PREMIER TRANS-ATLANTIC BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE · BUSINESS AVIATION P54 1 COVER.qxp 29/08/2019 09:30 Page 1. FOLLOW ALL OTHERS The Gulfstream G650ER TM recently achieved the fastest

PREMIER TRANS-ATLANTICBUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE

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CRIMEA A NEW CENTERFOR BUSINESS AVIATION

From the Atlantic to the UralBusiness Aviation Migratesto Moscow for RUBAE 2019

FUELING THE FUTURE OFBUSINESS AVIATION P54

1 COVER.qxp 29/08/2019 09:30 Page 1

FOLLOWALL OTHERS

The Gulfstream G650ERTM recently achieved the fastest longest-range business jet

flight in history—flying from Singapore to Tucson, Arizona, 44 minutes quicker than

the previous record. With an industry-leading 90-plus world speed records for the

Gulfstream G650TM and G650ER, you simply can’t go farther faster.

THE BEST NEVER REST

Will robots inherit the earth? Yes, but they will be our children. Marvin Minsky

UPFRONT

UNLESS YOU ARE SOMEHOW STILLliving in the Stone Age, you have by nownoticed that robots are starting tooverrun our way of life. Mowing a lawnlocated in Europe by means of a robotthat is following the instructions I send itfrom a cell phone in the USA issomething that I would not have thoughtpossible some years ago. But alas, thegrass is cut.Meanwhile, the hi-tech gurus at Amazon,Google…etc. have sent the robots directlyinto our homes, under the guise of suchladylike names as Alexa, Cortana, Siriand Calliope. “Don’t forget to call Kathyin five minutes,” Siri told me yesterdayfrom inside my pocket, saving me adomestic quarrel! Can you believe thatyou and I have the good fortune to live inthe first generation of virtual personalassistants?Clearly, we are moving into a newtechnological age, the one of artificialbrain power. While this will be a greatchallenge for the majority of existing jobs,it should not influence the engagement ofthe pilot, for whom awareness has to be aprimary duty. Yes, the aviation industry isrelentlessly working on new technologicalmomentum. Piston power has given wayto turbine dominance, and the futurecould very well be electric.

Even if experiments are conducted onpilot-less airplanes, the pilot will alwaysbe the essential element of safe air travel.That’s because a secure flight will alwaysdepend on the awareness of the pilot.Their interpretation of a situation andway of regarding and understanding aproblem is the best guarantee to findingthe solution. Facing a drawback, un-prepared pilots will panic and loose timetrying to comprehend an issue!Imagine the consequences if US AirwaysFlight 1549, taking off from LaGuardiaAirport on January 15, 2009 with 150passengers and five crew members onboard, would have been pilotless when ithit that flock of migrating Canadiangeese, shutting down both engines!Tragedy was only avoided by a daringexperimented pilot just minutes after hisCharlotte-bound plane took off from NewYork. And it was because of Capt.Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, whoefficaciously glided the plane to rest onthe surface of the Hudson River, that allpassengers survived with no seriousinjuries.Autopilots have been around for a longtime, but categorically it is not analternative for awareness.Be aware, don’t be a statistic in the nextICAO Safety Report!

Fernand M. FrancoisEditor and Publisher

FROM TWILIGHT ZONE TO COMMON SENSE

03 UPFRONT.qxp 29/08/2019 09:32 Page 3

3 Upfront6 Briefing Room8 Quick Lane

22 On the Move24 Business News26 Trans-Atlantic Update28 RUBAE Preview54 Focus FUEL66 Avionics74 Docket78 Safety

DEPARTMENTS

PREMIER TRANS-ATLANTICBUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE

MEMBER OF

Volume XXX1 N°4

EDITOR AND PUBLISHERFernand M. Francois

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERKathy Ann Francois

ASSISTANT to the PUBLISHERVictoria Graham

EDITOR IN CHIEFVolker K. Thomalla

MANAGING EDITORBusra Ozturk

EXECUTIVE EDITORNick Klenske

EXECUTIVE EDITORMarc Grangier

SAFETY EDITORMichael R. Grüninger

COACH EDITORCaptain LeRoy Cook

TECHNOLOGY EDITORSteve Nichols

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSLouis Smyth, Derek Bloom,

Richard Koe, Brian Foley, Eugene Gerden, Anna Nazarova,

Giulia Mauri, Aoife 0’Sullivan

PRODUCTION MANAGERTanguy Francois

CONTACT USFor all the above

[email protected]

ADVERTISINGKathy Ann FrancoisMarketing Director

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BART InternationalPremier Transatlantic Aviation Magazine ISSN 0776-7596. Printed in Belgium is published and owned by

SA Frankie&Lette, 20 rue de l’Industrie at B1400Nivelles. Phone +326 788 3603.

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EBACE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

FEATURES28 RUBAE Preview32 Operating in Russia 36 Russia at Maturity44 Crimea New Bizav Center48 Russia’s MRO Sets for Growth54 Fueling the Future of Business Aviation62 Electric Aircraft Boom or Bust66 Gearing the Future of Connectivity70 Air Ambulance When Lives Matters74 Changes in Russian Bizav Regulations 78 One Plus One Makes Two!80 Proficiency or Competency

4-5 CONTENTS.qxp 29/08/2019 15:11 Page 4

OUR ADVERTISERS and their Agencies57 Air BP43 AMSTAT55 Avfuel Corporation

11 CAE19 Dassault Falcon (PEMA 2M)9 Duncan Aviation

51 EBACE 202065 Flight Safety Foundation

7 FlightSafety International (GRETEMAN GROUP)69 GCS Safety Solution23 Groupe ADP

2 Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation17 HondaJet (MILNER BUTCHER MEDIA GROUP)15 Jet Aviation37 JetNet LLC31 Jet Support Services Inc. (JSSI)41 NBAA-BACE 201913 Rolls-Royce47 RUBAE 202084 Textron Aviation (Copp Media Services, Inc.)35 The Air Law Firm83 Universal Avionics Systems, Corp.

e

OUR COVER11-13 September 2019, the RUBAE trade show atMoscow Vnukovo Airport attracts not onlyexhibitors and attendees from the CIS countries,but also from Europe and North America.

Sustainable alternative jet fuel to take BusinessAviation farther for less.

HOME GROWNVQ-BFA Canadair CRJ-200 operated by the Russianregional airline Rus Line based at Vnukovo InternationalAirport since March 2013. The company operates 10 CRJ200 mainly for regional and charter flights.

4-5 CONTENTS.qxp 29/08/2019 15:11 Page 5

RUBAESeptember 11 - 13, 2019Vnukovo 3 Moscow, Russia

NBAA-BACEOctober 22 - 24, 2019Las Vegas, USA

Dubai AirshowNovember 17 - 21, 2019Dubai, UAE

Heli-Expo 2020January 27 -30Anaheim, California, USA

Schedulers & DispatchersConference (SDC2020)March 10 - 13Charlotte, North Carolina, USA

6 - BART: SEPTEMBER - 2019

BRIEFING ROOM

W hen operating to London, keep in mind regula-tory considerations such as UK APD AirPassenger Duty.

If you are an operator traveling to the UK, you mustregister with HMRC Her Majesty's Revenue andCustoms (unless you qualify for the occasional opera-tor's scheme, in which case registration is not neces-sary) and you will need to account for and pay AirportDuty for each passenger departing the UK.Operators are financially liable for payment of APD tothe HMRC. Other options for payment are still unknownat this time, and updates will be made as more informa-tion is released.

Other IssuesVaccinations - Not applicableLanguage issues - Not applicable

Onboard pets - Temporary importation of personalpets into the UK is possible, but only for certain typesof pets at certain airports. GA operations may bring in adog, cat or ferret but only at three airports in theLondon area - at Stansted (EGSS), Biggin Hill (EGKB)and Farnborough (EGLF). Be aware that there arestrict procedural and health requirements in place andyour aircraft must be on an approved operator list. Inaddition to having up-to-date vaccination and healthrecords, the pet must have had a rabies inoculationwithin the past six months and treatment for tapeworm48 hours prior to arrival. Pet health details need to beforwarded to your handler, at least 24 hours inadvance, so that they can coordinate the pet clearanceprocess with a local pet processing company. Onarrival at EGSS, EGKB or EGLF a 'pet representative'will come on board to scan the animal's microchip andensure all the records match up.

Potential issues with pet importation: While theprocess of importing a pet into the UK is very doablewith proper research and pre-planning, it's important tofollow all the rules. If you land with a pet at a non-approved London area airport you'll likely encounterissues. Authorities may allow you to be permitted orimmediately depart but you run the risk of having thepet taken into quarantine for months.

Weapons onboard: It's allowable to land your GA air-craft in the UK with weapons onboard so long asthey've been properly declared and approvals havebeen obtained. If you're flying to the UK for shootingseason, which normally begins in September, you'llneed to have all paperwork in place for your guns alongwith a hunting license organized by the landowner forthe shooting location. If you're just stopping in the UKwith weapons onboard, these can usually be stored atthe airport with recommended 24-48 hours advancenotification. Some FBOs have contracts in place withlocal gun dealers who are licensed to transport andstore weapons during your extended stay in the UK.

ConclusionLondon is one of the premier Business Aviation desti-nations in the world. Operators have abundant qualityoptions both in providers and airports. Consider yourdestination within the London area to create a plan thatmeets your specific needs.

Got a question? Contact Jason Hayward General Manager Universal Aviation UK

Agenda

Events

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OPERATING TO LONDONRegulatory Considerations To Be Kept In Mind

06 BRIEFING ROOM.qxp 29/08/2019 09:37 Page 6

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QUICK LANE

SHANNON AIRPORT CELEBRATES 80THANNIVERSARY OF FIRST PASSENGERShannon Airport, a Shannon Group company, celebrated 80 yearsas the center piece and driver of the regional economy as it marksthe landing of its first passenger aircraft way back on July 11th,1939. Some 80 years ago to the day a Belgian airliner – tri-motorSabena Davoia Marchetti S-73 – landed on the newly opened andthen named Rineanna airfield and gave lift-off to what would soonafter become known as Shannon Airport and an economic trans-formation of a region. Fast forward the 80 years and ShannonAirport is today Ireland’s second-largest long-haul airport, the onlyone outside the capital offering direct flights to all key Irish mar-kets – the UK, European mainland and US.

NAA ESTABLISHES THEBRUCE WHITMAN TROPHYThe National Aeronautic Association (NAA) has established theBruce Whitman Trophy in honor of the late aerospace executiveand philanthropist who passed away in October 2018. Whitmanhas been named as the first recipient of the trophy created as atribute to his significant contributions to the aerospace industryover the past 60 years as well as his dedication to educating mil-

lions about the legacy ofour military. The BruceWhitman Trophy will beawarded to “… outstand-ing individuals who havemade significant contri-butions to aviation oraerospace in the UnitedStates, and who byworking with museumsand other institutionshave promoted an appre-ciation by students andthe broader public of thesacrifices and legacy ofmembers of the militaryservice.”

UNIVERSAL WEATHER AND AVIATION TO SELL UVAIR FUELING DIVISION TO WORLD FUEL SERVICESGlobal mission management provider, Universal Weatherand Aviation, Inc., has signed a definitive agreement tosell its UVair Fueling Division to World Fuel Services.“We didn’t achieve our 60-year track record of successand remain the industry leader in international missionsupport by standing pat and being satisfied with the statusquo,” said Universal Chairman Greg Evans. “We’vealways been nimble, and not afraid to make bold decisionsthat will allow us to adapt to changing market and betterdevelop solutions to our customers’ future challenges.Until the official close, there will be no changes in howUniversal and the UVair Fueling Program conducts busi-ness. Upon the official closing of the sale, as part of thisagreement, Universal will continue to service its trip sup-port customers as it always has, and World Fuel Serviceswill become the exclusive fuel provider for all missionsthrough Universal.

BOMBARDIER LAUNCHES THE LEARJET 75 LIBERTYBombardier unveils the Learjet 75 Liberty, offering more light jetoperators than ever before the opportunity to step up into the iconicplatform that launched Business Aviation in America. Passengers whostep into the six-seat Learjet 75 Liberty will have the freedom tostretch out in the only Executive Suite in the light jet category, aboarda stunning cabin that delivers the quietest and smoothest ride. TheLearjet 75 Liberty will be offered at a list price of $9.9 million US, withfirst deliveries expected in 2020. This exceptional value propositionrepresents a new frontier for the Learjet brand.

08-18 QUICK LANE.qxp 29/08/2019 10:51 Page 8

WATCH THE TIMELAPSE:www.DuncanAviation.aero/global-interior

Aircraft Acquisition & Consignment | Airframe Maintenance | Avionics InstallationEmergency Assistance (AOG) | Engine & APU | Engineering & Certification Services

Government & Special Programs | Paint & Interior | Parts, Avionics, Instruments & Accessories

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SD SUPPORTS NEW ONE MORE ORBIT RECORD IN HONOR OF APOLLO 11 LANDINGExecutives from Satcom Direct, the Business Aviation solutions provider,welcomed the One More Orbit team’s Gulfstream G650ER as it landed atthe Space Florida Launch and Landing Facility, formerly known as theShuttle Landing Facility, to complete its record-breaking attempt to com-plete the fastest aerial circumnavigation of the earth via both geographicalpoles. The flight, which took 46 hours 39 minutes and 38 seconds, (to beofficially confirmed) knocked some eight hours off the existing record andwas followed online around the world by aviation enthusiasts logging intothe live stream broadcasting the voyage. The live stream, as well as connec-tivity and flight deck communications support, were supplied by SD combin-ing its powerful connectivity and security infrastructure with the GlobalXpress network from satellite partner Inmarsat.

QUICK LANE

WEST STAR AVIATION AUTHORIZED TOSERVICE MEGGITT SECURAPLANE BATTERIESWest Star Aviation is now authorized to service and repairMeggitt Securaplane Technologies Main Ship 9750W PureLead batteries at their full-service Alton, IL (ALN) location.The 9750 Battery is available for most Citation models.Additionally, they are authorized to perform “reblocking” ofthe XL245 XL246, Xl249, XL2410 and 2411 series emergencybattery. “We are happy to continue to grow our capabilitiesand include this service to Hawker and other aircraft opera-tors in need of repairs or maintenance to their batteries,”said John Hardy, Director of Accessory Shop, West StarAviation.

GARMIN TO CERTIFY GFC 600HFLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM ON BELL 505Garmin International, Inc. will certify the GFC 600Hflight control system for the Bell 505 Jet Ranger Xhelicopter. The attitude-based (AHRS-derived) flightcontrol system boasts a number of helicopter-tai-lored features, including attitude hold, GarminHelicopter Electronic Stability and Protection (H-ESP™), dedicated return-to-level (LVL) mode, hoverassist, as well as overspeed and low speed protec-tion. Certification of the GFC 600H for the Bell 505is expected to be complete in the first-half of 2020and available at that time through select Garmindealers as a retrofit installation.

TEXTRON CELEBRATES LIGHT JET LEADERSHIPWITH DELIVERY OF 300TH CITATION CJ4Textron Aviation Inc. celebrated its leadership of the light jet seg-ment with the delivery of the 300th Cessna Citation CJ4, the indus-try’s top performing aircraft in this segment. The milestone aircraftwas delivered to McNeilus Steel, based in Dodge Center,Minnesota. “The Citation CJ4 continues to be a standout in the lightjet segment due to its combination of high performance, low operat-ing costs and class-leading cabin amenities,” said Rob Scholl,Textron Aviation senior vice president, Sales and Marketing. “Ourlight jet product range, led by the Citation CJ4, continues to pacethis segment globally in terms of deliveries, primarily because cus-tomers appreciate what they get in terms of productivity and value.”


How does CAE elevate your training experience?

Work with the team that works with you. cae.com/business-aviation

1.With centers located in some of the world’s most desired locations

2.By offering relevant up-to-date OEM supported interactive training classes

3.Through a customer service team offering a friendlier, more cultural experience

6.By providing diverse customers training for challenging and unique circumstances

4.By working with OEMs and NAAs to deliver programs specific to your needs

5.By using simulators equipped with advanced capabilities, improving training efficiency


AVFUEL WELCOMES ADVANCED AIR TOBRANDED FBO NETWORKAvfuel Corporation announced its new partnership withAdvanced Air (KCBF) of Council Bluffs, Iowa, as the FBO joinsthe fuel supplier’s branded network. Just 15 minutes fromOmaha, Nebraska, operators traveling to this no-fee FBO enjoyeasy access to the city while avoiding high prices and airportcongestion. As a hidden-gem, Advanced Air provides guests withthe modern facilities, services and amenities found in metroareas, but with the accessibility and privacy afforded by a ruralairport. Also recently, Avfuel announced two new partnershipswith full-service FBOs in central Washington as it welcomedPangborn Flight Center (KEAT) and McCormick Air Center(KYKM) to its branded network.

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DUNCAN AVIATION OFFERS NONDESTRUCTIVETESTING MOBILE SERVICESDuncan Aviation is now offering NDT (nondestructive testing)mobile services for aircraft operators. Duncan Aviation has oneof the highest-skilled, in-house NDT teams (Level 2 or higher inall four methods) in the industry providing eddy current, fluores-cent penetrant, ultrasonics and magnetic particle inspections onall makes and model aircraft, including helicopters. On-the-roadNDT services are vital to operators who perform smaller in-house inspections in their hangars. Duncan Aviation’s capabili-ties include Authorized Dassault NDT in the WesternHemisphere.

FLIGHTSAFETY NOW OFFERS ADVANCEDREJECTED TAKEOFF GO/NO-GO RECURRENT

FlightSafety International now offers an Advanced RejectedTakeoff Go/No-Go Recurrent course for pilots who fly theGulfstream G550 aircraft. “Our new Advanced Rejected TakeoffGo/No-Go Recurrent course is designed to review and rein-force the skills and lessons learned during the Initial course,”said Dann Runik, senior vice president, Operations. Pilots willface up to 13 new scenarios during the four hour simulator ses-sion. Each scenario will require a decision by the flight crew toeither continue or abort the takeoff. The course will also helpto validate the operator’s specific takeoff briefings by testingthem against various airports, environmental conditions andweights.

COMLUX ACHIEVES IS-BAO STAGE 3AIRCRAFT MANAGEMENT OPSComlux’ VIP operations division in Europe Comlux Malta Ltdhas been awarded the Certificate of Registration to theInternational Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Stage 3 by the International Business Aviation Council(IBAC). The approval confirms that the Safety ManagementSystem (SMS) is fully integrated into Comlux Aviation’s aircraftmanagement operations and that the company consistentlymaintains the highest standards of safety and security in the avi-ation industry.


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QUICK LANE

ENSTROMOBTAINS CERTIFICATION OF GARMIN GTN 750Enstrom announced that the Federal Aviation Administration hascertified the Garmin GTN 750, a GPS/NAV/COMM multifunctiondisplay system in the Enstrom 480B. The GTN 750 features graphicalflight planning, terrain mapping, air traffic viewing, detailed geo-refer-enced charting, satellite weather reporting and tons more. These fea-tures are all available on a tall touchscreen display that allows foreasy access menu options, quick and effortless navigation, and highdetailed graphics. “The GTN 750 is great alternative for customerswho are looking for the functionality of a GTN650, but want a largerscreen. The touchscreen is very intuitive and easy to use. We’vealready received a number of orders for GTN750 equipped heli-copters, and we expect it to be a popular option going forward.”

AVIAA ADDS GLOBAL TREK AVIATIONTO ITS SUPPLIER NETWORKAVIAA, the world’s only independent global group purchasing orga-nization specializing in Business Aviation, announced the additionof privately-owned Global Trek Aviation to its network. Global TrekAviation, headquartered in Prestwick, Scotland, opened jet handlingfacilities on the south side of Cardiff Airport two months ago, invest-ing in a brand new facility featuring a dedicated passenger lounge,private offices, crew briefing centre and flight operations facilities,plus an integrated security suite. The new FBO mirrors its award-winning handling facility at Belfast’s leading airport, BelfastInternational, which has been operational for five years.BLACKHAWK AEROSPACE RECEIVES FAA

APPROVAL OF NEW ENGINE UPGRADEPROGRAM FOR KING AIR 300Blackhawk Aerospace announced that the Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) has issued a Supplemental TypeCertificate (STC) for the XP67A Engine+ Upgrade for both the14,000 and 12,500 lb. gross weight versions of the King Air 300.This upgrade removes the standard 1050 shaft horsepower(SHP) PT6A-60A engines and Hartzell 4-blade metal propellersand replaces them with factory-new 1200 SHP PT6A-67Aengines and Hartzell 5-blade composite propellers. The advan-tages are more available power from the PT6A-67A engines andmore available thrust from the advanced shape and aerodynam-ics of the Hartzell 5-blade composite propeller for superior per-formance, noise abatement and weight reduction.

EMBRY-RIDDLE SELECTS THE ULTIMATETRAINING AIRCRAFT, THE CESSNA SKYHAWKTextron Aviation Inc. announced a Memorandum ofUnderstanding to supply Cessna Skyhawk aircraft to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Embry-Riddle has agreed to aninitial purchase of at least 60 aircraft between 2019 and 2022,with options for additional units. Embry-Riddle and TextronAviation held a signing ceremony yesterday during theExperimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture at WittmanRegional Airport in Oshkosh, Wis. “Having a customer likeEmbry-Riddle commit to long-term selection of the Skyhawk astheir preferred trainer of choice is a continued testament to itsstatus as the most popular single-engine aircraft ever built,” saidRon Draper, president and CEO of Textron Aviation.


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LUFTHANSA AVIATION TRAININGTRAINS FLIGHT OPERATIONS OFFICERSLufthansa Aviation Training and LH Group jointly develop aworldwide unique concept for the training of flight operationsofficers and for the first time standardize the training group-wide. Within 20 weeks the prospective Flight OperationsOfficers (FOO) are taught in subjects that are also part of thetheoretical pilot training. These include meteorology, navigation,operational procedures and flight planning. “The profession ofFlight Operations Officers has developed enormously and alsochanged over the past decades. With the new training, we nowadequately cover this grown and very complex area of responsi-bility,” says Stephan Strobel, who is responsible for the develop-ment and implementation of the new training at LAT.

GARMIN EXPANDS AVAILABILITYOF G1000 NXI INTEGRATED FLIGHT DECKGarmin International, Inc. announced the addition of five aircraft eligible forits G1000 NXi integrated flight deck upgrade. Aircraft currently equippedwith a WAAS G1000 integrated flight deck that are now eligible for the G1000NXi include the Cessna 172/182/206 and Beechcraft Bonanza and Baron.The G1000 NXi includes a wealth of features and capabilities such as wirelessconnectivity, SurfaceWatch, map overlay within the HSI and more. Aircraftowners and operators can easily upgrade from the G1000 to the modern,state-of-the-art G1000 NXi with minimal aircraft downtime and installation.

CAE EXPANDS CADET TRAININGCAPABILITIES IN EUROPECAE is expanding its training capability in Europe with a newflight training location based in Oslo, Norway. “This expansionof our global training network will support the impressive pilotdemand of airlines and operators based in the region – we esti-mate that there will be a need for more than 90,000 new profes-sional pilots in Europe, Middle East, and Africa over the nextdecade,’’ said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s group president, CivilAviation Training Solutions. With this expansion, CAE will nowbe delivering pilot creation programs at CAE Oslo, adding to itsexisting cadet training capability in Brussels, Belgium; Madrid,Spain and Oxford, UK.

UNIVERSAL AVIATION UK EARNS IS-BAH STAGE IIREGISTRATIONUniversal Aviation UK, based at London-Stansted InternationalAirport (EGSS) has earned Stage 2 registration under theInternational Standard for Business Aviation Handling (IS-BAH).Universal Aviation, the ground support division of UniversalWeather and Aviation, Inc., has more than 40 locations in 20 coun-tries. “We are honored to be the first Universal Aviation location toearn IS-BAH Stage 2 registration, as it demonstrates our never-end-ing commitment to safety and reducing our customers’ operatingrisk and stress,” said Sean Raftery, senior director of InternationalBusiness – Northern Europe and Africa, Universal.



RUAG REPORTS NEW,OPTIMIZED DASSAULT FALCON 900 C-CHECK PROJECTRUAG MRO International announced a new contract for a 3C-check on aDassault Falcon 900LX at its business jet support facilities at Geneva-Meyrin,Switzerland. The returning customer has chosen to optimize the heavy main-tenance check to include an avionics upgrade to comply with the EuropeanAviation Safety Agency (EASA) mandate on ADS-B Out, as well as a partialcabin refurbishment. In addition to the avionics upgrade for compliance withMandate 2020, which is due on 7 June, the 3C-check project also includes apartial cabin refurbishment in the scope of work.

KOPTER GROUPENTERS THE BRAZILIAN MARKETKopter Group is starting the active promotion inBrazil of its SH09, the next generation single enginehelicopter, with the appointment of GualterHelicopteros as sales representative & distributor.Christian Gras, Kopter Executive Vice PresidentCustomers, declared on this occasion: “With morethan 30-year experience in the helicopter businessand having introduced several helicopter models inthe Brazilian market, Gualter Helicopteros is theright partner to ensure the success of the SH09 inBrazil.”

AIRFOIL REPAIR SPECIALIST ASSBEXPANDS FACILITY IN MALAYSIAAirfoil Services Sdn Bhd (ASSB), a 50/50 joint ven-ture between MTU Aero Engines AG andLufthansa Technik AG, has broken ground on itsfacility extension. This expansion grows facilityspace by 5,200 square meters and will increase cur-rent repair capacity from 650,000 to 900,000 partsper year by 2020. The company is planning to addanother 200 jobs over the next three years, increas-ing the workforce to around 700 employees.Through its internally developed apprentice pro-gram, ASSB took on 124 local apprentices in 2018.

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SWEDISH AIR AMBULANCE ORGANIZATIONACQUIRES SIX PILATUS PC-24SAfter a long period of intensive and very profession-a l ly conducted negot ia t ions , the“Kommunalförbundet Svenskt Ambulansflyg” (KSA)has opted for six Pilatus PC-24s in a fully equippedair ambulance configuration. These PC-24s will pro-vide aeromedical care across Sweden from 2021.Oscar J. Schwenk, chairman of Pilatus, commentedas follows: “I’m delighted to see the first air ambu-lance organization in Europe opt to buy the PC-24.The highly professional selection process confirmedthat the PC-24 is indeed the perfect aircraft formedevac missions.”


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HONDAJET APMGINSTALL COMPLETED AT BANYANBanyan Air Service recently completed its first HondaJetAdvanced Performance Modification Group (APMG) package,which was developed by Honda Aircraft to offer improved per-formance and avionics capabilities to owners of the HA-420HondaJet. The APMG package modifies a HondaJet into a bet-ter performing HondaJet. It provides the aircraft with a take-off field length reduction of 443 feet to 3,491 feet, forward bag-gage capacity increased to 200 pounds, an increased maxi-mum take-off weight of 10,700 lbs. resulting in more missionflexibility.

PIAGGIO AEROSPACE AWARDEDMAINTENANCE CONTRACT WORTH 12.6M €Piaggio Aerospace has been awarded a contract for the mainte-nance of the P.180s owned by ENAV, the company that managescivil air traffic in Italy. The agreement, with an estimated dura-tion of approximately 7 years, is worth 12.6 million euro and willguarantee integrated logistic support for ENAV’s fleet of fourP.180 Avanti II. “The agreement signed represents a further stepforward in the turn-around process of Piaggio Aerospace”, com-mented Vincenzo Nicastro, Extraordinary Commissioner ofPiaggio Aerospace.

FIRST PC-24 SUPER VERSATILE JET FLIES IN SOUTH AMERICAIn a ceremony at Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd, thefirst PC-24 to enter service in South America wasdelivered to Chilean customer Ignacio del Rio. TheSuper Versatile Jet flies under Chilean registry. It wasthe 40thPC-24 delivered since the new business jetwas certified in December 2017. Ignacio del Rio,already a Pilatus owner flying a PC-12 NG, will keepboth aircraft and operate them out of his base inSantiago. The new PC-24 will be used in support of delRio’s agriculture and real estate businesses in Chile,Peru, and Colombia. The PC-24’s speed will allow himto reduce trip times relative to those in his PC-12 NG,yet utilize the same runways, some as short as 2,930feet (893 meters).

AVFUEL TO DEMONSTRATE VIABILITY OF SUSTAINABLE FUELIn an effort to further Business Aviation’scarbon neutrality goals, Avfuel will makesustainable aviation fuel (SAF) available tooperators fueling at Jackson Hole Aviationon September 3 and 4. For the event,Avfuel will supply 7,300 gallons of SAF tothe FBO to fuel operators flying in and outof the airfield during the demonstrationdays. “We’re committed to raising aware-ness on the viability of sustainable aviationfuel,” said Keith Sawyer, manager of alter-native fuels for Avfuel.

20-21 QUICK LANE II.qxp 29/08/2019 15:10 Page 20

BART: SEPTEMBER - 2019 - 21

SECOND FIVE-BLADED H145 PROTOTYPEPERFORMS MAIDEN FLIGHTEarly August, the second prototype of the new five-bladed H145took off for its maiden flight at the Airbus Helicopters site inDonauwörth. The helicopter will be used for additional flight teststo achieve EASA certification of the new five-bladed H145 in early2020. The first prototype is currently performing a high altitudetest campaign in South America. The second prototype will bemainly used for autopilot testing, performance and airframe struc-tural validation. The new H145 offers 150 kg of additional usefulload, while also raising the bar for in-flight comfort, simplicity,and connectivity.

EDMISTON PARTNERSWITH THE LONDON HELIPORTEdmiston, the world leading yacht company, has taken over thetitle sponsorship of The London Heliport. Coinciding with theheliport’s 60th Anniversary this summer, Edmiston has under-taken a major re-styling of both the interior and exterior termi-nal, including a complete repaint of the landing, take-off andapron areas. Effective 1st August, the Heliport will be known asThe Edmiston London Heliport. Edmiston Chief ExecutiveJamie Edmiston commented: “Our aim is to bring the rigorousfocus, attention to detail and teamwork that you would find onboard a large yacht – to the operation of the heliport.”

UNIVERSAL AND DRIVANIA TO FORM NEWGROUND TRANSPORTATION JOINT VENTURE

Global mission management provider, Universal Weather andAviation, Inc., and private transportation company, DrivaniaChauffeurs, have formed a new joint-venture. Under this agree-ment, Universal’s ground transportation business, formally underUniversal Private Transport, will combine with Drivania’s busi-ness aviation division, Drivania Bizav, to create a new groundtransportation company focused on the business aviation indus-try. Universal Private Transport was launched by Universal in2016 to address the unmet need to better integrate crew and VIPground transportation into the overall planning and delivery logis-tics of a mission – reducing 4th party handoffs, reducing schedul-ing errors with ground transportation providers, and improvingresponse times for changes.

STANDARDAERO RELEASES NEW STCFOR GLOBAL 5000/6000/GEXStandardAero has completed Supplemental Type Certificate (STC)approval for installing Viasat Ku, Ka or KuKa SATCOM systemson Bombardier Global 5000/6000/GEX model business jets. Thesystem is the fastest Ka SATCOM solution currently available. Thenew STC product, including radome, was certified on August 22with the first article being completed by StandardAero’sOrganizational Delegation Authorization (ODA) team, located atthe company’s Springfield, Illinois MRO facility. The Viasat prod-uct line is exclusive to StandardAero on the Global family of air-craft. Installations can be performed by any Viasat dealer.

20-21 QUICK LANE II.qxp 29/08/2019 15:10 Page 21

PEOPLEThe Av8 Group is expandingtheir sales team with the addi-tion of Jeff Favati, sales manag-er. Favati will be responsible forsales and business developmentacross all segments of Av8’s mar-kets. Favati has over 25 years ofexperience in the aviation indus-try. FlightSafety Internationalannounced that Rick Madaraszhas been promoted to treasurerand chief financial director. “Rickis highly experienced in finance,has an in-depth understanding ofFlightSafety’s processes and sys-tems, and is an effective leader,”said Trish Lampe, senior vicepresident and CFO.

Daniel Greenhill has joinedFlightSafety Unmanned SystemsTraining as director of sales.Nora Ann Mishler, director,Unmanned Systems Training,Commercial and Government,commented: “Our customersand prospects will benefit fromhis experience in aviation train-ing and his commitment to pro-vide outstanding service andsupport.”Meanwhile, Michael Burgerhas been promoted to managerof the company’s LearningCenter in Teterboro, NewJersey. Suren Meras has been promot-ed to executive director,Operations for the company’sglobal network of Business andCommercial Aviation LearningCenters. Meras’ responsibilities

include pilot, maintenance, cabinsafety, dispatch and instructortraining as well as customer sup-port, courseware developmentand simulator operations.FlightSafety International alsoannounced that Ed Koharikhas been promoted to seniorvice president, and DannyRobayo to vice president. Theywill lead Building Our Future, acompany-wide transformationeffort.Avant Aerospace promotedJohn Hardy to director, basedat their East Alton, IL (ALN)facility while overseeing allAvant locations. In this new posi-tion, Hardy will be responsiblefor Sales, Marketing andInventory Sourcing.

Universal Avionics (UA)announced that HervéRousselle has been appointedto the position of regional salesmanager for Europe. Based outof Lyon, France, Rousselle isresponsible for UA’s productsales and overall market growthin France, Luxemburg, Italy,Belgium and French-speakingareas of Switzerland.Mike Ward has joinedDAS/Flite as the vice presidentof Sales, Parts and ComponentRepair. Eli DaSilva willassume a director of BusinessDevelopment role and report toWard, along with the salesteam.Jet Aviation announced thatGrischa Schmidt has beenappointed as the new seniordirector Design Studio. The

company’s Design Studio isbased in Basel, Switzerland, andincludes a team of 16 designersthat Schmidt will manage. In hisnew role, Schmidt reports toDirk Sapatka, general manager,Basel.Jet Support Services, Inc.(JSSI) has appointed BusinessAviation industry veteran GaryStrapp to the role of senior vicepresident, global program man-agement and technical services.He will guide the organizationalefforts of the program manage-ment, pricing and technical ser-vices teams. In addition, Strappwill liaise and expand relation-ships with external strategicpartners and vendors, includingMRO providers and OEMs.

West Star has named LarryMarler has been named as thetechnical sales manager at theirChattanooga, TN location(CHA). Marler recentlyadvanced from project managerand will now be part of the tech-nical sales team at the CHA facil-ity. Also at West Star, RustyGardner is now the newAvionics Install Manager at theirEast Alton (ALN) location. Aero Norway, the independentengine MRO provider,announced the appointment ofKlaus-Peter Leinauer as anew director of Sales &Marketing. He will support AeroNorway’s growth strategy andfocus on best-in-class service forits expanding global customerbase.

TAG Aviation has announcedthe appointment of JoanneGoodall as director ofCustomer Services for the UK.In this newly created role,Goodall will provide directionand training to the CRM (ClientRelationship Management) andCSR (Customer ServiceRepresentative) teams through-out Europe and oversee strate-gic enhancements and opportu-nities for ongoing expansion inalignment with TAG’s futuredevelopment.jetAVIVA, a worldwide leaderin turbine aircraft sales andacquisitions, announced theaddition of Denise Wilson tothe team as the sales directorfor Citation CJ, CJ1, CJ1+ andM2 markets. Baker Aviation, a full-serviceaircraft maintenance, manage-ment and charter company atFort Worth, MeachamInternational Airport (KFTW),has announced Ray Goyco, Jr.will be leading the newlyformed entity Baker AviationServices Group, LLC as chiefexecutive officer. South Africa’s PegasusUniversal Aerospace, pioneerof the Vertical Business Jet(VBJ) Pegasus One, has namedRobbie Irons as its chief exec-utive officer. Meridian, the award-winningprivate aviation company, pro-moted Emil Iannone to COOof Meridian Air Charter. He willbe responsible for managingand streamlining the charterbusiness, including charteroperations, charter sales, air-craft management and market-ing. Jeremy Ojerholm hasjoined Meridian’s charter salesteam as a charter sales execu-tive. Ojerholm will be responsi-ble for growing the overall retailcharter business as well asfocus on business developmentin the South Florida market.Swissport has appointed Dr.Peter Waller as chief financialofficer and member of GroupExecutive Management. He willsucceed Dr. Christian Göseke,who notified Swissport of hisdesire to leave the company.


ON THE MOVE

Rick Madarasz Hervé Rousselle Gary Strapp

22 ON THE MOVE.qxp 29/08/2019 09:43 Page 22

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CAE reported revenue of $825.6 million forthe first quarter of fiscal 2020, comparedwith $722.0 million in the first quarter lastyear. First quarter net income attributableto equity holders was $61.5 million ($0.23per share) compared to $69.4 million ($0.26per share) last year. Net income before spe-cific items in the first quarter of fiscal 2020was $63.2 million ($0.24 per share).First quarter segment operating income was$110.9 million (13.4% of revenue) comparedwith $98.5 million (13.6% of revenue) in thefirst quarter of last year. Segment operatingincome before specific items in the first quar-ter of fiscal 2020 was $113.3 million (13.7% ofrevenue). All financial information is inCanadian dollars unless otherwise indicated.“CAE had a good start to the fiscal year with14 percent revenue growth, 15 percent high-er operating income, and over $940 millionof orders for a $9.4 billion backlog,” saidMarc Parent, CAE’s president and CEO.“Performance was led by civil, which deliv-ered 29 percent operating income growthand showed continued strong demand forCAE’s innovative training solutions. As welook to the remainder of the fiscal year, ouroutlook for CAE’s annual growth remainsunchanged. In keeping with our capital allo-cation priorities, and underscoring our posi-tive long-term view, I am pleased toannounce that CAE’s Board of Directors hasapproved a one cent or 10% increase toCAE’s quarterly dividend, which becomes11 cents per share, effective September 30,2019. This represents CAE’s ninth consecu-tive dividend increase in as many years.”

Civil Aviation Training Solutions First quarter civil revenue was $477.6 million,up 11% compared to the same quarter lastyear. Segment operating income was $98.6million (20.6% of revenue) compared to $78.3million (18.2% of revenue) in the first quarterlast year. First quarter segment operatingincome before specific items was $101.0 mil-lion (21.1% of revenue), up 29% compared tothe first quarter last year. First quarter civiltraining center utilization was 76%.

During the quarter, civil signed trainingsolutions contracts valued at $693.8 million,including multi-year pilot training agree-ments with airlines including LATAM, SASand Air Europa. Civil sold nine full-flightsimulators (FFSs) during the quarter.The civil book-to-sales ratio was 1.45x forthe quarter and 1.54x for the last 12 months.The civil backlog at the end of the quarterwas a $5.1 billion.

Additional Financial HighlightsFree cash flow was negative $102.1 millionfor the quarter compared to negative $85.8million in the first quarter last year. Thedecrease in free cash flow results mainlyfrom a higher investment in non-cash work-ing capital, partially offset by an increase incash provided by operating activities andlower maintenance capital expenditures.CAE usually sees a higher level of invest-ment in non-cash working capital accountsduring the first half of the fiscal year andtends to see a portion of these investmentsreverse in the second half.Income taxes this quarter were $13.0 mil-lion, representing an effective tax rate of17%, compared to 13% for the first quarterlast year. The tax rate was higher due to theimpact of tax audits in Canada last year, par-tially offset by a change in the mix ofincome from various jurisdictions.Net finance expense this quarter was $34.9million, $18.9 million higher than the firstquarter of fiscal 2019, mainly from higherinterest on long-term debt due to theissuance of unsecured senior notes in thefourth quarter of fiscal 2019 to fund theacquisition of the Bombardier BAT busi-ness, and higher interest on lease liabilitiesas a result of the adoption of IFRS 16.

Growth and maintenance capital expendi-tures totaled $89.0 million this quarter.Net debt at the end of the quarter was$2,312.7 million for a net debt-to-capital ratioof 49.4%. This compares to net debt of$1,882.2 million and a net debt-to-capitalratio of 43.9% at the end of the precedingquarter. Excluding the impacts of the adop-tion of IFRS 16, net debt would have been$2,058.4 million this quarter for a net debt-to-capital ratio of 46.3%.Return on capital employed (ROCE) was11.9% this quarter compared to 12.6% in thefirst quarter last year, before specific items.Excluding the impacts of the adoption ofIFRS 16, ROCE before specific items wouldhave been 12.0% this quarter.CAE will pay a dividend of 11 cents pershare effective September 30, 2019 to share-holders of record at the close of business onSeptember 13, 2019.During the three months ended June 30,2019, CAE repurchased and cancelled atotal of 58,131 common shares under theNormal Course Issuer Bid, at a weightedaverage price of $34.41 per common share,for a total consideration of $2.0 million.

JETNET LLC, the leading provider of avia-tion market information, has released thefirst six months of 2019 results for the pre-owned business jet, business turboprop,helicopter and commercial airliner markets.Except for piston helicopters, all aircraft sec-tors reported double-digit percentage


CAE REPORTSFIRST QUARTER FISCAL2020 RESULTS

JETNET RELEASES FIRSTSIX MONTHS OF 2019MARKET INFORMATION

$

SUMMARY OF CIVIL AVIATION TRAINING SOLUTIONS RESULTS(amounts in millions, except operating margins, SEU and FFSs deployed)

Q1-2020 Q1-2019 Variance %Revenue $ 477.6 $ 430.9 11%Segment operating income $ 98.6 $ 78.3 26%Operating margins % 20.6 % 18.2SOI before specific items $ 101.0 $ 78.3 29%Operating margins before specific items % 21.1 % 18.2Total backlog $ 5,090.3 $ 4,148.2 23%Simulator equivalent unit (SEU)(7) 242 213 14%FFSs deployed 294 260 13%

24-25 BUSINESS NEWS.qxp 29/08/2019 12:03 Page 24


decreases in full sale transactions in the firstsix months of 2019 versus 2018.For the first six months of 2019, pre-ownedbusiness jets are showing a 21.5% decreasein pre-owned sale transactions, and are tak-ing more time to sell (28 days) than lastyear. Business turboprops saw a 13.9%decrease in sale transactions, while taking 2days more to sell than last year. Interestingly, new business jet shipments asreported by GAMA increased by 12.5%,from 281 to 316, in the first six months of2019 compared to 2018. However, new busi-ness turboprops declined by 11.2%, or 29, inthe same comparative periods.Comparing June 2019 to June 2018, turbinehelicopters saw a double-digit decrease inYTD Sale Transactions, down 13.3%, whilepiston helicopters showed a decline of 2.6%. For the first six months of 2019 there were atotal of 4,270 aircraft and helicopters sold,with business jets (1,122) and commercialjets (874) leading all types and accountingfor 47% of the total. The number of retailsale transactions across all market sectors –at 4,270 – decreased by 874, or 17%, com-pared to the first six months of 2018. The general trend has been that growth inbusiness jets has out-paced turboprops inthe last seven years. Since June 2012, 3,545new business jets have joined the globalfleet, as compared to 2,193 turboprops.The number for sale and percentage for salehave declined since 2012. The split betweenUSA vs. Non-USA for business jets in opera-tion has remained at 60/40 levels, whereasthe business turboprops split of in-operationUSA vs. Non-USA is about 51/49.Interestingly, the number for sale in theUSA vs. Non-USA is 61/39 for business jetsand 58/42 for business turboprops.Currently, for sale business jets exceededthe 2,000 mark after a steady decline since2016.From December 2011, used business jettransactions steadily increased until June2016 to a high point of 2,725. A falling-offoccurred in the second half of 2016 to a lowpoint of 2,522 in December 2016, and hassince steadily increased to 2,892 transac-tions in December 2018. However, startingin January 2019, the 12-month moving aver-age for full retail transactions for businessjets has declined to 2,584, or 21.5%.This decline is only slightly above the lowpoint of 2,522 full sale transactions recordedin December 2016. Accordingly, 2019 is offto a bad start for the pre-owned business jetmarket.

$

24-25 BUSINESS NEWS.qxp 29/08/2019 12:03 Page 25


NBAA President& CEO Ed Bolen

ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY and sus-tainability are important areas of focus forcompanies and citizens around the world.The global Business Aviation communityhas also demonstrated its serious commit-ment to further reduce greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions from business aircraft, andthese efforts will be in focus throughoutthe upcoming NBAA Business AviationConvention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) com-ing to Las Vegas, NV from 22-24 October2019.Among the ways Business Aviation hasconfronted this issue is through increased

use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF)derived from renewable feed stocks andother sources that help today’s aircraftburn cleaner and more efficiently. Ourindustry is also looking toward futurepropulsion technologies that move awayfrom fossil fuel entirely.Business Aviation has always been anearly adopter of technologies to reduceenvironmental impacts. One of our mostsignificant milestones in this area came 10years ago with publication of the BusinessAviation Commitment on Climate Change(BACCC), a program outlining a continuedeffort in reducing the industry’s carbonfootprint. SAF was soon identified as oneof the most promising avenues towardachieving those goals with today’s busi-ness aircraft. At the 2018 European Business AviationConvention & Exhibition (EBACE2018) inGeneva, a coal it ion of internationalBusiness Aviation organizations joinedgovernment officials to redouble thefocus and effort on advancing the devel-opment and adoption of SAF. At the cen-ter of this initiative was The BusinessAviation Guide to SAF, focused on raisingawareness and adoption of available andemerging sustainable aviat ion fueloptions, and providing a road map for theeducation about, and use of, these fuels.

From the Desk of

TRANS-ATLANTICU.S.A. ON OUR RADAR THIS MONTH

NBAA-BACE TO HIGHLIGHT INDUSTRY’SCONTINUING SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES

26-27 TRANSATLANTIC USA.qxp 29/08/2019 09:46 Page 26

NBAA LAUNCHES NEWCOMMITTEE TO SUPPORTINNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGYNBAA is soliciting members for its new EmergingTechnologies Committee, which will focus onpromising aviation technologies like unmannedaircraft systems, urban air mobility, unmannedtraffic management, commercial space andother future technologies and infrastructures.“NBAA is excited to launch this new committeeto support developing technologies that repre-sent significant growth opportunities for itsmember companies,” said Heidi Williams,NBAA’s director of air traffic services and infra-structure. “The aviation professionals who makeup this committee will help drive the future ofaviation safety and policy.”The group also will consider autonomous opera-tions, electric propulsion and other innovativetechnology and specifically, the integration ofthese new technologies into the NationalAirspace System.The committee will provide insights that allowNBAA to better advocate on behalf of industryon rulemaking, standards setting and policy-related activities. It will also conduct educationaland training sessions for NBAA members andrepresent the industry by liaising with industryorganizations and regulators in the U.S. andglobally.NBAA is soliciting applications for committeemembership and is looking for members withcurrent experience in: integrating emergingtechnologies into the National Airspace System,developing emerging technologies, supportingemerging technology infrastructure and trainingof emerging technologies.NBAA encourages representatives of manufac-turers, software developers, operators andother interested organizations to apply for com-mittee membership.Committee members should be willing and ableto participate in influence regional, state ornational standards and regulatory bodies, com-mit resources from their member company ororganization and actively participate on commit-tee and relevant subcommittees.“This committee is an opportunity for innova-tors in aviation to influence consensus standardsand regulations that will allow for safe integra-tion of new technology into the NAS,” addedBrad Hayden, president and CEO of RoboticSkies and chair of the new committee.

INSPIRATIONAL PILOTIRVING TO RECEIVEAMERICAN SPIRIT AWARD The National Business Aviation Association(NBAA) announced that Barrington Irving,who in 2007 became the youngest pilot to flysolo around the world in a single-engine air-plane and who has continued to inspire youngpeople to pursue careers in aviation and aero-space, will receive the association’s 2019American Spirit Award at the NBAA BusinessAviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).Irving was born in Kingston, Jamaica and grewup in inner-city Miami, FL, believing that col-lege football represented his only opportunityto receive a higher education. Although Irvingreceived several scholarship offers out of highschool, he instead opted to pursue a career inaviation under the guidance and mentoring ofa Jamaican airline pilot.Those experiences set Irving on a course thatculminated in his 97-day solo flight around theglobe in a single-engine piston aircraft –appropriately christened “Inspiration” – todemonstrate to young people worldwide thatthey could also achieve their dreams. He thenfounded Experience Aviation, based at Opa-Locka Executive Airport, and established theExperience Aviation Learning Center dedicat-ed to empowering middle and high school stu-dents in the Miami area to pursue science,technology, engineering and math (STEM+)careers, including within aviation and aero-space.“After discovering his own future in aviation,Barrington Irving has dedicated his life in atireless effort to promote STEM+ careers asaccessible and attainable paths by which oth-ers may pursue and realize their owndreams,” said NBAA President and CEO EdBolen.Irving has continued to encourage studentsfrom all walks of l ife with the FlyingClassroom, combining air, land and sea expe-ditions with a digital curriculum. The NBAA American Spirit Award is present-ed in recognition of an individual withinBusiness Aviation who exemplif ies thecourage, pursuit of excellence and service toothers that characterize men and womenwho created and nurtured the American avi-ation community.

The next step in raising awareness and pro-moting education of SAF benefits came inJanuary 2019 with the first-ever SAF demon-stration day in the United States at California’sVan Nuys Airport (VNY) to prove the fuels’ via-bility and safety. That effort led to the firstEuropean SAF demonstration day in May2019, held at Tag Farnborough London Airportin England (EGLF) ahead of EBACE2019.As I said before, SAF is just one aspect of ourindustry’s ongoing sustainability efforts. As welook ahead to the next five, 10 and even 20years, we know that Business Aviation willcontinue to advance towards an increasinglysmall environmental footprint. That includesmoving toward adoption of hybrid gas-electricand, ultimately, fully electric propulsion inurban air mobility (UAM) and business aircraftapplications.Earlier this year, EBACE2019 hosted its first-ever EBACE Innovation Pavilion showcasingthree different electric powered vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft and concepts,while the EBACE Innovation Zone hosted apanel presentation on eVTOL and the UAMrevolution. These events built upon a packed,standing room only session at last year’sNBAA-BACE that offered attendees severalrevelations about this emerging industry tothe Business Aviation community. These exciting and forward-looking efforts topromote sustainability will also be in focus atthe 2019 edition of NBAA-BACE. Among themore than 60 educational opportunities avail-able before, during and after the show will bean informative discussion regarding BusinessAviation applications for eVTOL and artificialintelligence. SAF will also be highlighted in Las Vegas, withan in-depth discussion of both the benefitsand potential drawbacks of this exciting move-ment. A second education session will addressthe industry’s broader commitment to sus-tainability, including new technologies andprocedures to improve efficiency and reducecarbon emissions. Additionally, many aircrafton static display will travel to NBAA-BACEfueled on SAF. On behalf of NBAA, I invite readers of BARTInternational to join the more than 23,000Business Aviation professionals expected toattend NBAA-BACE and learn about these sus-tainability initiatives and other areas of focusfor the global Business Aviation community.We hope to see you in Las Vegas!

/U.S.A.

✈✈

TRANS-ATLANTIC


✈

26-27 TRANSATLANTIC USA.qxp 29/08/2019 09:46 Page 27


EXPANSIONRUBAE is

supported byRUBAA which isabout to expandsignificantly due

to a recentdecision.

R UBAE in Moscow is without adoubt the largest and mostimportant Business Aviation

event in the Commonwealth ofIndependent States (CIS). This year,it will take place from September 11through September 13 at the Centerof Business Aviation at VnukovoAirport’s dedicated Business AviationTerminal Vnukovo 3. The official show directory lists over50 companies and organizations thatwill exhibit at RUBAE. Besides air-craft manufacturers like AirbusCorporate Jets, Airbus Helicopters,Bombardier Aviation, DassaultAviation, Embraer Executive Aircraft,Gulfstream Aerospace and Leonardo

Helicopters, FBO’s like DomodedovoBusiness Aviation Center, Jetex, ItalyFBO and others are offering theirproducts and services. RUBAEexpects more than 8,000 visitors dur-ing the three day event. The organizers have already securedover 30 aircraft which will be on dis-play at the show. RUBAE’s static dis-play is conveniently located right out-side the exhibition hall, easing accessto aircraft and helicopters on display. Gulfstream Aerospace will once againsend its range of aircraft to Moscowwhich expanded recently with thecertification of the G500 and G600.While the G500 was shown at RUBAE2018, attendees of RUBAE 2019

might see the G600 for the first timein Moscow this year. The aircraft wascertified by the US Federal AviationAdministration (FAA) on June 28 thisyear. The first delivery to anunnamed customer from the US tookplace in early August. The long-rangebusiness jet is powered by twoPW800 turbofans from Pratt &Whitney Canada and offers its opera-tors a range of 6,500 nautical miles itslong-range cruise speed of Mach 0.85.The aircraft is one of the most testedbusiness jet in Gulfstream’s history.The design and test program includ-ed no less than 100,000 hours in thecompany’s laboratories and morethan 3,200 flight hours. The G600even set ten city-pair speed recordsbefore certification.Its smaller sibling, the G500, was cer-tified a year earlier. One of G500’slargest customer, Qatar Executive,took delivery of its first two G500 inDecember last year. The ExecutiveAviation branch of Qatar Airways wasthe first international customer of thistype. Qatar Executive will be exhibit-ing at RUBAE in September. TheG500 is capable of flying 4,400 nauti-

RUBAE REACHES OUTTO NEW HEIGHTS

RUBAE PREVIEW

Late summer is the time, when the Business Aviation

community migrates to Moscow for RUBAE. The

trade show at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport attracts not

only exhibitors and attendees from the CIS

countries, but from Europe and North America as

well. Volker K. Thomalla reports

28-30 RUBAE.qxp 29/08/2019 09:50 Page 28


PRESENCEThere will beover 50companies andorganizationsthat exhibit atthe show.

cal miles at Mach 0.90 and 5,200 nau-tical miles at Mach 0.85. It offers itsusers the signature Gulfstream cabinexperience, with 14 panoramic win-dows, low cabin altitudes and a cabinthat was designed to be the quietestin Business Aviation. Gulfstream has a huge market sharein the Russian Business Aviation mar-ket. Of the 162 business jets (exclud-ing Bizliners) registered in theRussian Federation, well over 50 per-cent have been produced by theSavannah, Georgia, based manufac-turer.

The French manufacturer DassaultAviation has long lasting ties withRussia. The company has been anexhibitor at RUBAE and its predeces-sor JetExpo from the very beginning.Dassault Falcon Service (DFS), theservice and maintenance arm ofDassault Aviation, operates a DFSSatellite Service Station at VnukovoMoscow Airport to serve its cus-tomers in the region. The manufacturer will have, onceagain, a significant presence atRUBAE, showing its flagship, theDassault Falcon 8X as well as mostprobably a Falcon 900LX, whichproves to be popular among operatorsin the CIS. The current flagshipFalcon 8X was certified by theRussian Federal Air TransportAgency in spring of 2017. The firstdelivery to a Russian customer tookplace in summer that year. TheFalcon 8X’s range of 6,450 nauticalmiles (11,945 kilometres) puts mostof the world’s economic and politicalcenters within nonstop reach fromMoscow. The 8X is – as well as allother current members of theDassault Falcon family capable and

certified to operate in and out ofdemanding short-field and steep-approach airports like London CityAirport. Customers in the region will be eagerto learn more about the new Falcon6X, which replaced the Falcon 5X thatwas cancelled after engine manufac-turer Safran Aircraft Engines had torepeatedly postpone the delivery of itsSilvercrest turbofan it has in develop-ment. The Falcon 6X was launched inFebruary 2018 and features the

widest cabin of all purpose-built busi-ness jets. It will have a range of 5,500nautical miles (10,186 kilometres)and a top speed of Mach 0.90. It ispowered by two PW812D PurePowerturbofans from Pratt & WhitneyCanada. From Moscow, the 6X canreach Singapore, Beijing, Tokyo, NewYork and Los Angeles nonstop. After a critical design review,Dassault has frozen the design of theFalcon 6X right before EBACE inGeneva in May this year. The manu-facturer has begun producing firstparts for the aircraft right after design

freeze. The parts and componentsinclude fuselage frames, skin panelsand wings. At the Paris Air Show inJune, the Fremche manufacturer hada Falcon 6X fullsize cabin mock-up ondisplay. The program is on track toassembly of the first aircraft in early2020 and first flight in 2021. Dassaultis planning to hand-over the firstFalcon 6X to a customer in 2022. The Canadian OEM BombardierAviation is a return-exhibitor inMoscow. Last year, the company had

28-30 RUBAE.qxp 29/08/2019 09:50 Page 29


CLOSERUBAE’s static

display isconvenientlylocated rightoutside the

exhibition hall atVnukovo 3.

two aircraft on display: a Challenger350 and a Challenger 650. This year,the focus will be on the new flagshipof the company, the Global 7500. TheRussian market is well-known for itsappetite for large cabin BusinessAircraft. Therefore, the manufacturerwill highlight its Global 7500, which isthe largest and most spacious pur-pose-built business jet. Bombardier’sflagship entered into service at theend of last year. During the develop-ment and flight test phase of the pro-gram the aircraft proved to performbetter than calculated. The aircraftrange extended from the envisioned7,400 nautical miles (13,704 km) to7,700 nautical miles. Due to the longflight time of the 7500, Bombardierhas put a special emphasis on comfortand productivity in the cabin. Themanufacturer gas equipped the 16.59meter long and 2.44 meter wide cabinwith four different cabin sections. Theaircraft can be completed with up to19 passenger seats, but a more typicalseating sees between 12 and 14 pas-sengers. A large galley and a crewrest compartment are installed in thecabin, too. Optionally, even a steamerfor the Galley is available. There’s alsoan option for a shower. Bombardierhas designed a new seat whose name“Nuage” (French for cloud) alreadyindicates that the users of this chairshould feel as if they were bedded onclouds. Currently, the new passengerchair is available exclusively on Globalfamily aircraft.Embraer Executive Aircraft haslaunched two new midsize businessjets, the Praetor 500 and Praetor 600in October last year. While thePraetor 600 was certified in springthis year, the smaller Praetor 500received its type certificate from

Brazil’s ANAC on August 13. Themanufacturer celebrates its 50thanniversary this year. MichaelAmalfitano, president & CEO,Embraer Executive Jets, said: “Thecertification of the Praetor 500 is awelcome achievement for the celebra-tion of our golden jubilee. This revo-lutionary aircraft is a testament to thecommitment of our teams to excel-lence and a foretaste of the pioneer-ing that Embraer will accomplishthroughout the next 50 years.” RUBAE is supported by the RussianUnited Business Aviation Association(RUBAA) which is about to expandsignificantly. Currently, RUBAA rep-resents mainly Russian BusinessAviation stakeholders, but at a boardmeeting in May this year, it wasdecided, that membership will beopen to companies from all CIS coun-tries. The board’s decision still has tobe approved during RUBAA’s generalassembly in September. “This is an important step in thedevelopment of the association,”

says Yaroslav Odintsev, RUBAA’spresident and chairman of the board.“It has been discussed for a longtime and is well thought out andplanned. Colleagues from CIS coun-tries have shown solid interest as ourmarkets have strong links andBusiness Aviation there is rapidlydeveloping. A joint organization rep-resenting our mutual interests is notjust a brave idea but a necessity.Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan and Russia are membersof the customs union of the EurasianEconomic Union. Joint efforts will

definitely serve the development ofthe industry in this territory, first ofall in benefiting from economicopportunities that the customs unionprovides.”RUBAA is organizing the conferenceprogram for RUBAE 2019. During thefirst two days of the show, there willbe presentations and discussions cov-ering important topics for operators.“Conferences and workshops are animportant part of all trade showsworldwide. And RUBAE is no excep-tion. Last year, the program was orga-nized and performed at the highestlevel. This enhanced the level of theshow and attracted participants.Presentations will be no longer thanone hour, meetings are optimal, andattendees and exhibitors can chooseevents of their interest without beingdistracted from meetings and negotia-tions. We hope that this year the levelof the events will be just as high”,commented Igor Mudrik, CEO ofVipport, the venue host.

RUBAE PREVIEW

✈

28-30 RUBAE.qxp 29/08/2019 09:50 Page 30

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ADVICEKonovalov

recommendsoperators to work

with anexperienced tripsupport provider

when going toRussia.

What new requirements havebeen implemented in Russiarecently?

March 2019 was remembered bythe tense situation associated withthe new rules for customs clearanceof aircraft operating within the territo-ry of Eurasian Economic Union(EAEU) and the requirements tocoordinate the transportation of pas-sengers and cargo with local carriers.However, these requirements andrules can only be conditionally callednew, since the legislative frameworkwas prepared in early 2010. Changesin regulatory documents, promptlyadopted in late April and late June2019, made it possible to slightly alle-viate the situation.

How do operators comply with thenew requirements?

It’s complex. Domestic, privateflights (i.e. not for hire or commercialgain) on aircraft of less than 28 tonsBOW or with 19 passenger seats orfewer must accomplish the customsprocedure called IM53 (Import 53).Domestic flights itself are nowdefined as flights within the EAEU,which consists of Russia, Armenia,Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.

Implementing IM53 procedure forCIQ is quite complicated and, in mostcases, requires a customs broker to

be completed. The cost of procedureis approximately 1000 EUR. Theprocess requires a number of docu-ments to be prepared and submitted.Better have at least three workingdays before arrival.

I highly recommend that any busi-ness aviation operator planning on fly-ing domestic legs within Russia,begin planning well in advance andwork with an experienced trip sup-port provider, as this situation hasbeen fluid and is open to interpreta-tion.

What other changes have theirbeen?

Rules of transporting passengers,including cabotage issues, are nowregulated by Government decree#527 and requires more coordinationefforts and documents to get a permit.

Starting June 21, 2019, to obtain per-mission for the carriage of passen-gers or cargo by internal or outwardlegs, coordination with local carriersis required. Previously, this wasrequired only for aircraft with morethan 20 seats, now it concerns every-one. Such coordination is notrequired in case the category and pur-pose of the flight is Private non-com-mercial, the flight is in the interest ofowner and the contract of transporta-tion was not concluded.

What are you recommending toyour clients?

For now, the most safe option forour operators, who fall into the cate-gory of (greater than 28 tons BOWand/or more than 19 passengerseats) is to keep contact with a tripsupport teams to develop optimalroute and consider available optionsbefore the flight thru EAEU.

Much uncertainty remains regard-ing sanctions. In order to not loseflights that might be legal based onhearsay and incorrect information,we’re recommending that operatorsreach out to us directly so that we candiscuss the specific circumstancesrelated to their flight.

Can you explain the decree fordeclarations of precious metalsthat went into effect late 2018?

Last November, a new Decree of theGovernment of the RussianFederation regarding declarations ofprecious metals went into effectrequiring all departing and arrivingpassengers on international flightsto/from Russian Federation or thecountries of Customs Union todeclare all precious metals and stonesvalued at greater than 100K RUR($1,500 USD).

According to the decree, thisincludes precious metals and stones,

OPERATING TORUSSIA

RUSSIA REPORT

While business aircraft operations to major

destinations and tech stops in Russia are relatively

straightforward, regulations can and do change

frequently, such as the country’s new customs rules

and a new definition of “domestic flights.” In

advance of the 2019 Russian Business Aviation

Conference, BART spoke with Dmitry Konovalov,

general director, Universal Aviation Russia, on recent

rules changes that could impact operators attending

the show or traveling to Russia for other purposes.

32-34 OPERATING.qxp 29/08/2019 09:53 Page 32


TIPSWhen operatingto Russia,required visasshould beobtained prior toarrival andprecious stonesvalued atgreater than1,500$ shouldbe declared.

as well as natural pearls; pocket andwristwatches with a body made ofprecious metal; watch body, strapsand bracelets for watches made ofprecious metal, ores and concentratesof precious metals.

The decree states that if the cus-toms authority does not confirm thatthe goods for personal use areimported into the customs territory ofthe Union after they had been tem-porarily exported from this territory,such goods are subject to customsduties and taxes.

Further, when the new rules cometo the legal power the smuggling ofthese goods which total valueexceeds 1 million rubles will result inthe criminal liability as per Article226.1 of the Criminal Code of theRussian Federation.

What are some other major con-sidertions operators should havein mind when traveling to Russia?

Permits should always be top ofmind. Although the permittingprocess for Russia has somewhateased in recent years, both inrequired lead times and in shortnotice processing options, for bestresults, and to avoid potential snagsand delays, it’s always important toconsider official guidelines in termsof permit and airport slot applicationprocedures and lead times.

CAA approval is needed for alloverf l ights and landings in theRussian Federation. Permit applica-tions are processed by CAA and inthe case of diplomatic flights maybe arranged via diplomatic chan-nels. Russia subdivides general avia-

t ion (GA) operations into non-scheduled and scheduled. Over thelast few years, the Russian CivilAviat ion Authority (CAA) hasstreamlined the permit requestprocess. Typically, the lead time isone business day for private non-revenue aircraft, while it’s threebusiness days for charter (non-scheduled commercial aircraft).Short notice permit requests arepossible, with one business day leadtime for private non-revenue flightswith less than 19 seats and threebusiness days for charter (non-scheduled commercial) operations.Note that CAA permit processing isnot normally available on weekendsor public holidays.

What is an area that has createdissues for business aviation inRussia in your experience?

When operating to Russia anyrequired visas should be obtainedprior to arrival. Note that passengersrequire visas for anything other thantech stops. While tourist visas can beprocessed in two to three business

days, it takes up to 21 business daysto process business visas. Businessvisas are normally issued for a dura-tion of three months, six months or afull year. Crews, depending uponnationality, require business visas ifthey operate frequently to Russia orpick up/drop of passengers or cargo.However, tourist visas are generallyaccepted for crews on singleovernight stops in country. In thecase of a quick turn fuel uplifts inRussia, crew members do notrequire visas. It’s important to notethat crew visas on arrival are onlypossible to obtain at Moscow areaairports and this process can involvean hour or longer upon arrival. Ifcrew or passengers arrive withoutrequired visas they’ll not be permit-ted entry and must leave the countrywithout delay. Visa-less passengersor crew members may have to paypersonal fines of 50 USD in additionto being deported, while the entitythat arranged your trip may be fined5,000 USD.

Can you tell us about the airportoptions for Moscow? What are theprimary considerations for each?

There are three main airports forMoscow. Vnukovo (UUWW) is 18miles southwest of the city center,with a typical drive time of about 45minutes. Sheremetyevo (UUEE) islocated about 18 miles north-north-west of the city center whileDomodedovo (UUDD) is locatedabout 14 miles southwest of the cityand a drive of about 60-90 minutes.During heavy traffic, drive time fromthe center to any of Moscow’s threeairports can take up to two hours.All three airports accept GeneralAviation (GA), as well as scheduledcommercial traffic. Scheduled com-



OPTIONVnukovo 3 FBO

(top).Moscow

SheremetyevoTerminal A

(center).Moscow

DomodedovoAirport (below).

mercial aircraft have priority at allthree airports for airport slots, air-craft parking, fueling, and de-ice ser-vices.

UUWW is a 24-hour Airport of Entry(AOE) with a General AviationTerminal (GAT) offering Customs,Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ)clearance on-site. This airport doesnot have noise restrictions, and air-craft parking space is usually ample.Note that diplomatic flights normallyuse this airport, and airport authori-ties will shut down airport operationswith little notice, for head-of-state orcertain diplomatic flights. There’s anadditional parking fee to park close tothe GAT at Terminal 3.

Airport slots should be requested assoon as schedule is known. Slot devia-tion is +/- 15 minutes. Short-noticePPR requests may be possibledepending on parking availability. Ifparking is not available at UUWW,

the aircraft may drop off/pick up pas-sengers and depart. While there is nolimitation in terms of extended park-ing, fees do escalate on a per-hourbasis. Note that hangar space may beavailable for GA, on a first-come, first-

served basis, but this can be veryexpensive, particularly during wintermonths.

UUDD is a 24-hour AOE. GAT andGA CIQ clearance are at the AVCOMD terminal, and clearance takesapproximately 15 minutes. No airportslots or PPRs are required for UUDD,and hangar space for up to the size ofa Gulfstream V is available on a first-come, first-served basis. This airporthas plenty of aircraft parking, andparking charges are based on metrictons on a per-hour basis.

UUEE is also a 24-hour AOE andcurrently has no noise restrictions.Note that UUEE has a strict airport

slot allocation program in place witha slot deviation of +/- 15 minutes.It’s best to request airport slots assoon as schedule is known. In caseof schedule changes or delays,please advise your ground handlerASAP.

GA clears CIQ at a GAT separatefrom the rest of the airport, and clear-ance time is approximately 20 min-utes. Note that this airport has heavycommercial traffic, and aircraft park-ing can be an issue. The first threehours of parking are free.

While all three Moscow-area air-ports are good stops and have theirunique advantages, UUWW is thepreferred choice for most operators –followed by UUDD. UUEE, due to itshigh level of scheduled commercialtraffic and strict adherence to slottimes, may limit opportunities forschedule changes.

RUSSIA REPORT

✈


76 - BART: JULY - AUGUST - 2019

prosecuting corporations and individ-uals involved in corruptive practicesin the UK and abroad. It is also likelythat an SFO investigation mayincrease the risk of parallel investiga-tions in other jurisdictions with coun-tries that have a close working rela-tionship to the UK (e.g. the US). Infact, US companies with a presence inthe UK will now not only have to com-ply with their local Foreign CorruptPractices Act (FCPA) but will alsoneed to comply with the Bribery Actwhich is more extensive.

For businesses, the new corporateoffence will make companies liable ifanyone acting under its authority com-mits a bribery offence, includingemployees, agents, subsidiaries, part-ners and consultants.

Furthermore, the offence does notneed to take place in the UK. So, com-panies that have a UK office or operatein the UK or even simply hire a UK res-ident will be liable under this Act. Allthat is needed is a UK presence.

What are the Sanctions underthe Act?

Convictions under the Act includejail and/or unlimited fines for individ-uals and the potential for the confisca-tion of property under the Proceedsof Crime Act 2002. Companies canreceive unlimited fines which are like-ly to be substantial. “Senior officers”(which is broadly defined and willinclude directors and key manage-ment; possibly even shadow or non-executive directors) can also be con-victed of an offence where they aredeemed to have given their consentor connivance to giving or receiving abribe or bribing a foreign public offi-cial. Importantly, it is possible thatomitting to act might be regarded asconsent or connivance and lead toprosecutions, fines and/or imprison-ment. A director convicted of abribery offence is also likely to be dis-qualified from holding a director posi-tion for up to 15 years.

A company commits an offence if aperson associated with it bribes anoth-er person for that company’s benefit.“Association” is loosely defined toinclude people who perform servicesfor or on behalf of the company,regardless of the capacity in whichthey do so. It does not stop at employ-ees and will include agents, consultantsand suppliers. The only way to avoid

criminal liability under the Act is forcompanies to establish a system of“adequate procedures” designed toprevent bribery.

The essence of the guidelines are sixbasic principles which are all designedto give commercial organizations abasis for planning and implementingtheir regime to combat corruption:

Principle 1: Risk Assessment Conduct a risk assessment on yourglobal business and identify areasof high risk. Do you operate incountries where corruption is per-ceived to be high (e.g. Africa,Russia, and India)? The WorldBank provides up to date data oncorruption risks in its WorldwideGovernance Indicators website. Doyou interact with public officialsand do you provide corporate hos-pitality as a way of encouragingbusiness with your company? Doyou make use of agents in high riskjurisdictions and do they ever ten-der for business? What processeshave you in place to ensure thesepeople are not engaging in corrup-tive practices? Do you have com-mission agreements, and do theyinclude warranties and undertak-ings from the various parties as toanti-corruptive compliance?

Principle 2: Top LevelCommitment Issue now a clear statement of anti-corruption culture at the highest lev-els of management. Stick to it andensure the message is not only givenbut also shown to be followed – leadby example. The anti-corruptionstatement should be clearly pub-lished and accessible, both internallyand externally.

Principle 3: Due DiligencePut in place processes for auditingthe anti-corruption program at all lev-els. Carry out an audit regularly –spot check arrangements with sup-pliers and brokers. Are your salesteam aware of their duties? Are theyreporting back and is your responseteam effective in dealing with thereports? Review your contracts andassess the structure you have inplace for appointing agents, the pur-pose of their appointment and theway they are remunerated. Appoint acompliance officer.

Principle 4: Clear, Practicaland Accessible Policies andProceduresEnsure all persons associated withyour business are aware of yourstance and have a system of report-ing in place. Train staff and updatethem regularly on anti-corruptivepractices. Make clear statementsabout your company’s stance on giftsand hospitality, payments to advisersand agents, political contributions.Check your stance on paying offi-cials simply to secure the perfor-mance of their normal duties (e.g.granting a license). These acts arecommonplace around the world butmay now constitute an offence underthe Act.

Principle 5: EffectiveImplementationYour system should include aprocess for investigating reports andset out your strategy on disciplinaryaction. Incorporate this strategy inyour commercial contracts at all lev-els - employee contracts, pilot andcrew arrangements, service and sup-ply arrangements, sales and manage-ment agreements etc.

AoifeO’SullivanPartnerT: +44 (0) 7709 432350E: [email protected]

For further details please see websitewww.theairlawfirm.com

The information and opinions containedin this document are for general infor-mation purposes, are not intended toconstitute legal or other professionaladvice and should not be relied on ortreated as a substitute for specific advicerelevant to particular circumstances.The Air Law Firm LLP is a limited lia-bility partnership registered in Englandand Wales.

THE DOCKET

✈

74-76 Docket.qxp 2/07/2019 11:06 Page 76

The Air Law Firm

www.theairlawfi rm.com+44 (0) 20 7151 4185 | info@theairlawfi rm.com

The Air Law Firm LLP is a boutique aviation law practice providing international legal services to

the aviation industry. Our practice model sets us apart: we offer a bespoke and focused service

from an agile and responsive team who can react quickly to the changing demands of your

business environment.

FirmThe Air Law Firm LLP is a boutique aviation law fi rm providing international legal services to the aviation industry.

PracticeWe have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the global aviation industry including the operational, regulatory, commercial and insurance sectors.

PeopleWe are international lawyers, qualifi ed in various jurisdictions and are independantly recognised as leading experts in our fi elds.

467157_Int.indd 77 09/07/2019 11:38


LEADERSClockwise fromtop left: Alisher

Elmuradov fromLLjets, AnnaSerezhkina,

FBO Riga,Gazpromavia

Falcon 900.

2 018 has shown quite inconsis-tent results in the BusinessAviation market. On one hand,

European market players are men-tioning a decrease of “Russian” char-ters: German Consulting AgencyWINGX Advance states that 13 outof 20 main European markets haveshown a growth in 2018. However,amongst leading European coun-tries, only Germany and Spain havebeen showing a stable increase ofcharter flights during the year. Inthe second half of 2018 UK, Franceand Italy experienced significantlylower activity, while Russia andTurkey showed the biggest activitydecline. Russian brokers, on thecontrary, have been pointing out anotable recovery on the charter mar-ket. It’s related to hosting of theFootball World Cup, reflecting inmore than 100% traffic spike andmore than 1000 times increase ofcharter flights requests for somedestinations. The exact statistics issti l l not being kept in Russia.However, market players convergein opinion that “flying less” is defi-nitely not the case.

DEVELOPING NOTBECAUSE OF,BUT DESPITE

RUSSIA REPORT

The enhanced monitoring of compliance with

customs regulations, increased interest in charter

flights and their cost growth, opening of the first

business jet construction plant in Russia,

attention to air taxi business model are so far the

main trends and events of 2019. Russian Business

Aviation market continues to develop not because of,

but despite. At the same time restrictions and

prohibitions extend to the point of absurdity.

Anna Nazarova writes

36-42 RUSSIAN BIZAV.qxp 29/08/2019 09:56 Page 36

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OVERHAULSirius Aero

BritishAerospace BAe125-700B (top).

Repair servicein Russia

(bottom left).Russian State

ATMCorporationPiaggio 180

Avanti II (bottomright).

“In general, 2018 was quite success-ful for the Business Aviation industry,and such a grandiose event of the lastsummer as Football World Cup,which took place in different Russiancities, played a role of a great asset inthis success,” says DmitriyPetrochenko, project manager ofBizavianews.ru, the biggest BusinessAviation news website in Russia andCIS. Almost all Russian and themajority of foreign operators and air-crafts were involved, also to coincidewith this event, Russian governmentallowed foreign operators to performdomestic flights within Russia (cabo-tage), which increased the supply ofcharter jets.

The representative of the Russianbroker company LLJets has the sameopinion. “Indeed, there was a growthin 2018. It was different for differentbroker companies, but definitelyunconditional and significant. On onehand, it was related to the World Cup,on the other hand to natural develop-ment of the market. The increasehere in LLJets reached 22%,” says theco-owner of Lljets, Alisher

Elmuradov. “Definitely the situationhasn’t become worse in 2019. Theintensity of flights during springmonths was even higher than usual-ly.”

Russia still stays under the pressureof sanctions, nevertheless now theyare perceived by the market as achance to evolve further.

“Certainly, when it comes to theinfluence, the sanctions themecomes to the fore. However, para-doxically, we see here a significantperspective for our industry - thereturn of assets under the jurisdic-tion of Russian Federation. This alsorelates to the airplanes,” says AnnaSerezhkina, the COO of RussianUnited Business AviationAssociation (RUBAA). “We expectthat aircraft management will movefrom foreign operators to Russianones. An airplane is a generator of allkinds of business in the industry. Itneeds parking, handling, mainte-nance and fuel. Therefore, it pro-vides a cloud of goods and services,which are essential for its successfuland safe operation.”

The COO of RUBAA considers thatthe more airplanes will be in Russia,the more opportunities will be provid-ed to the industry in general, includ-ing maintenance facilities, groundinfrastructure, ground handling andservice companies – from aircraftcleaning to catering and training ofpersonnel.

But perhaps the most significantevent was not even the imposition ofsanctions, but rather the implementa-tion of tighter control of customs reg-ulations compliance. In March 2019,the Investigative Committee of

Russian Federation accused the“Sfera Jet” company of customs feesevasion. Four business jets wereseized and criminal proceedings wereinitiated against the CEO of the com-pany. Investigation information statesthat from August till September 2018managers and employees of the com-pany, Domodedovo airport customspersonnel, along with a group ofunidentified persons, acting as anorganized criminal group, have creat-ed conditions for implementation ofillegal private flights within Russia.The management of the companyleased four business jets to operateprivate domestic flights fromDomodedovo Airport. “No customsduties were paid when importing theairplanes to Russian Federation,” saysthe Investigative Committee. This ille-gal activity has resulted in the loss of600 million rubles (9,4 million US dol-lars).

Obviously, behind these formalexpressions lies just an ordinarypractice. The majority of businessjets, operated on behalf of condi-tionally Russian owners, don’t have

RUSSIA REPORT



SCAMIn March 2019,a Russianinvestigativecommitteeaccused the“Sfera Jet”company ofcustoms feesevasion.

a Russian registration. In case theairplane with a foreign registrationlands in Russian Federation, thedocument for temporary conces-sional import, called “Import 53”,has to be issued. The precedentwith “Sfera Jet” shows that somecompanies complied with this regu-lation, others just turned a blindeye to it. After the case with confis-cation of the jets no more flights toRussia without issuing the abovepointed document were conducted,which immediately affected themarket.

This notorious “Import 53” formallows only non-commercial opera-tions within Russia, which means thatonly the owners of the jets can flydomestically. Strengthening mea-sures are still progressively takingplace. In the recent past any domesticflight on a non-Russian registered air-plane needs to have an agreementfrom a certain list of Russian opera-tors. This directly influences theamount of charter supply marketleading to the cost increase of thecharter flights. “Simple economicsrule: The less is the supply, the moreis the cost,” says DmitriyPetrochenko.

In private discussions, Russian mar-ket players tell about upsurge charterflights demand, which occurred in thespring of 2019. Strengthening of cus-toms control has led to the situationwhen from April till June 2019 theowners couldn’t use their jets fordomestic flights in Russia. “Import53” didn’t cover airplanes with a bigtake-off weight, so the form physicallycouldn’t be filled in, as it simply didn’texist for such airplanes. But the

necessity to fly was still there.Therefore, the owners of those jetshad to rent charter airplanes. Thatperiod is characterized by a sharpspike in charter flights demand,which got back on track just by thebeginning of June as the regulatorissued a declaration for temporaryimport with a small import duty.Thus, now here in Russia we’ve got alegal way for temporary import ofbusiness jets for private operation.

Nevertheless, the situation withcharter flights supply on the Russianmarket stays under pressure andtight control. Charter jets with non-Russian registration appeared to beliterally cut off the market. It resultedin providing ideal conditions forRussian operators: The demandstayed the same, while the supplydropped down dramatically. At thesame time, the cost naturally went up,and reached a 30% increase from thebeginning of 2019. Even despite ofthe costs, the demand for charterflights within Russia stays very high.By the way, charter market supplycrunch has triggered quite an absurd

situation: Customs duties cover allcountries of the Customs Union,which includes Russia, Belarus andKazakhstan. Before the regulator hasissued a declaration for temporaryimport, to fly with a business jet fromMoscow to Minsk, a stop in Riga onthe way had to be planned.

For the record, the fight of theregulator with non-Russian regis-tered airplanes has one morebranch. It became known in Junethat the non-Russian registered air-planes, being a part of Russian com-panies’ fleet, can stop operating.Russian CAA has started to ignorethe agreement with BermudaIsland, where these airplanes areregistered. Russian CAA received aletter from Russian Ministry ofForeign Affairs, stating that theagreement with Bermuda Islands isnot considered to be international,which means it doesn’t have a prior-ity over national legislation. We canonly guess where these attempts tostimulate the companies to registertheir airplanes in Russia are leadingto. At the moment, a possible banon Bermuda’s registration can nega-t ively affect not only BusinessAviation, but a regular one as well,where the role of the biggest opera-tor of “Bermudian” airplanes plays anational carrier “Aeroflot”.

To sum up, we can say that latelythe Business Aviation market is amarket of a client. Operators and bro-ker companies do their very best tomeet their clients’ both cost and qual-ity expectations.

“About 80% of clients carry out kindof tenders among the brokers, andbrokers, in turn, among the opera-tors, are searching for optimal valuefor money for the flight. This trend



PROJECTThe very light

jet Victory (left).An Airbus H130

aircraft atHeliport

Moscow (right).

will be only developing in 2019-2020,”says the representative ofBizavianews.ru. “It only benefits theclients. Operators and brokers ratherlose. Operators are forced to cut costswhere possible, primarily for cateringand maintaining the cabin, which atthe end affects the clients them-selves.”

VLJ. Made in RussiaIn the first half of 2019, for the first

time in the history of contemporaryRussia and USSR, the agreement onbuilding business jets was signed.And all this is about a production of avery light jet Victory. It’s known asan experimental single-engine turbo-jet which was created by Americanmanufacturer Epic Aircraft in 2007.S7 group, part of which is the secondbiggest Russian airline company S7Airlines, will invest 14 billion rubles(more than 220 million US dollars) ofits own funds in construction of theplant in Stupino, located in the southof Moscow region. It is noteworthythat the co-owner of S7 group,Natalia Fileva died in an EpicAircraft plane crashed in March2019. Nevertheless, it hasn’t stop thecompany, which apparently has astrong belief in a light jet develop-ment in Russia & CIS.

At the moment it’s hard to judgehow successful this project will be inthe future. A state project SukhoiSuper Jet 100 has production of 40-50airplanes, while the private project isaiming for 20-25 followed by success-ful sales. Tremendous certificationand marketing costs, world marketcompetition, sanction risks related todelivery of engines, avionics, spareparts leave the question of successopen.

As expected, the start of the worksconstruction will take place in the 4thhalf of 2019 and the completion ofconstruction is planned for the 3rdquarter of 2025.

An agreement between S7 Groupand Moscow Region Government wassigned during St. PetersburgInternational Economic Forum 2019(SPIEF).

A word about SPIEF: This year arecord number of business jet passen-gers arrived to the largest Russianeconomic platform. During threedays of the Forum “Pulkovo-3” han-dled 1772 passengers which arrivedwith 552 business jets. For example,last year the figures were 1674 pas-sengers and 647 flights, in 2017 –1586 passengers and 544 flights, andin 2016 – 1475 passengers and 545flights.

“The peak days this year were the5th and the 7th of June. We are verypleased with the fact that we haven’treceived any claims and complaintsduring all Forum period of time,”comments the “Pulkovo-3” team.

Taxi Aims into the SkyPopular in US and Europe, the air

taxi trend has finally reached Russia.Almost simultaneously, several compa-nies have started to research anddevelop the concept of air taxi.Apparently, Russian Business Aviationmarket has reached the developmentstage, when it’s ready to become moremass. Time will show exactly whichconcept of air taxi will be more appro-priate and stable for Russian market,but at the moment we can observe thedevelopment of two concepts: Usinghelicopters and VLJs.

Following the popular aggregatorUber, which for some years has beenincluding helicopter operators intotheir system in Europe and Dubaiunder the brand name UberCOPTERor UberCHOPPER, Russian marketmay introduce such a service as well.The biggest helicopter manufacturerin Russia, “Helicopters of Russia”,along with the government ofMoscow, service aggregator“Yandex.Taxi” (Russian analogue ofGoogle) and the provider of technicalsolutions for air traffic managementare in talks regarding integration ofhelicopter operations into mobileonline taxi service.

It’s also worth noting that the air-space within Moscow ring road is stillclosed for commercial flights, whichimpedes the project to gain the mostattractive part of the market.Chairmen of the Board of HelicopterIndustry Association, MikhailKazachkov, notes that openingMoscow airspace for private flights isone of the most important streams ofthe business. He’s absolutely con-

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CONCEPTAim of Emperor

Group will useHondaJet for air

taxi. Owner ofthe group Irakli

Litanishvili(below).

vinced that the airspace will beopened sooner or later, but it’s tooearly to speculate on specific datesyet.

In the Moscow region, the heli-copter taxi service is provided by sev-eral operators. Heliport Moscow, thehelicopter transportation supplier,mentions that ridership to the desti-nations in the Moscow region area issufficient enough for developing sucha business as air taxi. Contrary to thepopular opinion that the integrationwith the aggregator is harmful for thebusiness, “Heliport” says that aboutthree years ago it took the initiative ofintegration with “Yandex.Taxi”. Backthen, a number of meetings with rep-resentatives of Yandex was imple-mented, but at that moment, the ideawas evaluated to be too complicatedand the project was suspended.

“I’m convinced that part of‘Yandex.Taxi’ clients could easily usethe services of helicopter taxi. Justnobody has ever had a properthought about it. In terms of practicaluse for customers it is a direct devel-opment of transport system, simplifi-cation of personal logistics, significanttime and efforts saving,” says the rep-resentative of Heliport.

Republic of Dagestan can alreadyboast of fully operating helicoptertaxi. The Makhachkala Airport incooperation with LIS Trading Group,a member of Aim of Emperor Grouphas carried out the first project of

Helicopter Taxi in the interests ofRepublic of Dagestan. The fleet con-sists of Airbus Helicopters with abase at the intensively developingMakhachkala International Airport.

Within the establishment of air taxioperator structure engaged expertshave analyzed and determined theoptimal type of the helicopter, provid-ed flight crew recruitment, coordina-tion of the fleet registration in theoperator’s AOC. The airport ofMakhachkala has completed a con-struction of a modern hangar andhelipads and received two H130 heli-copters. The airport managementteam says that it’s a pilot project ofhelicopter services, which hasn’tbeen presented in the region before.

“There is an existing demand forhelicopter services, which includesboth business and leisure trips. Thetourist segment is rather small, yet indemand. For example, Dagestan hadvisitors from UAE, and they activelyused helicopters. Therefore, we cansay that helicopter services will beinteresting for foreigners and localcitizens,” the Director ofMakhachkala International AirportArsen Pirmagomedov said.

“Thanks to realization of the heli-copter project, the region hasreceived a unique service of safe andmobile air transfer,” commentedRoman Malyushkin, a managing part-ner in LIS Trading Group. “Aviationstart-ups is one of our business spe-cializations, and we are always look-ing forward to assist regional enter-prisers in aviation projects implemen-tation.”

But perhaps the title of the mostambitious project could go to the con-cept of air taxi, which is being devel-oped by Aim of Emperor Group,using light jets HondaJet. For the first

time in Russia, we will see a classicmodel of air taxi with turbojets. Itsroute network will be the main fea-ture of the project, and will be aimingnot only at the capitals, but at regionalcenters of the country. “Aim ofEmperor” says that in the initialphase of the project 3 HondaJet willbe based in Moscow, St. Petersburgand Krasnodar, one in each city. Eachof them will cover the most economi-cally strong located within 1900 kmfrom the base of the jets.

Irakli Litanishvili, the owner of “Aimof Emperor” Group, claims thatRussian market is ready to accept anew business model. On one hand,charter flights market is facing atrend of cost optimization. Some pas-sengers of charter flights, havechanged to flying with business classon airlines, the others have started topay more thorough attention toflights cost structure. More and moreclients are looking “empty leg”options, comparing offers from differ-ent operators and looking for moreaffordable flights. At the same time,the new trend of “business class blur-ring”, which is noticeable during thepast 3-4 years in Russian airlinesindustry, has reached the segment ofBusiness Aviation. Passengers aremore psychologically ready to replaceexcessive luxury with reasonablepracticability. Some of the passengersprefer travelling with unfamiliar com-panions using the affordable coachshare model to hiring the jet. Anotherimportant point is the fleet structureand the age of jets, having Russianregistration and operating domestical-ly. Statistics shows that light jets andmidsize jets have the average age of35-40. Obsolete jets are not anymoreable to meet comfort and safetyrequirements of today’s private avia-tion. Nowadays passengers have theirsubjective criterion of safety – havingthe choice of several jets of the sameclass for Russian domestic flights,they will choose newer and slightlymore expensive one.

It's interesting to note that besidesthe increased level of mobility ofwealthy people, there will be a newsocial target to be achieved. For thefirst time in Russia, an environmentfor executive aviation pilot trainingwill be created, and it will have a baseat Ulyanovsk Flight School.

RUSSIA REPORT

✈


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HUBThe idea of

turning Crimeainto a new bizavcenter was first

approved byPutin in 2016.

A ccording to one governmentauthority, the new BusinessAviation airport will likely be

established already this year and willbe located at Sevastopol’s BelbekAirfield. Belbek Airport, built inRussia soon after the start of WorldWar II, was initially used by theSoviet Air Forces. From 1970-1980 itwas revamped to better deal with gov-ernmental aircraft. After the collapseof the USSR, further development ofthe airport was mostly suspended,only being resumed after Russia’sannexation of Crimea in 2014.

The idea of turning the CrimeanRepublic into a new Russian centerfor Business Aviation was initially

approved by Russian PresidentVladimir Putin back in 2016. Putininstructed the Russian federal govern-ment, as well as the authorities of theCrimean Republic, to prepare a num-ber of proposals for developingBusiness Aviation within the CrimeanPeninsula. However, implementationof these plans was suspended shortlythereafter due to the imposition ofeconomic sanctions against Russia byWestern countries. Plans were onlyresumed last year thanks to a signifi-cant improvement in the Russianeconomy.

Evgeny Plaksin, general director ofSimferopol International Airport LLC(the managing company of Belbek),says that after reconstruction is com-plete, Belbek Airport will primarilyfocus on serving the needs ofBusiness Aviation and will be one ofthe largest bizav airports in all ofsouthern Russia. Plaksin says thatbuilding of the main business termi-nal has already started and is expect-ed to be completed by the end of thecurrent year. He also notes theRussian Defense Ministry successful-ly completed reconstruction of the

CRIMEA: A NEW CENTERFOR BUSINESS AVIATION

RUSSIA REPORT

The Russian government aims to turn Crimea, the

disputed Ukrainian territory annexed by Russia, into

a new center for Business Aviation. The move is part

of an ongoing effort to improve the peninsula’s

international image and to attract

foreign investors. Eugene Gerden reports

44-46 CRIMEA.qxp 29/08/2019 09:59 Page 44


PRESIDENTSimferopol AirportCEO EugenePlaksin (top).Passengerterminal of BelbekAirport (center).Crimean PresidentSergey Aksyonov(bottom).

main runway last year. It currentlyhas the length of 3.45 km and candeal with all types of business jets andeven large commercial aircraft.

Belbek Airport will begin full-scaleoperations at the beginning of 2020.Although the volume of investmentsin the project has not been disclosed,according to some sources in theCrimean government, they are esti-mated between US $150 and $200 mil-lion. The majority of funds will beallocated from the Russian federalbudget and the budget of theCrimean Republic.

Once operational, many Russiananalysts believe Belbek Airport willbe ideally suited to serve the region’sBusiness Aviation needs. For exam-ple, due to its location some distancefrom Sevastopol, its use by commer-cial airlines is economically unreason-able.

Welcomed NewsAs an official spokesman of the

Russian Presidential Administrationtold BART International, the develop-ment of Business Aviation in theCrimean Republic is considered astrategic task by the Russian govern-ment, as successful implementationof these plans should provide animpetus for a further economic devel-opment of Crimea and will significant-ly improve its business climate. It willalso stimulate large businesses, bothdomestic and foreign, to invest in theCrimean economy which, due tosanctions, is currently experiencingan acute shortage of direct invest-ments.

For many leading Russian and for-eign business jet operators, the newdevelopment is welcomed news.According to Denis Mazirka, head ofTopAvia, one of Russia’s leading busi-ness jet operators, most market play-ers support the idea of turning theCrimea into a Business Aviation hub.He notes that doing so will be particu-larly beneficial to foreign airlines,operators and the owners of privatejets to Russia and the Crimea in par-ticular.

The Big PictureThe renovation of Belbek Airport

is just one component of a compre-hensive strategy for buildingCrimea’s Business Aviation infra-structure. According to recent state-

ments by an official spokesman ofthe Crimean Ministry of Transport,similar plans are now being consid-ered for other regional airports,including Koktebel, Evpatoria andothers. The only problem with mov-ing these plans forward is a short-age of available land for building thenecessary infrastructure – theCrimean Peninsula is a heavi lymountainous area. Of the sites thatwould be suitable for airport infra-structure, most are already beingused for agriculture, industry or mil-itary purposes.

The development of the BusinessAviation sector in Crimea will alsoinvolve a massive training of airlinepilots. For this purpose, the Russianfederal government recentlyapproved the opening of a branch ofthe Russian Ulyanovsk Institute ofCivil Aviation, Russia’s most presti-gious f lying school, in Crimea.These plans have been confirmedby Sergey Aksenov, president of

Crimea. In addit ion to commoncommercial pilots, the newly estab-lished branch will focus on the train-ing pilots and staff specially for theneeds of Business Aviation.

According to Aksenov, the devel-opment of Business Aviation has astrategic importance for theCrimean Republic – and Russia ingeneral – especially in a view of thepossible lifting at least part of the

44-46 CRIMEA.qxp 29/08/2019 09:59 Page 45


EXECUTIVESochi

InternationalAirport (top).

Oleg Deripaska(center). Anna

Serezhkina,executivedirector of

RUBAA (below).

sanctions against the country. Henotes that doing so could result inan influx of potential investors toCrimea.

Bring in the Billionaires As to funding, the Russian govern-

ment is depending on state reservesand the financial support of domes-tic private businesses. As to the lat-ter, the government hopes it will beable to convince large domesticbusiness to provide funding for thedevelopment of Business Aviation inCrimea, as i t did in the case ofyachting.

Currently, the Crimean Peninsulais one of Russia’s leading yachtingdestination, a position it achievedthanks in large part to funding com-ing from Russian billionaires, suchas Oleg Deripaska and ArkadyRottenberg. Some of these peoplemay provide the funding needed todevelop Business Aviation in theCrimean Republic. According to aspokesman of the RussianPresidential Administration, negoti-ations are already underway.

A South Russia HubAccording to some Russian ana-

lysts, the development of BusinessAviation in Crimea could be part ofan ambitious plan by the Russiangovernment to establish a large-scale Business Aviation hub in theSouth of Russia. In addition to theCrimean Peninsula, i t wil l also

include the city of Sochi, which isRussia’s major Black Sea resort. Ifeverything goes ahead, theCrimea/Sochi hub could becomeRussia’s second largest BusinessAviation hub, both in terms of theannual number of performed flightsand passenger traffic.

In regard to Sochi, the city alreadyhas the status of one of the mostpopular domestic destinations forbusiness flights. The VIP terminalat Sochi International Airport wasofficially opened on December 2013and has since served over 150,000passengers and about 20,000 busi-ness flights. Its share in the overallstructure of Business Aviat ionflights in Russia is estimated atabout 8-9%.

Anna Serezhkina, executive direc-tor of the Russian United BusinessAviation Association (RUBAA), con-firms that Sochi’s status as one ofthe most popular destinations forBusiness Aviation flights in Russia.According to her, this is mainly dueto the large number of sportingevents and various business forumsthat take place in the city.Serezhkina also notes that, accord-ing to latest RUBAA data, the num-ber of Business Aviation flights con-ducted by business jets owned byRussians to Crimea has also signifi-cantly increased in recent years andcontinues to grow.

RUSSIA REPORT

✈

44-46 CRIMEA.qxp 29/08/2019 09:59 Page 46

47 RUBAE.pdf 1 30/08/2019 08:18


SKILLA Tulpar AeroGroup facility

(right).A specialist

from Tulpar wonthe “Young

Talent of theMRO Industry”

award (left).

T he financial crisis in Russia,caused in part by the sanctionsimplemented following Russia’s

annexation of Crimea and ongoingmeddling in Western elections, hasled to a steep decline in the entireRussian Business Aviation market –including MRO sector. In fact, accord-ing to the latest data, provided bysome leading Russian analytical agen-cies in the field of Business Aviation,between 2015 and 2016, the marketsaw an aggregate decline of nearly40% compared to pre-crisis figures.

However, beginning in the secondhalf of 2016, the situation has startedto show signs of improvement which,in turn, has resulted in a growth indemand for MRO services. Althoughthe current level of development inthe Russian MRO industry forBusiness Aviation is lower than itscommercial aviation counterpart, thisis due to the fact that the number ofbusiness jets owned by Russians isstill significantly smaller than thecommercial fleet. (The RussianBusiness Aviation fleet is estimated atabout 500 aircraft, of which only 10%are registered within the domesticjurisdiction.)

Currently, there are only a few MROservice providers in Russia, and rangeof their services is rather limited.

RUSSIA’S MRO SECTORSET FOR GROWTH

RUSSIA REPORT

Despite ongoingproblems and generaleconomic uncertainty,Russia’s MRO industryfor business jets issteadily developing.Eugene Gerden talkswith some leading localMRO providers andindustry analyststo learn more

48-50 MRO.qxp 29/08/2019 10:01 Page 48


OVERHAULAircraft in aTulpar Technichangar (top).Kravtsov Timofey,general director atTulpar (center).Vostok TechnicalServices (below).

Although Russian MRO companiesservice nearly 80% of local businessjets, this work tends to be limited tosimple technical operations. In fact,according to some statistics, domesticMRO providers are practically non-existent when it comes to technicallysophisticated MRO work, includingupgrades and complex repairs.

“As a result, a significant number ofRussian business jet owners have pre-ferred to get their MRO work doneoverseas, particularly in the EU andUS,” says Timofey Kravtsov, deputygeneral director of Russian businessjet operator Tulpar Aero Group.

That being said, the implementationof economic sanctions has had a posi-tive benefit for local MROs. Thanks tothe resulting weak ruble, their ser-vices have become much more com-petitive compared to services provid-ed by Western companies.Furthermore, the imposition of a banon the import of certain technologiesto Russia, including those used by

domestic MROs, also provided animpetus for the development of thelocal MRO operators.

Big Opportunitiesand Big Challenges

According to most figures, theRussian MRO market for business jetsis estimated at about US $650 million.But this lack of technical expertiseresults in an estimated annual loss ofprofits for Russian MRO companies inthe tune of US $350 million or higher.

However, this skill gap also repre-sents huge potential for a furthernear-term growth. “This environmentmeans big opportunities for localMRO providers and is ripe for thelaunch of new companies,” saysKravtsov.

However, leveraging these opportu-nities does come with a number ofchallenges. For instance, the diversityof the Russian Business Aviation fleetmeans MRO providers must investheavily in the training of personneland the introduction of new technolo-gies. Furthermore, the flight time ofthe average Russian business jet typi-cally does not exceed 30 hours peryear. This means the amount of MROwork is limited, making the launchingof a new business risky.

There’s also the issue of a lack ofinfrastructure, including hangarareas, at the majority of Russian air-ports. And the low level of interest inintegrated pay-by-hour support pro-grams means MRO providers aremore vulnerable to fluctuations indemand in the local market. Last butnot least, there’s the complete lack ofsupport from the Russian state, whichposes a significant challenge to get-ting the investment needed to launcha new MRO business.

48-50 MRO.qxp 29/08/2019 10:01 Page 49


TERMINALA-Group hangar

at Sheremetyevo(left).

Kazan Int’l Airport(right).

As a result of these many chal-lenges, Russia’s MRO sector contin-ues to struggle. “The sector is seeinga serious slowdown in growth, whichis primarily caused by objective exter-nal factors and the lack of under-standing of the industry’s problems atthe state level,” says Andrey Akopov,general director of Vostok TechnicalService Jets, LLC, one of Russia’slargest MRO service providers.

“The MRO sector for BusinessAviation in Russia is still in the initialstage of development, and there areno conditions for any serious growthto happen in the near future,” addsOleg Ivanov, corporate affairs directorof A-Group Aero, a FBO operator andground handler at MoscowSheremetyevo and St. Petersburg’sPulkovo airports.

To illustrate the current situation,Ivanov points to the A-Group’s experi-ence in expansion. The Group recent-ly considered organizing a full-fledged MRO center within its FBO atVnukovo-3 airport. “However, aftercareful examination, we decided topostpone the launch of the project foran indefinite period of time,” saysIvanov. “This was mainly due to thelack of prospects and the need forhuge investments to just get it off theground.”

Signs of GrowthUnfortunately, there isn’t much local

MROs can do to remedy the situation.After all, they are fully dependent onthe country’s domestic fleet. That is

why most analysts we talked tobelieve the demand for MRO servicesdepend on the development ofBusiness Aviation in Russia in generaland, in particular, the expansion ofthe domestic fleet. As the fleetexpands, new MRO centers will needto be established, and not just in thecurrent hubs, but across the vastcountry.

Hints of this trend are already start-ing to be seen. For example, work ona new MRO center at KazanInternational Airport has begun.Currently, Kazan Airport has the sta-tus of one of the largest in Russiaand already operates its ownBusiness Aviation terminal. The newMRO center will be located within anew air-service zone, to be calledAeropark, which will include severalhangars for various aircraft types, anapron with taxiways and parkingplaces, a flight test station, the pro-duction and auxiliary areas for repair

shops and storage areas for materi-als and components.

The new air service zone is expect-ed to be one of the largest in Russiain terms of the volume of conductedworks and the range of provided ser-vices for business jets. As planned,Tulpar Technik will be the zone’s firstresident, as the company plans toestablish its own MRO center there.However, it is very likely that Tulparwon’t be alone for long, as the airportis currently in talks with other leadingdomestic and foreign MRO providers.

The first phase of the Kazan pro-ject is expected to be commissionedin the first half of 2020. The buildingof the new air service zone will becarried in cooperation with such for-eign partners as Leipzig/HalleAirport.

Remaining Optimistic

Despite ongoing challenges, overall,the industry in Russia remains opti-mistic. “The current level of develop-ment of the MRO segment in Russiaremains at a generally good level, ascan be seen by the recent launch ofsome modern MRO centers aroundthe country,” says Anna Serezhkina,executive director of the RussianUnited Business Aviation Association(RUBAA), “However, this is just thebeginning of a long path, and localMRO providers most always thinkabout how they can further improvetheir services.”

According to Serezhkina, the furtherdevelopment of Russia’s MRO seg-ment will depend on the future dynam-ics in the Russian economy, the overallinvestment climate in the country, andthe general situation of the RussianBusiness Aviation sector.

RUSSIA REPORT

✈

48-50 MRO.qxp 29/08/2019 10:01 Page 50

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ENTHUSIASMAround 600,000

peoplecelebrated all

things aviationat this year’sconvention.

B ecause the first ExperimentalAircraft Association conventionheld at Oshkosh, Wisconsin took

place in a year ending in “zero”, thisyear’s show, July 22-27, 2019, markedan even half-century of aviation pilgrim-ages to the central US. The AirVentureshow, as it’s now known, is more thanjust a gathering of aviation enthusiasts.It embodies everything that attracts usto aviation as a vocation, as a callingand as a lifestyle.

The Oshkosh experience is like noother regularly-occurring affair. Thoseparticipating have a single unifying pur-pose; to amass as much knowledgeand direct contact with aviation as pos-sible, in close association with individu-als of like mind.

That doesn’t mean the Oshkoshshow is one big event on a single stage;EAA AirVenture is actually a dozensub-sets of interest. Business Aviationis only one aspect of the show, albeitan important one, judging by the sizeof the chalets erected for the week.Makers of business aircraft, particular-ly those flown by owners and smallcompanies, such as those from Daher,HondaJet, Pilatus, Piper and Embraerand Textron, display their waresbecause their customers will be therein huge numbers. Similarly, avionic,engine, modification and support com-panies seize the opportunity to revealtheir latest products.

Thus, business airplanes and associ-ated goods are prominently displayedat EAA AirVenture, along with restored

military planes, aerobatic aircraft, pre-served antique and classic airplanes,seaplanes, light-sport and microlightvehicles, and the foundational core ofthe Experimental Aircraft Association,homebuilt aircraft of every shape andsize. AirVenture’s huge trade show cre-ates its own field of interest, and eventhe aviation media has a special niche.

News from the 2019 ShowApproximate attendance for this

year’s AirVenture show was 642,000,up 7%, with over 10,000 aircraft arriv-ing, 2758 of them registered show-planes. Aircraft operations averaged127 per hour during the event, 863commercial exhibitors attended, and2772 international visitors registeredfrom 93 countries. Some 5500 volun-teers contributed 250,000 hours ofunpaid labor to help put on the show.

Among the Business Aviation revela-tions showing up around AirVenture2019 was Textron Aviation’s announce-ment that its big-cabin Hemispherebusiness jet is currently on hold, amove necessitated because Safran’sSilvercrest engine is undergoing fur-ther development. After Dassault wasforced to abandon the powerplant forits 5X jet in 2017, Textron hoped togain market advantage with the cut-ting-edge advances of the Silvercrestengine, for which the Hemisphere wasspecifically designed.

Textron had fuselage mockups forthe Cessna Denali and SkyCourier tur-boprops on display at AirVenture. The

19-seat configuration of the utility-twinSkyCourier showed excellent space forpeople and cargo. FedEx Express hassigned an order for up to 100 of theSkyCouriers, which will be able tocarry three LC3 cargo containers.Powered by twin 1100-shp PT6A-65Bengines, the prototype SkyCourier’sconstruction is well underway.

The SETP Denali program had a totalof six test articles under construction atAirVenture time; the prototype and twoproduction aircraft will be used in theflight test program. The Denali’s firstflight was expect to take place later in2019, to eventually compete directlywith the Pilatus PC-12NG.

While at Oshkosh, Textron markedthe 50th Anniversary of the BeechcraftBaron 58’s first flight, which took placeon July 23, 1969. Still in production asthe Baron G58, it is one of the few pis-ton twins still extant in the business air-craft marketplace, often used as anadjunct to its King Air turboprop sib-lings.

Embraer Executive Jets displayed aPhenom 300E and Phenom 100EV,offering press updates on the state ofthe business aircraft industry andEmbraer’s continued success. Justprior to AirVenture, Embraer deliveredits first Praetor 600 super-midsize busi-ness jet, to French-based AV’Rent.Certification of the Praetor 500 isexpected by year’s end. As with a hostof other firms, large and small,Embraer is investing heavily in explo-ration of Urban Mobility concepts,

EAA AIRVENTURE CELEBRATES50 YEARS AT OSHKOSH

AIRSHOW REPORT

Since being held at Oshkosh in 1970for the first time, the annual EAAAirVenture convention has grown tobe the largest aviation event of anykind – also dubbed as the World’sGreatest Aviation Celebration. OurTurboprop Editor Leroy Cook offershighlights from the show

52-53 OSHKOSH REPORT.qxp 29/08/2019 10:03 Page 52


specifically an eVTOL autonomously-piloted electric quadcopter designed tomove taxi-cab size parties over trafficand congestion.

Piper Aircraft has reported robustdeliveries of its M-class and Trainer-class airplanes, reaching the highestlevels in ten years. At the AirVenturepress conference, Piper presidentSimon Caldecott displayed a 3D-print-ed part from the turboprop M600’senvironmental system, demonstratingcost-saving and ready-availabilityadvantages for parts created by thecompany’s additive manufacturing cen-ter. Caldecott continues to guide Piperon a steady course of matching produc-tion rate to market demand, whileadding upgrades to existing products.

Pilatus Aircraft has reopened theorder book for the PC-24 versatile busi-ness jet, recently certified for unpavedrunway operations, and at Oshkosh air-show time it had sold 40 of the 80 slotsavailable. For AirVenture, Pilatus’theme was “Gravel, Grass and Dirt”, inkeeping with the versatile abilities ofthe PC-12NG turboprop and PC-24 jet,and the company’s display featuredsuch surfaces beneath its airplanes.

Daher Aircraft’s booth proudlyshowed its TBM 940 and 910 very fastturboprops, along with the QuestAircraft Kodiak. Daher has announcedplans to acquire Quest Aircraft by late2019, which will expand its line into theutility aircraft market by incorporatingQuest’s Kodiak 100 turboprop. Sincethe differing airplanes compliment,rather than compete with each other,the strength of the combined fleet iseagerly anticipated by the Daher salesteam. The flagship TBM 940 wasrecently introduced with autothrottlecapability and an automated ice detec-tion system.

Blackhawk Modifications was cele-brating the supplemental type certifica-tion of its XP-67A engine upgrade forthe King Air 300, and company officialswe spoke with were pleased with therefitting business they had seen for tur-boprop business airplanes. With newavionics, interior, engine and paint, anolder King Air can be placed into ser-vice for a fraction of the cost of a newairplane from the factory, with match-ing or exceeding capability.

Just prior to Oshkosh, Honda AircraftCompany added Transport Canadatype certification to its list of certifica-tions. Now delivering the Elite upgrade

package on the HondaJet, the companyis building an additional 82,000 squarefeet of space at its Greensboro, NorthCarolina plant, at a cost of US$15.5 mil-lion. Announced at AirVenture was a15-plane order for HondaJet Elites byHawaii’s Wing Spirit charter company;the aircraft will be used for inter-islandcharter and medical flights.

Epic Aircraft had its usual large dis-play on the main entranceway atAirVenture, where owners of earlykit-built experimental category EpicAircraft would logically be in atten-dance. Continuing to pursue full FAAcertification, Epic is anticipatingreceiving FAA type certification in thefall of 2019, with first deliveries fol-lowing shortly thereafter. Six to eightairplanes are expected to be deliveredin 2019, with double that amount in2020; the eventual goal is to roll outone airplane per week. A big 8,000-pound single powered by a 1200-shpPT6A-67 turboprop, the Epic 1000 isto cruise at 339 knots, yet stall at only68 knots.

Sights Seen at EAA AirVenture 2019Many, many seminars and presenta-

tions about manned and UAV electric-powered vehicles took place atAirVenture, which is widely known asa hotbed of innovation. The BlackFlyeVTOL first-generation prototype wasdonated to the EAA’s museum duringthe show. Dubbed a “personal aerialvehicle” by its developer Opener, itrequires no license or special skills tooperate.

Because the Oshkosh show is a pub-lic event, attendance is boosted byfocusing on major aviation anniver-saries and themes. For 2019, extraattention was paid to the 50th

Anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonlanding, June 20, 1969, when the worldwas riveted on two American astro-nauts walking on the lunar surface.Command module pilot MichaelCollins took the stage at the show,reminiscing over the events that cata-pulted him into the limelight a half-cen-tury ago.

Boeing’s 747 jumbo-jet was intro-duced 50 years ago, and United ParcelService brought one of the latest 747-8F freighter versions to the show tomark the occasion. Powered byGEnx2B-67 engines, the huge UPScargo-plane towered over a queue oftouring attendees.

Historically, this past summermarked the 75th Anniversary of theWorld War 2 invasion of Normandy,as the Allies began a long push onJune 6, 1944 to drive Nazi dominationfrom Europe. Some of the DC-3 air-planes that had participated in “DaksOver Normandy” a month earlierwere in attendance at Oshkosh, hav-ing flown back across the NorthAtlantic via the “Blue Spruce” routeused in World War 2. Oshkosh, ofcourse, is home to Basler TurboConversions, where DC-3/C-47/Dakota aircraft are stretched andre-engined with PT-6A turboprops,continuing its long service.

One of the oft-heard remarks atAirVenture is “Only at Oshkosh.”That comment is uttered in conjunc-tion with seeing and touching some-thing that will not be seen in anyother public venue. For instance, Italked with the copilot of a NewZealand-based Piper Comanche sin-gle-engine piston plane that was inthe middle of a flight around theworld, the trip of a lifetime. Flying inthe daily airshow was the only flyingXP-82 Twin Mustang, a painstakinglyrestored fighter plane that was devel-oped late in World War 2, used in theUN’s Korean war for ground support.This being dubbed “the year of thefighter” by the show organizers, spe-cial attention was paid to militaryfighter planes, past and current; thethunder of F-22 Raptor and F-35Lightning II jets accompanied P-51Mustang fighters in “heritage flight”demonstrations.

The afternoon airshows at Oshkosh,provided pro-bono by the best per-formers in the industry, cannot beduplicated anywhere else. However,they are preceded by “showcase” fly-ing by non-aerobatic presenters,where one can see new or newly-restored, often unique, airplanes inthe air. Over the last 50 years, theOshkosh public has seen the BeechStarship, the Williams V-Jet, a Howard500, Learjets and HondaJets, cruisingaround the showcase pattern.

Enjoying excellent weather condi-tions and strong participation, the 50th

Oshkosh airshow will go into therecord books as memorable in mostaspects. Business Aviation continuesto be a strong presence atAirVenture.

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GREENAircraft that

participated inthe first-ever

EBACE SAJFFly-in are

showcased atthe event's

static display.

S AJF is a class of non-petroleum-based jet fuels or blended com-ponents. Flying on sustainable

aviation fuel reduces crude oil con-sumption and produces lower lifecy-cle carbon emissions compared toconventional jet fuel. It is made byblending conventional, fossil-basedkerosene with renewable hydrocar-bons produced from, for example,recycled cooking oil. Certified as ‘Jet-A1’ fuel, it can then be used in aircraftwithout requiring any technical modi-fications.

“It possesses similar properties, quali-ties and characteristics as Jet A and JetA-1 fuel, meaning aircraft perform thesame under all conditions, operatorsdon’t have to fly differently and nomodifications to aircraft equipment areneeded,” says Bombardier SeniorPublic Relations and SustainabilityAdvisor Dominique Cristall.

“SAJF is, quite simply, Jet-A in everyway: a drop-in fuel that has under-gone exhaustive testing and meets allspecifications and requirements,”adds General Aviation ManufacturersAssociation (GAMA) President andCEO Pete Bunce.

“Alternative fuels can help theBusiness Aviation industry achievesuch goals as carbon neutral growth

by 2020, fuel efficiencies of 2% annual-ly through 2050 and reduce carbondioxide emissions by 50% by 2050,”adds Gulfstream AerospaceCorporate Sustainability ProcessManager Roger Bowman.

Seeing alternative fuels as the futureof Business Aviation, EBACE 2019put them front and center. Under thebanner of ‘Fueling the Future’, theevent welcomed a record number ofaircraft – 23 in all – who arrived inGeneva fueled by SAFJs.

“The record-setting EBACE SAJFFly-In was a milestone in BusinessAviation’s commitment to sustainabili-ty and reducing carbon emissions,”says EBAA Chairman of the Board ofGovernors Juergen Wiese.

FUELING THE FUTUREOF BUSINESS AVIATION

FOCUS FUEL

Fuel – without it, Business Aviation wouldn’t even get

off the ground. Not only is it one of the essential

ingredients to flight, it’s also one of the most expensive.

So it should come as no surprise that operators are

always looking for fuel options that will take them

farther for less. Hence the focus on sustainable

alternative jet fuels (SAJFs). Nick Klenske reports

54-61 FUEL II.qxp 29/08/2019 10:06 Page 54

Avfuel: Your global connection to fuel and so much more.

| Trip Support| Training| Insurance

| FBO Branding| Loyalty Rewards


LEADERSClockwise from

top left:Pete Bunce,

Ed Bolen,Juergen Wiese,World Fuel willsupply Gevo’sATJ fuel for its

European demoevent.

“Business Aviation has always led theway in promoting technologies thatadvance the sustainability of flight, andit is appropriate that we highlighted ourfocus in this area at EBACE throughthe fly-in,” adds NBAA President andCEO Ed Bolen.

Production and use of the alternatefuels are key to the industry’s BusinessAviation Commitment on ClimateChange (BACCC), which, among otheraims, seeks to achieve carbon neutralgrowth from 2020 forward. In fact, 2019marks the 10th anniversary of theBACCC, an initiative of GAMA and theInternational Business Aviation Council(IBAC). In addition to reducing carbonemissions and achieving carbon-neutralgrowth, the BACCC committedBusiness Aviation to improving fuel effi-ciency by 2% per year from 2010through 2020. This is to be achieved viathe use of new technologies, infrastruc-ture and operational improvements,market-based measures and the devel-opment of alternative fuels.

“The fleet of 23 aircraft that flew intoGeneva on sustainable aviation fuel rep-resents the global commitment byBusiness Aviation to mitigate its carbonemissions and contribute to the goal ofcarbon-neutral growth from 2020,” saysIBAC Director General Kurt Edwards.“The fly-in also demonstrated the viabil-ity of these drop-in fuels and providesfurther proof to the industry that wecan fly with SAJF now!”

Just over half of the jets that partici-pated in the fly-in were supported byWorld Fuel, who has been a long-timesupporter of the development of SAJFs.Since 2015, the company has deliverednearly 500,000 gallons of SAJF toBusiness Aviation customers, not tomention over 13 million gallons to com-mercial customers. “We were an early

supporter of alternative fuel technology,and now are an industry leader in thepromotion and distribution of SAJF,”says World Fuel’s Mike Szczechowski.“We invested early and continue ourfull support on SAJF to reduce CO2emissions.”

For EBACE, World Fuel partneredwith Gevo, a leading next generationbiofuels company, to provide JET A1blended specifically with Gevo’s sus-tainable and renewable alcoholto-jetfuel (AJT). The blended fuel meetsASTM D1655 and DefStan 91-091 stan-dards for commercial, business andgeneral aviation use.

“Our fuel offers the potential to notonly significantly reduce the carbonfootprint of jet fuel, but it also has thepotential to generate 5kg of protein andanimal feed for the food chain,”explains Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO,Gevo. “It’s a ‘circular economy’ type ofsystem in real life, and it can make a dif-ference for the environment, and forfood.”

Fuel Companies Are Onboard TooBut the drive towards SAJF isn't

just coming from industry associa-tions and government agencies, thefuel companies are onboard too. "Thedevelopment of sustainable aviationfuel is key to changing the face of theaviation industry," says Irene Lores,Global Sales and Marketing Director,General Aviation, Air BP. Air BP has been supplying sustain-

able aviation fuel in the Nordics since2014, and globally has suppliedaround 15 different airports. At Osloairport we were the first to supply thefuel through the existing airport fuel-ing infrastructure and at ChicagoO'Hare International as part of the FlyGreen Day initiative.

In 2016, the company announced aninitial investment of US$30 million inFulcrum BioEnergy, who has devel-oped and demonstrated a reliable andefficient process for producing low-cost, sustainable aviation fuel frommunicipal solid waste. As mentioned,

FOCUS FUEL

54-61 FUEL II.qxp 29/08/2019 10:06 Page 56

Climate change is becoming a priority for everyone.

We’re passionate about creating a greener future. Which is why we’re investing in lower carbon and biofuels initiatives. We’ve already supplied biofuel made from used non-palm cooking oil. These fuels can reduce the carbon footprint of aviation fuel by up to 80% over their full life cycle.

Our waste is quite literally fuelling a lower carbon future.

Just add cooking oil.

Biojet

30

60

90

120

Operations I Sustainable fuels I Offsettingairbp.com


ahead of EBACE 2019 in May, Air BPmade sustainable aviation fuel avail-able at Caen airport in France andArlanda airport in Sweden. Caen rep-resented the first time the companyhas offered sustainable aviation fuelin France.

Late last year, Air BP announced acollaboration with Neste to exploreand develop supply chain solutionsfor delivering sustainable aviation fuelto airports and airlines. One goal ofthis cooperation is complementaryefforts to bring a co-branded sustain-able aviation fuel to market at airportsacross Air BP's global network. "Webelieve it is important to keep work-ing with multiple suppliers, cus-tomers and partners, and using exper-tise from across the global BP organi-zation to support the commercializa-tion of sustainable aviation fuel," saysLores.

"Collaborating with Air BP, we canfind the best ways of developingrobust supply chains to ensure thatsustainable aviation fuel is more wide-ly accessible to aviation customers,"adds Peter Vanacker, president andCEO, Neste.

Through this collaboration withNeste, in April 2019, Air BP was ableto start offering customers in Swedensustainable aviation fuel at a numberof airports.

Air BP believes it is important tokeep working with multiple suppliers,customers and partners, and usingexpertise from across BP's globalorganization, to support the uptake ofsustainable aviation fuel. This is whythe company is a participant in thecoalition between EBAA, NBAA,GAMA, IBAC and NATA that lastyear launched the 'sustainable alter-native jet fuel' (SAJF) guide.

In May 2019, Air BP collaboratedwith Braathens Regional Airlines, air-craft manufacturer ATR and Neste toachieve the 'Perfect Flight' fromHalmstad City airport to StockholmBromma airport in Sweden.Sustainable aviation fuel, produced byNeste and supplied by Air BP, wasused to power the ATR 72-600 - theregional aircraft used on the flightand, according to ATR, the regionalaircraft with the best environmentalcredentials. Every element of theflight management process was opti-mized to keep carbon emissions to aminimum.

FOCUS FUEL

BIZAV BEST PRACTICES:AVOIDING FUEL DELAYS

With Universal

Weather & Aviation’s

Grant Bradshaw

Get a fuel release/arrange fuela week prior, whenever able

Notify your fuel provider inadvance of your aircraft type, regis-tration, dates and times of operationand volume requirements. This isdoubly important if you operate larg-er GA equipment. It’s best to orga-nize fuel releases about one week inadvance to ensure receipt by thelocal supplier and a confirmationresponse. When planning quick-turntech stops, it’s always good practiceto follow up and re-confirm the upliftwith the fuel provider a day prior torefueling. Having said this, we alsodo not recommend requesting fuelreleases too far in advance as thelocal fuel provider may misplace therelease, causing possible day-of-operation delays.

Choose airports and/orground handlers that havetheir own fuel trucks

Since commercial airlines willalmost always take priority over GA,one way to avoid this issue is tochoose airports and ground han-dlers/FBOs with their own dedicat-ed fuel trucks for GA. Certain inter-national airports have fuel trucksdedicated to GA. This is most com-mon in the US, Canada and certainlocations in Europe, such asLondon-Stansted Airport. SomeFBOs also have their own fueltrucks. For instance, we operate ourown trucks at Universal AviationMexico – Toluca and UniversalAviation Ireland – Dublin. Whenmaking fuel arrangements, ask yourcontract fuel provider and/or yourhandler about your fuel truckoptions.

Avoid peak periodsof commercial activity

An effective means of mitigatingfuel delays is to schedule quickturns and destination stop uplifts

away from peak periods of sched-uled commercial activity. This tacticcan be particularly beneficial at busyMediterranean holiday destinationswhere scheduled commercial fuelrequirements always take prece-dence over GA.

Fuel on arrival vs departureFueling on arrival rather than

departure is a viable strategy athigh-traffic airports or during peakperiods. This is particularly impor-tant when attending high-trafficevents where delays and shortagesare common.

Use an alternate airport ifthat’s an option and considerquick-turn tech stops

Many destinations have multipleairport options. Do your research inadvance to find out the advan-tages/disadvantages regarding fuel-ing, depending on your final destina-tion and schedule.

Lean on your contractfuel provider

When you are traveling to familiardestinations, making reservationsthrough an app is easy and often theway to go. But at new destinations,or ones that can be challenging(due to lack of infrastructure, con-gestion, political unrest, frequentstrikes, etc. ) it’s worth a quick callor email to your contract fuelprovider. For instance, here at theUVair Fuel Program, we have awhole team dedicated to staying ontop supply issues worldwide. Part ofour program is to provide pre-tripfuel consultations whenever neededso that our clients can make thebest fueling decisions for their mis-sions. There is no cost for this – it’sjust part of the service our clientsget.

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54-61 FUEL II.qxp 29/08/2019 10:06 Page 58


TEAMWORKRicardo Paganiniexpresses pridein the newcollaboration withVoa São Paulo.

Looking ahead, Lores says the chal-lenge will be to meet continuing pas-senger growth in a responsible andsustainable manner. "Emerging tech-nologies are reshaping the industrywith the push for hybrid and electricaircraft, unmanned aircraft systems,robotics and artificial intelligence allplaying a role in aviation's future," shesays. "But as engines and aircraftbecome lighter, quieter, faster andmore efficient, Air BP's role ultimate-ly is to continue supplying the indus-try's aviation fuel needs safely andreliably - and we're ready to do justthat."

On a MissionWith a focus on innovation, Avfuel

is leading the mission to furtherindustry advancements – and thisincludes sustainable aviation fuel.“Avfuel’s experts in alternative fuelsare working diligently to bring SAJFto market and play an active role inour industry’s mission for carbonneutrality,” says Keith Sawyer,Manager of Alternative Fuels atAvfuel. “Our involvement includesongoing demonstration days whereSAJF is supplied in limited quantitiesas a means of promoting awarenessand adoption of SAJF in BusinessAviation.”

Avfuel regularly participates in tech-nical panels at such industry eventsas EBACE and NBAA-BACE, alongwith various special SAJF-focusedevents. Additionally, the companydeveloped an exclusive agreementwith Gevo, Inc. to be the leading next-generation biofuels company’s exclu-sive Business Aviation fuel supplier inNorth America.

“We’re also busy securing commit-ments from customers interested inpurchasing SAJF, which is essentialto encouraging producers to increaseoutputs,” adds Sawyer.

Leading the Low CarbonTransition

As reported earlier this year, ShellAviation and SkyNRG announced along-term strategic collaboration topromote and develop the use of sus-tainable fuel in aviation supply chains.The collaboration combines ShellAviation’s technical and commercialexpertise, world-class supply chain andcarbon management operations withSkyNRG’s proven track record of sup-

Air BP used the LABACE stage toannounce the expansion of its pio-neering carbon offset program forBusiness Aviation. The program willbe extended to two of Voa SãoPaulo's airports, a Brazilian privateairport administration consortium,which are now part of Air BP's supplynetwork. Jundiaí and Amarais air-ports are the first to join the program,and there is the potential to expandthe offer to more of Voa São Paulo'slocations in the future.

"We are very proud of this new col-laboration with Voa São Paulo," saysRicardo Paganini, general manager,Air BP South America. "Our carbonoffset program, which complementsour existing focus on customer ser-vice and safety in operations, is a sig-nificant step towards makingBrazilian Business Aviation more sus-tainable."

Air BP launched its carbon offset-ting offer for Business Aviation inBrazil in 2018. Its first customer, busi-ness aircraft management companyAvantto, offset more than 1,000 tonsof carbon emissions from June 2018to May 2019 - the equivalent of 1,588

trips from São Paulo (SP / HBR) toAngra dos Reis (RJ) or the carbonthat could be captured by almost73,000 adult trees. The agreementwith Avantto has been renewed foranother year, enabling customers tooffset the emissions related to thefuel supplied to the company by AirBP.

This builds on initiatives by Air BPin other regions, such as their collab-oration with on-demand jet chartermarketplace Victor in a carbon-offsetprogramme for private flying inEurope, as well as the ability for oper-ators and pilots who use theRocketRoute MarketPlace app to off-set the carbon associated with theirfuel purchases.

The Air BP carbon offset pro-gramme is run via BP Target Neutral.Projects within the BP Target Neutralportfolio have been assessed on thebasis of their contribution to reducingcarbon emissions and their potentialto support the UN's sustainabledevelopment goals. They have beenselected for their suitability inimproving livelihoods for the commu-nities they are located in, or throughvarious educational, economic andsocial benefits.

Air BP's carbon offset program forBusiness Aviation is part of BP's com-mitment to achieving a lower carbonfuture, addressing the dual challengeof meeting the increasing energy theworld demands, while at the sametime working to reduce greenhousegas emissions. It complements AirBP's own carbon neutral planefuelling operations at 250 locationsaround the world.

AIR BP EXPANDS CARBON OFFSET PROGRAM

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54-61 FUEL II.qxp 29/08/2019 10:06 Page 59


MARKETAmong the

leading fuelproviders are

Air BP, Avfuel,Shell Aviation,SkyNRG andEPIC Fuels.

plying sustainable aviation fuels and in-depth knowledge of this market. Theagreement is a multi-year collabora-tion, with both companies acknowledg-ing that the path to lower carbon emis-sions in aviation requires long-termcommitment. The collaboration willfocus on the joint development andfunding of new opportunities to extendthe use of and build more resilient sup-ply chains for sustainable aviationfuels. This will be coupled with thedevelopment of a range of comprehen-sive carbon management options thatwill provide support to Shell Aviationand SkyNRG customers.

“We want Shell to be a leader inthe low carbon transition in avia-t ion fuels ,” says Shel l Aviat ionVice President Anne Anderson.“This agreement with industry pio-neers SkyNRG demonstrates thetype of progressive collaborationthat can help move us towards alower carbon emissions future.Working together, we believe wecan advance sustainable solutionsfor the benefit of our entire indus-try.”

Improving PerformanceLikewise, EPIC Fuels has also

been playing an ever-increasing rolein growing the acceptance of sustain-able biofuels and biofuel blends usedin jet aviation. Over the last severalyears, the company has provided bothtechnical and logistic expertise in pro-grams for sustainable fuel alterna-tives. Highlights include flights flownby Alaska Airlines in 2016 using ablend of biofuel produced from non-edible, sustainable corn and renew-

able biofuel made from residual woodand Singapore Airlines’ first-everflight powered by a blend of sustain-able biofuel made from used cookingoil and conventional jet fuel.

Most recently, the company provid-ed expertise in fuel blending as wellas technical and logistical support toVirgin Atlantic and LanzaTech toenable the first-ever commercial flightusing a unique blend of petroleum-based jet fuel and alcohol-to-jet syn-thetic paraffinic kerosene (ATJ-SPK)fuel produced from waste gases.LanzaTech’s pioneering technology

captures carbon-rich industrial wastegases such as those from steel millsand recycles them into ethanol. Theethanol, in turn, can be used for avariety of low carbon products,including being upgraded to ATJ-SPK, which can be blended into jetfuel.

“As a fuel provider, EPIC Fuels rec-ognizes the need to find alternativesto petroleum-only based jet fuel,” saysKai Sorenson, Director ofCommercial Sales for EPIC Fuels.“We’ve participated in multipledemonstration flights to identify andfast track technologies that canimprove the environmental perfor-mance of aviation and gainedunmatched experience with blendingfuels.”

With industry associations, OEMsand fuel providers all fully embrac-ing sustainable alternative jet fuels,it seems that the future is alreadyhere. Now all that is needed forSAJFs to truly fuel the future ofBusiness Aviation is for operators tostart filling their tanks!

FOCUS FUEL

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54-61 FUEL II.qxp 29/08/2019 10:06 Page 60


CHALLENGES ANDOPPORTUNITIES AHEAD

ONE-ON-ONEWITH AVFUELBART recently had the opportunity to sit downwith Joel Hirst, Avfuel Vice President of Sales,and Marci Ammerman, Avfuel Vice Presidentof Marketing, to get an inside look at theirbusiness and discuss the challenges andopportunities that face the Business Aviationfuel sector.

BART: When we talk market chal-lenges, what immediately comes tomind?Hirst: We continue to see challenges infuel transportation. The US is experienc-ing an unprecedented truck driver short-age. This is compounded by new electron-ic data logs required in the US that closelymonitor and restrict available duty anddrive hours per day. Because aviationcompetes with all other fuel-using indus-tries to use the same hauling companies,these challenges decrease flexibility forshort-notice fuel orders. While Avfuel hasalways been able to reliably provide thefuel its customers require, to capitalize onflexibility in terms of time and cost, wealways suggest that our customers pre-order as far in advance as possible, espe-cially during peak travel months.

BART: Today, everything seems tobe about technology. How does tech-nology impact the fuel industry?Ammerman: We see developing technolo-gies being both a strength and a chal-lenge. Of course, adopting new technolo-gies can vastly improve safety and efficien-cies in fueling operations, as we’ve seenover the years—FBOs can keep betterreal-time inventory of fuel and products,keep detailed notes on customer prefer-ences, and make transactions more effi-cient with better technologies. Operatorsalso benefit from simpler flight planningand reservations for trips made easy.

That being said, Avfuel stronglybelieves that technology cannot be areplacement for human interactions, andthat’s a challenge we believe the indus-try will face. Wherein lies the balancebetween automation and personalization?

At Avfuel, our collaborative relation-ships model continues to be our greatest

differentiator. Our customers conductbusiness with us because of our people.We utilize modern technology to provideefficient solutions, but technology cannever replace the value behind 24/7access to experts that empathize withneeds and provide support in a caring,dedicated and passionate way.

BART: Although we tend to focuson the fuel suppliers, the ‘action’happens at the FBOs. What chal-lenges are you hearing from Avfuel’ssubstantial network?Hirst: FBOs are tremendously focused onsafety and streamlined operations to bestserve passengers, pilots and planes as effi-ciently as possible. To do so, we’re hear-ing that the challenge for many FBOs atthe moment is to enhance offerings withupscale facilities and modernized ser-vices—which takes an extensive amountof resources in terms of staffing and capi-tal—while facing the pressures of a com-petitive marketplace. It’s a market inwhich FBOs feel inclined to reduce theprices and fees that feed into the profitmargins that are used to make enhance-ments and cover operating expenses(employee wages, leaseholds, insurance,training, etc.). It creates a challenge asthey simultaneously increase their over-head while reducing their net profit pertransaction in the hope of attracting moreclientele.

Furthermore, we’re seeing a renewedeffort in the FBO market for new hangarconstruction to accommodate largerbusiness jets. This makes for moreaccommodating facilities for flight opera-tors and greater business opportunitiesfor FBOs.

BART: What’s Avfuel doing that’s new?Ammerman : This summer, Avfuellaunched a new knowledge-sharing toolfor its branded FBO network: The AvfuelNetwork Discussion Board. Available

through the FBO’s avfuel.com account,this tool enables FBOs to ask questions ofone another by starting a discussion andrespond to existing discussions to sharetheir expertise. Furthermore, memberscan ‘follow’ discussions to stay updated onany additional postings.

It’s been a rewarding experience towatch the discussion board take life as ourbranded partners ask one another aboutpayment processing, de-icing productsand other operational and safety proce-dures. It validates the need and the desirefor a knowledge-sharing outlet to connectnetwork members. We strongly believeone of the best ways for companies to pro-vide exceptional service is by learningfrom each other through knowledge-shar-ing best practices.

With 650-plus FBOs at our fingertips, asa network we can be each other’s mostuseful resource. We can help promotebest practices and share experiences in away that connects us unlike any otherfuel-supplier branded network.

Furthermore, we’re always concernedwith fuel handling and looking for ways tohelp make operations throughout the net-work safer. With that initiative top ofmind, we’re pleased to share the additionof a free, special training program on theonline Avfuel Training System devoted tobest practices for handling diesel exhaustfluid (DEF). This includes recommenda-tions for storing and handling the product,mitigating contamination upon receipt offuel, and steps to take should a fuel han-dler suspect DEF contamination. Our goalis to do whatever we can to help mitigatethe risks involved with fueling mishaps,especially in light of the various eventsrecently reported in the industry in regardto DEF.

Additionally, we continue to makeenhancements to our card processing sys-tems, particularly for transactions with theAvfuel Pro Card, which saves our brandednetwork FBOs money on transactions (0%processing fees on contract fuel sales).We’ve also been focused on increasingusage of our cards. The Avfuel Pro Card isnot just for contract fuel purchases, it alsoallows flight departments and pilots to puteverything (fuel and non-fuel items withor without a fuel sale) on one transaction,saving them time and money (no annualfees or transaction fees on any purchasesfor the account holder) at the frontcounter.

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Marci Ammerman Joel Hirst

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START-UPAn all-electric,

low-wing hybridaircraft is being

developed byZunum Aero.

I s electric flight the next big thingin aerospace? Considering thehuge number of projects of elec-

tric-powered aircraft and unmannedaerial vehicles, electric flight shouldbe a significant part of the future ofaviation – including BusinessAviation. But there is already skepti-cism about the maturity of technologyand the availability of new materialsfor on-board storage of electric ener-gy.

As of today, there is no project orconcept capable of replacing existingbusiness aircraft in terms of range orspeed. The energy density of even themost sophisticated batteries are sim-ply not able to power long-rangeflights of all-electric aircraft.Nevertheless, nearly all major aero-space companies, including Boeing,Airbus, Embraer, Rolls-Royce,Honeywell Aerospace, Safran andUnited Technologies, are working onconcepts and projects to advanceelectric flight. And there is a hugenumber of start-ups, backed by ven-ture capital, who are trying to get a

foothold in the not-yet-existing mar-ket for electric powered aircraft.

Countries are also getting on board.For example, Norway launched an ini-tiative to replace conventional, fossilfuel burning aircraft with electric-powered aircraft for all short-haulflights by 2040. “We aim to be theworld’s first to switch to electric pow-ered air transport,” says Dag Falk-Petersen, CEO of Avinor, Norwaysairport authority. “We believe that allflights lasting up to 1.5 hours can beoperated by aircraft powered exclu-sively by electricity, and this flighttime is sufficient for all flights withinNorway and to neighboring coun-tries.”

Avinor wants to publish a tender fora test operation with a 19-seat com-muter aircraft. Its aim is to test anelectric aircraft under real conditionsfrom 2025 on in daily flight opera-tions. “When we reach our goal, trav-eling by plane will no longer be aproblem for the climate,” adds Falk-Petersen. “On the contrary, flight willbe part of the solution.”

ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT: BOOMOR BUST?

TECHNOLOGY

More electric and all-

electric aircraft are

gaining momentum as

more and more

companies are investing

in technologies that

enable these types of

power systems. With a

huge number of projects

on the drawing board,

the question has

changed from will we see

electric aircraft to when

will they take-off?

Volker K. Thomalla explores

62-64 ELECTRIC.qxp 29/08/2019 10:09 Page 62


INITIATIVECollinsAerospace’s“Grid” electricpower systemslab project(right). UnitedTechnology’sProject 804hybrid-electricX-Plane (left).

The Grid and P804In April this year, Collins Aerospace

Systems, a unit of UnitedTechnologies Corp. (UTC), revealedplans for The Grid, which is tobecome the industry’s most advancedelectric power systems lab. It will bebased in Rockford, Illinois, andshould be operational in 2021.

To build The Grid, CollinsAerospace needs to invest aboutUS$50 million in the building andsupporting infrastructure. The compa-ny will use the high-power, high-volt-age lab to design and test systemslike high-power generators for the

next generation of electric aircraft,including commercial, military,Business Aviation, UAV and urban airmobility platforms.

Collins Aerospace CEO KellyOrtberg is convinced that electricpower systems will shape the futureof aviation. “In the not-too-distantfuture, hybrid-electric and fully elec-tric aircraft will revolutionize air trav-el as we know it—opening up newmarkets like urban air mobility, whilere-invigorating others like regionalservice to underutilized airports,” hesays. “They will help support a green-er planet by reducing carbon emis-sions and will help our airline cus-tomers by reducing operating costsand fuel consumption.”

The Grid will be used to help designand test a 1 megawatt motor, motorcontroller and battery system. Thegoal is to design and build the avia-tion industry’s most power-dense andefficient electric engine to date. Themotor is needed for Project 804,which is being developed by UTC’snewly established subsidiary United

Technologies Advanced Projects(UTAP). UTAP aims to innovatefaster than the Group has previouslybeen able to do. One of the firstUTAP projects deals with the imple-mentation of a hybrid electric powersystem for regional aircraft. The pro-ject, named Project 804 (P804), aimsto fly an aircraft with such an enginewithin the next three years.

Despite its high number, Project804 is the company’s first project. Thenumber was chosen because it repre-sents the distance in miles betweenthe two corporate sites in Montreal,Canada, and Rockford, Illinois. InMarch this year, UTAP presentedP804 to the public for the first time.As a test aircraft, the company hasselected a used Bombardier Dash 8-100 turboprop aircraft with the turbo-prop engine on the right hand sidebeing replaced by a hybrid electricdrive.

The new drive alone should havethe power of 1 Megawatt. It will beoptimized for cruise and is supportedby a battery-powered electric motor

during take-off and climb. While thenew drivetrain will increase the air-craft’s operating empty mass, inreturn, the tank capacity can bereduced by 50%.

According to UTAP scientists, therange of the aircraft will be around600 nautical miles (1,111 kilometers).Although this is less than the range ofthe aircraft today (1,000 nauticalmiles / 1,852 kilometers), since mostregional flights are on average short-er than 500 nautical miles (926 kilo-meters), the mixed cost makes sense,both from a technical and from a busi-ness point of view.

UTAP estimates that the experimen-tal aircraft consumes approximately30% less fuel than previous aircraft ina typical one-hour flight of a regionalaircraft. The batteries and drive con-trol of the new system must behoused in the aircraft cabin, while allother system components fit into amodified Dash 8 engine nacelle.

The Future of Flightwill be Electric

Honeywell Aerospace is very muchengaged in the development of elec-tric power systems for aerospaceapplications, too. The company is con-vinced that the future of flight will beelectric and that very soon aircraftwill fly safely, quietly, efficiently andcleanly powered by electric andhybrid-electric engines.

With this philosophy, the companyhas assembled a dedicated HybridPropulsion Team and renowned glob-al engineering staff who are drivingthe science of hybrid-electric propul-sion forward, producing turbo-genera-tors, generators, motor controllersand other essential powertrain ele-



REVOLUTIONHoneywell willdevelop UAM

electricpropulsion (top).

Seattle-areaairframe maker

Zunum Aero(center).

Eviation Aliceall-electric

commuter plane(below).

ments. Honeywell offers a broadrange of aircraft power generationsolutions to deliver electric power,from 5 to 200 kVA, in different config-urations. The Phoenix, Arizona,based company introduced the indus-try’s first 1 MW generator for aero-space applications.

Meet AliceAnother player in the field of elec-

tric aviation is the Israeli start-upcompany Eviation. Its co-founder andChief Executive Officer Omer Bar-Yohay has presented a soon-to-fly pro-

totype of Alice at the Paris Air Showin June. Alice is a battery-powered,electric aircraft about the size of aBeechcraft King Air. According toEviation, Alice is capable of transport-ing up to nine passengers at a speedof 340 knots over a distance 540 nauti-cal miles with a single charge of itslithium-ion batteries.

The futuristically shaped Alice ispowered by three electric engines.One sits in the rear of the aircraft anddrives a five-blade Hartzell propeller,while the remaining two (smaller)

engines are installed in the wingtipsand drive a five-bladed prop formHartzell. Alice’s wingspan measures16.12 meters, the maximum take-offweight is about 14,000 pounds (6,350kilograms), of which the batteriesalone use 8,160 pounds (3,700 kilo-grams). Avionics and the fly-by-wiresystem for Alice will be supplied byHoneywell Aerospace.

Alice is built entirely of carbon fibercomposites. Eviation is planning toship the prototype to the US whereflight testing should take place. The

company will use three aircraft forflight testing. It is targeting a two-yeartest and certification campaign, withentry-into-service in 2022.

At the Paris Air Show, Cape Air, wasannounced as the launch customerfor the aircraft. The company current-ly operates a fleet of Cessna 402Cbusiness-liners and Britten-NormanBN-2 Islander, which need to bereplaced in the foreseeable future.

Change of PlansBut not all high-flying projects will

really take-off. Zunum Aerospace

from Kirkland, Washington, hasplans to develop aircraft with hybrid-electric engines. They had targetedan entry-into service of the first air-craft, a five to 12 seater, as early as2022. The company even won sup-port from companies like Boeing(via their innovation subsidiaryHorizon X), JetBlue’s TechnologyVentures and Safran HelicopterEngines (Safran was the chosenpartner to supply the power systemof the ZA10 aircraft). It was plannedthat the first tests with the powersystem based on the Ardiden heli-copter engine should take place onboard of a Rockwell TurboCommander aircraft.

But sometimes plans don’t workout.Zunum Aerospace ran into financialtroubles and had to lay off the majori-ty of its staff in early summer. Thecompany said it remains committedto the technology and the future ofelectric flight. “But unless newinvestors step forward, that fancifuldream is dead,” reported the SeattleTimes in July this year.

TECHNOLOGY

✈


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As safety continues to evolve from reactive to predictive to proactive, FSF members gain insight through expanded online offerings, including curated external content and our own AeroSafety World journal in a digital-only format for maximum flexibility. Moreover, you are able to interact via an exclusive online community designed to facilitate additional discussion of key safety initiatives.

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EVOLUTIONWith strongdemand for

in-flightconnectivity

now a given,providers aremoving to thenext stage ofdevelopment.

I nmarsat says it is gearing up forfuture inf l ight connect iv i tyneeds with more satellites and

faster access over Jet ConneX (JX),its Ka-band solution for BusinessAviation.

Jet ConneX has now been in com-mercial service for a little under threeyears. Using the Inmarsat GX Ka-bandsatellites, the service was originallylaunched with a maximum speed for15Mbps. Honeywell Aerospace hasbeen the hardware supplier through-out, and take-up was rapid.

Inmarsat announced last Octoberthat Jet ConneX had already beeninstalled and activated on 400 busi-ness jets worldwide.

Kai Tang, senior vice president ofBusiness and General Aviation atInmarsat, said: “Jet ConneX has firm-ly established itself as the gold stan-dard for Business Aviation inflightbroadband. It is built on 40 years ofInmarsat’s experience in global,mobile connectivity, and we are proudof that leadership over the years,paving the way with our partners forwhat a reliable and trusted connectivi-ty service looks like for the mostdemanding and important customers.

“The response from the market hasbeen incredible. To date, more than 500Jet ConneX installations have now beencompleted across the world and take-uprates show no signs of slowing down.

INMARSAT GEARS UP FORAVIONICS

Powered by Inmarsat’s

Ka-band Global Xpress

network, Jet ConneX

offers the fastest global

satellite data rates in

Business Aviation.

Steve Nichols takes a

close look at the next

generation in connectivity

FUTURE CONNECTIVITY NEEDS

66-68 AVIONICS.qxp 29/08/2019 10:11 Page 66


MILESTONEInmarsat SVPKai Tang (top).Jet ConneX hasbeen installedon over 400business jets(below).

“A business jet is a sizeable invest-ment and it’s no surprise to anyonethat connectivity is no longer just aluxury, but a must-have as part of thatinvestment.”

It says that Jet ConneX is the pre-ferred line-fit option by all of the mar-ket-leading business jet manufactur-ers including Gulfstream,Bombardier, Dassault and Embraer.

Gulfstream said recently that it hadits 300th aircraft equipped with JetConneX.

“The office-in-the-sky experience isvery much a reality with Gulfstreamand Jet ConneX,” said DerekZimmerman, president, GulfstreamCustomer Support.

“Our customers value our ability toefficiently incorporate this technologyon our aircraft and the consistent andreliable global coverage it provides.They are enjoying live TV programs,video streams and video connections,such as FaceTime, with their col-leagues, family and friends.”

According to Inmarsat, Gulfstreamhas delivered more Jet ConneX-equipped aircraft than any other busi-ness-jet manufacturer. Deliveries,which began in May 2017, haveincluded in-production large-cabin air-craft, the G650ER, G650, G550, theG500, which entered service inSeptember 2018, and the all-newG600, which earned type and produc-tion certification on June 28 from theFAA. Nearly half the installations areretrofits.

But Inmarsat isn’t resting on its lau-rels. In May, it launched ‘JX-Pro’, anew top-end package for Jet ConneX,with unlimited data usage and 33%higher speeds – up to 20Mbps – com-pared with the service’s previousfastest plan.

The new package was unveiled atthe European Business AviationConvention and Exhibition (EBACE)in Geneva.

“It provides new and existing JetConneX customers with unrivalledperformance and the fastest connec-tivity speeds available in the market.The market has responded very wellto the launch and we look forward torolling out the ground-breaking newcapabilities of this package offeringwith our global network of partners,”said Tang.

“We strive to evolve the service inresponse to market feedback, as the

launch of JX-Pro has shown. Demandis expected to be strong and we lookforward to rolling out the ground-breaking new capabilities of this pack-age offering with our global networkof partners.”

But to stay ahead of the game youhave to keep moving. Which is whythe company announced in May thatit had signed a contract with AirbusDefence & Space to develop a newgeneration of satellites for its GlobalXpress (GX) network.

The satellites, named GX7, 8 and 9,will be optimized for real-time mobili-ty and feature thousands of dynami-cally-formed beams that direct capaci-ty with laser-like precision over high-demand areas.

With focused, ultra-high-powercapacity layered over high demandflight routes and airport hubs duringpeak hours, the satellites will revolu-tionize aviation connectivity.

While the comments regardingcapacity are obviously aimed at com-mercial users, Business Aviationshould be able to take advantage ofthe new satellites as well.

Inmarsat says the network canrapidly grow capacity for customersthrough in-orbit repositioning oreven launching a new satellite, mak-ing it perfectly suited to meet theaviation industry’s ever-changingneeds.

Breaking from industry tradition toenable a faster response to growingcustomer demand, the next-genera-tion GX satellites will be delivered sig-nificantly faster than traditional pro-curement lifecycles.

“GX is much more than just a satelliteconstellation, it’s a complete end-to-endsolution and we have been equallyambitious in developing our groundstations, hardware, software and cyber-security framework,” said Tang.

“Our partners layer on top evenmore value added capabilities andindustry experience that areunmatched. This is unique toInmarsat and positions us as a leaderand innovator in this industry, allow-ing us to put our Business Aviationcustomer needs at the heart of ourfuture investment decisions.”

The new satellites are scheduled tolaunch from 2023 and build upon theexisting GX high-speed global net-work, which consists of four satellitesalready in operation and three morebeing launched over the next threeyears, starting with the GX5 satellitelater this year.



CONTENTMENTGulfstream has

delivered thehighest number of

Jet ConneX-equipped aircraft

(left).Honeywell’sJetWave tail

antenna (right).

One advantage that low-Earth orbit-ing satellite systems like Iridium haveover Jet ConneX is their ability towork in the polar regions.Geostationary satellite systems likeInmarsat GX run out of steam atabout 85 degrees North and South ofthe equator.

But an announcement in July hopesto put that right. Inmarsat announceda contract to introduce two new high-ly-elliptical payloads for its GlobalXpress network in partnership withSpace Norway and its subsidiarySpace Norway HEOSAT.

Scheduled to launch in 2022, GX10Aand 10B will be the first satellites inthe GX network to be placed intoHighly Elliptical Orbit (HEO), show-casing Inmarsat’s approach to provid-ing customers with connectivity.

HEO or so-called Molniya orbits area unique solution to the problem. Asthe name suggests they are highlyelliptical with the satellite’s apogee, orfurthest point from the Earth, mean-ing the satellite appears to stay inroughly the same point in the sky forlong periods.

It then descends quickly to itsperigee point (closest point to Earth)before the process repeats. Thismeans that while at apogee it pre-sents pretty much the same target asa geostationary satellite does at theequator, but over the Arctic region.

It then becomes a software issue tokeep the terminal pointing at thesatellite.

The new payloads, GX10A and 10B,will provide Inmarsat’s airline andBusiness Aviation customers witheven more capacity to meet rapidly-growing demand for seamless, reli-able, high-speed mobile inflightbroadband.

But while this has all been goodnews for fixed-wing operators, own-ers of rotary wing craft may havebeen feeling a l itt le left out. JetConneX has never really worked onhelicopters due to the blade chop-ping up the data packets.

However, Inmarsat ’sSwiftBroadband solution can bemade to work, although throughputspeeds are significantly lower thatJet ConneX – perhaps more like1Mbps rather than 15Mps or high-er.

A couple of years ago Inmarsatintroduced new High Data Rate(HDR) capabil i t ies forSwiftBroadband, the aircraft con-nectivity service provided throughthe Inmarsat-4 (I-4) satellites.

The new interleaving bearers canre-arrange information packetsacross a longer burst, making itmore robust in tough conditions,including under helicopter rotors.

SwiftBroadband will work under arotor without HDR, but an industrysource told me that you are morelikely to see just 150-200kbps.

But in March, Inmarsat announcedits new SB-Helo X-Stream helicoptersatcom solution for Cobham AVIA-TOR SP systems.

The new system is said to improvecommunications through rotorblades by reducing packet loss byup to 40%.

After extensive testing, Inmarsatand Cobham have developed a pro-tocol in network Quality of Service(QoS) selection, as an enhancementof the Swiftbroadband X-Stream ser-vice – one of Inmarsat’s streamingservices offering guaranteed on-demand high-streaming data ratesover its L-band network.

This allows data from rotary wingaircraft to be transmitted to theInmarsat satellite network, via dedi-cated modulation schemes. Theincreased resil ience of the datapipeline passing through the rotorsmeans that the transmission of high-intensity data, like video, will see animprovement in throughput ofaround 37%.

The free software update will allowa helicopter operating from a remotelocation to transmit a significantlyimproved video or data stream.

This capability is crucial for organi-zations operating rotary wing air-craft in specialized roles such assearch and rescue, medical evacua-tion and military forces.

Todd McDonell , president ofGlobal Government at Inmarsat,said: “Having worked with Cobhamin the development of this new pro-tocol, we are very pleased with theresults we have seen from the trialsand foresee that this cost-effectivesolution will be greatly sought afterin the growing government heli-copter market.”

Wil lem Kasselman, VP Sales,Marketing and Support at CobhamAerospace Communications, said:“The launch of this new system rep-resents a breakthrough forCobham, solving a long-standingproblem in helicopter satcom com-munications.

“The partnership between CobhamAerospace Communications andInmarsat is an important one for usand we look forward to building onthis announcement and expandingand improving other related servicesover the coming months.”

AVIONICS

✈


Safety and compliance training & auditing

Process Development

SMS implementation support

IS-BAO preparation and audit

Management

MELs and technical publishing

Rigiblick 19a · CH-6024 Hildisrieden · phone + 41-41 460 46 60 · [email protected] · www.gcs-safety.com · Great Circle Services AG

Your Swiss Partner for Aviation Safety and Compliance...Now celebrating 100 years of combined aviation experience

1918

17 · s

li.ch

since2005

s a f e t y s o l u t i o n s

Safety and compliance training & auditing

Process Development

SMS implementation support

IS-BAO preparation and audit

Management

MELs and technical publishing

Rigiblick 19 · CH-6024 Hildisrieden · phone + 41-41 460 46 60 · [email protected] · www.gcs-safety.com · Great Circle Services AG

Your Swiss Partner for Aviation Safety and Compliance...Now celebrating 100 years of combined aviation experience

1300

25 · s

li.ch

10years


HISTORYAn air

ambulancearriving at

Brisbane fromCamooweal in

1931.

T he history of aviation and emer-gency evacuation traces itsroots to 1925, when a medical

section of the US Army Air Corpsbegan using converted De Havillandfixed wing aircraft. Although knownearly synonymous with medicalevacuation (medevac), helicopterswere not used for this purpose until1944. For medium to long distanceevacuations, most air ambulancesare now specially equipped businessjets capable of using more airportsthan commercial airlines. They arealso to fly more direct routes, pick-ing up a patient from the closest air-port to the treating hospital and land-ing at the closest airport to thereceiving hospital.

As more people move around theworld seeking jobs, visiting familyand traveling to far-away destinations,the need for medical evacuation ser-vices has become indispensable. Toserve this need, the last 50 years hasseen the launch of a number of mede-vac companies. Many of these compa-nies are headquartered in developedcountries so they can easily bringback sick or wound expatriates ortourists to a hospital in their homecountries or, for large countries likeUnited States or Canada, to an ade-quate trauma center.

Concerning a continent likeAustralia, the situation is slightly dif-ferent. For the many rural communi-ties located across the isolated bush,medevac is a lifeline to a town hospital.The Royal Flying Doctor Service(RFDS) is one of the world’s largestaero-medical organizations, providingcomprehensive basic medical assis-tance across Australia. The first civil-ian air medical transport was complet-ed in 1928 when a De Havilland FoxMoth aircraft in the service ofAustralia’s Royal Flying DoctorService took off on its first mission. Atpresent, its fleet is 71 planes strong,and includes 31 Pilatus PC-12, 30Beech King Air B200 and 200C, twoKing Air B300 and three Pilatus PC-24.

OEM Medevac OptionsMost business aircraft manufactur-

ers have a foot in the medevac door.One of the very first was the LearjetCompany, taken over in 1990 byBombardier . Due to their cabinlength, Learjets, from the 25 to the35/36, were for several years the onlyaircraft in their segment modified toaccommodate tandem stretchers. Theauxiliary power unit was also certifiedfor unattended operation and couldcontinuously supply power to key lifesupport equipment.

Another good reason why Learjetshave been very popular was theirhigh cabin pressure differential limit,which allow sea level pressure to bemaintained up to FL250 (25,000 feetpressure altitude), while a quite lowcabin altitude could be maintained athigher levels. For normal commercialflights, this doesn’t matter too much,but when you are carrying patientswith medical problems, the partialoxygen pressure can be vital – even aquestion of life or death.

A number of Learjet 35, 45, 55 and60s are always used for medevacoperations. For example, in Europe,European Air Ambulance, based inLuxembourg, coordinates a fleet offive LearJet 45XRs, which replaced itsLear 35As in 2017.

Bombardier also offers specially out-fitted Challengers. Its newest airambulance is based on the newChallenger 650, which can be config-ured to transport up to four patientswith incubator support for newbornsor fly a mix of patients and seated pas-sengers while still having room forcore medical staff. Equipped with GECF34-3B MTO engines, theChallenger 650 benefits from greaterthrust, an increased payload capacity,the ability to take off from shorterrunways (take-off distance of 5,640 ft

AIR AMBULANCESWHEN LIVES AREIN THE BALANCE

MEDEVAC

For International SOS, a

renowned specialist in

medical evacuations,

the best way to ensure

that people abroad stay

healthy is to establish

robust preventive

programs.

But for the rare instances

when prevention is not

possible, a safe and

rapid evacuation is vital

to saving lives.

Marc Grangier reports

70-73 MEDEVAC.qxp 29/08/2019 10:13 Page 70


TAILOREDEuropean AirAmbulance hasfive Learjet 45 XRin its fleet (top left).Falcon 2000LXowned by BeijingRed Cross(top right).A G550 medevacaircraft (bottom).

(1,720 m), and a range of 4,000 nm(7,408 km) at Mach 0.74 – all featurescritical to medevac missions. Toensure greater patient attention andcomfort, medical beds in the cabinare customized with special slidingmechanisms and patients can betaken on board by means of an elec-trically actuated platform elevator orby a folding ramp, both of which canbe stowed on the aircraft.

A typical Challenger operator is theSwiss air-rescue organization Rega,which owns three Challenger 650s(they replaced three CL-604 in 2018),each of which feature a speciallydesigned, multifunctional stretcher.Rega also operates 19 helicopters –

seven Airbus H145s, 11AgustaWestland Da Vincis and oneAirbus H125 used for training purposes.

Last July, the organization present-ed a new type of aircraft for searchand rescue missions: a newly devel-oped drone that can autonomouslyscan large search areas and isequipped with various sensors, suchas a thermal camera. Further compre-hensive test flights are necessary

before the drone system can be usedin search operations, which areexpected to launch in 2020.

Over the years, Dassault Aviationhas customized many Falcons formedevac missions, from the Falcon20 to the Falcon 2000. In 2015, theFrench manufacturer delivered a fullyoutfitted Falcon 2000LX medevac air-craft to the Beijing Red CrossEmergency Medical Center. Thewide body twinjet was the first fixedwing aircraft in China fully equippedto perform air medevac services.Since it began operation, it has pro-vided pre-hospital rescue and medicaltreatment service for over three mil-lion patients.

The Falcon 2000LX medevac aircraftis equipped with an electrical patientloading system and a full medicalsuite, along with an electrical powersupply sized for a complete medicalmodule. The medical moduleincludes a stretcher with dedicatedlighting, a three-bottle oxygen supply,and monitoring and analysis equip-ment. It also accommodates specialdevices like defibrillators, electrocar-diographs, echographs, a blood bankand an ECMO (extracorporeal mem-brane oxygenation).

Several other medevac companiesaround the world also operate Falconaircraft. One of them isMedevac.Flights. Based in Perth, itprovides emergency evacuationsthroughout Australia, the Pacific andAsia, operating one Falcon 2000, twoFalcon 50s, two Falcon 20s, a Learjet60, and a number of other aircraft.

At the last AirShow China in Zhuhai,Gulfstream displayed a G550 mede-vac aircraft recently delivered to theBeijing Red Cross EmergencyMedical Center. Powered by twoRolls-Royce BR 710 engines, each ofwhich has a rated takeoff thrust of15,385 lb/68.40 kN, the G550 has acruise range of 6,750 nauticalmiles/12,501 kilometers The aircraft,modified by Gulfstream, provides newin-flight medical capabilities, includ-ing 360-degree in-flight patientaccess, X-ray viewing, advanced life-support equipment (includingECMO), and a bed designed toaccommodate an infant incubator.

“Demonstrating its demanding capa-bility, the Beijing Red CrossEmergency Medical Center aircraftrecently conducted two very complexrescue missions involving variedweather conditions and mountainous

70-73 MEDEVAC.qxp 29/08/2019 10:13 Page 71


MISSIONLufthansa turns

Airbus A340into evacuation

aircraft forepidemics (top).

Plans ofmedevac

options for theCitation CJ4 are

underway(center).A PC-24

delivered toRFDS (below).

terrain, with operations out of one ofthe world’s highest altitude airports,Lhasa Gonggar Airport in China,”says Gulfstream President MarkBurns.

Beijing Red Cross EmergencyMedical Center is currently consider-ing adding a longer range GulfstreamG650ER to its fleet for the same mis-sions.

At EBACE 2019, Textron Aviationshowcased the first air ambulanceconfiguration of its Citation Latitude,highlighting the company’s strengthin special mission capabilities acrossits wide range of Beechcraft and

Cessna aircraft. The Latitude, pur-chased by Babcock Scandinavian AirAmbulance for aero-medical opera-tions in Norway, delivers the first cus-tom OEM interior solution for mede-vac missions on the platform. Theproduction-certified interior configu-ration offers compatibility with a widerange of medical equipment.

Plans for interior certifications onother aircraft, including medevacoptions for the Citation CJ4 andCitation XLS+, are underway, withoutforgetting the popular CessnaCaravan. Future aircraft, notably theDenali and the SkyCourier, are pro-gressing through design phases toincorporate medevac mission capabil-ities.

Beechcraft, which claims to havebuilt more air ambulances than anyother manufacturer, is also veryactive in this field. Last June, theNorwegian LuftambulansetjenestenANS organization took delivery of the10th King Air 250 it had ordered forits medevac missions.

Pilatus is also involved in medevacoperations, thanks to its PC-12. Partlyat the request of the Royal FlyingDoctor Service of Australia WesternOperations, the Swiss manufacturerdeveloped a medevac version of itsnew PC-24 twinjet. The very first unitwas handed over to the RFDS lastNovember.

“The PC-24 will become the emer-gency ward in the sky and will nearlycut the time for long-haul criticalpatient scenarios in half,” says PilatusChairman Oscar J. Schwenk. “I ampositive that the PC-24 will ideallysupplement the existing fleet of PC-12s of the RFDS.”

MEDEVAC

EVACUATION AIRCRAFT FOR EPIDEMICSAt the height of the Ebola epidemic, Lufthansa Technik was commis-sioned by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office to convert an Airbus A340into an evacuation aircraft for transporting and treating highly contagiouspatients. As there was no existing solution for the conversion of such anairplane, Lufthansa Technik built and installed a special isolation unit inthe cabin: the middle and rear section of the airplane, passenger seats,galleys and luggage bins were removed to make room for a patient trans-port isolation unit surrounded by an airtight tent with negative pressure. Atthe front of the cabin, there were seats for up to 19 passengers such asdoctors, scientific staff and isolation tent technicians.

70-73 MEDEVAC.qxp 29/08/2019 10:13 Page 72


FLEETAir Methodsproviding airmedical transport(top).Bell 407GXoperated byCareFlite (center).A Sikorsky S-76C(below).

The interior was installed under asupplemental type certificate proce-dure in partnership with Aerolite AG, aSwiss company specializing in aircraftmedical interiors. The large cargodoor and bespoke electric stretcher-loading device facilitate safe, ultra-easyloading and unloading of patients. ForSchwenk, the PC-24 is the world’s firstjet to offer this possibility, thanks tothe cargo door, which comes as a stan-dard fit from the factory.

Helicopter Emergency MedicalService (HEMS)

Over 2,500 helicopters are in serviceworldwide for HEMS missions.

Around half of them are in NorthAmerica, where the air ambulanceindustry is booming due to medicaladvances, rural hospital closures andloose regulations. The most commonmodels are the Airbus AS-350/EC130and the Bell 206/407 for single-engine aircraft. For multi-engine, theindustry utilizes the medium-sizedBell 222/230/412/429, Airbus BO-105/BK-117/EC-135/EC-145/AS-365,Agusta A-109/139 and the SikorskyS-76.

Since the 1970s, the Airbus H125,H130, H135, and H145 have cap-tured more than half of the globalHEMS market, serving more than300 customers. Earlier this year,Air Medical Group Holdings(AMGH), based in Lewisvi l le ,Texas, ordered a total of 21 Airbushelicopters, consisting of a mix ofsingle-engine H125 and twin-engineH135 helicopters. AMGH is one ofAirbus Helicopters’ largest cus-tomers, with a current Airbus fleet

of nearly 85 helicopters, out of afleet of over 300 medically equippedhelicopters.

Established in 1980 to provide airmedical transport, Air Methods is thelargest provider of air medical trans-port services in the United States.Based at Centennial Airport inEnglewood/Colorado, but operating

from 306 bases of operations in 48states, it has a fleet of 488 aircraft, ofwhich 94% are helicopters, makingthem the largest helicopter operatorin the world, transporting roughly130,000 patients per year. AirMethods has been the first operatorto fly first Airbus H125 (formallyknown as AS350) with FAA-certifiedcrash resistant fuel systems (CRFS).

The Bell 206 is one of the oldestoriginal designs used in HEMS today.A variant on the Bell 206, the Bell206L LongRanger is commonly usedby air ambulance services because ofits ‘stretched’ cabin that providesmore space to accommodate a

patient, air medical crew, and neededequipment. Also, the Bell 429 wasdeveloped primarily for use in emer-gency air medical services. It has aflat floor and, in some variations, a setof rear clamshell doors underneathits tail boom to allow for easier load-ing of patients.

✈

70-73 MEDEVAC.qxp 29/08/2019 10:13 Page 73


PRIDEThe Sukhoi

Business Jet ishoped to revivethe fortunes of

the Russiancivilian aircraft

segment.

T he year 2019 has been markedby a number of regulatorychanges affecting the operation

of business aircraft in Russia. Thechanges are twofold: There has beena drastic change in the application oftemporary importation regulations asapplied to business jets, and therehave been changes to regulationsaffecting landing permits.

The changes to the regulation of theoperation of business aircraft inRussia were initially very confusing tomarket participants as they encoun-tered an unexplained cessation ofbusiness as usual in early 2019.Business as usual had been that for-eign (non-Russian) commercial oper-ators of aircraft had been able fordecades to conduct domestic flights

within Russia on foreign-registeredaircraft, based on “one-time flight per-mits”. The Russian Federal CustomsService (the “Customs Service”)would look the other way and notinspect whether a flight that wasdeclared to be a private flight was, infact, a commercial flight. Then, sud-denly, in the spring of 2019 the acqui-escence of the Customs Service was

THE CHANGED REGULATORYENVIRONMENT FOR THEOPERATION OF BUSINESSAIRCRAFT IN RUSSIA

THE DOCKET

Despite improvements to its legal framework, Russia’s current aviationregulatory practices continue to create a host of challenges.Derek Bloom and Petr Koshelev discuss recent changes in Russianregulation of Business Aviation

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CONTROLRosaviatsiya isresponsible foroverseeing thecivil aviationindustry inRussia (top).An A-Grouphangar (below).

discontinued, though flight permitscould still be obtained. It was notclear why Russia had suddenly decid-ed to commence enforcing its ownlaws that had long declared cabotageflights to be illegal, i.e., commercialflights within Russia on foreign-regis-tered aircraft that are not customs-cleared and placed on to a Russiancommercial operator’s certificate forcommercial use.

The background to the changedregulatory environment in the springof 2019 was that a lot of attention wasbeing paid to the illegal operation offoreign-registered aircraft withinRussia. There were two related crimi-nal investigations, one directly con-cerning the illegal operation of air-craft that were not customs-cleared,and the other one concerning theissuance of flight permits in exchangefor bribes.

With the commencement of theSfera Jet case in March 2019, theCustoms Service began an across theboard halt on the issuance of customsclearances of foreign-registered air-craft for flights within Russia or theEurasian Economic Union (the“Eurasian Union”).

There was also a case which com-menced on July 8, 2018 in theMeschansky district court in Moscowagainst a now-former employee of theRussian Agency for AirTransportation (“Rosaviatsia”) namedYury Malyshev who accepted a bribefor a flight permit. Filatov, generaldirector of iFly, was arrested for giv-ing a bribe and Malyshev (at the time,a deputy head of a department ofRosaviatsia) was arrested for accept-ing the bribe.

It had been known for years thatthere had been large scale, pervasivecorruption in the issuance of flight per-mits and customs clearances fordomestic flights within Russia of for-eign-registered aircraft. BusinessAviation industry leaders in Russia hadpreviously openly advocated the mak-ing of false flight plans for domesticcommercial flights, declaring suchflights to be private when they were, infact, commercial. There was a lowprobability of adverse consequencessince regulators at Rosaviatsia and inthe Customs Service were incentivizednot to inspect flights for which a flightpermit had been obtained through cer-tain channels.

Flight PermitsThe issuance of flight permits by

Rosaviatsia is governed by RussianFederation Government Decree No527, dated April 28, 2018, as furtheramended by Government Decree No652, dated May 24, 2019. Even thoughthe practical application of some of therules is not straightforward, since thecommencement of the case involvingiFly and Mr. Malyshev in July 2018,Rosaviatsia has not delayed issuancesof flight permits without a stated for-mal reason. Decree No 652, in forcesince May 2019, created a newrequirement that, for a foreign carrierto receive permission for a charter to,from, or within the Russian territoryon a foreign-registered business air-craft, the foreign operator must obtainnon-objections to the planned flightfrom Russian commercial operators.

As of June 21, 2019, Rosaviatsiaintroduced new restrictions on theoperation of foreign registered air-craft on flights to, from and within theRussian Federation, including thatforeign operators must obtain thenon-objection of a number of selectedRussian commercial operators whomay object to a foreign operator con-ducting a leg of a flight within Russia,even as part of an internationalroundtrip of a foreign registered air-craft. An exception is allowed for pri-vate flights operated in the interestsof an aircraft owner, transit flightsthrough the Russian Federation,flights for the purposes of renderinghumanitarian assistance, medicalevacuation, transportation of person-nel and supplies during natural disas-ters or in cases of emergency, andcertain other flights.

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RESPONSIBILITYCustoms

regulations imposeprohibitively high

duties on all aircraftimported into

Russia.

Customs ClearancesSince the spring of 2019, new imped-

iments to operating foreign-registeredaircraft within Russia arose from theCustoms Service, and not Rosaviatsia.The attention of the BusinessAviation community in Russia has,accordingly, shifted to the relevantprovisions of the Customs Code ofthe Eurasian Union (the “CustomsCode”) and the related proceduralrequirements. Customs filings mustbe initiated as soon as a foreign-regis-tered aircraft lands at an airport in theRussian Federation or another mem-ber state of the Eurasian Union.

The relevant customs regulations andprocedures have been in place sinceMay 29, 2014 when Russia, Kazakhstanand Belarus formed the EurasianUnion (the “Eurasian Union”, previous-ly called the “Customs Union”), andArmenia and Kyrgyzstan subsequentlyjoined the Eurasian Union. For an air-craft to arrive in Russia and to be madesubject to Eurasian Union customsclearance requirements, a landing per-mit from Rosaviatsia or another avia-tion regulator within the EurasianUnion must already be in place, and, asmentioned, Rosaviatsia continues toissue flight permits including forroundtrip international flights thatinclude domestic legs (provided thenewly non-objection letters from theRussian operators are in place).Domestic legs are now scrutinized bythe Customs Service. What is interest-ing to note, however, is that there hasbeen no change in governing law, butonly a crackdown since the Sfera Jetcase commenced.

The Customs Code replacedRussia’s own prior national customscode. And, today, the import of air-craft and other goods into Russia isgoverned by the Customs Code andrelevant decisions of the Commissionof the Eurasian Union.

Under the Customs Code, the firstway to temporarily import an aircraftinto the Eurasian Union that foreignbusiness-jet operators should consid-er is the procedure by which an air-craft is cleared as a “means of interna-tional transportation” that is carryingout an international flight. Under thisprocedure, upon the first landing ofan aircraft at an airport within Russiaor another country in the EurasianUnion, the operator is to provide tothe Customs Service a VehicleDeclaration (as per Decision of theCommission of the Customs UnionNo. 422, dated October 14, 2010) anda General Declaration (as per the1944 Chicago Convention onInternational Civil Aviation), declar-ing a route that begins and ends out-side the Eurasian Union.

For the purposes of a VehicleDeclaration, an international flight isdefined in Article 1 of the 1999Montreal Convention for theUnification of Certain Rules forInternational Carriage by Air (the“Convention”). For the purposes ofthe Convention, the expression “inter-national carriage” means any carriagein which, according to the agreementbetween the parties, the place ofdeparture and the place of destina-tion, whether or not there be a breakin the carriage or a transshipment,

are situated either within the territo-ries of two States Parties, or withinthe territory of a single State Party ifthere is an agreed stopping placewithin the territory of another State,even if that State is not a State Party.Carriage between two points withinthe territory of a single State Partywithout an agreed stopping placewithin the territory of another State isnot international carriage for the pur-poses of the Convention.

Article 1 of the Convention is inter-preted to mean that an aircraft that iscleared for use in “international car-riage” may not be used to carry pas-sengers or goods within the territoryof the Eurasian Union. This does notpreclude the aircraft from makingmore than one landing inside theUnion, a point that may be misinter-preted by Russian customs officialswho would then refuse to clear an air-craft intending to make more thanone stop within Russia or other coun-tries within the Eurasian Unionbefore ultimately departing theEurasian Union.

For aircraft performing domesticflights, i.e. carrying passengers andgoods within Russia or other countrieswithin the Eurasian Union, there aretwo temporary importation proceduresavailable, depending on whether theaircraft is used privately or commer-cially. The basis for them is Article 53of the Customs Code, which sets outgeneral rules for customs duties andtaxes for goods imported into the terri-tory of the Eurasian Union. There aredifferent manners of importing goods,which are comparable to imports intothe European Union, with the mostimportant distinction being betweenan import for free circulation withinthe Eurasian Union and a “temporaryimport” of an item which is to be re-exported. In the case of a temporaryimport, foreign goods may be used fora specific period on the territory of theEurasian Union, and may be partiallyor fully conditionally exempted frompayment of import duties and taxes.

If an aircraft is imported into theEurasian Union temporarily, and is tobe used commercially, Section 3 ofArticle 223 of the Customs Code pro-vides that import taxes and dutiesshall be imposed on such importedgoods at the rate of 3% per month ofthe amount of customs duties andtaxes which would be due if the

THE DOCKET

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goods were imported for free circula-tion, to remain permanently in theEurasian Union. Thus, if an aircraftwere temporarily imported, and taxesand duties were paid at the rate of 3%per month of the cost of full customsclearance, plus interest on thedeferred payments, then the aircraftmay lawfully be used commerciallywithin Russia.

If a temporarily imported aircraft isto be used privately by its owner, itmay be fully exempted from paymentof duties and taxes. Such regime isreferred to as “Import 53”. Chapter 29of the Customs Code is supplementedby three decisions of the Commissionof the Eurasian Union affecting busi-ness aircraft, i.e. decisions numbered331, 662, and 1388, discussed below.These three decisions provide that acomplete exemption from importduties and taxes is provided for acivilian passenger aircraft having anumber of passenger seats for notmore than 19 people, if the aircraft isowned by a foreign person or legalentity and is used within the customsterritory of the Eurasian Union onirregular (not commercially sched-uled) flights, and provided furtherthat such use is not intended to gen-erate revenue. A foreign owned air-craft that is imported to Russia tem-porarily and without any payment ofimport duties may not be used com-mercially within Russia.

If a foreign, non-Russian-registeredaircraft having no more than 19 seats,weighing no more than 28 tons emptyweight and owned by a foreign entityor person is flown to Russia for usewithin Russia and other countries thatare members of the Eurasian Union,and if the aircraft is not used on com-mercial flights while within Russiaand the Eurasian Union, and the air-craft is flown out of the EurasianUnion by the date stated in the cus-toms declaration filed with theRussian Customs Service upon arrivalof the aircraft in Russia or anothercountry in the Eurasian Union, thenthe aircraft may be used withinRussia on private flights by its ownerwithout payment of otherwise applica-ble taxes and duties.

Additional caution is required forany aircraft that are to be used com-mercially within Russia or anothercountry in the Eurasian Union. If anaircraft is flown into Russia or anoth-

er country in the Eurasian Union,and a customs declaration is filedclaiming the exemption from cus-toms duties that applies to tax-freetemporary imports that are not to beused to generate revenue within theEurasian Union, and the aircraft isthen used to generate revenue whilepresent in Russia or elsewhere in theEurasian Union, then the rules gov-erning a tax-free import will havebeen violated.

Further DevelopmentsAt the present time, there are con-

sultative meetings being heldbetween representatives of theRussian Business Aviation communi-ty and government officials represent-ing the Ministry for EconomicDevelopment and Rosaviatsia. Thereare drafts of possible legislation con-cerning the creation of a new Russianregistry for business jets to be usedon private flights within Russia.

It is reported in conversations byparticipants in the consultat ivemeetings that one aspect of the cur-rent draft proposals is that Russianowners of aircraft registered outsideof Russia who desire to fly their air-craft within Russia will be requiredto customs-clear their aircraft inRussia and to place them on aRussian operator’s certificate. This,reportedly, will be required for air-craft that are to be operated private-ly or commercially in Russia. Thereare confl ict ing reports whetherMinistry for Economic Developmentis considering an exemption fromimport VAT of 20% for aircraftimported to Russia to be operatedprivately. There are reports that theweight limit for the exemption fromcustoms duties, as opposed toimport VAT, of another 20%, will beincreased to equal the weight of aGulfstream G650. Accordingly, atthe present time, August 2019, it isnecessary to await the publication ofthe proposed new legislation gov-erning the import of business jets.

Given the current unknowns aboutthe pending new legislation govern-ing the import of business jets, a for-eign owner of a business jet whodesires to operate the aircraft withinRussia or another country in theEurasian Union must analyze thecost of customs-clearing the aircraftand placing it on to a Russian operat-

ing certificate. The selected aircraftplaced onto such a certificate maythen be lawfully operated on charterflights within Russia and the othercountries of the Eurasian Union.

It would be necessary to select anoperator that is a Russian companythat holds a Russian aircraft operatingcertificate (AOC). This is becauseChapter 15 of the Russian Air Coderequires that only a carrier that is anoperator which holds a license to per-form domestic air carriage where thepoint of departure, the point of arrivaland all landing points are located onthe territory of the RussianFederation may conduct such flights.Chapter 11 of the Russian Air Codedeals with the arrival and departure offoreign aircraft.

Possibly, an aircraft owner maychoose to shift the aircraft it desiresto import and customs clear for opera-tion in Russia to a Bermuda or Irelandregistration. Such a change in aircraftregistration would permit utilizationof the 83-bis agreement betweenBermuda and Ireland and Russiawhich allows Bermuda or Ireland-reg-istered aircraft to be used commer-cially within Russia. All Sirius-Aeroand Aeroflot aircraft are, for example,registered in Bermuda.

However, in this connection,Rosaviatsia issued a letter suggestingthat Russia may no longer permit theregistration of aircraft in countriessuch as Bermuda, and that aircraftmaintenance and crew training oblig-ations must be transferred to Russiancommercial operators pursuant toArticle 83-bis of the Convention onInternational Civil Aviation if there isany discrepancy between the actualcondition of an aircraft and itsRussian type certificate.

Authors

Derek BloomOf Counsel, Marks & Sokolov, LLCMoscow, Russian Federation,and Partner, Atlantic Aviation LegalServices, LLCWashington, D.C.

Petr KoshelevManaging Director, Streamline FlightSupportMoscow, Russian Federation

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SMASHA Citation 500crashed into a

house nearBiggin Hill

Airport fromwhere it had

taken off.

S KYbrary provides a descriptionof the accident as follows: “On30 March 2008, a privately oper-

ated Cessna Citation 500 which hadjust taken off from Biggin Hill UK forPau, France in day VMC reported‘engine vibration’. Whilst positioningfor a return to land, the aircraftdescended, and the pilots reported amajor power problem just before itstruck the side of a house killing allfive occupants and destroying thehouse and adjacent property in theintense fire which followed.”

The Flight CrewPilot A was 57 years old. He held a

UK Airline Transport Pilot’s Licenseand had accumulated 18 hours ontype and 8278 hours total flight time.

Pilot B was the older of the twopilots. He was 63 years old and hadan experience of 4533 total flyinghours, of which an unknown amountin excess of 70 hours was flown onthe Cessna Citation on a FAACommercial Pilot Certificate.

Both pilots had previous experiencein multi-pilot operations on variousaircraft types. However, both pilotshad only received training and check-ing on operating the Cessna Citationin the single pilot role. Pilot A andPilot B were thus properly licensedand qualified to operate the aircraftfor single pilot operation only.

The AircraftThe Cessna Citation 500 is a light

twin-engine jet, thus a complexmotor-powered aircraft. It is certifiedfor single pilot private operation. Forcommercial operation, it must becrewed by two pilots. The aircraft hadbeen maintained to the manufactur-er’s standards, and no maintenancedeficiencies were detected by theinvestigation.

The FlightPilot B had arrived at the Biggin Hill

Airport (UK) at 11:00 UTC and beganflight preparations. Pilot A joined him45 minutes later, and both continuedto prepare for the flight jointly. At13:00 UTC, the three passengersarrived at the terminal, and they werebrought to the aircraft.

The take-off from Runway 21 at13:33 UTC was uneventful. Oneminute into the climb, Pilot B trans-mitted “And Victor Papa Bravo GolfEcho er we’re making an immediateturn to return to the airport immedi-ate turn to the airport.” Two minuteslater, Pilot B made the following finaltransmission: “And er Victor GolfEcho we have a major problem amajor power problem it looks asthough we’re er going in we’re goingin.” Shortly after that call, the aircraftcrashed.

As the CE500 was not equipped witha voice or flight data recorder, weonly have limited knowledge of whathappened in the cockpit during thatflight.

The BBC News reported on the out-come on the day after the accident:“Witnesses reported seeing the jet fly-ing low over homes before crashinginto the house in Romsey Close.Home owner Edwin Harman wasaway on holiday at the time of thecrash, and his wife, Pat, who hadreturned early, was on her way to thehouse after spending the night at herdaughter’s. Coroner Roy Palmer saidit was ‘extremely fortuitous’ that noone was in the house at the time andthrough ‘great good fortune’ that noone was killed on the ground.”

The Technical InvestigationIn order to find out which factors

had contributed to the fatal outcome,the investigators conducted extensive

ONE PLUS ONE IS TWO.REALLY?

SAFETY SENSE

When two pilots qualified to operate alone are flyingtogether, do they add up to performing as a team of two?Michael R. Grüninger and Capt. Andreas Grauer investigate

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WRECKAGEA detachedhouse wascompletelydestroyed in thefireball createdas the planecrash landed.

research based on the wreckage, theradar flight path records, computersimulations and witness accounts.

Mark Jarvis, senior engineeringinspector at the Air AccidentsInvestigation Branch, concluded thata damaged bearing of the plane’s air-conditioning and pressurization sys-tem most likely caused the vibration,and that a rivet head missing from theleft engine’s fuel-cut-off lever couldhave caused the pilot to inadvertentlyshut the engine down when retardingthe thrust lever.

Further, it was found that theengine emergency restart checklistwas ambiguous with regard to the dif-ference of starting one engine at atime or both engines simultaneously.

The report finally concludes thattechnical factors probably led to theshut-down of both engines but that itwould have been possible to restartthe them in time and to escape theemergency, had the restart procedurebeen applied correctly.The Crew Coordination QuestionTwo pilots qualified to operate alone

flying together – do they add up toperforming as a team of two?

In the absence of flight recorders, theinvestigators could not determine thenature or extent of any multi-crew co-operation issues nor the role of eitherpilot in trying to deal with the emer-gency. Hence, we do not know whichpilot was actually handling the aircraftat the different stages of the flight.

We do know though that the twopilots had not been trained to interactas a team on the CE500.

The benefit of multi-crew operationscan only be achieved if both pilots aretrained to work together, by applyingthe same set of procedures and hav-ing a common understanding of theoperator’s operating policies.

European and US regulations aswell as all airlines under their legisla-tion acknowledge this by clearly out-lining multi-crew requirements, train-ing standards for commercial opera-tions and well-defined task sharingbetween the Pilot-in Command andthe First Officer. Pilots have to under-go Multi-Crew Co-operation (MCC)and Crew Resource Management(CRM) training and they have to doline flying under supervision in theirrole in order to be checked out as afully qualified multi-crew flight crewmember.

In corporate and private aviationthings are handled differently at timesalthough some of the operated air-craft are no less advanced nor lesscomplex than airliners.

Often paid-by-the-day pilots are usedto limit the crew expenditure to thetimes that the aircraft are actually inthe air. Their record of accomplish-ment is difficult to trace. Owners andoperators can hardly monitor theirtraining standard if their crews arehired-in only occasionally. Individualcrew member responsibilities andtask sharing in the case of two free-lance captains who are hired to oper-ate a flight are often neither clear nordocumented.

In the case of the Biggin Hill acci-dent the investigation report states:“Pilot A was employed to fly the air-craft on behalf of its owners and it isunderstood that he was acting as thecommander and handling pilot for theflight. He had recently completed atype conversion onto the aircraft andit is believed that he had wished to flywith another pilot who had morehours on type, acting as mentor, untilhe gained more experience. He occu-pied the left seat during the flight.”

“Pilot B had operated this aircraftpreviously, both with and withoutPilot A. His name appeared as thecommander on the flight plan for theflight and he seems to have carriedout much of the organization for theflight. However, as he held no instruc-tor rating and occupied the right seatfor the flight, it is believed he was ful-filling the role of mentor for Pilot A.”

Of course, we cannot jump to con-clusions pointing at the pilots’ con-duct because we simply do not knowenough about the sequence of eventsand the communication in the cock-

pit. The whole investigation result isbased on assumptions. Many factorsmay have contributed to the accident.

Nevertheless, we have to take notethat accident rate in private aviationwhere freelance crews with differentbackgrounds and training standardsare used is higher than in operationsthat work under the rules of commer-cial aviation.

There is statistical evidence thatapplying commercial rules increasesthe level of safety of an operation.

Owners and operators of private,complex motor-powered aircraft whohave spent millions to acquire andmaintain their high performance air-planes should therefore think twicebefore they consider saving on expen-diture for standardized and compre-hensive training programs for thepilots.

Any aircraft is only as good as thepilots flying it. 1+1 is not necessarily2. To create a high performance team,it takes more than just flying togeth-er.

Michael R. Grüninger is managingdirector of Great Circle Services (GCS)Safety Solutions and Capt. AndreasGrauer is the deputy managing direc-tor of GCS. GCS assists in the wholerange of planning and managementissues, offering customized solutions tostrengthen the position of a business inthe aviation market. Its servicesinclude interim and start-up manage-ment, training and auditing (IS-BAO,IOSA, EASA), consultancy, manualdevelopment and process engineering.GCS can be reached at www.gcs-safe-ty.com and +41-41 460 46 60. The col-umn Safety Sense appears regularly inBART International since 2007.

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TRICKYMaintaining

proficiency inaircraft of

differentcategories can

be a bigchallenge.

A re you a proficient pilot, or areyou a competent one? How canyou determine which you are,

and what’s the difference? Proficiencyis defined as becoming an expert in afield of endeavor. Competency, on theother hand, is more simply stated asbeing capable, or fulfilling all require-ments for the job. Thus, one canbecome competent, i.e. attaining atype rating, without gaining the com-plete proficiency that should alwaysbe our goal.

In my case, I’m a reasonably compe-tent pilot, at least sufficiently so thatI’m able to discern failings in others,but my skills are quite often eclipsedby truly proficient masters of thecraft. I’m left in awe of their ability torepeat a procedure with exactness,while I remain consistently inconsis-tent. I work diligently to check off theboxes in order to pass a flight check;they fly through them as a matter ofcourse.

ExperienceWhat makes the difference?

Experience certainly counts, but ithas to be the right kind of experience,applicable to the task before us. Forinstance, I can draw upon a half-cen-tury of acquaintance with convention-al-gear (tailwheel-equipped) air-planes, which gives me an advantagewhen I must fly an antique fitted witha tailwheel. By comparison, a 10,000-hour pilot who’s flown his entirecareer on nosewheel-fitted aircraftwill have to work a bit to becomecompetent with the taildragger, andhis proficiency will be a long way off.

On the other hand, when it comes toflying a helicopter, my smattering ofexperience under rotor leaves me farshort of competency, and proficiencywould have to wait for some years ofrotor-wing flying. I may know what ittakes to achieve a stable hover, but itwill elude me until I practice, and prac-tice, and practice some more.Meanwhile, my friends with years ofhelicopter flying behind them can pickthe machine up with unvarying ease.

PROFICIENCY ORCOMPETENCY?

FROM THE COCKPIT

Currency and proficiency have similar definitions

and they do complement each other, but neither

one is a replacement for the other.

Leroy Cook explains the difference

80-82 FROM THE COCKPIT.qxp 29/08/2019 10:19 Page 80


KNOW-HOWProficiencyincludes normaloperations aswell asknowledge ofthe emergencyprocedures.

KnowledgeSo, it helps to have many hours in

type to guide your efforts. But trueunderstanding comes with knowl-edge of the aircraft’s systems andhow they work. Otherwise, you arelikely to be fending off surprises asyou chop and hew your way into com-petency. By applying yourself to thestudy of the necessary procedures,you can get ahead of the machinemuch earlier. It still has to be flown,but it will be easier when you knowhow the aircraft works, so you’ll knowwhat’s coming and how to prepare forit.

Skill, or the ability to operate acomplex apparatus with a pre-dictable, successful outcome, is

more easily attained by some thanothers. We equate skill with profi-ciency, and I frequently observe so-called “natural” flying talent amongstudents and peers. I see some indi-viduals make distressingly rapidprogress toward a defined goal,when the average applicant strug-gles to become competent. And yet,skill is attainable by almost all whodiligently seek it; it just takes longerfor some folks.

Thus, competency, and eventuallyproficiency, requires a blend of allthe proper ingredients: experience,knowledge and skill. Experience intype, or mult iple s imilar types,gives one an edge toward proficien-cy. A transference of skills frompreviously-flown airplanes is notice-able, part icularly i f the cockpitsuite in the new aircraft is a famil-iar one, such as Collins ProLine 21or Garmin G1000. If learning notonly a unfamiliar array of aircraft

systems but a new integrated flightdeck, the time required to accli-mate will necessary be longer. Wewill be frustratingly competent atfirst, getting the job done with anoccasional stumble, but never fear;true proficiency will come. It’ll justtake a bit.

The Source of ProficiencyWhence cometh proficiency? It

originates in the desire to get bet-ter, by refusing to accept mere com-petency as an achievement, insteadseeing it as an initial step on theway to true mastery. You may havepassed the course, and you can con-gratulate yourself briefly, but by nomeans should you deem yourselffinished. Consider that you’re beingallowed to go on, self-guided, withthe knowledge thus far attained.Skill will build, consistency willcome, but full proficiency is yet tobe achieved.

I am frequently called upon toadminister Instrument CompetencyChecks, a review of ski l ls andknowledge that wil l reestablishinstrument f lying privi leges forpilots unable to meet the minimumrecent-experience totals. The IPCwill demonstrate that the pilot “hasstill got it”, by completing a regimenof approaches, holding, circling-to-land and missed-approach proce-dures. Most of the time, the candi-date will be a non-professional pilotwho flies under IFR on an infre-quent basis. He or she can meet thestandards set by regulation, butonly to establish competency. Theindividual may ask, at the conclu-sion, “Am I safe?” To which Irespond, “I can only guarantee legalauthorization; safety is your respon-sibility.”

In Quest of PerfectionProfessional pilots must go further,

seeking proficiency so that safety isachieved as a by-product of beingable to bring the aircraft along a routein compliance with cleared proce-dures, not just to meet minimum stan-dards, but with consistent, pre-dictable performance. One gains suchproficiency by being dedicated to thetask, seeing it not as a barrier to besurmounted but a challenge to bemet, taking satisfaction in meetingand exceeding the parameters ofexcellence.

Wil l perfect results always beachieved? Of course not; most oft ime we’ l l fal l somewhere inbetween mere competency and per-



CHECKA proficient pilot

shouldconstantlyreview his

personalminimums and

limitations.

fection. The secret to advancementas a professional pi lot is to useshortfalls as a learning experiences.Rather than accept and ignore them,analyze each less-than-stellar perfor-mance to see why and where it wentwrong, and use what you learn to dobetter next time.

Much of our “flying” in this day andage is not manual manipulation of theaircraft’s controls, but operating theautomation. Getting it to play well canbe an art, and much of the time wefail to understand why our autopilotdidn’t couple as directed, or why itdisconnected at a critical juncture. Toavoid this hindrance to proficiency,you must study the system architec-ture and understand the automation’slogic.

Loading the FMS is equivalent towriting up an old-fashioned flight log;both are methods of staying ahead ofthe aircraft, knowing where it’s sup-posed to go next and how the flight isprogressing—on, ahead of, or behindschedule. At each crossing point, thefuel remaining should be checkedagainst targeted expectations, avoid-ing surprises if the destination weath-er folds.

Always Be Ahead of the PlaneProficient flying is affirmed by one

characteristic: Staying ahead of theairplane. On the other hand, merecompetent piloting is demonstratedby a constant struggle to keep up withthe plane, and incompetent operationis nothing more than being behindthe aircraft. As an instructor once jok-ingly told a struggling transitioningtype rating applicant, “You’ll never bein a crash in this aircraft. You’re so farbehind it, the accident will take placelong before you get there!”

Regrettably, the very automationthat we depend upon to manage ourflight can add to our workload, atthe very time we’re trying to getahead of the plane and keep build-ing our skills toward proficiency.Make sure you’re backed up withfundamental flight management;know what the aircraft can do, howto get the most efficiency out of it,and where it’s supposed to be goingnext. If the convenient magenta linedisappears from the MFD, where isyour redundant information?Electronic Flight Bags are compactrepositories of all wisdom, but theirinformation must always be avail-able in duplicate form, and therealways needs to be fully-chargedextra batteries on board.

Again, proficient flying means thepilot always brings the aircraft to apoint in space, either hand-flown orby using the autopilot, with its ener-gy state at the correct level. Wemust fly through a series of suchpoints to complete the mission, stay-

ing ahead of the aircraft so its nextturn or altitude change is anticipat-ed, not hastily accommodated. Arouting change is a true test of profi-ciency. Can you insert the request-ed re-route without losing yourplace in the big picture?

Juggling All ThreeIn professional flying, we’re actual-

ly expected to attain proficiency inthree processes, simultaneously.The obvious first task is to be goodat flying the airplane, whether inmanual control or managing the

automation. Second, it is critical tohave a grasp of where we are, keep-ing ourselves oriented in the realmof the “big picture.” Third, we mustinterface with the air traffic controlsystem, clearly understanding whatis expected of us and how we’reachieving compliance with theinstructions.

I see many individuals who canadequately perform one or two ofthese tasks, but fall short of profi-ciency, or even competency, inanother one. Often, they will strug-gle with overcoming the deficiencyin one area, to the detriment of onein which they’ve previously exhibit-ed mastery, suddenly gett ingbehind the airplane, losing orienta-tion, or missing ATC’s expectations.

The goal is to never settle for merecompetency as a pilot, but to alwaysstrive for the advancement thatmarks us as “proficient.” Always tryto turn your competency into profi-ciency.

FROM THE COCKPIT

✈


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PREMIER TRANS-ATLANTIC BUSINESS AVIATION MAGAZINE · BUSINESS AVIATION P54 1 COVER.qxp 29/08/2019 09:30 Page 1. FOLLOW ALL OTHERS The Gulfstream G650ER TM recently achieved the fastest