expected the rush tocontinue with Silverstone GrandPrix traffic and then the CLA GameFair later in the month, which willbring in an anticipated 140,000visitors just a mile up the road atBlenheim Palace. Typically 50‘flying farmers’ and other grandestate owners fly in.

I NDUS TRY NEWS . . .

The Eastair Learjet 45 has been in increased demand for ambulance flights.

Major business aviation airports*

1. Stockholm Arlanda ESSA ARN2. Stockholm Bromma ESSB BMA3. Malmo Sturup ESMS MMX4. Goteborg Save ESGP GSE5. Umea ESNU UME

* ranked by the number of handler, charter,

maintenance, sales and training organisations

based at each.

Leading fixed-wing charter operators**

1. EFS European Flight Service2. WaltAir Europe 3. Flygcentrum i Stockholm 4. Petter Solberg Aviation

Leading helicopter charter operators**

1. Fiskflyg2. Lapplandsflyg-Lap-Air3. Jamtlands Flyg4. Copterflyg

** ranked by number of aircraft for charter

Leading maintenance companies***

1. Patria Helicopters2. Priority Aero Maintenance3. European Maintenance Service

Leading TRTO training companies***

1. John Miles Air Consulting2. Braathens Training3. Twospeed Aviation4. Northern Helicopters

*** ranked by number of aircraft types covered

Data extracted from the Handbook

of Business Aviation in Europe,

and the EBAN reader roster.

Business aviation in Sweden by the numbers

71 business aviation airports

46 business charter operators

21 business aircraftmaintenance organisations

SE 323 business aircraft onthe Swedish register

Recovery may be slow, but Sweden’soperators see better times ahead

Swedish companies are stillemerging from recession at slowpace, says Claes Åström of charterbroker Flight ManagementStockholm AB. This opinion isconfirmed by the Eurocontrol airtraffic statistics of recent years,which show the number of businessmovements per day in Swedenpeaking at 115 in 2007, fallingdramatically to 87 in 2009 andrecovering only to 88.4 last year.

Stockholm’s Bromma airport is themain hub for business aviation, morethan twice as busy as GothenburgSave, while other significantdestinations remain Umea, Visby,Skavsta, Sturup, Lulea and Arlanda.

But there is widespread optimismthat a more fulsome recovery is only amatter of time, and many companiesare in the mood for expansion. RobertAlmqvist, md of Nordic Air BrokersAB, says: “We have a new teammember starting in mid-August whowill take the company forward. Wehave also signed a GSA agreementwith a Citation operator late in June, which is an area where weare growing.”

Eastair ABBased at Bromma, Uppsala andArlanda, Eastair AB mixes fixed wingwith rotary. “Flight hours haveincreased, we have expanded the fleetwith JAR-OPS 3 and aerial works byhelicopter, so we are flying a lot,” saysLars Österwall.

“Ambulance flights have alsoincreased, and the charter market hasalso increased a bit. The price forcharter is very low at the moment, soit is difficult to have a good businessjet to meet the demands ofcustomers. We expect demand to bebetter in a year or two.

“Sweden is a small country faraway from central Europe. With abusiness jet from Stockholm it takes about an hour and 30 minutesto reach business locations in central Europe.”

Österwall singles out Per Lie,chairman and quality manager, forpraise. “He started as a consultant acouple of years ago but ended up in afull time role to develop and organisethe company. He has long experiencein aviation, started in the business in

the 70s at Nyge Aero in Sweden, laterin the 80s for Norwing in Norway andfrom the 90s ExecuJet Scandinaviaand Air Alpha in Denmark.”

The company has appointedMarcus Karlsson as continuingairworthiness manager and has a newteam of helicopter pilots, lead byflight operations manager Jon Tralla.

Recently the company flew toAfghanistan to rescue an injuredsoldier with the Learjet 45, as itscustomer has a contract with theSwedish military.

Jämtlands Flyg AB Jämtlands Flyg chief pilot Ulf Grinde is also one of the owners ofthis family business. He is said to be Sweden’s most experiencedhelicopter pilot of all time, with over21,000 hours rotor time as well asover 8,000 hours fixed wing.

Things are going well at JämtlandsFlyg, says Jon Håkansson, executivevp/coo: “We have increased our flighthours per aircraft and the total. Wehave managed to achieve new all timeflight hour records in six out of thelast 12 months – and we have beenoperating for 57 years.”

The company recently introducedthe Robinson R44 Raven II andreports that this is performing wellin passenger transportation as well

as aerial work for reindeer herding, power line inspections andforest surveys. However, “the risk ofnot thought through regulationshindering the use of single enginehelicopters for passengertransportation over the vast forestlands in northern Sweden, in otherwords classifying the forest as a

Jon Tralla, Eastair flight operationsmanager.

Jämtlands Flyg chief pilot Ulf Grinde isalso one of the owners of this familybusiness. Said to be Sweden’s mostexperienced helicopter pilot of all time,he has over 21,000 hours rotor time aswell as over 8,000 hours fixed wing.

Continued on next page

Schiphol GAT open for businessA new GA terminal at Schiphol-East has opened to serve the 4,500business jet flights through the airport each year. The main users of theterminal are the handling agents KLM, Aviapartner and Jetsupport. Otherparties, including Jet Netherlands, Nayak (aircraft management andmaintenance), Aerdynamics and Solid Air, are already renting half of theoffice space. Photo courtesy of Jetsupport.

14 AUGUST 2011 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

PrivateFly seeks further fundingPrivateFly.com is seeking secondround investment funding of £1.5mto accelerate its expansion intointernational markets. The comp-any raised £510,000 in first roundfundraising in June 2010, allowingdevelopment for the UK and otherEnglish language countries.

“The private aviation industry isgrowing again, yet it is still highlyfragmented and dominated bylegacy business practices – it hasyet to see the major online shiftexperienced by other travel sectors.The ad hoc charter segment alsoholds strong appeal post-recession,rather than the upfront commit-ment and price premium offractional ownership or jet cardschemes,” says PrivateFly chairmanRichard Carrick.

EAS publishes charterbrokers’ Bill of RightsUS-based air charter andmanagement company ExecutiveAir Services has published a‘Charter Broker Bill of Rights’ toreassure brokers that it will notsolicit clients without explicitauthorisation.

“In the US, we estimate that 65-80 per cent of people whocharter do so via brokers, wetherefore published the Bill to letbrokers know that we respect theirclient relationships, and that wewill never solicit the end user,” saysMatthew Winer, president of EAS.

The Bill promises that neitheroperations staff (including charter,dispatch and back office), nor flightcrews will contact the end user forany reason, unless explicitlyrequested by the charter broker;that for broker trips, flight crewshave neutralised business cardswith the aircraft tail number andtheir names on them; and thatcharter aircraft are neutralised, butfor any information required by law.

It concludes: “The broker is ourclient. Privity lies between the

broker and the end user, andnothing should come between that.”

Air Partner moves closer to GatwickAir Partner has relocated its UKheadquarters to larger officesalongside London Gatwick airport.

“Coinciding as it does with our50th birthday, we are very excitedabout this relocation,” says MarkBriffa, Air Partner ceo. “It gives us amuch more contemporary home,befitting our image and brand asRoyal Warrant holder listed on theLondon Stock Exchange. It alsogives us the advantage of havingmore room for our established in-house training academy.”

The new offices are opposite TheBeehive, Gatwick’s original terminalbuilding, where Air Partner begantrading in 1961.

ACI takes Afghan police to TurkeyAuthorities in Afghanistan are busypreparing a new police force tomaintain order as foreign militarysupport is gradually withdrawn, andbroker Air Charter Internationalrecently had the opportunity toassist by arranging transport forpolice officers in training.

“We received the inquiry justthree days before the first flight wassupposed to take place,” says ClaireBrugirard, manager of the chartersales department at ACI.

The 560 law enforcementpersonnel selected weretransported to Sivas in Turkey usingfour rotations of a Boeing 737-300.

“Many other aviation companiesbid and there was a lot of compet-ition involved,” says Brugirard. ACIalso had to deal with tight oper-ating hours at Sivas. “On Thursdaythis airport closed at 1800 and onFriday at 1400 so realistically it wasalmost impossible to fit a scheduleinto such operating hours. Weworked at and were granted specialpermission by Turkish authoritiesto land at a later time,” she said.

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PrivateFly ceo Adam Twidell, sales and marketing director Carol Cork (right) andmarketing manager Viv Diprose (Carol's identical twin sister) recently spent a day at Tower 42 in the City of London briefing the businesses about the benefits of business aviation. They dressed as air crew and arrived in their branded Ferrarito give away branded cupcakes. The car is part of a new partnership with theFerrari Owners Club.

The 2011/12 EBAN Handbook ofBusiness Aviation in Europe is out now, and gives details of manymore Swedish charter operators.

It also lists business aviationfacilities and services includingairports, FBOs and maintenancecentres.

The details can be accessedonline through a search of aircraftoperated or the airport bases. Formore information please visitwww.handbook.aero

Comprehensive Swedish data online free-of-charge

SWEDENREGIONALREVIEW

hostile area, disregarding the fact theforests are littered with landing areas,is a potential problem,” he says.

“We didn’t experience the negativeeffects from the financial crisis, asmost of our business is either aerialwork or flights you cannot replacewith any other means except to hike for a couple of days in the remoteand mountainous areas of northernScandinavia, so business aviation has fully recovered in our area,” he concludes.

Jämtlands Flyg pilots fly throughthe night herding reindeer during thesummer, when it never gets dark inthe North. This is because the calvescannot be herded during day timewhen it is too hot for them.

The company equipped itsEC120B Colibri with permanentfloats and a hole through the floorand sampled over a thousand lakes all over Sweden in anenvironmental survey for govern-

ment agencies. This autumn it willsample another 2,000 lakes.

In January, Jämtlands Flyg wasawarded the honorable title RoyalWarrant Holder by His Majesty TheKing of Sweden. The label isappointed to an exclusive group ofpurveyors to the Royal Court ofSweden. “We are the first aviationcompany to receive this title and the

Mattias Klum, one of Sweden’s most wellknown nature photographers, has chosenHeliAir Sweden as his exclusive helicopterpartner in his quest to document theanimal life of the Baltic Sea(www.heliairsweden.com).

first new addition since 2005. We havesupplied the Royal Court withhelicopter services in theScandinavian mountains fordecades,” says Håkansson.

HeliAir SwedenHeliAir Sweden is working with bothstill photos and its Cineflex system to film over the Baltic Sea in theshortest time possible to avoiddisturbing animal life more thannecessary. The quality of life of over 90 million people is affected by theenvironment in the Baltic Sea, andthe photos will form part of aninternational documentary.

In March this year, HeliAir Sweden purchased the well-established company Flygtjänst &Helikoptertransport i Sverige AB. The deal made it one of the largest helicopter companies by fleetsize in Sweden. The companycurrently operates with one MD600N,three MD500s, one Long Ranger andtwo SC300s.

Meanwhile HeliAir Maintenancehas acquired an EASA Part 145 permitfrom the Civil Aviation Authority ofSweden which means that it canperform scheduled service on theAS350, MD500, MD600 and Bell 206.It is located at its own apron atVästerås-Hässlö airport. ■

Since January MTS Aviation, theFBO at Sturup, has been operatingfrom a new air conditioned hangarand facilities, the biggest on theairport.

IceFly Aviation Inc hasestablished a new company namedEast Sweden General Aviation, anFBO operator at Linkoping. It isbuilding a GA terminal, offices and more hangar space.

Based in Malmo, Sweden’s ownflight software company is about to launch a flight operationscontrol system (FOCS) that hasbeen in development for sevenyears. Jonas Persson ofFlygprestanda says that FOCS will expand the company’sbusiness into a new segment of themarket, and will interact with crewEFB applications.

“The market demand forapplications working on iPad hasled us to develop some newsolutions for this platform,” hesays. “We are working with severaloperators to put it into operationand get the necessary approvalsfrom the authorities.”

Megadoor reports that businesshas increased significantly over thepast few years, despite the general economic downturn, andspecialises in hangar doors withminimal air leakage (vital forpainting operations).

Meanwhile Andy Noble of AirSweden Aviation is planning todevelop his own business –OPSontap. This will provideaviation support services such asoperations, crew scheduling, staffsupply and outsourced operationscontrol and planning.

Swedish businessaviation suppliers

Continued from preceding page

AUGUST 2011 15EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Aircraft for sale

AVRO

Corporate Jet

Stunning VVIP Corporate 26 seat interior.Four distinct living areas:reception/welcome area, dining,lounge/entertainment and business class,full SATCOM/WIFI, world’s only aircraftinstalled B &O IFE system with 42 inch flatplasma main screen, two lavatories (1VIP), full galley, long range tanks, steepapproach and rough runway certified. EUOps certified. Tel: +49 30 56 59 36 31Cordner Aviation Group. Email:info@cordneraviationgroup.com

BOEING

VIP 727-100

S/N 20371, New Listing! MSG-3, -9Aengines, winglets. 31-passenger Interior,great layout. Master stateroom +convertible sitting room/2nd bedroom.Wendy Bierwirth. Tel.: +1-301 869 4600Wentworth & Affiliates, Inc.. Web:www.wentworth.aero.

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CESSNA

Citation Excel

2003, T/T 3,800 hours. EASA/JAR-OPS,JSSI, APU, SAT-Phone, HF, Dual UNS,FDR, Airshow, Nine passenger. Externalservice. Motivated. Tel +49 6332 97200Winair Germany. Web: www.winair.eu.Email: sales@winair.eu

Citation Ultra

S/N 560-0441, Honeywell Primus 1000 3-Tube EFIS, Honeywell GNS-XLS FMS,Honeywell MKVII EGPWS, HoneywellTCAS II w/Change 7, w/ski tube. RecentlyPermaguard, Duncan P & I. Fresh phase 1-5. One year cescom enrollment. Zeroengine option. Tel: +1 403 291 9027 JohnHopkinson & Associates. Web:www.hopkinsonassociates.com. Email:sales@hopkinsonassociates.com

DASSAULT

Falcon 900B

S/N 152, 7,171 TTAF, MSP Gold, Satphone,excellent pedigree, immaculate condition,Airshow 400, EGPWS, TCAS II w/change 7,406 ELT John Hopkinson & Associates.

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EMBRAER

Phenom 300

S/N 505-00005: 248 TSN, JSSI, EmbraerExecutive Care—Enhanced, ACSS TCAS II,electronic Jepp Charts. Premium PAXdoor, 7th PAX seat interchanges withcustom galley annex. Upgraded inflightentertainment system. 1 pilot trainingincluded. New paint August 2010.Warranties remaining. Tel: +1 713 6810075 Par Avion Ltd. Web:www.paravionltd.com,. Email:info@paravionltd.com

GULFSTREAM/ASTRA

1125 SP

1992, T/T 5,200 hours. EASA/JAR-OPS,MSP Gold, APU, 2700NM range, DualFMS, HF, FDR, Europe since new. Tel +49

6332 97200 Winair Germany. Web:www.winair.eu. Email: sales@winair.eu

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT

Hawker 800B1987, TTAF since new 7682. JAR-OPSapproved, engines on MSP Gold, Aircrafton Camp. Thrust reversers. Maintenanceby Hawker certified service centres. Fireblocked seven passenger executive withover size executive leather seats. ContactPaul Forster. Tel: +44(0)1959 579950Global Flight Solutions. Email:info@gflts.com

Hawker 800B1993, EASA Certified, 12, 24 and 48 monthinspections completed,1 6 year X Rayscompleted, fresh ARC, new PFD displays,new FMS, interior 10/10, paint – 10 /10.Available for viewing at Biggin Hill.Contact Paul Forster. Tel: +44(0)1959579950 Global Flight Solutions. Email:info@gflts.com

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VVIP Super 27-100

S/N 20533, VP-BIF. Last -100 Built, -200landing gear with 0 SMOH, EFIS, -200wing/fuel tanks, winglets. Goodrich Re-Engine Mod. Wendy Bierwirth Tel: +1 301869 4600 Wentworth & Affiliates, Inc.. Web:www.wentworth.aero.

VVIP Super 27-200REW EXEC

S/N 22825, ZS-PVK. 4600 hours / 3000cycles. Valsan -217C engine retrofit withwinglets. MSG-3, 45-passenger VIPinterior with stateroom. Wendy Bierwirth.Tel: +1 301 869 4600 Wentworth &Affiliates, Inc. . Web:www.wentworth.aero.

BOMBARDIER

Challenger 300

S/N 20246, 746 TTAF, 2nd FSU IFIS, DualFMS, Airshow 4000, satellite radio. Dualfour place clubs. Divan included. Tel: +1403 291 9027 John Hopkinson &Associates. Web:www.hopkinsonassociates.com. Email:sales@hopkinsonassociates.com

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