European Business Air News - August 2009

BUSINESS AIR NEWSE U R O P E A N

ISSUE 195 AUGUST 2009

Jämtlands Flyg, a company founded by a war hero known as the ‘ghost flyer’, is expanding its reindeer herding and power lineinspection work. The company’s ceo Sara Grinde, pictured, says it is also targeting business related to wind power expansion innorthern Sweden. Full story page 4.

For details of how to enter, see page 3.For details of how to enter, see page 3.For details of how to enter, see page 3.For details of how to enter, see page 3.

Qatar is making good progresstowards becoming an important ArabGulf centre for private charter withRizon moving its regionalheadquarters to Doha and Dubai’sRoyal Jet reporting a steady stream ofbookings from the country.

“We are reducing the size of ourBahrain and Sharjah offices toconsolidate our back office andadministrative functions in our newheadquarters in Qatar,” explainsRizon Group ceo Will Curtis.

Many of Rizon’s staff in its Bahrainand Sharjah offices are relocating toDoha. Curtis says: “The move willenable us to reduce our costs by 15%to 20%, while simultaneouslyimproving our administrativeefficiency to cope with our growing

business. Rizon’s offices in Bahrainand Sharjah will remain open for salesand marketing activities, but thecentralisation in Doha will enable usto improve accessibility to the serviceswe offer to our clients.”

Rizon is constructing a new120,000 sq ft hangar and FBO at Dohainternational airport, due to open inMarch 2010. The building is modularso that it can be dismantled andmoved to the new Doha internationalairport when it opens early in the nextdecade (EBAN July 2009).

At London Biggin Hill, Rizon isnearing completion of a second120,000 sq ft maintenance and FBOfacility (see this month’s UK RegionalReview) which is on course forcompletion in late September 2009.

Rizon reports a pronouncedupswing in its volumes of charterbusiness in the Arab Gulf states overthe past two months owing to anincrease in market share and therecent service entry of its Qatar-based

Challenger 605.Rizon was recently granted its Air

Operating Permit (AOP) from theQatar civil aviation authority,becoming the first Doha-basedprivate jet company to receiveapproval for dedicated business jetoperations from Qatar.

Meanwhile Royal Jet, the AbuDhabi-based company chaired by HESheikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak AlNahyan, reports a 15% rise inbookings compared to the sameperiod last year.

President and ceo Shane O’Haresays: “We are finding that there is atrend for our guests to make theirbookings much later than they used to, often leaving this to within

Royal Jet and Rizon interest confirms Qatar’sgrowing status as a private charter centre

For details of how to enter, see page 3.

Shane O’Hare: Qatar’s private charteractivity grows

European Air Ambulance (EAA) andRemote Medical SolutionsInternational (RMSI) have launcheda new aircraft and servicescooperation agreement.

“In particular, the agreement willapply to repatriation fromAfghanistan and Iraq, the high-riskareas in which RMSI providesmedical evacuation,” RMSI says."Our Hawker 800 air ambulancesgive us the regional aeromedicalcapabilities to offer emergencyresponse services in the largerMiddle East.”

RMSI has established partner-ships with international hospitals inthe countries where it operates. It willfly the patient to Dubai, where wing-to-wing transfer will take place withan EAA aircraft already in position.EAA will then fly the patient back tothe final destination. The entireoperation will be handled by theround-the-clock EAA MissionsControl Centre (MCC).

EAA, whose founding membersare DRF Luftrettung andLuxembourg Air Rescue, says:“Clients will receive a quotation fromEAA MCC for repatriation fromAfghanistan or Iraq within one hour.Once the quotation is approved, EAAand RMSI will immediately set in tomotion the mission, using theircomplementary skills and resourcesto ensure maximum efficiency and safety. MCC coordinators canchoose the appropriate physician for each mission from a large pool of anaesthetists, neonatologists,gynaecologists or other specialists.”

The MCC coordinates EAA’s airambulance fleet of five Learjet 35Asand a Beechcraft King Air 200.

EAA and RMSIprovide jointMiddle East

serviceDassault Falcon has delivered its2000th Falcon, a 2000LX, to KoçHolding based in Istanbul.

“We could not grow our businesswithout our aircraft,” declaredMustafa V Koç, chairman. “The KoçGroup of companies is spread outwith production facilities and dealernetworks throughout the world. Thebusiness demands fast and efficienttravel and our aircraft representindispensable assets to our company growth.”

Koç Holding also owns a Falcon2000 and has placed an order for aFalcon 900LX, to be delivered at theend of 2011. It is one of the largestcompanies in Turkey and among thetop 50 companies in Europe. Thegroup focuses its operations on fourcore industries: energy, automotive,durable goods and finance and isactive in 24 countries in Europe, theMiddle East and China.

Dassault’s Bordeaux-Mérignacfacility celebrated the milestoneanniversary by remembering the firstdelivery of the Falcon Mystère 20 in1965. “The Falcon fleet has loggedmore than 14 million flight hours and17 different versions of the Falconaircraft have been designed,produced and delivered in 67countries,” says John Rosanvallon,president and ceo.

Mustafa V Koç says: “The Falcon2000LX offers among the lowestoperating costs of any aircraft in thelarge cabin class. It has the samespacious, quiet interior as the 2000EXEASy but has the capability to serve amore extensive list of city pairs.”

The 2000LX can connect New York to Moscow, Mumbai toLondon, Paris to Delhi and HongKong to Brisbane non-stop. It alsooffers a 10% to 15% climb speedimprovement over the Falcon 2000EXallowing it to reach 41,000 ft in just 18 minutes.

Turkish firmacquireslandmark

Falcon

For details of how to enter, see page 3.For details of how to enter, see page 3.For details of how to enter, see page 3.For details of how to enter, see page 3.For details of how to enter, see page 3.

Omni Group plans new base page 2

EAG seeks new alliances page 2

Eastair wins five-year medical contract page 3

LyddAir finds good owners for Trislanders page 4

DragonFly spreads wings in the north page 5

SPECIAL FOCUSES

Operator review of the UK page 11

ME & MY AIRCRAFTTwin engineturboprops page 6

JämtlandsFlyg targetswind powerbusiness

Continued on page 2

JämtlandsFlyg targetswind powerbusiness

2 AUGUST 2009 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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Empire Aviation Group (EAG) isworking in alliance with the TourismDevelopment & InvestmentCompany (TDIC) to operate a Cessna208 Grand Caravan between the UAEand major tourist destinations.

The eight-seater single propaircraft operates twice weekly everyThursday and Saturday from AbuDhabi to Sir Bani Yas Island in theemirate’s Al Gharbia Western region.But the service can also be charteredon demand as part of theaccommodation package offered byDesert Islands Resort and Spa.

“This service, with an approximateflight time of 50 minutes, provides SirBani Yas visitors with seamless traveland enables them to maximise theirtime on this remarkable island,” saysParas Dhamecha, EAG co-founderand executive director.

The experience gained on theTDIC operation, he says, “convincesus it is a viable extension to ourbusiness model and we will seek toreplicate this with other non-aviationpartners and investors. These mightbe those looking for a financial assetmanagement or operational modellinked to the aviation industry. We arealready in discussions regardingopportunities in this area.”

Dhamecha says EAG acquired theGrand Caravan Amphibian because ithas a high-wing design that offerspractical benefits, including greaterstability, superb visibility, sunblocking and poor weatherprotection. “The high-wing designalso means a simplified preflightinspection and easy access to pilot,passenger and cargo doors. TheCaravan is constructed fromaluminium, making it easy tomaintain and repair, with no lifelimits on the airframe.”

Dhamecha adds: “The TDIC role isa completely different style ofoperation to the rest of our businessbut it is also a logical extension to our business model. Operatingamphibious planes with daily andweekly schedules is very different toour private charter operation. It is afull service operation in that wemanage the operation in its entirety –other than marketing and sales – onbehalf of the client.

“The ‘scheduled charter service’ isdependent on loads and the demandsof the resort that the service serves.The common element which linksthis activity with the rest of ourbusiness is that it is still an assetmanagement operation – but anextension of the way we have used themodel so far.”

He says a major challenge of theTDIC operation is its remote nature –operating away from a major airportenvironment. “Hence resourcing theprogramme with people, expertiseand logistics are all greater challengesbecause of this. However, we havebuilt a great working relationshipwith our partners in Abu Dhabi andthis service is getting a lot of attentionas we build our service provision.”

In July EAG brought a G450 for aMiddle East corporation under itsmanagement.

EAG’s fleet has grown from oneaircraft in September 2007 to 15aircraft by August 2009. “Our newlymanaged aircraft are coming from ahealthy combination of first timeowners and current owners,sometimes driven by our own aircraftsales operations. Our flexible modelmeans that we don’t sell everythingwe manage and neither do wemanage everything that we sell.Because sales and management arenot necessarily linked, we can offergreater flexibility and attractivenessboth to owners and buyers.”

Dhamecha adds: “Regionalbusiness jet charter demand is notimmune from the general businessdownturn – demand is weaker andthere has been a slowdown. We saw a40% to 50% drop in charter demandat the start of 2009 but this is nowrecovering to higher levels and thesecond quarter proved to be muchstronger for us and we are seeingsigns of a healthier charter marketemerging through the year. Ourgrowth prospects for 2009 remaingood and we are looking at furtherextensions including themanagement of non-UAE basedaircraft for owners, which offers someinteresting business potential for us.”

Portugal’s Omni Group is finalisingplans to add a sixth base with a furtherAOC in 2010. “The location andaircraft type will be announced at alater date,” says chief officercommercial Stefan Buschle.

Buschle says the group’s 2009business objectives were to increasemarket presence and improveprofitability. “We wanted to establishstronger cooperation and co-ordination of the group’s companiesand create a strong Omni Groupbrand,” he says. “We also want toshowcase the full capability of thegroup and further develop projectswith customer relevance in newmarkets in Africa and Middle East.”

He says the group has made goodprogress towards accomplishing theseobjectives. The newest additions tothe Omni fleet are an A320 with 180seats, an A319CJ with 48 seats and anA319CJ vvip with 19 seats andbedroom. A Challenger 300 is

expected to arrive in September 2009and two S-76C++ helicopters inOctober 2009. A Learjet 45 has recentlybeen added.

The Omni Aviation Group,composed of 18 companies active inthe aviation sector, recently expandedits top management with therecruitment of Buschle. Born inGermany but raised in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, Buschle returned to Germanyto graduate in engineering andbusiness administration, beforestarting his career in commercialaviation. He joined the LufthansaGroup in 2004 then became director ofbusiness development and later mdwith Cirrus Airlines.

The Omni Group striding forward into 2010.

Omni Group plans to add sixth base

Stefan Buschle: business targets.

Tourism alliance success leads EAG toseek new partners for diversification

Dhamecha: sights set on new non-aviation alliances.

EAG has expanded its fleet.

Jetbird’s Phenom options designed to meet changing market demand

Jetbird has tailored its fleet expansion plans to meet changing market demand with firm orders for 59 Phenom 100s that can be upsized to thePhenom 300 should larger capacity be needed. Jetbird, which has options for 41 more Phenoms, has now hired StrategicFusion for a brand andpositioning campaign.

Stefan Vilner, Jetbird ceo, says: “In addition Coastal Aviation Software hasenabled us to develop the most cost-effective booking, scheduling, real-timepricing and optimisation systems in the market.”

two to four days of when they wish totravel. But we are finding that withinthe Gulf Cooperation Council regionthere is strong demand.”

He reports a steady stream ofbookings from Qatar and from SaudiArabia “where our recent alliance withARABASCO has led to a surge ofinterest from the Kingdom.”

O’Hare adds: “In part, this is alsodown to our new pricing policy that weintroduced a few months ago withinthe Gulf region. The previous way wecalculated our prices was based onwhere the actual aircraft originatedfrom, whereas now we price thecharter from where the guestscommence their flight. This has led todramatic reductions in charter rates –sometimes by as much as 20%.”

He also confirmed a good responseto Royal Jet’s own charter brokerageservice, launched in Dubai six monthsago. “We have been very happy withthe initial level of bookings beinggenerated through our own brokerage,which provides complete tailor-madetravel solutions.

“There is especially strong demandfor flights into and out of Europe; butwith the brokerage being a globalservice, we can find the right aircraft at the best price for any request for any journey. No matter what the request, we are now able toguarantee availability even if our own aircraft are fully booked, sincethrough our brokerage we can makealternative travel arrangements,sourcing aircraft from other qualityoperators for our guests. But at no time do we compromise on our ownvery high standards of safety, securityand service.”

Multiflight reports that rising charterbusiness levels in the north ofEngland have been further boostedthrough an interest-generatingluxury travel event held recently at itsLeeds Bradford base.

“We have seen a significantincrease in demand for Multiflight’scharter service and there was plenty of interest shown at ourweekend luxury travel event,” saysmd Steve Borrowdale.

“Visitors were also keen to hearabout all the services provided byMultiflight which include aircraftsales and purchase; fixed wing andhelicopter charter; trial flying lessons;complete commercial pilot courses;private aircraft hangarage, serviceand repair.”

The Multiflight FBO, he says,caters for aircraft from VLJs to 757s,features a dedicated taxiway from theapron and two barrel-vaultedhangars covering 6,300 square metresthat are able to house four Boeing737-800s.

The luxury travel weekendfeatured Bentley cars as well as theMultiflight charter fleet.

Royal Jet and Rizon confirm Qatar’sgrowing status for private charter

Continued from page 1

Luxury travelevent boostsMultiflight

Multiflight’s business-building event

AUGUST 2009 3EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Eastair is celebrating a new medevac contract. Pictured left to right are: Frederick Clarkson, Jason Stone, Darko Kuzmic and MattiasLarsson, head of the ambulance operation for the University Hospital in Uppsala.

I am writing this column in bothmy EBAA and British HelicopterAssociation (previously BHAB) roleswhen I address the plight of thebackbone of business aviation inEurope, the small operator, and ask:

Why it is that in the depth of thisrecession they seem to be the focus ofattack by authorities and governmentsrather than receiving the sort ofsupport the large “has been” industriessuch as motor manufacturing havebeen enjoying?

After EBACE I wrote that a numberof indicators suggested EBACE mayhave coincided with the marketbottoming out and perhaps a sign ofbetter times to come. However,looking at the traffic figures since andtalking to our members, there is nodoubt we are still bumping along thebottom and times will continue to bevery tough for many of them for sometime yet. While we wait with sometrepidation for the July Eurocontrolfigures, informal indications suggestthese may be down again and there isno doubt that if, overall, we end theyear around 15% down on last year,we shall have done very well. Butsome countries and some marketsegments, especially some elementsof charter, are faring much worse thanthis. As a result, from the largestoperators, where the furloughs andjob losses are very large indeed, to the

smallest with relatively fewemployees, all are having to makesevere economies and let valuedemployees go just to stay in business.In recognition of all this and with theirformally stated commitment to Smalland Medium size Enterprises (SMEs),would you not think that Europeanand national governments would besympathetic to helping them stay inbusiness – remembering thatEurocontrol figures show that 40% ofoperators in Europe have only oneaircraft and 80% less than four.Indeed, EU policy, to which the UKgovernment is a signatory, says:“Being SME-friendly should becomemainstream policy. To achieve this,the ‘think small first’ principle shouldbe irreversibly anchored in policy-making from regulation to publicservice thus ensuring that rules reflectthe majority of those who will usethem. SMEs must be helped to thrive.When the setting up of businesses andtheir growth is hampered byunnecessary obstacles, these must be removed.”

Sadly in practice things are verydifferent. In the UK, the generalaviation sector will have seen itsregulatory charges rise by an averageof 60% in five years and small aircraftoperators will have seen theirregulatory charges increased byseveral hundred percent with further

increases planned until all cross-subsidies are abolished in 2010. Asmall company that employs onepilot to fly their sole aircraft will have suffered an increase in AOCcharges from £834 in 2005 to £10,030in 2010. Another company thatoperates, maintains and manageshelicopters on behalf of their owners will have seen its charges risefrom £11,664 in 2008/09 to £18,618(+59.6%) in 2009/10 and £31,030(+66.6%) in 2010/11!

So, far from helping SMEs in linewith policy commitments, govern-ments are just making things a greatdeal worse. The mounting costs ofregulatory compliance with EUdirectives, the cost of oversight by the CAA, the growing cost of

environmental compliance are allconspiring to drive our SMEs out ofbusiness. Added to this, we know of atleast one case where the CAA hasbeen highly unsympathetic to abasically sound very small operatorunder temporary financial pressure.Instead of showing sympathy andallowing them time to pay in stages toallow the business to survive anespecially difficult time, theythreatened early redress to the Courtsto recover non-material amounts of money.

Higher up the scale, we havesimilarly unsympathetic treatment ofmid size operators by the EC, whodespite pleas to the contrary, willrequire any operator emitting morethan 10,000 tonnes of CO2 per year tofollow the whole panoply of ETSreporting. We did a trial with one suchoperator and found it would costthem €70,000 to comply in the firstyear; funds that just aren’t available inthe current market. And as if that werenot enough, we now face pressurefrom the EC to raise the UK’s zero rateof VAT rate on aircraft above 8,000 kg.As one commentator noted, theaddition of VAT to the cost of buyingand flying private jets is likely tosound the death knell for a significantnumber of owners, operators andmanufacturers. (See UK Review Pages11 to 14).

What is so worrying is that all thiscomes against a background of greatprogress in getting the importance ofbusiness and general aviationrecognised in Europe. For example,the European parliament noted inFebruary that business aviation“provides specific social and econ-omic benefits such as increasing themobility of citizens, the productivityof businesses and regional cohesion”.It also noted the sector’s “growingeconomic importance” as vividlyillustrated in the recentPriceWaterhouseCoopers reportshowing that business aviation wasworth some €20bn to the Europeaneconomy in 2007, around 0.2% ofGDP and generating 164k jobs.

So come on governments. Pleasecan we have the hard nosed financierstalking to the policy makers andshowing a bit of sympathy to theseSMEs who fulfill such a vital role inEuropean mobility? We are notlooking for handouts. Just the samesort of sympathy being shown toother businesses with the avoidanceof yet more costs, a pause in alreadyplanned cost increases until theeconomy recovers, and time to paywhen businesses are struggling. Is thisreally too much to ask after what youhave given the banks and other legacy industries?

Brian Humphries, EBAA president

In tough times small operators need help – not persecution

By Brian Humphries.

EDITORIAL COMMENT

Eastair, based at Stockholm’sBromma airport, has brought aLearjet 45 into service after winning afive-year contract to supplyambulance services to the UniversityHospital in Uppsala. Technicalmanager Jan Osterwall says thatEastair has also started a helicopterflying school headed by Bent

Jacobsen. Eastair, which has recentlyrecruited Cmdr Jason Stone, expects to hire more staff to servicemedevac demand.

In addition Eastair has brought aPA-31 back into service. “The PiperChieftain is a reliable aircraft suitablefor flights within Scandinavia or theBaltic region and is configured for

eight passengers,” Osterwall says.Eastair also operates a Beechjet 400and a Cessna Citation.

Osterwall reports that, althoughthe demand for medevac services isstrong, vip and leisure charter hasdecreased. “It makes sense for us toinvest in providing air ambulanceand medical services.”

Eastair wins five-year medical contract

The UK’s Titan Airways, whichcurrently provides bespoke charter forbetween one and 204 passengers, iscelebrating a “milestone year” with theacquisition of a travel company and aBoeing 767-300ER.

Titan Airways md Gene Wilsonsays: “Our first wide-bodied Boeing767-300ER aircraft is due to arrive inDecember this year. With a maximumrange of approximately 6,000 nm it willbe capable of long-haul operationssuch as London to Denver, or London

to Vancouver direct. The aircraft willhave 265 leather seats.”

Titan has purchased the SatelliteTravel Group which has offered seat-only charter flights for more than 25years. “Through STG we will activelysell flights to popular ski airports suchas Chambery, the gateway to theFrench Alps, as well as launching newdestinations.” The deal gives Titan,which is marking its 21st birthday thisyear, a new dimension in its aviationactivity, he adds.

Atlantsflug and Air Arctic arecombining forces and have high hopesthat a twin engine Cessna 421C willwin growing business in Greenland.

Jón G Sigurdsson, Atlantsflug’sproject manager, says the agreementwith Air Arctic means the companieswill operate nationally and inter-nationally on the same EASA AOC. Thepreviously operated Navajo will bejoined by a seven-seat Cessna 421CGolden Eagle with a pressurised cabinand a six-seat Cessna 185 that can beequipped with skis. “These will beleased out for contract and aerialwork.” he says. “Air Arctic was foundedin Iceland in 2008 and the cooperationagreement will strengthen ouroperation as tour and charteroperators and at the same timeenhance our Part 145 aircraft main-tenance operation’s capabilities.”

The aircraft are chartered for flightswithin Iceland but the Cessna 421C isalso in demand for internationalflights to destinations including

Greenland, Faroe Islands and Europe.“Our AOC covers Iceland, Europe, andGreenland including the arcticterritories,” Sigurdsson adds.

He says the Cessna 421C isattracting interest from Greenlandwhere companies are surveying andexploiting natural resources. “We arelooking at upgrading the aircraft withspeed brakes and enhanced flaps andmaking out the Cessna 421C fit foreven shorter runways.”

Sigurdsson: Greenland potential.

Comlux has brought its fourth ACJinto operation. Completed by theAirbus Corporate Jet Centre inToulouse, in which Comlux isshareholder, and registered in Maltaunder the Comlux European AOC, itis operated by Comlux Malta on afully private basis from Madrid.

Stephen Laven, ceo of the FlyComlux division, says: “The newstructure that we put in place in Maltalast year is developing very quickly. Itallows us to fly freely between all EUmember states and to offer ourcustomers seamless convenience and comfort, whatever they flycommercially or privately.”

He adds: “Due to the ultra-modernconnectivity and entertainmentsystems installed in the cabin, theaircraft has received the nickname of‘space-shuttle’!”

Angie Bhorania, Comlux chiefcabin attendant, says: “Our flightattendants have followed specialtraining at the Airbus Training Centerin Toulouse to ensure the smooth andtrouble-free operation of all the cabinfeatures.”

The Comlux fleet now comprises15 aircraft – two ACJs, two A318 Elites,three Global Expresses, including twoXRSs, two Global 5000s, twoChallenger 605s, two Challenger 850s,a Falcon 2000 and a Hawker 850.

Titan expands activities

Atlantsflug andAir Arctic join

AOC operations

Comlux registersfourth ACJ and

expands in Malta

LyddAir, a subsidiary of AtlanticBridge Aviation (ABA) is changing itsaircraft focus to the BE200 and PA-31-350 to reflect the growing importanceof air taxi operations. But it has goneto great lengths to find a good home,including an 8,000 nm journey, for itsthree phased-out Trislanders.

Director Robin Gordon explains:“For the last 12 years LyddAir hasoperated Trislanders from its homebase at Lydd Airport. But, as part of awider strategy, a decision was madeto standardise on BE200 and PA-31-350 equipment in late 2008.

“While the Trislander was ideallysuited to our Le Touquet scheduledservice, LyddAir now has a widerrange of operation. When weoriginally acquired the airport atLydd, it was seen as essential to offerthe general public some level ofscheduled service destination, hencethe launch of LyddAir.

“Now that the role of Lydd is firmlyset as a developing regional airportthe demand is for more air taxi styleservice, particularly with the fastLondon trains starting in December.The PA-31/BE200 combinationallows us to provide economical

solutions to most Europeandestinations and our ability to get inand out of Lydd 24-7 is a great help.”

But Gordon says the Trislandershave a long and highly valued role inshort haul service worldwide.“Finding the right home for theaircraft is something we takepersonally; the new owners will need

support to maximise the value thatthese unique workhorses can bring and ABA is committed toassisting in this.”

ABA has been involved in anumber of air carrier start-upsituations and has a strong team ofexperienced air carrier and flightcrew oriented staff. “The Trislander

sale came just as we took the type outof operation,” says Capt. JonathanGordon who delivered the aircraft.“We operated a Le Touquet service on the Sunday and left for the Far East onthe Thursday, a ten hop 8,000 nmjourney even with long range ferrysystems installed.”

Greys of London, a chauffeurcompany whose focus is mainly onthe private aviation industry, isdeveloping a partnership with ABA toprovide chauffeur driven cars for anew fractional ownership scheme.

LyddAir originally had threeTrislanders but sold one three yearsback. The last two were operateduntil April this year but have bothnow gone to the new Far Eastoperator.


Capt. Jonathan Gordon enjoys a Far East welcome.

Andreas Mundsinger, md of SFD, (left) and Peter Kaiblinger, Embraer sales director Central Europe, agree the Phenom 300 order.

LyddAir: changing fleet


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LyddAir finds good owner for Trislanders made‘homeless’ by switch to Beech and Piper

Jämtlands Flyg, founded in 1954 byGunnar ‘Spökis’ Andersson and hiswife Dagmar, believes that new windpower developments in northernSweden will augment its traditionalbusiness which includes reindeerherding and power line inspections.

The company’s ceo Sara Grinde(see front page photograph) says:“Today we have five helicoptersperforming all different kinds of jobs,such as reindeer herding, power lineinspections, forest inventory, firefighting, and the transport of touristsand different materials. We also carryout wildlife inventory and themarking of species such as elks,wolves, bears, reindeers, wolverinesand lynx.”

Spökis is a nickname in Swedishwhich is short for the ghost flyer.Grinde says Andersson carried outnight-time war rescue flights bringingNorwegians from Norway to Sweden.“The people could not see theaeroplane but they could hear it.That’s why they called him the ghostflyer,” she explains. Andersson startedJämtlands Flyg to fly tourists to theSwedish mountains. He also launcheda flight academy which specialised inservices around the remotemountainous regions of Jämtland. “In1963 the company got its firsthelicopter which made the rescueflights a lot easier,” Grinde says.

But Spökis died in an accidentduring a power line inspection in 1974,and his son Kent who also was a pilot,died in 1977. The company is now runby Andersson’s wife, his daughter Siwand her husband Ulf Grinde.

In 1981 the company sold thehelicopters but kept the Cessna 185and 206 for tourist flights. But thecompany grew and, after a decade,responded to the demand forhelicopters to carry out activities suchas reindeer herding.

Jämtlands Flyg acquired a Hughes269 and a JetRanger a few years later.Grinde says: “The company is veryresponsive to market needs and, inthe mid-90s, the aeroplanes and thetourist business were sold andJämtlands Flyg concentrated solely onhelicopters. We now plan to takeadvantage of the prospect phase ofwind power developments.”

Jämtlands Flyg acquired aRobinson 44 Raven II which wasbrought into operation in March.

“Our fleet is now complete and we willnot extend it, at least not for a while,”Grinde says. The latest acquisitionjoins an AS350B2 and three EC120Bs.During the summera second R44 wasrented to help meet demand. The B2and the R44 are both preowned; theEC120s were acquired new.

“The fleet was carefully chosen tomatch the wide variety of aerial andtaxi work needs of our differentcustomers who are based in placesranging from the Swedish east coast tothe remote mountainous regions ofnorthern Scandinavia.”

Germany’s Stuttgarter Flugdienst(SFD) is acquiring two Phenom 300sto diversify its Cessna-oriented fleetrather than opting for Mustangs. Theorder has been placed after theanalysis of feedback from clients.

“The decision to order thePhenom 300s is based on thecompany’s long experience inmeeting the needs of the clients whowant comfort and endurance,” saysmd Andreas Mundsinger. “We are

convinced by the above-averageprice/performance ratio that the twoPhenoms 300s will fit perfectly withthe existing Cessna-oriented fleet andwill in the medium term replace oneor two Cessna Citations,” he adds.

The Phenoms will join anotherEmbraer addition – the Legacy 600.“We made the Phenom 300 orderknowing we had a reliable partner,”says Mundsinger. “The Legacy 600has been with us for over one year.

The clients like its comfortable cabin,operational economy and endurance.Hundreds of clients are very happywith the aircraft.”

The Phenom 300s, he says, will notonly expand the current nine-strongfleet but enrich choice. “Passengerswill have an even more diversifiedchoice and together with the actualCitation fleet they can select betweenCJ2+ and Legacy 600 in the medicalmarket segment.”

Air rescue priority accelerates asemergency care sites close

Air rescue is becoming increasinglyimportant in sparsely populatedregions of Germany such asBrandenburg, according to Dr Karl-Heinz Grütte of the Brandenburgministry of labour, social affairs,health and family.

He told the annual medicalmeeting of the DRF Luftrettung thatreasons include the decreasingnumber of emergency physician sitesand intensive care clinics.

JämtlandsFlyg keepsghost flyerspirit alive

SFD orders Phenom 300 pair to meet client demand

Reindeer herding employs helicopters as well as ground patrols.

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Wales Air Ambulance aims to introduce a second ‘New Generation’ EC135 within weeks. It unveiled its firstEC135 at Caernarfon. Angela Hughes, ceo, (pictured) says: “The new aircraft will make a big difference tothe work that the paramedics carry out. The Bolkow 105 has given great service but is a standard helicopterthat has been converted to an air ambulance. The EC-135 is a purpose-built air ambulance which has haddesign input from experienced aircrew paramedics.”

DragonFly is developingbusiness in the north ofEngland after opening a newbase at Durham Tees Valley.Howard Palser, ceo, says the development follows ashort-lived association withNorthern Aviation wherebyNorthern had taken one ofDragonFly’s aircraft on a dry lease.

“This arrangement ceasedwhen Northern suspended itsAOC at the beginning of June,” Palser says. “Theassociation with Northern hasestablished a solid core ofcharter business originatingfrom the north of England. Wehave recruited additional crewwho are resident close towhere the aircraft will be basedat Durham Tees Valley.

“This move will enable us tocover the country from basesin the north and south andquote competitively byminimising the positioningcost to the point of origin of a charter.”

Durham Tees Valley, Palserpoints out, is within a fewminutes flying time of theTransplant Centre atNewcastle and is ideally placedas a base from which aircraftcan be supplied to the teams of surgeons engaged in thisvital work.

DragonFly likes to operate athree-strong fleet of King Air200s but also has plans toexpand into the jet market.Palser set up DragonFly in mid2004 after a successful careeras a solicitor “havingpersonally experienced theimmense time and costsavings from the judicious useof aircraft for business travel.”

He adds: “Having gained aPPL I used my TB200 to visitmy satellite offices inBirmingham and South-ampton and to see clients

based as far afield asNewcastle-on-Tyne andNorwich – places notoriouslydifficult to access from myhead offices in Cardiff. Onretiring from active practice asa lawyer, but not minded toput my feet up, I ignored theadvice of those who professedthat the only way to earn asmall fortune in aviation wasto start with a large aircraft. I

took offices at Cardiff airportand bought my first King Air200 with the principal aim ofproviding the South Walesbusiness community with thefacility of an executive charterservice on its doorstep – theonly turboprop operation inWales and the only charterservice based at Cardiff’sexcellent 24/7 airport.”

Palser says the initialresponse was very positive andtarget hours for the first 12months of operation werecomfortably exceeded.“Continued growth promptedthe purchase of a secondaircraft, a King Air B200SEwhich was completely refittedwith new paint, exterior anddigital avionics in a seven seatconfiguration.

“It immediately became afavourite of the principalcharter brokers after comingon-line in early 2007. In 2008 the other King Air wasgiven a thorough refit to match her sister aircraft, but retained an eight-

passenger configuration. Bothaircraft are immaculate.”

In addition the companyoperates a third late modelKing Air B200 based inNottingham.

Palser adds: “A decision wasmade at the outset to operatethe aircraft with two fullyqualified type-rated crew,thereby providing the greatestfactor of safety, anddifferentiating DragonFly fromother operators who fly with asingle type-rated pilot, with orwithout a pilot’s assistant. Inretrospect, the choice ofaircraft was inspired. Now,with five years’ experience ofthis model of aircraft, I can saywith confidence that this mustbe the aircraft of choice forthose wishing to travel quickly,safely, comfortably andeconomically.”

The economic recessionhas brought a slow-down incharter activity, but as a leanoperation supported by a mixof loyal clients andinternational charter brokers,Palser says DragonFly remainsbusy. “May proved to be thethird busiest month since thecompany was formed, and theaverage charter hours flown inthe current financial yearequate with levels in 2007/8.”

He says that the traditionalturboprop sector has beeninvaded by light jets and VLJsat quoted charter prices thatare unrealistically low, whilstowners struggle to obtainsome commercial return tooffset the cost of the expenseof ownership.

But DragonFly is activelypursuing a strategy of growthand, in addition to opening a base in the north east of the UK, is currently indiscussions with interestedparties for the acquisition ofadditional aircraft.

DragonFly spreads businesswings in the north of England

DragonFly: popular King Airs

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King Air C90

King Air 350

King Air B200GT

Piaggio Avanti II

The twin engine turboprop is alive andthriving in Europe, but in decline. In fact,our records show that 1,229 of ourbeloved readers are responsible foraircraft in this category, a figure whichhas fallen from 1,369 this time last year.The comparable count of jet owners andoperators has been rising fast over thesame period.

You can still buy an excellent brandnew twin turboprop from HawkerBeechcraft or Piaggio, and there is astrong market for the wide variety of pre-owned aircraft. The CASA 212, turbineIslander, Beech 100, turbopropCommanders, DHC-6, Dornier 228 and328, Embraers 110, 120 and 121,Gulfstream 1, Marquise, Mu-2, turbineP68 and Shorts aircraft, are allalternatives to the main modelsmentioned in this feature, but we couldnot cover everything!

So, we talked to some of these ownersand operators about the turboprops theyfly, their strengths and failings. We askedabout maintenance support, dispatchreliability, operating capabilities andvalue-for-money, as well as moregenerally for the best and worst aspectsof each model, and the most desirableupgrades.

Only EBAN readers who we have beenable to verify as confirmed current usersof a particular aircraft type are givenaccess to that aircraft’s survey forms.

Next month we will be looking at thetwin engine helicopters. If you fly thesetypes and wish to make your opinionsheard, then please be in touch very soon.

King Air and Avanti keep twin turboproprenewals alive for medevac and vip charter

Me & My Aircraftthroughout 2009

SEPTEMBER

Twin engine helicopters

OCTOBER

Very light jets

NOVEMBER

Cabin class piston aircraft

DECEMBER

Super midsize jets

Make your opinion count!Whichever type of aircraft you own or operate, we are keen to hear your views. Log in atwww.ebanmagazine.com and youwill find voting forms for eachtype in your fleet. It takesmoments to complete, and themore replies we receive thebetter our final reports will be.Your user number and pin is onthe back of the mailing sheetincluded with your magazine, or request a reminder on theweb site.

Don’t delay, take part today!

ME & MY AIRCRAFTTwin engine turboprops

The huge oil price rises of 2008 ledmany observers to predict that thefrugal turboprop would rise again tocompete strongly with the small jetsector. But since then the price of abarrel has fallen back sharply, andwith it any real hopes of newbusiness turboprop development.

Despite this rollercoaster, theturboprop charter sector finds itselfin rude health, supplied with newaircraft by two manufacturersexploiting now long-proven models,the Beechcraft King Air and thePiaggio Avanti, and with a large basepopulation of other legacy aircrafttypes still highly active.

Owners report that the P180Avanti is popular because of itsreliability and operating capability,which has given rise to the term “jet speed turboprop”. And all pilots love flying the King Air

according to Capt Peter Scott. Hemanages the Aberdeen base which

operates Gama’s two King Air 200Con behalf of the Scottish AmbulanceService. “I have never come acrossanyone who does not think it is agreat aircraft to operate. Our latestversion with Pro Line avionics,smooth autopilot and flight directormakes it a very enjoyable ‘office’ towork in.

“Dispatch reliability is very goodand it does not take too long toreceive spare parts, if they are notalready held in local store. We areonly AOG longer due to sparessometimes having to come up fromour maintenance base.”

The P180 and the King Air areboth favoured for air ambulancework with organisations likeLotnicze Pogotowie Ratunkowe(LPR), the Polish air medical rescuecompany. It selected the Avanti IIafter an extensive evaluation processthat took into consideration theperformance of the original model

Avanti air ambulance which wasacquired by LPR back in 2004. Thecompany operates air rescuemissions from 16 different operatingbases. The Avanti II is equipped withPro Line 21 avionics and LPR says itspluses include high cruising speedand a high loading capacity.

It says: “The P180 Avanti II has anendurance of over 1,700 miles at aspeed of 400 kts and a maximumcruising altitude of 41,000 ft. Itsoverall performance is similar to thatof a jet but with 30% less operatingcosts. It offers passengers a level ofcomfort matching only that of biggerand more costly aircraft.”

But the P180s and the Beechcraft90, 200 and 300 series are just two ofa large number of twin engineturboprops that provide sterlingservice including the businessconfigured Jetstream 31/41; thePiper PA31T/PA42 Cheyenne; the fewBN-2T turbine Islanders and

Partenavia/Vulcanair P.68TP; and the Cessna 425 Corsair/Conquest I,441 Conquest II and F406 Caravan II.Also in service are the business-configured Dornier 328, Saab 340and Let 410UVP, the Mitsubishi Mu-2 and the turbine variant Twin Commanders.

One F406 operator says he is verysatisfied with the maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability andoperating capability and satisfiedwith the value. “The best aspect isthe cargo door and I don’t see a worstaspect. The most desirable upgradeis a state-of-the art avionics like theGarmin 600,” he adds.

Fuel efficientThese are typical assessments:turboprops are fuel efficient, robustand good for landing on airfields butthe operators have to deal with the problems of balancinginvestment in modernisation againstthe aircraft’s age.

Many twin-engine turboprops areoperated for charter or airambulance work alongside jets withAirMed, a long established airambulance company based at theUK’s Oxford airport, providing atypical example.

Rapidly approaching its 25thanniversary, AirMed is one of theUK’s largest air ambulance providersbut also offers passenger and cargo charter.

Rupert Dent, md, says: “We havejust become the only UK-basedprovider of a jet air ambulance withour Learjet 35A coming online butAirMed’s fleet of nine aircraftincludes a wide range of fleetcapabilities with pistons and turbo-props. Apart from the Learjet 35A,

Turboprops form an important part of the fleet of AirMed which is ready to celebrate its 25th anniversary. From left are operationsmanager Glenn Salt, maintenance manager Liam Salt, chief pilot Phil Hebdon and md Rupert Dent.

Short runways and the high price of fuel provide fertile conditions for Europe’s shrinking fleet of turbine twins


ME & MY AIRCRAFT

The prototype Super King Air 200 firstflew in 1972, and has establisheditself as the leading business twinturboprop during almost fourdecades since. Even though operatorsrecognise their drawbacks, Beech200s hold a special place in theaffections of many pilots.

Wayne Fuller, operations managerof the UK’s Zephyr Aviation, says: “Weprovide the convenience, flexibilityand privacy of a private jet but atrealistic prices. Thanks to the STOLperformance capability of ourEASA/CAA-approved Raisbeck-modified B200, we are able to useliterally hundreds of local airfieldsaround the U.K. and Europe, usuallycloser to the clients' office or home,saving them hours of unnecessaryground travel.”

Zephyr Aviation recently installednew, more powerful PT6A-61 engines,twinned with the Raisbeck enhancedperformance leading edges, dual aftbody strakes and ram air recoverysystem. “This gives us increasedcruise speed, improved passengerride quality with a quieter cabin andcockpit along with significantlyimproved climb and cruiseperformance,” Fuller says. “ThisSTOL aerodynamic package enablesus, for example, to lift six passengersand fuel for, say, Nice and still becapable of lifting out of airfields withrunways less than 800 metres.”

He adds: “The high cruise speedand excellent range of the B200-61,along with its operational flexibilityand affordability were all key points inour selection. We have a wide varietyof clients, ranging from those whoneed medical flights in support oftransplant operations or repatriationof sick and injured holidaymakersfrom Europe through to freight flights

including dangerous goods, for whichZephyr aviation is fully approved. Wecan also offer passengers the option tohave their pet fly with them to andfrom Europe.”

The King Air is reported to bepopular with sportsmen such asgolfing parties and is economic for upto eight passengers.

The idea for the launch of ZephyrAviation followed the flying aroundEurope on business for several yearsof the company’s founders TimGrace-McDonald and Andy Gent.They decided that a real niche existedfor an affordable, highly flexible aircharter service. Subsequently theywere joined by Kate Fitton andZephyr Aviation gained its AOC inMarch 2009.

Fuller says: “The King Air is a veryreliable aircraft and we have had noproblems with it at all. Ourmaintenance team does an excellentjob of maintaining the aircraft to avery high standard. The King Air isstill in full production after 30 years –this speaks for itself!”

Capt. Peter Scott of ScottishAmbulance Service also praises theKing Air, which along with the P180, islikely to remain a part of charter andambulance fleets for years to come.

He says: “The weak components

are the ELT aerial which breaksfrequently, probably due to ice,vibration, resonance and the prop de-icing which has one strap per blade(four) which frequently requirechanging in the winter months. TheDV windows have always been proneto rain water leaks over the circuitbreaker panels below. The wing sparcrossing the cabin can be a trip hazardwhen working in the cabin area.”

But Scott adds: “The best aspectsof the King Air are its performanceand speed. Rates of climb atmaximum weight are very good and itis easy to climb above most of the badweather. For patient transfer we canmaintain a sea-level cabin up to17,000 ft making it very comfortablefor elderly patients and anyone elsewith breathing problems or headinjuries. This is good too forpremature babies in incubators.” Hejokes: “It is also good for pilots with colds!”

Scott, who manages the Aberdeenbase which operates Gama’s twoBeech 200C on behalf of the ScottishAmbulance Service, says: “For usperhaps the most disappointingaspect of the cargo version King Air isthe weight penalty of the cargo doorover the standard version.”

Jordan’s Arab Wings is one of manyoperators that can confirm thesuitability of King Airs for medevac.The Amman-based company fliesregular medical evacuation flightsand has for years flown missions intoneighbouring Iraq.

Capt Ibrahim Nahar says ArabWings is happy with the availability ofspare parts and the provision ofmaintenance. “The B200 is a verypowerful aircraft that can use short runways. It provides goodcomfort for passengers, has very

reliable engines and flies in allweather conditions. In addition it isvery economical, has fully equippedavionics, carries heavy loads and canbe converted easily into an airambulance. Its weaknesses are that itflies at low altitudes, has a relativelyshort range and a low speedcompared to jets.”

Desirable improvements throughretrofits or upgrades includeextending the range and ability to flyat higher altitudes along withenhancement of the avionics: “Iceboots could be substituted with hot bleed air but the baggage area is excellent.”

The UK’s Dragonfly Executive Air Charter is opening a new base at Durham Tees Valley airport,initially operating one of its B200s on passenger transport and medical flights.

Howard Palser, ceo, says “Thecabin is renowned for itsspaciousness, particularly whencompared with the more cramped,tubelike fuselage of light jets. The KingAir has been around the skies for over35 years and has a world-widereputation for its safety record andruggedness. The aircraft is fast,cruising at 270 kts at altitudes up to25,000 ft bringing Paris within an hourof London’s orbital airports andgetting passengers to Cannes in 2.5hours. Although capable of greaterdistances, and we have regular clientswhom we fly from Cardiff to Sevilleand to Rome, we find that chartererswill tend to opt for a turbofan whencontemplating longer distances,irrespective of the greater cost.Economics are always a key factor andhere the King Air has a significantadvantage over jet operators.”

A few operators are unhappy withthe maintenance support providedfor the Beech 200. Matthew Webb ofEDT Offshore says: “Being based onan island it is out of sight, out ofmind.”

But, like many others, he is verysatisfied with the dispatch reliability,operating capability and value. “It hasperformed as reliably as we could ask.It does not have the latest in avionicsbut we still have a really wellequipped B200. The FMS is agodsend. The King Air is veryeconomical for the regular trips wehave in the region and can go to allthe airports we need to get to. It is fuelefficient and has a good range for a

Still in production today, the Let L-410 first flew in 1969. Wellover a thousand have beenproduced, making it probably themost popular 19-seat aeroplane in history.

Feedback from EBAN readerssuggests that operators aregenerally satisfied or very satisfiedwith the maintenance support,

value, dispatch reliability andoperating capability of the L-410UVP.

There is praise for a nicheaircraft able to comfortablytransport 18 passengers/1,700 kgsin a roomy cabin from shortrunways. However there is acriticism that there are too many intermediaries that make

technical support and parts supplyless efficient and costly. Someowners would like a review of themaintenance programme to avoidor optimise heavy airframeinspections and revisions. “We stillhope for a transparent pricingpolicy for both aircraft and partsand a Cessna type of maintenancesupport,” says one respondent.

Let 410 is ‘probably the most popular 19-seater in history’

Staff at work at the Aberdeen base which operates Gama’s two King Air 200c on behalf of the Scottish Ambulance Service.Pictured are: captain Peter Scott, paramedic Derek Adams, first officer Iain Campbell.

King Air 200s reign high in theaffections of pilots and owners

Zephyr Aviation: realistic prices.

Dragonfly appreciate the King Air’ssafety and ruggedness.

the entire fleet is made up of Piperaircraft and includes two PiperCheyenne IIXLs and two PiperCheyenne IIIAs.”

The first turboprop, a CheyenneIIXL, was originally added to its fleetin February 2005 and anotherfollowed in October 2005. The firstCheyenne IIIA became operationalin February 2007 and the finalCheyenne IIIA was online inDecember 2008. “In this time theyhave flown a total of 6,500 hours,”Dent reports.

AirMed not only owns andoperates its own aircraft, but it alsohas a fully integrated EASA 145 PartM maintenance facility. Dent saysthis allows the company to enjoyseamless provision of maintenancefor its fleet. “Through excellentcontacts with Piper and Cessna,AirMed Engineering is also a fullyauthorised Cessna service and partsfacility, it has little difficulty insourcing the spares required for theCheyenne fleet.”

He adds: “One potential drawbackof operating a Piper fleet is that someof the spares are sourced andshipped from the US which can leadto some delays. However due to theintegrated facility and AirMedEngineering’s developing partsbusiness, a good stock of necessaryparts is constantly held at Oxford anddelays are infrequent.”

AirMed, he says, has found thatthe Piper Cheyenne is an excellenttool for normal cargo and passengercharter as well as for air ambulance work.

“This is due partly to the fact thattheir purchase cost is lower than anequivalent Beech 200 but alsobecause they are very economical torun and they can be chartered out ata very competitive hourly rate.Airmed is certainly pleased with thesuccess that it has found with thisaircraft type.”

The turboprop component of theAirMed fleet has grown not only insize but in popularity with its clients.“There are certainly no plans in thefuture to remove any of them fromthe fleet,” Dent says. “There are,however, no plans to add any moreCheyennes to the fleet as AirMed isconcentrating on expanding andproviding UK-based Learjet 35As dueto popular demand.”

Because so many turboprops areout of production, and existingaircraft will age and get moreexpensive to maintain, evenoperators satisfied with their fleets may be increasingly forced to mix and match with jets andnewer aircraft.

AirMed: turboprops are a vital component of its business.

Continued on page 8


ME & MY AIRCRAFT

turboprop with great short fieldperformance. But the worst thing isthat the passengers find it noisy andtheir endurance is limited to abouttwo hours before they getuncomfortable. The King Air is greatas it comes from the factory but,depending on operations, the bestupgrade is the dual strakes. We also really see a benefit from the BLR winglets.”

Capt Glen Heavens of SynergyAviation Ltd is satisfied with the valueand maintenance support and verysatisfied with the dispatch reliabilityand operating capability. “The bestthing is the short field performance:the worst thing, it is not a jet!”

“The most desirable upgrade isRaisbeck,” he adds. “The King Air isone of the most flexible and desirablebusiness aircraft ever produced. Itsshort field performance and near jetspeeds make the B200GT the bestKing Air ever!”

Martin Schiffner is very satisfiedwith the maintenance support andoperating capability of the B200 andsatisfied with the dispatch reliabilityand value. He praises the shortrunway and high payload capabilityand points out that it is fuel efficientand cost-effective particularly whenprices rise.

“It is like a SUV for the sky in thisclass but it is not as speedy aspossible and has a noisy cabin andthe flight deck and air conditioningcould be better. The most desirableupgrades are an engine upgrade byBlackhawk and BLR winglets. But theB200 is smooth and forgiving whileflying. This is the aircraft for short legs... a pilot’s aeroplane.”

Christopher Mace, md of SaxonAirCharter Ltd which operates the KingAir 200 with Raisbeck modifications,is very satisfied with the maintenancesupport and operating capability andsatisfied with the dispatch reliabilityand value. “The best aspects are the

versatility, good payload range andalso the runway performance but theworst thing is the slow cruise speed.The most desirable upgrades includefour-blade propellers to bring thecabin noise levels down and winglockers to enable extra storage andpilot baggage to be stored outside the cabin.”

Bjorn Ellermann Horner of RoyalUnibrew is satisfied with the main-tenance support and very satisfiedwith the dispatch reliability, operatingcapability and value: He also praisesthe versatility, short field performanceand stability and regrets he cannotafford a personal B200 just for himself.

Stuart Beresford of KeypointAviation LLP says he is very satisfied

with the B200’s maintenance support,dispatch reliability and value andsatisfied with the operating capability.“The best thing is its versatility: it goesanywhere, even landing on grass.”

But: “The MTOW could be lifted tosay 13,500 lbs instead of the historic12,500 lbs and the most desirableupgrades are ventral stability fins andstainless steel exhaust stacks and, ofcourse, the four-bladed propellers.”

Beresford says: “The Beech 200 willtake its place in aviation as a classicaircraft and a real pleasure to fly.”

Europe better than UK for maintenance, King Air

350 operators toldThe Beech 200/300 was a stretchedversion of the original Beech 90 KingAir, while the Super King Air 350 has alonger fuselage still and longer wingsthan the Beech 200/300 from which itevolved, and features two extrawindows and winglets.

Capt Tristan Esteves of SpecsaversAviation Ltd, which operates B350swith Pro Line 2, says: “We maintainthe aircraft in Europe, not the U.K. asUK-based maintenance support ispoor.” He is very satisfied with themaintenance support and operatingcapability and satisfied with thedispatch reliability.

“The best thing is its load carrying,rugged build and speed,” he says.“The worst thing is that you run out offuel very quickly on a long sector, sothis aircraft is only good for 1,000nm.”He would also like an RVSM upgrade.

Dr Gert Kroll of Mike Fly Ltd saysthat his B300 had many problemsduring the first 700 hours ofoperation. “Factory support at thattime was unacceptable,” he adds. Buthe is now satisfied with themaintenance support, although thespare parts supply is sometimes slowand expensive, he is very satisfiedwith the dispatch reliability, andsatisfied with the operating capabilityand value.

King Air 90 operators, specificallyof the Beech F90-1, are generallysatisfied or very satisfied with thedispatch reliability, operatingcapability and value but there is somedissatisfaction with manufacturersupport. The aircraft, they say, isrelatively good on short and gravelrunways but a higher takeoff weightwould be useful.

AIRCRAFT TYPE Time Fuel burn FL Min fuel Cruise Value range (lbs) (lbs) (US$)

Beechcraft 1:24 hrs 611 170 1154 HSC 0.14m –King Air 90 3.20m

Beechcraft Super 1:09 hrs 614 270 1320 MCT 0.75m –King Air 200 5.00m

Beechcraft Super 1:02 hrs 757 270 1548 MCP 1.00m – King Air 300 5.90m

Jetstream 31 1:10 hrs 759 190 1430 HSC 0.45m – 0.45m

Cessna 425 1:16 hrs 522 290 1048 HSC 0.80m – Conquest/Corsair 1.10m

Cessna 441 1:11 hrs 502 310 1094 HSC 0.90m – Conquest 1.90m

Dornier 328 1:04 hrs 1212 310 2593 HSC

Mitsubishi Mu-2 1:10 hrs 518 310 1104 CMC 0.18m – 0.82m

Piaggio Avanti 0:53 hrs 551 290 1284 MCP 4.70m – 5.00m

Piper Cheyenne II 0:52 hrs 574 290 1308 MCP

Trip data provided courtesy of Jeppesen. Not for operational use. For additional

information on Jeppesen’s ITPS services, visit www.jeppesen.com.

The asking-price values shown are extracted from industry sources and an

approximate indication only, and relate to pre-owned aircraft.

We asked Jeppesen to provide trip data for a typical mission from Le Bourget

to Geneva, a distance of 302nm using Basel/Mulhouse as an alternate with a

200lb payload, for a selection of twin turboprop aircraft.The Cessna 441 Conquest II was thefirst turboprop designed by Cessnaand was meant to fill the gap betweentheir jets and piston-engined aircraft.It was developed in November 1974with the first aircraft delivered inSeptember 1977 and was effectively apressurised, turbine development ofthe Cessna 404.

Norbert Amberger is satisfied withthe C441 maintenance support andvery satisfied with the dispatchreliability, operating capability andvalue. “It beats the CJ1 giving morespace and lower operating costs. Thebest things are the short field take off,cruise at FL290 with 300kts+, andability to land on grass strips. Theworst thing is SID – the supplementalinspection document.” He would likean engine upgrade and animprovement in the load and cruise

capability. But he says: “It is the righteconomical aircraft for this time – aworkhorse and a money maker.”

William Kennedy of Dawn MeatsLtd says he is satisfied with themaintenance support but that Cessnawere “not much help with the SIDproblem.” However, he is verysatisfied with the dispatch reliability– “boringly reliable” – as well as theoperating capability and value. “Thebest aspects are that it is fast,

inexpensive, reliable, long range andhas excellent load carrying ability.The worst thing is that it is noisy andthe most desirable upgrade is RVSM.It is a great aeroplane.”

Hordur Gudmundsson is verysatisfied with the maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability andoperating capability of the Cessna441 and satisfied with the value. Thebest thing, he reports, is the range,economy and speed and the mostdesirable upgrade: again, RVSM.

He adds: “Our aircraft hasincreased MTOW, MLW and ZFWwhich helps a lot on long flights toand from Iceland.”

Markus Salomon of Airline GmbHis another satisfied with the value and the maintenance support andvery satisfied with the value andoperating capability.

Jordan’s Arab Wings praises the King Air.

Zephyr Aviation’s King Airs providespacious interiors.

Cessna 441 still a good workhorse andmoney maker for charter operators

Conquest: economical .

Cheyenne IIIgenerates

mixed feelingsThe PA-42 Cheyenne III first flew in1978 and was produced by Piper until1993. There is sadness that the PA-42is out of production butdissatisfaction with the support fromthe manufacturer. Bernt Wasler ofEurosky Aviation AS says he isunhappy with the maintenancesupport for the PA-42-1000 butsatisfied with the dispatch reliability,operating capability and value. “Thebest thing is that it is fast and quiet inthe cabin but the worst thing is thesupport from Piper and the mostdesirable upgrade is an MTpropeller,” he says.

Lubomir Cornak says theCheyenne III and Cheyenne IIIA canstill call on a couple of expertmaintenance providers with goodspare part supplies. “I am satisfiedwith the dispatch reliability. Ifanything breaks, it is always related toinstruments and avionics. Anupgrade to a glass cockpit such asG600 should solve most dispatchreliability issues. I am very satisfiedwith the operating capability. I likethe Cheyenne much more than theKing Air, it simply flies better and ismore economical. One can always getthe Cheyenne significantly cheaperthan a King Air of a similar age andequipment. You get a better aircraftfor less money – that’s value.”

He says the baggage capacity isamong the best aspects. “You getnose baggage, two nacellecompartments of reasonable size andthe back-cabin compartment, plusthe standard baggage door. The worstthing,” he jokes, “is that they don’tbuild them any more. I am especiallysad Piper doesn’t build newCheyennes anymore. I can envisage aCheyenne IIIB with new avionicspackage, a little bit morethermodynamic power (not anecessity, just nice to have) andcompletely redesigned interior. With that, the aircraft would have a great future.”

MOST POPULAR BEECH 200 ROUTES

1. Leeds Bradford to Sligo

2. Blackpool to Munster

3. Southampton to Marce

4. Le Bourget to Lann Bihoue

5. Le Bourget to Auvergne

6. Leeds Bradford to Cork

7. Guernsey to Le Bourget

8. Le Bourget to Côte d’Azur

9. Figari Sud Corse to Le Bourget

10. Galway to Dublin

* compiled from flight requests toAvinode during June 2009.


Twin turboprops by numbers


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ME & MY AIRCRAFT

Essentially a pressurised turboproppowered Piper Navajo, the PA-31TCheyenne first flew in 1969 andevolved through to the 1980s as thelarger Cheyenne IIXL.

PA-31T operators are divided at towhether the worst thing is that theaircraft is not made anymore – or thatit is too old.

Fabio Michienzi is one who is verysatisfied with the dispatch reliabilitybut rues that production has stopped.“The Piper Cheyenne II is truly aworkhorse that will never let youdown,” he says. “You can load theaircraft up to her MTOW and stilloperate from very short runwayswithout any problem.”

He is also very satisfied with thevalue. “The Cheyenne is an oldaircraft, therefore she is fullyamortised and her value does not riskundergoing major changes. Since she is out of production theCheyenne costs a fraction of a Beech90 and will climb better, fly higher,faster and further at a fraction of theBeech’s operating cost. The best thingis that it is unbeatable value formoney. For typical Europeanjourneys you will take probably 15minutes longer than a light jet toreach your final destination – stillflying above most of the weather – butwill be able to use many morerunways and at a fraction of the cost.”

Although satisfied with themaintenance support Michienzi says:“Piper does not provide muchcustomer support but there is noshortage of spare parts in the marketif needed. The worst thing is thatPiper decided to cease production!With today's accent on green aircraft

she would be a hot sale.”But Michienzi would like engines

that provide better climbperformance at high altitude and acruising speed that could competewith TBMs. He recently installed a full Garmin avionics upgrade withMFD and is very happy with this:“With an upgraded avionics suite, theCheyenne II is a great and very safeaircraft,” he says.

Fritz Winkler of Winair GmbH &Co KG also says the PA- 31T 1 has

good purchase to operational costand operation to performance and comfort ratios and agrees the“worst thing is that is not produced anymore.”

He is very satisfied with the valueand satisfied with the maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability andoperating capability. The mostdesirable upgrade, he agrees, is theGarmin GNS 530/430 avionics.

Michel Reinhardt says he is verysatisfied with the maintenance

support, the dispatch reliability, the operating capability and thevalue. “The best aspects are that it iseasy to operate, very fast, veryreliable, and the operating costs arevery low. The worst thing is that it isno longer in production.” The mostdesirable upgrade, he says, are PT6-135 engines.

Dr Walter Ebm of BusinessairFlugzeugverleih GmbH is verysatisfied with the value but says theworst thing is the aircraft’s age and the most desirable upgrades a four-blade propeller and Cleveland brakes.

He is satisfied with themaintenance support, dispatchreliability and operating capabilityand very satisfied with the value. “Thebest aspect is the room and thepayload,” he adds.

Michael Fuchs agrees. “The bestthing is that it is very cheap to operateand capable for short runways but the worst aspect is that the aircraft is ageing and unscheduledmaintenance is increasing.”

He is satisfied with themaintenance support and dispatchreliability and very satisfied with theoperating capability and value.

The end of Cheyenne II production has brought dismay to operators.

Operators feel the PA-31T offers valuefor money.

PA-31T provides unbeatable value for money and‘will never let you down’, operators report

Daniela Flierl of AirGo is happy withthe P180 Avanti I and II and says thatAOG time is minimal. “We are verysatisfied with the maintenancesupport. The manufacturer is locatedin Genoa, a good central position inEurope, and provides 24-7 service sowe have always access for help.

“We have no problems withservice centres in Europe, all ofwhich provide field service.Additionally the aircraft is veryreliable so we don’t have a lot oftrouble. We are very satisfied with thedispatch reliability.”

Four aircraft are in operation butthere has been only one AOG causedby a loose part on the apron. “Wehave jet-like speeds and turbopropfuel costs, a cabin like a midsize jet,runway length like a King Air 200/350and we can take seven passengersand two crew.”

Flierl says the Avanti II price isstable even in a falling market. “Somesay it is now too expensive but we sayit is worth the money and this is whythe price doesn’t drop much.”

The best aspects according toFlierl are the midsize jet comfort at the price of a light jet and the very safe and smooth flyingcharacteristics. “It could have a bit

P180 Avantiowners happywith ‘jet speed

turboprop’

Continued on page 10


ME & MY AIRCRAFT

more range like the super light andmidsize jets.” The only problem, Flierl adds, is that people mightwrongly think that the aircraft mighthave the downside characteristics of a turboprop.

“If you buy the Avanti II you havenearly everything as a standard.Electronic Jeppesen charts are still anoption. I think nearly everybodyorders this option and probably soonit could become a standard as well.The Avanti is a very safe aircraft dueto its flying characteristics with state-of-the art avionics in its class.

“It is very efficient and at highspeeds it has an extremely low fuelconsumption while still being able to carry up to seven passengers andtwo crew.”

Jan Nordstrøm says he is verysatisfied with Piaggio Avanti P180maintenance support. “The supportfrom Genoa has improved verymuch.” He is very satisfied with thedispatch reliability, operatingcapability and value.

“There is high speed, low fuelburn and no noise. The best aspects include the cabin, the speed and

operating cost. The worst thing isthat we have the only one inScandinavia. That means the accessto pilots is limited. We do notconsider an upgrade – we don’t knowwhat aircraft could be better than theP180. It is a great aircraft.”

Eduardo Sorvillo, commenting onthe operation of three P180 Avanti Is,is satisfied with the maintenancesupport and value. He is verysatisfied with the dispatch reliabilityand operating capability.

“The best thing is the comfort andthe worst aspect the maintenancecost and runway requirements,” he says.

His wishlist would include ananti-skid system in order to get betterrunway performance and 45 minutesmore endurance.

When production ceased in 1997 theJetstream line had been flying for 30years, and had continuouslydeveloped during that time. MostJetstreams entered commuter airlineservice, but a significant number areused for business charter aroundEurope too.

Conversions of Jetstreams to vip19-seat configurations mean theycan use more widely availableprivate airfield facilities. Theconversion, operators say, alsopermits very generous personalluggage allowances popular withgolfers, skiers and the like.

The UK’s Jetstream ExecutiveTravel Limited based at Cannock inStaffordshire operates threeJetstreams 31/41 for passenger,freight and air ambulance. Capt.Steve Green says: “There are prettybasic facilities at the Coventry West

Midlands home base. However mostflights out are positioning so thefacilities therefore suffice. Thecompany acquired a Jetstream 31which is performing as expected.The introduction of new clientsthrough brokers is slow due to theeconomic slowdown.”

Turkey’s Redstar Aviation says theJetstream 31/32/41 series is fuelefficient and enables versatile airambulance and 19-passengerexecutive charter configurations.

The company is happy with theavailability of spare parts, themaintenance, the dispatchreliability, and aircraft value. Plusesinclude 700-plus nm range, thestand-up cabin and the adequatestorage facilities. But it points out: “The airspeed, while faster than most turboprops, is slower thanjet aircraft.”

Redstar Aviation adds that thePiaggio Avanti, the King Air 350 andthe Learjet 60XR all have advantagesover the Jetstream.

Marcus Abeln of Helitrans says heis satisfied with the maintenancesupport for the BA32 but unhappywith the dispatch reliability.

“Spare parts are hard to come by,”he comments. But he says he issatisfied with the operatingcapability, very satisfied with thevalue, and regards the price per mileas the best aspect.

“The worst thing is the oldfashioned cockpit and lack of aircraftwith autopilot and the mostdesirable upgrade would be to havethe model 41 EFIS cockpit for model32 aircraft.”

Operators say the Jetstream hasestablished strong demand in thegroup charter sector.

Converted Jetstreams prove ideal for 19-passenger niche in private charter

Fuel efficiency and versatility make the Jetstream popular.

First produced by Swearingen as theMerlin IIA in 1966, and laterextended to accommodate 22passengers as the Metro, this prolificline of turboprops ran to just over1,000 examples. The Metro/Merlinseries may now be relatively old, butEBAN readers report that it still hasoperational attractions especially ifupgraded.

Detlef Döbberthin of Regional AirExpress whose fleet includes an SA227 DC Metro 23, two SA 227AC,Metro III and a SA 227AC Merlin IV, expresses satisfaction withmaintenance and adds: “We arecurrently looking to refurbish allwith the new five bladed propellersby MT Propeller. This is the mostdesirable upgrade along with anoption to convert lighter versionsinto the heavy version.”

The dispatch reliability,Döbberthin reports, is 98% and theoperating capability is satisfactory“especially for the SA 227DC Metro23 which has a great payload/rangeand is a real ‘workhorse’. TheMetro/Merlin is the cheapest aircraft in its class due to the overall cost and we are very satisfiedwith its value. The best thing is theseat cost and comfort with acombined aisle/window seat for any passenger, as well as the

speed and the reliability.”But: “It’s hard to get the IATA IOSA

certification as a Metro/Merlinoperator. The cabin is not very tall(1.45m) which some passengersdon’t like. The best thing is the cheapoperating cost and the speed and theworst thing is the cabin noise andthe low cabin height. It is a robustand versatile aircraft but it has an infinite list of life-limitedcomponents and it could do withmodification of the mid-life airframeinspection schedule.”

Santiago Zorrilla says Fairchild SAhas its own Metro Merlin EASA 145maintenance operation “and wework very hard.”

The company is satisfied with thedispatch reliability and very satisfiedwith the operating capability. “It is agood aircraft for the job. It is verygood for cargo because we can load

seven Euro pallets but the worstthing is that it is quite noisy.”

Javier Lopez Garcia of Zorex AirTransport says the company issatisfied with maintenance and verysatisfied with the dispatch reliabilityand operating capability. “The MetroIII and 23 have the upper hand withincreased MGTOW.”

The best aspects include specificfuel consumption, acquisition costand cargo door size. The worstaspects are ageing aircraft concernsand maintenance hours versusoperational hours while the mostdesirable upgrade is a four-bladepropeller for Metro 2 andTCAS/AGPWS.”

Bruno Sørensen of North FlyingA/S says he is very satisfied with the Metro/Merlin’s maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability,operating capability and value.

Metro/Merlin still casts a spell onoperators but needs power upgrades

MOST POPULAR AVANTI ROUTES

1. Dublin to Tegel

2. Dublin to Caumont

3. Venice to Pisa

4. Côte d’Azur to Venice

5. Dublin to Berlin

6. Norwich to Cannes

7. Rome to Costa Smerelda

8. Orio al Serio to Le Bourget

9. Costa Smerelda to Rome

10. Le Bourget to Naples

* compiled from flight requests toAvinode during June 2009.

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forget those broken commitments.Small management companies with poor economies of scale aresuffering. Similarly, people who fly inexecutive jets have undoubtedlybecome more cost-conscious butprice is not the only issue. As well ascutting down on the number offlights, business travellers are lookingmore closely at the quality of servicethat they are receiving. People stillwant the security of back-up aircraft,for example.

“However, major players cansurvive and, with efficiency andinnovation, place themselves in theperfect position to move forwardwhen the market recovers.”

LEA are one of several operatorswith a base at Oxford airport, wherework has recently been completed ona new hangar large enough toaccommodate an ACJ, BBJ orEmbraer Lineage. The first aircraft toposition there was a long-range G-550, operated by Gama Aviation.

The airport reports that Paris LeBourget is the most populardestination for private travellers,according to an airport review of thefirst year of activity and its oxfordjetbusiness aviation terminal. Guernseytook the number two slot, followed byGeneva, Switzerland; with Jersey andNice in fourth and fifth place. Otherpopular destinations are Cannes,Toussus-Le Noble and Malaga. ParisLe Bourget also tops the arrivals withJersey second, Guernsey third andGeneva and Cannes in the top five.

Hangar 8 is just one company thatis continuing to grow. It has a 22-strong fleet and expects to see itfurther bolstered to 30 aircraft by yearend. In the past three months it hasadded one Hawker 900; three CitationExcels, a Challenger 601 and a CRJ 2+.It is also adding to its Hawker fleetwith a new 900 and 750 along with aPhenom 100.

“As the operator with the largestfleet of Hawkers available for charterin Europe, Hangar 8 knows a thing ortwo about long range operations,”says md Dustin Dryden. “It is rare thata week goes by when we’re not

utilising our worldwide AOC. At atime when some operators have beenstruggling, Hangar 8 have beengrowing ever stronger. Our clientsrecognise this, and have come to trustus as a partner, not just a supplier. Wehave a US visa waiver scheme in placeso Hangar 8 can offer hassle-freetransatlantic flights and EasternEurope has fully opened its doors toour business as well. Business iscertainly increasing, with relativeperformance this summer exceedingthat of last so far. However we areconscious that this can change.”

Dryden adds: “For us, range andcabin size are the two most importantfactors. We have bases in Russia andNice and we are looking to expand thenumber of aircraft we have based inNice. But we are not always activelyrecruiting as we have just completedan operations and flight crewrecruitment drive.”

Dryden recognises that the EC VATinstruction will inevitably have aconsiderable effect on the privateaviation industry. But he says: “We are in a strong position to minimiseour exposure to these extra costs.Only approximately 10% of our flyingis performed within the UK, with themajority being international andtherefore exempt from the changes.The implications for smalleroperators limited by aircraft range,AOC or clientele are considerable andwe expect the change to have asignificant effect on them, but we arenot bracing ourselves for a hugeincrease in costs.”

Rizon continues investment in UK

Rizon, which is centering its ArabGulf region activity on its DohaHeadquarters, has also made a biginvestment in the UK but sees theEC’s VAT move as a severe setback. AtLondon Biggin Hill, Rizon’s second120,000 sq ft maintenance and FBOfacility is on course for completion inlate September 2009. Rizon UKrecently received its EASA145 Part Mand subparts G and I in respect of itsUK operation.

Will Curtis, ceo, says: “All theapprovals and capabilities required tomaintain the Learjet 40 and 45,Challenger 300 and the Cessna550/560 series, the latter in support ofa new management contract, are nowin place and operating from Rizon’stemporary base hangar at LondonBiggin Hill. Approval for maintainingthe Challenger 604/5 is in processnow and is expected, while the GlobalExpress will follow thereafter. Thiswill allow us to offer a full servicefrom day one when the new hangaropens. Indeed we are already inposition to offer support for thesetypes today.

“Most firms that own and operatelarger business jets will have at theirdisposal the means to reclaim the VATthey pay on purchasing andoperating the aircraft. However, ahuge administrative burden will beplaced upon all operators as they willbe forced to make VAT reclaims inevery member state which they visitin the course of their operations. Thiswill add to the burden of an industryalready among the most regulated on the planet. It is difficult tounderstand what, other than politicalprejudice against higher earners andentrepreneurs, could have motivatedthis change in policy.”

Gama Aviation gm Dave Edwardssays that the VAT change will causeproblems. “It’s apparent that thecharter market has been hit fairlysubstantially since the beginning ofthe year, however we’re still verypleased with the levels of business


UNITEDKINGDOMREGIONALREVIEW

Overall business levels have sufferedfor around a year now, but many UKcharter operators are facing thefuture with confidence. While somecompanies are struggling in therecession, others are consolidating tomake the most of the inevitablefuture upturn and a number of fleetsare still expanding.

London Executive Aviation man-aging director George Galanopoulos,says: “Executive air charter operatorsare flying in a tough market atpresent. The economic outlookchanged dramatically in the thirdquarter of last year and a positivechange in fortunes is still a good wayoff. At LEA we have rationalised andrestructured – let’s be honest, we’vecut costs and downsized ouroperation. Sadly, some of the smallerair charter operators have beenforced out of business by the currenteconomic climate.

“Now, in the middle of a recession,is certainly not a good time to start anair charter business. This is no time tobe a ‘babe in the wood’. The marketwill not recover for months and soanyone trying to enter the marketnow will have no chance. The periodbetween October and Easter is alwaysa difficult time in our line of businessand right now those difficulties aretwice as challenging as usual. The bigcasualties will occur during thiscoming winter.”

Patrick Margetson-Rushmore,LEA’s ceo, adds: “People who ownexecutive jets are looking moreclosely at the quality of service thatthey are receiving from themanagement companies with whomthey have placed those aircraft. Falsepromises – both in terms of serviceand economics – are quickly exposedin difficult times and people don’t

Sloane: well-established business.

Operators target profitable growth despitedifficulties of recession-hit business levels

that we’ve seen and we continue tofocus on delivering the higheststandards of service and safety. Forus, the segment that’s been the mostchallenging has been the smallerentry level jets, while they’re stillflying we’re not seeing the levels wehave done for the past three years. I’m particularly interested to see what effect that’s going to have oncompanies who are focussed on the market where they’re reallyrelying on new entrants to themarket, rather than establishedpassengers downsizing.”

Edwards adds: “The year so far hasbeen very positive on the aircraftmanagement front, with goodavailability in the sales market of highquality aircraft at excellent prices andas a result we have seen a number ofour customers purchase eitherreplacement, additional or firstaircraft. In Europe since Januarywe’ve added a Global Express XRSand we’ll very shortly be addinganother, we have an additionalGulfstream IV on the fleet and thissummer will see the arrival of anEmbraer Legacy – a first for us.Perhaps the most exciting piece ofnews is the imminent arrival of a UK-based G550 which will be virtuallydedicated to charter flying from itsbase at Luton – it’s a great addition forus and one which really gives us thefull spectrum of coverage for ourcustomers and their requirements,with that we’ve pushed the fleet toover 30 now based in Europe.”

He says: “Although we’re still verymuch a UK company, we’rewitnessing a great year in NorthAmerica with our US-division. We’veadded 12 aircraft to the fleet there,including Gulfstream, Learjets andFalcons – bringing the totalworldwide to over 70 aircraft now;which we’re all delighted with. Weknew it was going to need asubstantial effort from everyone tomake it work and the effort seems to

have paid off. The project for the restof this year is our continued growth inthe Middle East. We’ve finallyreceived our security approvals andas such we’re now into the AOCapplication phase proper – we’ve set arevised start date of the end ofAugust, which is two months laterthan we’d planned but we’re still very positive about the future for us inthe region.”

His verdict: “All in all, its been agood year, obviously not as busy aswe’d have liked, but there is stillplenty of work out there if you’reproviding the right services and theright service levels – it just would havebeen nicer not to have been battlingwith a global slowdown!”

Ogden: better utilisation for Blink.

The third annual VLJ Europeconference will take place atOxford Airport in September,focused on operations in theentry level and light jet arena,and supported by the Air TaxiAssociation – Europe.

The two-day programme willaddress the challenges facingoperators who wish to establishthemselves in the marketplaceduring what is anunprecedented downturn in thebusiness aviation sector.Operators including Ambeo plc,JetBird, Flairjet, Blink, LondonExecutive Aviation, Grossmannand JetQuik are scheduled toparticipate. Issues explored willinclude TCAS, air corridor,airport infrastructure, customs,security, MRO, pilot trainingand delivery hassles. AlexHendricks, CND deputy directorfor network development atEurocontrol will examine VLJintegration into Europe.

VLJs plantheir future SaxonAir’s Chris Mace: frequent flyers

underpin business.

Hangar 8: developing a 30-strong fleet.

Wyndham London, Chelsea Harbour, London SW10 0XG

Tel : 08701 909 [email protected] • www.greysoflondon.com

Greysof London Ltd

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Edwards says his home base ofFarnborough provides some of thebest business aviation facilities in the UK and Europe. “The recentsuccessful public enquiry has led toincreased movements at weekendswhich has made the airfield evenmore attractive to operators andcustomers alike.”

He adds: “While there are a surplusof pilots on the market at themoment, finding experiencedbusiness jet pilots isn’t perhaps aseasy as one might imagine ascompanies are making sure that theyhold onto their best crews. That said,as the fleet has increased this yearwe have added crews and have beenfortunate to secure some greatindividuals for the roles – after all, theflight crew are sometimes the onlylink the company ever has with thepassengers and its very important forus that they are the right people to bethe company’s public face.”

Edwards says the industry mustbecome better at improving thepublic’s perception of the privatecharter industry. “We have neverreally been a very good industry foruniting to sell the incredible benefitsthat business aircraft bring to thebusiness world and the effect that thishas on the UK.”

Another Farnborough-basedoperation which reports rapid growthis Blink which says that it is stillhiring across operations with one ofthe most recent management recruitsbeing ground operations managerStephen Pickering.

Joint md Peter Leiman says:“There are clear issues with themarket contracting as the globaleconomic downturn affects all typesof business. However, Blink hasperformed very well in thisenvironment, with customers whoare tired of paying to fly on large andover-priced jets using Blink in largenumbers and people who are lookingfor a more efficient solution movingfrom business class on thecommercial carriers.”

Blink has placed an order for 30Mustangs with five currently inservice and two more coming on-stream through the autumn. “Theaircraft is exceptionally reliable andour customers have commented howmuch they enjoy our ‘boardroom inthe sky’ experience,” says joint mdCameron Ogden.

“Our model continues to create farbetter utilisation than the majority ofmanaged aircraft that are availablefor charter – this has seen us reach anannualised 600 hours across the fleet.Though these are very challengingtimes across the whole of aviation weare confident that with Blink we aredelivering the right product at theright time.”

Capital exploits the ‘lowcost of luxury’

The UK market is also benefiting fromsome rotary wing expansion. Oxford-based helicopter charter companyCapital Air Services (CAS) has addedanother EC135 to its twin-enginefleet. Michael Hampton, chief pilotand md says: “It has already carriedits first group of vips across theChannel to Paris. CAS’s latest EC135 isthe most recent version of the twin-

engined IFR helicopter and bringsthe fleet total of that type to three –making CAS the world’s largestoperator of corporate EC135s. As wellas providing increased charteravailability to the company’s clientsand brokers, the larger fleet will allowCAS to fly parties of up to 18 in thesame lavish style.”

Hampton says the EC135 can bechartered for a surprisinglyaffordable price. “One wouldn’tordinarily associate opulence witheconomy of cost but upgrading froman AS355 to one of our EC135s is onlya fractional price increase.”

He adds: “The EC135 is wellknown for its refined ride andspacious leather cabin, so thecompany expects no shortage ofbookings for the third in a growing fleet.”

Cega’s King Airs kept busyMark Ponsford, Cega gm aviation,does not expect, for the time being, toadd to its fleet of Super King Air 200swhich are popular aircraft in the UK(see EBAN’s twin-engine turbopropfocus on Page 7). “We have enoughwork for three 200s and may considerincreasing the fleet size when theholiday sector recovers,” he says. “Wecontinue to operate throughoutEurope and as far afield as Turkey, theNorth African coast and the CanaryIslands: 95% of our business comesfrom the holiday industry and NHStrusts. Working in conjunction withCega Group Services Limited we willalso sub-charter a few flights eachmonth outside Europe, but Europeremains our principal focus. Thevolume of work coming from NHSorganisations remains at the samelevel as last year which has lessenedthe impact of the downturn in theholiday market.”

One advantage of the Super KingAir 200 is the large cabin. “Normallyour medical crews would prefer toadd 20% to the patients’ journey timerather than work in a crampedenvironment,” Ponsford says. “Wecan usually take the patients’relatives and luggage as well. Youwould need a medium size jet tocompete with a King Air on cabinspace, but then the costs startincreasing significantly. The King Aircan fly from the south of Spain backto the UK midlands withoutstopping. This covers the vastmajority of air ambulance transfersback to the UK. The King Air provides

an excellent all round package for ourclients with cabin size versus cost.”

He says Cega Group Services Ltdhas taken on a number of new clients.“Our air ambulance business willgrow proportionately as a directresult of this. This position will beenhanced once the airlines startresuming their ‘pre-recession’ levels.”

Cega operates pre-owned aircraft.Ponsford points out: “The level ofmedical care onboard carries greatersignificance for our clients than theage of the aircraft. By takingadvantage of pre-owned aircraft weare able to pass on cost advantages toour client base. We are planning onfitting Black Hawk engines to one ofour King Airs whose engines are bothdue for overhaul shortly. This willreduce flight times on shorter flights giving even better value to our customers.”

Cega was launched in 1973 byGraham and Clive Ponsford as an airtaxi company operating Senecas andAerostars. Operations soon changed

to meet a growing demand for therepatriation of sick and injuredholidaymakers and domestic NHStransfers by aircraft. The foundersdecided to make Cega a dedicated airambulance service, employing itsown flight and medical crews, namedCega Air Ambulance Ltd.

More than 35 years on, a secondcompany Cega Group Services Ltd,has developed into a leadinginternational claims and assistancegroup. “Cega is still the only medicalassistance company to own andoperate its own fleet of airambulances.”

Ponsford says: “We are pleased tobe in the air ambulance industry. Itseems to be coping better with the downturn than the generalexecutive market. For the time beingthe plan is to keep the business tightand profitable rather than expandany further.”

New clients are keeping Cega busy.

Michael Hampton: developing business.

Gama: Farnborough focus.

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Boutsen delivers firstGulfstreamThierry Boutsen has recentlydelivered his 181st aircraft, a brandnew G150 which is the firstGulfstream sold by BoutsenAviation. “Our servicesencompassed market search,contract negotiation, interiordefinition, pre-delivery inspection,supervision of test flights, deliveryprocedure, creation of an SPC andlast but not least aircraftregistration. We also appointed theright company to manage theaircraft”, he said.

Dominique Trinquet, salesmanager, added: “This is the sixthaircraft we have sold and deliveredthis year. Business has picked uprecently and we have another threepending.”

Eurojet completes BelfastcoverageEurojet Aviation has opened a fullyrenovated business aviation centreat Belfast City airport, comple-menting the Executive Jet Centre it already operates at BelfastInternational.

Zagreb opens businessterminalA Business and General AviationTerminal has been opened atZagreb Airport complete with itsown Croatian customs andimmigration services. It offersamenities including a flightplanning room, lounge,refreshment centre and vip busdaily from 0800 to 2000 local time.

GAMA sets up in BrusselsThe General AviationManufacturers Association (GAMA)has opened a European branchoffice in Brussels, and hired BrianDavey as director of Europeanaffairs. A native of Ireland, Brianwill represent the general aviationmanufacturing industry beforeEuropean institutions in Brusselsas well as the European AviationSafety Agency (EASA) in Cologneand will work with other aviationstakeholders to promote thecontinued development of a safeand sustainable aviation industry.

“The EC and EASA playincreasingly vital roles in shapingthe future of general aviation,” saidPete Bunce, GAMA’s president andceo. “As we posture our industry forthe global economic recovery, wethink the timing could not bebetter to step up our presence in Europe.”

Learjet 85 makes progressBombardier Aerospace reportsprogress with the Learjet 85programme. To date all majorsuppliers, over 30, have beenengaged and are active in the jointdefinition phase. Several productdevelopment milestones, includingthe completion of a second proofof concept fuselage and thesuccessful completion of all wind

tunnel testing have been achievedas the programme heads for entryinto service in 2013.

Cessna offers remotecontrol tugCessna now offers the TraceiTowbot remote-controlled aircrafttowing unit through Cessna PartsDistribution and through itsnetwork of authorised servicefacilities. It is capable of handlingCitations such as the Mustang andCJ series, and allows one person tomove an aircraft up to 30,000pounds (heavy duty version),operating the iTowbot from anyvantage point, reducing the risk ofdamage to the aircraft.

Hawker Beechcraft unveilthe C90GTxHawker Beechcraft has launchedthe King Air C90GTx, offeringenhancements to both payloadand performance.

These include an increase ingross weight and the addition ofcomposite winglets, which improveclimb performance and furtherincrease fuel efficiency. Themaximum ramp weight andmaximum takeoff weight of theC90GTx have been increased by385 pounds to 10,545 and 10,485pounds respectively. The ability tocarry more fuel with higherpayloads increases the fourpassenger range by more than 200nm. The C90GTx will be availablebeginning in early 2010.

Assistair adds Gerona and IbizaAssistair Business AviationHandling has added two new FBOsto its existing Palma, Barcelona ElPrat and Valencia airport bases.The new bases at Gerona and Ibizaairports opened in late June. “Weare actively looking at otherMediterranean destinationsincluding the south of France andItaly,” states CatherineGaisenband, founder and ceo ofthe Assistair group.

Russian, American and MiddleEastern passengers now accountfor about 25% of the company’sFBO business. “The beginning ofthe year was quiet, however Maysaw private aviation activityincrease,” continues Gaisenband.

Piper adds G600 to twinsPiper Aircraft is to add the GarminG600 glass avionics suite to itstwin-engine aircraft; as optionalequipment on the Seneca V andSeminole.

The G600 incorporates twoindividual displays that combineprimary flight data, includingattitude and air data, withnavigation, weather, terrain andtraffic data displayed in an intuitivepictorial format on dual LCDdisplays. It is designed to integratewith Garmin’s panel mount WAASGPS products and replacestraditional mechanical gyroscopicflight instruments with Garmin’ssolid state Attitude and HeadingReference System.

I N D U S T R Y N E W S . . .

Thierry Boutsen: debut delivery.

For contact details, consult www.handbook.aero

UK operators of owned and managedfleets are now carefully evaluating thepotentially adverse impact of aEuropean Commission decision onValue Added Tax (sales tax). The EChas instructed the UK to amend itsVAT legislation in respect of aircraftthat weigh more than 8,000 kg.

Initial reactions suggest thatuncertainty about how theinstruction will be applied andworries about cashflow are amongmajor concerns. It is thought that thechange may be bad for private ownersand operators, but it could increasebusiness for aircraft managers.

Graham Brearley, an aviationspecialist and senior VAT manager atGrant Thornton UK LLP, points out:“Until now, such aircraft have notbeen subject to VAT at the standardrate in the UK. Other than cash flow, the impact on AOC operatorsshould be fairly minimal as they areclearly operating in a businesscapacity and should be entitled toreclaim any VAT that they incur ontheir flight activities.”

But: “In an already difficult market,the addition of VAT to the cost ofbuying and flying private jets is likelyto sound the death knell for asignificant number of owners,operators and manufacturers.Currently, the cost of acquiring,maintaining and handling qualifyingaircraft in the UK is VAT free. Theaddition of the standard rate of VAT(currently 15% due to rise back up to17.5%) to these costs will have asignificantly damaging impact on theindustry, and could make thedifference between whether tocontinue flying or not.”

The main impact, Brearleypredicts, will be on private operators.“If the law is changed so that VAT ispayable, the big question to resolve iswhether the VAT can be reclaimed. Ifthe aircraft is used wholly for businesspurposes, this should not be an issue.However, in the majority of cases, theaircraft is also used for non-businesspurposes or for the private purposesof the owners. In such circumstances,this non-business or private use willgive rise to a potentially significantVAT cost which cannot be reclaimed.”

The recession has reduceddemand for private flying butmanaged fleets in the UK tended tofeel under a lesser financial pressurebecause the owners had made thecapital outlay on the jets. “Howevermany owners on AOCs use their jetsfor private owner purposes as well asbusiness charter purposes and thiscould be an area for concern.”

If the law is changed, owners andoperators will only be able to reclaimthe VAT incurred on these costs if theaircraft is used wholly for taxablebusiness purposes. “Where an aircraftis used partly for business and partlyfor private purposes, which is quiteoften the case, the VAT incurred willnot be claimable in full. Aircraftowners and operators shouldtherefore review their budgets andforecasts with their VAT advisers.”

But Brearley points out: “Untilsuch time as HMRC (the UK taxauthority) makes it clear what thenew law will be and who will beaffected, it is difficult to commentwith any degree of certainty. What isclear however is that the UK’sarbitrary 8,000 kg weight limit, whichhas been in place since VAT wasintroduced in the UK in 1973, is nolonger acceptable to the EUCommission. For an aircraft to qualifyfor exemption from VAT, the EUdirective stipulates that the aircraftmust be ‘used by airlines for rewardchiefly on international routes.’ This

exemption must be construednarrowly so that only those aircraftwhich meet this strict criteria willqualify. The main questions to beresolved are firstly, whether AOCoperators will be regarded as ‘airlinesoperating for reward’, and secondly,are the standard business jets of akind used by airlines?”

Will Curtis, Rizon ceo, is outspokenon the UK VAT issue. “This is typical of the way that the EU legislates –from a position of comprehensiveignorance and without consultationof any description.”

James Dillon Godfray, head ofmarketing and development atOxford Airport, sees an upside. “Thisis potentially bad news for the Manxregister, Cayman, Bermuda, Arubaetc. but good news for UK AOCoperators who will now have privateoperators wanting them to put their aircraft on an AOC in order forthe operation to be deemed‘commercial’ and therefore facilitatere-claiming VAT.”

He refers to the EC explanationthat the exemption only applies to anairline ‘operating for reward chieflyon international routes’ and adds:“That is exactly what the likes of LEAor Hangar 8 do. The definition of an‘airline’ does require furtherclarification though as it is open tosome ambiguous interpretation in thecontext of business aviation.Furthermore the EuropeanCommission has extended theseexemptions to aircraft operating ondomestic routes, so this would benefitthem even further because currentlyany internal flights that they operatecarry VAT. Assuming the EC does force the UK’s hand then I would

imagine that more privately ownedaircraft above the weight thresholdwould want to be involved with AOC operators.”

The EC says it has formallyrequested the UK to amend itslegislation governing the VATexemption for transactions related to

aircraft, since it is based on criteriadifferent from, and inconsistent with,those employed in the VAT Directive.

The request is communicated inthe form of a ‘reasoned opinion’. Thisis the second step of the infringementprocedure provided for in Article 226of the EC Treaty. “If, within twomonths, the relevant national rulesare not amended in order to complywith the reasoned opinion, theCommission may decide to refer thematter to the European Court ofJustice,” it warns.

Article 148 of the VAT Directiveexempts from VAT certain supplies ofgoods and services related to aircraft.The essential condition for thoseexemptions to apply is that theaircraft must be “used by an airlineoperating for reward chiefly oninternational routes”. In Case C-382/02 the European Court ofJustice ruled that the exemptionsapply even for an aircraft operatingon domestic routes, as long as it isused by such an airline.

But the EC says: “The UK appliesthe exemptions according to differentcriteria, those of the weight of theaircraft and of its design. Any aircraftunder 8,000 kg is not exempted evenwhere it is used by an airline meetingthe relevant conditions. Conversely,aircraft of a weight over 8,000 kg andnot designed nor adapted for privatepleasure flying is exempted, and thateven where the aircraft is not used byan airline operating for reward chieflyon international routes. In view of theabove, the Commission has formallyrequested the United Kingdom tochange its national rules.”

Additional paperworkGama Aviation’s gm Dave Edwardspoints out that business aviationcontributes over £3.5 billion to the UK economy and employs more than50,000 in the country.

Edwards says the addition of 15%or 17.5% to the purchase andoperating costs of private aircraft willhave a severe and deep impact on theindustry in the UK and will favourcompetitors from outside Europe.“Although there is the possibility ofclaiming back the VAT, this will stillcause potentially huge cash flowissues for operators and will be yetanother nail in the coffin of smalleroperators without substantialresources. To implement this changein such a rapid manner, with virtuallyno industry discussion, opinion ordebate would be, frankly, ill-considered at this time.”

EC tax decision may cause cashflowproblems for some UK owners

Rizon chief executive Will Curtis: no consultation.

Dave Edwards: critical of EC decision.

Assistair: expanding.


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BUSINESS AIR NEWS

E U R O P E A N

Squirrel hops betweenGreek islands

Page 4Geneva managers add604 to roster

Page 6PC12 fractional schemegrows apace

Page 8Venerable helicopteroperator clocks upthree million

Page 10German broker offersCheyenne II for sale

Page 14Plus our full Danish review

Page 16 - 18

ISSUE 108 SEPTEMBER 2001

Leeds-Bradford based Multiflight will be the first UK owner of a BBJ2 when the green aircraft is handed over at the end of September. See full story on page 12

www.bizjet.com/eban

More than two and a half years have

elapsed since Muk Air started putting

a VFW-614 aircraft on the Danish

register. With TCAS recently installed,

the aircraft is now available for freight

and passenger charter but says owner

Ruben Werjefeldt, he’d never have

tried in the first place if he’d known

how long it was going to take.He said: “It’s been a long and

somewhat political fight. Early on,

problems which we had to overcome

included both support and

maintenance issues.“It took me a year and a half to

convince Airbus to cooperate but

since then, over the last year and a

half, they have been very supportive.

“During the certification process,

an educated crew went elsewhere and

the loss of revenue went into seven-

digit numbers. If I’d known it was

going to take this long, I’d never have

tried to do it. There are more

attractive things you can do.”Muk Air’s 614 aircraft can be

configured to accommodate 18 or 44

passengers or for the purposes of

freight. It is the latter which Muk Air

hopes to pursue the most. Said

Werjefeldt: “There’s less trouble in

freight. If you’re delayed, you don’t

have to book hotel rooms for 44

passengers; if it is a little bumpy, no

one vomits; and if you fly in a

turboprop, no one wants a refund.”

With regard to the vip market,

Werjefeld says one of the aircraft’s

main strengths lies in its ability to

land on short runways. He told EBAN:

“In an 18-seat configuration fully

loaded, I can land at any airport that a

Citation II can land at. We can get

down as short as 800 metres if we are

light – which is unheard of for a

46,000 pound aircraft.”The incentive for vips to fly in a

614, says Werjefeld, does not end

there. “It has a fully stand-up cabin,”

he said. Helmut Kohl preferred the

614 a lot more before the Challengers.

“You have a big first class seat, you

have a hot oven, refrigerators, large

stand-up toilet and big mahogany

tables where you could play roulette if

you wanted.“In the business jet market, it’s for

people who want the extra space. It’s

more than you have in a Dornier 328

JET, it’s larger than the Gulfstream

and if you consider the square area of

the plane, it’s only beaten by the BBJ

and ACJ.”Asked whether potential charter

customers may fret over the safety of

an old aircraft, Werjefeld said: "The

aircraft has been maintained in the

same way as the British Queen’s

Flight; everything has been half-

normal life-cycle.” In terms of economics, Muk Air is

confident that for the right customer,

the 614 could present a huge saving.

Werjefeld explained: “If you compare

it with business aircraft which offer

similar capability and space, and you

want to go somewhere where the size

of the runway might be an issue, then

the price is half what others would

ask. A Global Express, Gulfstream or

Falcon 900 would all have a challenge

getting down on La Maule in St

Tropez. I don’t have any problem and

I’m half the price.“Conversely, if you’re considering

an international trip, we couldn’t

compare with any of these

three aircraft. With 1,300 nautical

miles, we’re way too short

for intercontinental range but

for intra-European trips, we’d be

very competitive.”Muk Air has another 614 which has

been on a US register for two

years and will soon be added to the

Danish register.

‘Supremely-maintained’ VFW-614finally joins Danish register

Leeds awaitsUK’s first BBJ2

Adamantis has purchased a Falcon

900, which is currently managed

by charter and sales broker

Air Entreprise. Vice president Arnaud Poisson

said: “The owner chose the 900

because he wanted a long range

aircraft with a large cabin. We were

also keen to have such an aircraft

available in our charter fleet, as many

of our customers were asking to

charter a long range aircraft.” So far the Falcon’s destinations

have included Africa, the West Indies

and the US. Air Entreprise also manages a

Falcon 50 and owns a twin jet

Aerospatiale Corvette. Poisson

added: “The Falcon 900 is very good

for our image. We have a mixture of

private individuals, company

presidents and show business stars,

so obviously such an aircraft will

attract a great deal of interest.” The

aircraft is an addition to the

existing fleet.Air Entreprise has a large

hangar and a private terminal at

its Le Bourget, Paris base,

combined with handling and

maintenance departments. Poisson said: ”We are currently

working on expansion plans, but have

yet to decide what level of investment

to put in. “The French charter market is

strong and not particularly affected

by economic variables, so we don’t

feel that the investment will be

affected by the US slow down.” The company has found that the

market has remained stable, Poisson

explained: “The private jet market is

very special, as it only concerns a

small number of people world wide.

Consequently it’s difficult to

introduce new ideas onto the market,

although fractional ownership

appears to be succeeding.” The company has found the sales

market to be relatively buoyant also,

and believes it will continue to grow.

“The price of aircraft is currently

being pushed down by the deflated

US market, which has knocked onto

Europe and increased demand,”

he said.

Air Entrepriseoffers long haulflights with itsFalcon 900

Air Taxi has purchased a King Air 200

from Regourd Aviation. Ground

operations manager Jean Pierre

Florent said: “The company chose the

King Air because it suits our needs

perfectly. The range of the aircraft is

around 1,500 nautical miles and the

cabin holds between seven and nine

passengers, depending upon our

configuration.”Air Taxi is based in Tours, France

and operates as a charter company

concentrating solely on a French

client base. The company has already

made a number of domestic and

international flights, particularly

cross-channel, including: Oxford,

Inverness and Farnborough.

Customers are generally vips, ranging

from corporate executives to private

individuals and celebrities. “The

French charter market is not very

strong at the moment. I don’t really

know what has led to the present

climate but it is possibly the influence

of the US market,” explained Florent.

When asked why the company had

chosen a particularly slow time to

purchase an aircraft, Florent replied:

“If a company cannot offer a

sufficient number of aircraft for

charter then customers will look

elsewhere. We bought the aircraft

despite market conditions, because

we are hoping and expecting for a rise

in demand in the foreseeable future.”

Air Taxi startsfleet build-upwith King Air 200

An example of the VFW-614, now offered

by MukAir for charter.

Leeds awaitsUK’s first BBJ2

HANDbook of

business aviation

in Europe

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

0809

HANDbook of

business aviation

in Europe

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

0809

BUSINESS AIR NEWS

E U R O P E A N

Pilatus makescomplaint to JAAPage 4

Swedes launch websitefor air charter

Page 5Portuguese delightedwith Citation X addition

Page 9Plus: Where and who tocharter in Ireland

Pages 12-13

ISSUE 117 July 2002

An EBACE press conference provides the setting for Signature Flight Support to join forces with the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in establishing a handling facility at

Toulon-Hyeres Airport. (L-r) Jonathan Soper (Signature), Bernard Lecat, Bernard Stouff (both CCI), Louis Demarque and Peter Whitehead (both Signature). Full story, page 14.

www.ebanmagazine.com

All for one at ToulonOne of Europe’s largest real estate

developers has placed an order

with Embraer for a Legacy aircraft.

Spain’s Fadesa made the announce-

ment at this year’s EBACE, adding

that the aircraft would replace the

company’s existing Hawker 700 in

September of this year.The Legacy will be based in La

Coruña, where the company has its

headquarters, and will carry out

corporate missions to Spain,

Portugal, Romania and Morocco,

where Fadesa is currently active.

“We were looking for a larger

aircraft,” said Jose Luis Macia, Fadesa

financial director. “Our main criteria

were reliability, cabin volume and

value. The Legacy very quickly

became the best, that is to say the

only choice.”Speaking to EBAN's Richard Evans

at the show, Embraer vice chairman

Sam Hill said: “Most of Fadesa's

missions will fall in the category of

2,000nm or under although they will

occasionally need to fly 3,000nm.

They’ve already got several trips

planned to the US.“We’re delighted with the order

and see it as a real breakthrough for

us to start selling and delivering

airplanes in Europe. We’re also

delivering our first airplane into

Europe next month and although

we’re unable to disclose the

customer’s name, the operator will be

GV Executive of Zurich.”

Embraer is now waiting for JAA

certification, which Hill says he

expects next month. While the Fadesa

order brings the total order book for

the Legacy to 74 firm orders and 94

options, we asked Hill about the

Legacy’s popularity specifically in

Europe. He said: “We’ve just started

making inroads into the European

marketplace. We’re delivering two

airplanes into Europe this year which

may not seem like much but for us,

it’s a beginning and we think it's going

to grow substantially. “At the current time, the US is still

the largest market, followed by South

America, where we’ve had some

sales in Brazil.” An extra incentive for operators

in Europe to buy Legacy aircraft is

the announcement of the Total

Legacy Care (TLC) maintenance

programme. The programme covers

scheduled and unscheduled airframe

maintenance during the five-year

period after the delivery of a

customer’s aircraft. When selecting the TLC program,

the customer or operator of a Legacy

pays a fixed hourly rate for the

airframe maintenance based on the

hours flown and operational

parameters. Said a spokesman: “This

covers virtually all the airframe line,

base and heavy maintenance

operations leaving the customer free

to concentrate on the best utilisation

of his Legacy.” TLC is based on a minimum of 400

Spanish developer ready todeploy Europe’s second Legacy

TAG Aviation used this year’s EBACE

to showcase its new handling and

office facilities at Geneva Airport.

The FBO moved just ten metres from

its old premises, which was

considered too small to handle the

increase in traffic passing through.

The company moved into the 300-

metres-squared handling facility and

1,500-metres-squared European

administrative headquarters in April,

a month after completion. Handling supervisor John

Christian said: “We moved because

it’s important to have brand new

facilities in Geneva. PrivatAir and Jet

Aviation were also going to move

here, so it was important to be in this

business centre.” The facilities

include a quick departure lounge and

a larger private lounge with DVD,

refrigerator, coffee machines and

internet access. Along with this is

another spacious lounge with the

same equipment, which can

accommodate a group of twenty. The

crew lounge has a direct view of the

passengers arrival in order to

maximise time efficiency. “We are

TAG reacts to competition at Geneva

Sloane Helicopters has added a Bell

206B helicopter to its AOC in the UK

after what operational services

director Paul Forster described as a

“very long, laborious and painful re-

registration.” The company first spotted the

potential addition in Greece 12

months ago. “We were over there

on a trip and noticed a charter

company had started to cannibalise

two aircraft to keep one of their fleet

flying. We then put a silly bid in for

both machines and they took us up

on it,” he said.The project to make one aircraft

out of the parts was initially

designated for any spare-time that

Sloane’s engineers had. But after a particularly busy year

it was decided that a couple of

workers should be dedicated to

the completion. “From the builders’

point of view it went very

smoothly, particularly as there wasn’t

any real urgency. “It was only after the work had

finished around four months ago

that it became a nightmare due to

Greek bureacracy regarding the

documentation. In fact we eventually

thought it wouldn’t happen, but then

miraculously it came through,”

explained Forster.The Bell will mainly be used for

flight training and charter. “It just

came on the fleet 10 days ago, so it’s

only done some self-fly hire with

some of the members down here but

they’ve all reacted positively to it,”

said Forster. The company didn’t start to

promote the aircraft until the paper

work was completed, so now was the

time to start: “It’s a nice machine –

there’s a brand new interior and it’s

been completely resprayed. “It charters at £480 per hour and

fills the niche for those wanting to go

down to the races (Ascot, Epson), the

Grand Prix and an advantage of

having floats is that it can also go to

Battersea,” he added.This is Sloane’s only Bell 206B and

complements its range of Agusta

109s. “After this I’d like to put a Twin

Squirrel on the fleet (which I know I

could find some good business for)

and also an EC-120,” said Forster.

Sloane proves thatone Bell beatstwo halves


JAA certification is expected imminently

for Embraer’s Legacy.



Despite the economic downturnand problems such as the VAT change,UK airports of all types are looking atlaunching or expanding privateaviation services. Coventry hasopened a new dedicated executive jetcentre and Royal Air Force Northolt, amilitary airfield west of London, aimsto increase business.

Squadron leader Graham Thorpe,officer commanding futureoperations, says: “Northolt hasrecently been updating all of itsprocedures including providing anonline slot booking process. With2012 just around the corner, we arekeen to ensure that the business and

corporate community are aware ofour availability and how we can meettheir requirements both now and intothe future.”

Liverpool John Lennon airportalso has charter operators that areexpanding their fleets. Wayne Barrett,operations director of Ravenair, says it now operates four PartenaviaP.68s, five Piper twin pistons and three Learjet 45s with thecompany also using Manchester andthe Isle of Man for passenger, freight,

air ambulance/medevac, survey/surveillance, photography/film,aerial works, sightseeing/leisure andhazardous freight. “We run an FBOvia our sister company LiverpoolAviation Services.”

One positive sector, he reports, isenvironmental surveys flights. “Weare currently looking for more Learjet45 charter business for aircraftmanaged for the owners.”

SaxonAir boosted by loyalfrequent flyers

Christopher Mace, md of SaxonAirCharter, says the current economicdownturn has affected the level ofbusiness from less frequentcharterers.

However, he says: “Our frequentflyers are still flying frequently andunderpinning our continuedbusiness. We have found a steadyincrease in business all throughoutthis year and in some areas exceededlast year’s results month on month.”

The SaxonAir fleet will includePhenom 100 and 300s, the Super King Air 200 and 300, Beechjet 400and the Mustang. The fleet isdeployed for passenger, freight, airambulance/ medevac, survey/surveillance, photography/film andhazardous freight.

The company is run from its ownbusiness aviation centre alongside itshandling division, SaxonAir FlightSupport. “Therefore our own facilitiesare available for visiting private andbusiness aviation passengers andcrew,” Mace explains. “We are nowbringing online the Super King Air350, Mustang and Hawker 400XP. Welook forward to bringing these types

into the market and the biggestchange is providing a more modernfleet with the oldest of the three newaircraft being less than 12 monthsold. We are finding more and moreclients are becoming more consciousof the age of the aircraft and see safetythrough modern fleets with welltrained professional crew.”

Mace says SaxonAir has had manymore applications recently, especiallyfrom former airline crew and newlyqualified commercial pilots. “Findinggood rated pilots can still be aproblem, therefore budgeting for typeratings is essential,” he points out.

He reports: “The market is steadyand, as always, has peaks and lows,but we have found it to be goodespecially over the past two months.We promote ourselves through onlineand direct marketing and especiallythrough affiliate companiesproviding associated services inconnection with private air travel.”

Sloane, Skybus and PremiAircelebrate anniversaries

New companies always appear mostvulnerable in recessions. The UK,however, has many well-establishedprivate charter businesses. Skybus,which flies to the Isles of Scilly from Lands End, Newquay, Exeter andSouthampton, is celebrating its 25thanniversary. The company says: “We launched a campaign to searchout passengers, crew and pilots fortheir stories, memories andrecollections about the airline andhow it has changed over the 25 years in business.”

In June 2009, Northampton-basedSloane Helicopters hosted a triplecelebration at Sywell Aerodrome. Itcommemorated the company’s 40thanniversary, the 20th anniversary of its Sywell aerodrome headquarters,and the recent completion of a new building extension, whichincorporates a new flying school, aflight training simulator, a new stores department, and additionalmodern offices.

In 1969 David George foundedSloane Helicopters with one AgustaBell 47J. After five years of operatingHiller 12Es and Bell 47s, Sloane wasappointed the UK distributor forHughes Helicopters. And in 1976, itwas made the sole UK distributor forRobinson Helicopters.

In June 1989, Sloane opened itscurrent premises at Sywell and, in 1992 it was approved as a customer

service facility for Bell Helicopters. The company in 1995 became the sole UK.and Ireland distributor forAgusta helicopters, then opened atraining facility in Mallorca and, in2007, a maintenance operation inIreland. Sloane has remained in theprivate ownership of its chairman,David George.

PremiAir is marking its 30thanniversary this year. The companyrestructured its business during 2008,moving its fixed-wing maintenanceactivity and hangarage to OxfordAirport, and dedicating its existingBlackbushe Airport facilities tohelicopter maintenance. PremiAirnow has bases at Denham,Blackbushe, Oxford and Farnboroughairports. It operates a fleet of 18 twin-engined executive helicopters onmanagement programmes, providingturnkey services to their owners, flyingapproximately 4,000 hours a year.

PremiAir, sister company to the vonEssen luxury hotel group, manages theonly commercially licensed heliport inthe UK’s capital. Late this year it will be unveiling the brand new LondonHeliport passenger terminal. Theheliport will be complemented by abrand new five star luxury hotel, vonEssen’s first in London and newlynamed ‘Hotel Verta’ to recognise whatis London’s vertical gateway.

It runs the London Heliport ShuttleService and says the seamlessconnection between key businessairports around the UK and the capitalcity is popular. The shuttle serviceoffers dedicated fixed price flights to meet private jet arrivals fromairports including Farnborough,Luton, Oxford, Biggin Hill, Heathrowand Gatwick.

Synergy Aviation’s packageof services proves popular

Synergy Aviation is anotherexpanding company which isenlarging its fleet and enjoyingoperating from new offices.

Glen Heavens, md, says: “Themove to the new HQ offices atFairoaks was to accommodate recentgrowth and additional staff. The newoffices offer conference facilities anda new computer system. Synergy hasenjoyed significant growth in the lastsix months. As the fleet has continuedto grow we have increased staffinglevels as well as moving to muchlarger premises.”

Commercial manager PaddyMagan adds: “With the economicdownturn many aircraft owners arereviewing their assets and their costbases. Synergy offers a truly differentapproach to aircraft managementwhich offers real and measurablevalue to aircraft owners. The packageoffers some unique services such asfull accountancy services providingmonthly profit and loss accounts aswell as complete end of yearaccounts. The financial gain toowners is significant as Synergy’stransparent management modelensures that only when the owner isbenefiting financially from charterwill Synergy.” Synergy recently addedthe CJ2+ to its fleet.

Oasis Flight, Oxford’s newest airtaxi operator, is operating two Cessna303 pistons and its goal is to offeraffordable air charter with the twoaircraft, each seating five passengers.“It is actually cheaper to fly privatelywith Oasis Flight to Newcastle fromOxford, than travel first class by rail,”the company claims.

Some charter operators areexpanding but others, including thesmall ones, will be worried about VATtax complications at a time ofdepressed business levels. Suppliersof services are also not too pleased atthe EC’s VAT instruction.

The UK’s charter industry isgenerally hardy and well-establishedbut the consensus is that the EC’s VAT move is both unwelcome andbadly timed.

Tom McQuade and David McRobert discuss PremiAir’s plans.

Rizon: fleet and facilities development.

Capital Air Services: refined offering.

The 2009/10 EBAN Handbook of Business Aviation in Europegives details of many more UKcharter operators. It also listsbusiness aviation facilities andservices including airports, FBOsand maintenance centres. Thedetails can be accessed onlinethrough a search of aircraftoperated or the airport bases. Formore information please visitwww.handbook.aero

Comprehensive UK online data free-of-charge



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AW139

S/N 41016 Brand new! Fly home today!Stunning Pininfarina edition! FullWarranty, pilot and mechanic training,VVIP int, Cocoon II soundproofing, airconditioning, baggage extension, extendedfuel tanks. A must see! Tel: +1 954 771 1795Aero Toy Store Inc. Web:www.aerotoystore.com. Email:[email protected]

BOMBARDIER

Challenger 604

S/N 5370. Excellent pedigree, TT 4,716hours. New Midcoast paint and interior,nine passenger, extended cabinw/additional window, unique aft lav w/twoclosets, Airshow 400, Aerial View cameras,fax/copier/scanner, A must see! Tel: +1 954771 1795 Aero Toy Store Inc. Web:www.aerotoystore.com. Email:[email protected]

Challenger 605

S/N 5738 Brand new! LX model, JAR-OPScompliant, pilot and mechanic training,FAR Part 135 FDR, 3D Map and Long RangeCruise, LDS, nine passenger w/berthabledivan, Two 20” monitors, Airshow 410 andmore! Tel: +1 954 771 1795 Aero Toy StoreInc. Web: www.aerotoystore.com. Email:[email protected]

Global 5000

To be delivered direct from manufacturer.ALL manufacturer warranties andentitlements intact. Available forshort/long term lease or sale. Turn keymanagement and assistance with financingavailable. Owner financing available. Tel:+1 207 593 6119 Private Jet Charters. Web:www.pjcharter.com. Email:[email protected]

MarketplaceAircraft for sale

Contact Mark Ranger on: +44 (0)1279 714509 [email protected]

Global ExpressS/N 9139: New Pininfarina Edition interior!Factory warranty! Only 1,550 hrs TT! JAR-OPS compliant, engines on corporate care,heads-up display, Triples, 13 pax w/fourplace conference group midcabin and 16Gdivan aft, forward & aft lavs. Tel: +1 954 7711795 Aero Toy Store Inc. Web:www.aerotoystore.com. Email:[email protected]

Global Express XRS“Pininfarina Edition”. Brand new! Fly hometoday! Full factory warranty, pilot andmaintenance training, JAR-OPS 1compliant, HUD, Triples, SATCOM, ACARS,lightning sensor. Two 21” bulkheadmonitors, high speed data, 14 passenger,forward and aft lavs and more! Tel: +1 954771 1795 Aero Toy Store Inc. Web:www.aerotoystore.com. Email:[email protected]

CESSNA

Citation CJG BVCM, CJ 525-0022, TTAF 2,966 hours.Zero hour engines. One owner, ProParts.Eligible for Williams TAP, Honeywell SPZ5000, Honeywell CNI 5000 stack. Mode Scompliant, GNS XLS, Trimble 2000 GPS,RVSM. Offers, please contact CraigLammiman, Tel: +44 (0) 7518398168 Web:www.jetconcept.co.uk. Email:[email protected]

Citation CJ2Sensational chance: SN 102, Top condition,year of constr. 10/2002, TT 1,365 hours, 970landings, 2+6 seats, completely equipped,all SBs, hangar-based in EDDK (Germany),1st hand from private owner, Price: US$4.25m. Tel: +49 2645 131 4407 Email:[email protected]

DASSAULT

Falcon 900EX EASy2003, Single owner aircraft. Available for

immediate delivery. Turn key managementand assistance with financing available. Tel:+1 207 593 6119 Private Jet Charters. Web:www.pjcharter.com. Email:[email protected]

EUROCOPTER

EC135P2+2009, Brand new model. TT 24 hours.Ferrari red, 5+2 pax VIP version, tan leather.Single or dual pilot IFR. Enhancedsoundproofing. Emergency Floats (fixedparts). Contact Cliff Fournier, tel: +(6) 037845 4677 Solaire Helicopters. Web:www.solaireheli.com. Email:[email protected]

GULFSTREAM

G-IVSPRare 16 seat configuration available forsale, worldwide charter, short/long termlease. Turn key management andassistance with financing available. Totalrefurbishment in 2008 by Gulfstream KSAV.Tel: +1 207 593 6119 Private Jet Charters.Web: www.pjcharter.com. Email:[email protected]

G550To be delivered direct from themanufacturer. All manufacturer warrantiesand entitlements intact. Available for sale,worldwide charter, short/long term lease.Turn key management and assistance withfinancing available. Tel: +1 207 593 6119Private Jet Charters. Web:www.pjcharter.com. Email:[email protected]

HAWKER BEECHCRAFT

King Air 200G-SAXN, EU-OPS operated aircraft.9250TTAF. 4-blade props, wing-lockers,dual aft strakes, fully Enclosed gear doors,performance leading edges, frake exhausts,steep approach supplement. Ten seatsincluding crew, newly refurbished leather2008. Ideal first turbo-prop aircraft.US$997,500. Chris Mace Tel:+44(0)1603510110 SaxonAir. Web:www.saxonair.com. Email:[email protected]

Career opportunities

Job advertisements can be placed at a cost of UK£41 per single column centimetre, the minimum depth being five centimetres. Jobopportunity advertisements are also included on the EBAN web site free-of-charge.

Hawker 800A

1987, N518S , SN: 258074 TTAF 8,807 hours.

Fresh 12/24/48 months inspection.

Available for short/long term lease or sale.

Turn key management and assistance with

financing available. Total refurb in 2008.

Tel: 207 593 6119 Private Jet Charters. Web:

www.pjcharter.com. Email:

[email protected]

Hawker 800B

1989, G-DCTA, S/N: 8130. TTAF 6,230

hours. MSP Gold. Fresh 12/24/48 months

inspection. Priced for immediate sale

$2.95m. Contact: Roger Stainton, JetFlight

Ltd, Tel: +44 1353 661636 JetFlight Ltd.

Email: [email protected]

Hawker 800XP

CN-DNN, S/N 258435 1999 model priced to

sell $4,495,000 USD. Engines & APU on

MSP. Operating JAR Ops 1. Global AFIS,

Entertainment system: VCR, CD player,

Airshow 400. Partial interior refurb Aug.

2007, new paint May 2006. Soft grey/beige

leather interior, dark high-gloss woodwork.

Tel: +1 201 891 0881 Leading Edge Aviation

Solutions. Web: www.leas.com. Email:

[email protected]

Hawker 850XP

OE-GNY, S/N 258859 $10,750,000 USD.2007 model. Engines & APU on MSP. Steepapproach certified. Operating JAR-Ops 1.Creamy beige leather 8 pax. interior,exquisite cabin lighting, high glosswoodwork. Forward 4-pl. club seating, aft3-place divan & 1 seat. Ample storage,Belted lavatory. Tel: +1 201 891 0881Leading Edge Aviation Solutions. Web:www.leas.com. Email:[email protected]

Premier 1

G-CJAG, Amazing value - reduced to$2.995m. S/N: 122. First registeredDecember 2005, JAR-OPS 1, UK-basedPremier 1. Fresh from 1,200 hours check.Only 990 cycles. Great cabin. Fast. LowDOCs. Contact: Roger Stainton, JetFlightLtd, Tel: +44 1353 661636 JetFlight Ltd.Email: [email protected]

PIAGGIO

Avanti

2004, TTAF 1000hrs, Excellent condition,TCAS, TAWS, RVSM, JAR and FAA ready.Priced for immediate sale. Tel +49 633297200 Winair Germany. Email:[email protected]

Position: Charter Sales andFlight OperationsProfessional

Type: Fulltime

In order to strengthen our Essen/Muelheim based sales and operations team,we are looking for an experienced Customer Services Professional.

Activities / Responsibilities:

Abilities / Requirements:

entrepreneurial skills with professional attitudeteam player

Please send your CV to [email protected]

The Aircraft Market in Real TimeAircraft Shopper Online

®

Looking to buy a

pre-owned business aircraft?

Buyers use ASOFor more information call +1-732-704-9561

or visit us at www.aso.com

A

www.ASO.com

ASO has worldwide for sale listings of business jets and

turbo-props that will meet every mission profile. With

thousands of listings, ASO.com is the most up to date

and comprehensive online marketplace for pre-owned

business aircraft. With powerful search capabilities, cus-

tomized aircraft email alerts and enhanced buying tools,

ASO is the best place to find your next aircraft. Spend

less time searching andmore time choosing the business

aircraft that’s right for you.

As an air charter operator how much of yourbusiness is booked by brokers? Forty per

cent? Sixty per cent, or more?

The charter broker is a vital link in the business airtransport process, and in some cases they accountfor a majority of a fleet’s flight hours.

This magazine is for them.

You’ll never find a better opportunity to put your services in front of buyers from all overEurope and Middle East.

Contact Mark Ranger 01279 [email protected]

Or visitwww.charterbroker.aero for more information

New issue

out now

Documents

European Business Air News - August 2009