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Farnborough-based TAG Aviation hasbecome the first business aviationoperator to receive approval from theUK CAA for paperless cockpits, usingiPads to replace paper flight deckdocuments.

TAG is now equipping crewsacross its managed fleet with iPadswhich will serve as Class I EFBs andwill be loaded with Vistair DocuNetand Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeckapplications. DocuNet, a cloud-based library publication system,enables crews to download andmanage TAG Aviation operationalflight deck documents using theiriPads. Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeckallows crews to access aeronauticalarrival and departure information forairports worldwide. It can also beaccessed via Class 3 EFB primaryflight displays.

“The introduction of paperlesstechnology will ensure that pilotshave up-to-date, essential infor-mation at their fingertips,” says RussAllchorne, vp of flight operationsEurope. “Flights manuals, manufac-turer’s documents and aeronauticalflight charts can be updated at thetouch of a button instead of the time-

consuming and wasteful process ofmanually updating hard copies.

“At TAG we are committed toidentifying ways to pioneer standardsin flight operations and widerbusiness aviation practices to

improve efficiency, safety and ourenvironmental footprint.”

TAG is also hoping to save fuel bygoing paperless; manual flight bagscan weigh between 20kg and 30kg,whereas the iPad weighs less than1kg. Operating manuals, navigationcharts, reference handbooks, flightchecklists, logbooks and weatherinformation can all now be accessedvia the device and the electronicversion will save printing costs. TAGhas a managed fleet of 140 aircraftand plans to implement the paperlessapproach in each member of its fleet,including those under Swiss, Spanish,Middle Eastern and Asian AOCs.

“This represents a significant step forward for our pilots,” explainschief pilot Mark Blois-Brooke. “Theuse of Jeppesen Mobile FliteDeckelectronic charts together withVistair DocuNet for companymanuals ensures that we have up-to-date information readily andinstantly available. The weightsavings are significant too; helping toreduce fuel burn.

“We are proud to be the firstUK operator to gain CAA approval forpaperless operations.”

Mark Blois-Brooke, chief pilot at TAGAviation (UK) Ltd, with his iPad (Class 1Electronic Flight Bag) in the cockpit of aDassault Falcon 7X.

Bookajet has weathered the economic storm effectively, marking this feat by investing in along-range Gulfstream IV. “We are pleased to say we are starting to come out of what hasbeen a very flat and challenging time in Europe,” says Jonathan Clements, pictured with fellow director Chris Rooney, right. More personnel have been added to the company rosterand at least six new aircraft added in 2013 alone. “Our service is delivered by an outstandingteam of people,” Clements adds. See full story on page 3.

Bookajet combatsflat market with

Gulfstream IV

TAG Aviation pioneers paperlesscockpit and cuts fuel burn

African oil and gas helicopter operator SonAirsays it has become the first operator toresume passenger transportation flights withthe suspended EC225 fleet. Three flights wereperformed successfully with two EC225s fromLuanda to two offshore platforms. TheAngola-based operator is the aviation divisionof Sonangol, Angola’s national oil company.Its resumption of EC225 rotations for the oiland gas sector marks an important step in thereturn-to-service status for the full fleetworldwide.

Certain EC225 operations had beenaffected by the national authority restrictions,particularly for North Sea offshore oil and gastransportation missions. Yet other helicoptersof this type have continued flying, with initialsafety measures defined by Eurocopter. Theseaircraft have logged more than 20,000 flighthours since last October without incident.

“The three flights were routine, confirmingthat the EC225’s service restart is backed bystrong safety measures that give confidenceto our clients,” says João Andrade, SonAir’schairman and ceo.

SonAir has a total of 11 EC225s located atits Luanda operating base, of which nine arededicated to crew-change missions foroffshore oil and gas platforms. Its Eurocopterfleet of aircraft also includes four AS332 L2and three AS365 N3 helicopters.

Angola’s SonAirhails return of

the EC225

See page 11

Danish operator DanCopter has had42,000 passengers on board alongwith 740 tonnes of baggage in the first 12 months of its contract with Shell.

DanCopter was awarded thecontract in July 2012 having operatedin the North Sea since 2003. It isresponsible for helicopters carryingpassengers and freight to and fromShell platforms in the southern North Sea, and as part of the award itcontracted all passenger and freightfacilities, check-in, processing,security screening and briefingservices to SaxonAir. The handler owns and operates a businessaviation centre at Norwich thatincludes dedicated facilities forprivate and business aviation,offshore passengers and freight.

The anniversary was marked witha joint open day between DanCopterand SaxonAir for all related staff,organisations and individualsinvolved in the operation, as well askey local businesses.

Group commercial director forSaxonAir Christopher Mace says:“The offshore industry is a vital part of the UK infrastructure. Ourservices and dedicated facilities for DanCopter and Shell enable their flights to be processedefficiently and safely. We are verypleased to be working withDanCopter, marking the firstanniversary of the Shell operation,and we look forward to many moreyears of joint cooperation.”

In addition, DanCopter has

received its fourth EC225 helicopter,which will be used for off-shoretransport duties including crewchange missions to oil and gasplatforms in the North Sea.

The handover was made atEurocopter’s production facility inMarignane, France, and was followedby the helicopter’s ferry flight toEsbjerg, Denmark, where it will be

based. DanCopter ceo Jens AndersJensen comments: “This latesthelicopter will provide additionalresources as the EC225 returns toservice on North Sea transportationmissions.

“Safe operations are the toppriority for us, and we haveconfidence in the EC225’s ability toresume its role as a workhorse on our

off-shore oil and gas missions.” The EC225 can carry up to 19

passengers on heavy-lift missions toplatforms located 140-155 miles from the coast. DanCopter believesthat the helicopter’s large cabin and ability to contend with winds,waves and icy conditions make it well suited for such challengingservice. The EC225 had been

suspended from service by EASAafter an extensive investigation intothe main gear box shaft failures ofhelicopters of this type in the NorthSea in 2012. However, on July 10 EASAapproved the prevention anddetection measures developed byEurocopter for the twin-enginerotorcraft, allowing for a return toservice worldwide.

2 AUGUST 2013 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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At the handover of DanCopter’s fourth EC225 are ceo Jens Anders Jensen, pilots Søren Nielsen and Anders Nørager, technician Erik Jeppesen, Part M postholder Peter Nilén,Tom Elmstrom-Christensen for Maersk operations support helicopters and vessels, manager of Maersk helicopter operations Tom Mortensen, Maersk head of operationssupport Jesper Ladefoged and Sylvia Browne-Casini of Ostnes Consultante.

DanCopter celebrates successful first year of Shell contract

Dubai-based Empire Aviation Groupis taking advantage of burgeoningbusiness in the Gulf region. Its charterbookings have risen 12 per cent overthe last year and it is said to operateone of the largest managed fleets ofbusiness jets in the Middle East, witharound 20 jets under management atany one time. Demand has beenboosted due to competitive rateswhich are moving further towards thescale of commercial airlines.

Leisure travel to locations such asthe Maldives and Seychelles outsideof the peak summer months has beenanother reason for increased traffic,while top corporate charterdestinations include London, Paris,Hong Kong and Mumbai. Per seatrates compare favourably with firstclass seats on commercial flights.

EAG says it tailors each mission tothe specific needs of the corporateexecutive, management team orbusiness owner it is flying. Theaircraft type, routing and destin-ations, onboard and ground servicesall provide challenges, and corporateroadshows are often requested,where individuals or managementteams fly around the region onmultiple stopovers, following anintensive travel itinerary. In this case,charter provides flexibility andconvenience and it is often the onlyviable option.

Paras Dhamecha, executive

director, says: “Business jet charterdeclined in the region during theglobal economic downturn but is nowreturning strongly. The scale anddiversity of our managed fleet – whichincludes business jets from all themajor manufacturers – provides arange of aircraft options for businessand leisure charter clients.

“Charter rates are very competitivecompared to first class commercialand the benefits are incomparable.”

EAG quotes charter rates ofaround $2,000 per seat for flightswithin the Gulf region and around$10,000 for return flights to Europe,although these clearly varydepending on the aircraft type,destination and duration.

Empire grows private jet charter activity amid increased

Middle Eastern demand

Hansgrohe Group receives 400th PhenomGerman sanitation firm The Hansgrohe Group has taken delivery of Embraer’s400th Phenom jet, a Phenom 300. The aircraft will be used to transportexecutives for the 112-year-old company which generated $1.05 billion sales in2012 and employs more than 3,400 people globally.

“As an advanced manufacturer, we were looking for an aircraft that has theversatility and quality to match the high quality brand we have created atHansgrohe,” says Albert Kuenstle, flight manager for the Black Forest-basedcompany. “The Phenom 300 is a perfect match. We are honoured to takedelivery of the 400th Phenom and join the ranks of other global companies thatoperate this model.”

Executive director Paras Dhamechastands in front of a Legacy 600, part ofEAG’s managed fleet.

AUGUST 2013 3EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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Directors Lisa and Malcolm Humphries (foreground) are joined by Dr Terry Martin, medical director, along with some members ofthe joint Channel Islands contract team.

Capital Air Charter wins joint ChannelIslands ambulance contract

Capital Air Charter has been chosento provide ambulance services toJersey and Guernsey, after signing ashared contract with the islands. Thedeal, which has been approved by the health and social servicesdepartments on the two islands,means that Capital will fly critically illpatients to the UK for treatment,saving on cost and ensuring essentialflight continuity for at least threeyears. The move is believed to makelogistical sense, based on figureswhich show that Jersey carried out346 emergency air transfers, andGuernsey 174, in 2012 alone.

For Jersey the contract is worth$1.5 million and the island isexpected to save $65,000 byimplementing the new scheme.Capital already holds the contracthere and can therefore utilise existing

infrastructure without requiring newfacilities. The operation will continueto be stationed at Aviation Beauport,which is at Jersey airport, and amedical team will travel directly withthe patient to the target hospital.

For Guernsey the contract is worthroughly half the amount, but thesavings will be considerably more, ataround $300,000. Capital will be anew provider for the island but hasbeen able to reassign its PiperChieftain without needing to invest innew aircraft or infrastructure. TheChieftain will be based in Exeter, witha further Chieftain and King Air 200sproviding backup. The approach isslightly different to Jersey, as a UKteam is dispatched which thenaccompanies the patient to thehospital on the return leg.

Capital Air Charter’s Lisa

Humphries says: “We are delighted tohave been awarded this prestigiouscontract and our entire team looksforward to working with Jersey andGuernsey to implement a safe, fast,efficient, cost-effective and flexiblepatient air transfer service, unrivalledin the British Isles.

“We are already fully equippedbecause we’ve had the Jersey contractfor the last six years and we also havethe Isle of Man air ambulancecontract. This is a natural progression.We have been around 22 years nowand it’s nice to have been here all thistime and still be growing.”

The two islands will use differentaircraft to conduct the emergency airtransfers and each island is to have aseparate service level agreement withthe operator, to allow for variations intheir respective health systems.

Atlas Air Service, headquartered inBremen, Germany, has added aCitation CJ2+ to its managed fleet,which already includes CJ3 and XLStypes. The latest aircraft was boughtby the investors of the newly-foundedcompany JetCologne, and Atlas isproviding operational support untilthe company is settled in Cologneand is ready to operate on its ownAOC. This support has meant that theCJ2+ was in commercial operationwithin a fortnight, and delays that cansometimes be encountered uponstarting a new operation wereavoided.

“We formed in April. We are nowinside the AOC of Atlas, but as wehave another charter company –SilverCloud Air – we might get ourAOC via this other company,” saysJetCologne ceo Michael Sauer.

“We run business flights andprivate jet flights for Cologne.Cologne had a big charter companythat went bankrupt and since thattime there has been no new jet on the airfield.”

The CJ2+ is said to serve Atlas’market well, with a range of up to1,600nm and able to accommodateup to seven passengers. The companysays that it is more economical onfuel than a Phenom 100 in similarflight conditions. Atlas is providingmaintenance and CAMO supportfrom its Cessna service centre.

The aircraft is equipped with thelatest technical specification, withsteep approach capability. A satellitephone and in-flight entertainment ison offer in the cabin.

Atlas sales director Hans Doll saysthat the performance of the CJ2+ hasbeen “perfect” so far, although hedoes believe that logistical challengesare still to be overcome: “We seeGermany with a robust economy.However, the situation in particular insouthern Europe will have effects onour business. General aviationoperators are suffering from evenmore legislative obstacles andbureaucracy.

“Atlas Air Service is diversified andoffers a comprehensive package ofservices to the business aviationmarket. We are monitoring the marketand we have put more emphasis onthe pre-owned market and on aircraftmanagement. This is already payingoff. We are confident that we have theright approach to be just as successfulin future,” he concludes.

Farnborough, UK-based Bookajet isstrengthening its presence in thelong-range market by adding anotheraircraft with transatlantic capabilityto its fleet. The addition is aGulfstream IV, featuring 13 executiveseats and a rear bedroom, and it willbe flown on the operator’s UK AOC.The aircraft is currently operatingprivately and it is anticipated that itwill become available for charter laterthis year.

The latest acquisition comes onthe back of a string of deliveries forBookajet in recent months: theoperator has already added a GlobalExpress XRS based in Moscow, aCitation Sovereign at LondonStansted, a Citation Excel and twofurther Beechcraft Premier 1 light jets.With the addition of another Global, a6000, due in the months ahead,Bookajet’s UK managed fleet is nowset to reach double figures.

“We are pleased to say we arestarting to come out of what has beena very flat and challenging time inEurope,” says director JonathanClements. “Charter demand is alsopicking up – from both the leisure andbusiness markets. And with the arrivalof these additional managed aircraftwe have added more personnel.”

The firm was established in 2003,introduced AOC operations in 2006,and is now employing almost 50 staff,including flight and cabin crew atvarious bases in Europe. In additionto its UK bases, Bookajet is present inItaly, France, Russia and theNetherlands. It says it is now the solecommercial operator of theBeechcraft Premier 1 in the UK, andhas found that this aircraft works wellin a niche market. “We have seensome consolidation among thesmaller players which has providedsome interesting opportunities,” saysClements. “Our success insignificantly increasing our managedfleet over the past 12 months has beendown to offering a professional andfully transparent service, delivered byan outstanding team of people.”

In addition, Bookajet has justpromoted Captain Alex Young todirector of flight operations.

Gulfstream IVenhances longrange offeringfor Bookajet

Atlas increasesCessna presence

with CJ2+ forJetCologne

Hans Doll, Atlas sales director


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DRF Luftrettung cfo Dr Hans JörgEyrich has revealed that in themonths ahead the German air rescueoperator will be putting one of thelatest generation helicopters intoservice, an EC145 T2: “This type ofhelicopter, which is also ideal fornight flight operations, is excellentlysuited for air rescue missions thanksto its performance capability and theFenestron,” he says.

“It is particularly useful in nightrescue missions because theshrouded tail rotor provides a furthermeasure of safety.”

In addition, DRF Luftrettung willput a Learjet 45 into service in thenext few weeks. “The modern jet willbe used only for worldwiderepatriations and it is optimallyequipped for the care of intensivecare patients,” comments Eyrich.

These additions follow on fromthe release of DRF’s half-yearlymission statistics, which show thatthe company has performed 18,714air rescue missions in the first six months of this year. Rescues

include motorbike accidents,strokes, and the assistance ofseriously injured children. It is onduty every day with its helicoptersand ambulance aircraft.

Helicopter missions fly from 31HEMS bases in Germany, Austria and Denmark.

In Germany, DRF was alerted to17,258 missions during the first sixmonths of the year, while the DanishHEMS base of Ringsted, which isoperated by Falck DRFLuftambulance A/S, was alerted 286times. In the same period the twoAustrian rescue helicopters of theARA-Flugrettungs GmbH, whichbelongs to DRF Luftrettung, weremuch in demand, too – the crews inReutte, Tyrol, and Fresach, Carinthia,performed 893 missions altogether.

In the field of worldwideambulance flights, DRF Luftrettungtogether with Luxembourg AirRescue (LAR) conducted 277repatriations under the name ofEuropean Air Ambulance. Theserepatriation flights were coordinated

by the respective alert centres at theairports of Karlsruhe/Baden-Badenand Luxembourg.

“The half-yearly report shows thatair rescue in Germany is gainingmore and more importance,” Eyrichsays. “In a medical emergency, every minute counts. Our rescuehelicopters are used to bringing theemergency physician to the scene ofthe accident and transportingpatients to suitable hospitals. Today,every third emergency patient has to be transported to a hospital by helicopter.

“For several years the Germanhealth system has been undergoingstructural changes, for example aspecialisation of clinics. Ourhelicopter can cover wide distancesfast and therefore has a crucialadvantage in providing the patientswith an optimal treatment, especiallyin rural areas.”

In total, approximately 700 emer-gency physicians, 300 paramedics,160 pilots and 80 technicians are onduty for DRF Luftrettung.

Growing EMS demand prompts DRF fleet additions

DRF Luftrettung cfo Dr Hans Jörg Eyrich is witnessing the growth of airrescue in Germany.

Publisher and editor: .......... David WrightSub editor: ........................ Kate WoodsReporter: .............................. Tom Ryder Designer: .............................. Chris CarrAdvertising manager: .......... Mark RangerSubscriptions: ................ Janet Edwards

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Flyjet’s first officer Maciej Szczepaniak and captain Karol Wiśniewski with the latest fleet addition.

Polish operator Flyjet has added aPhenom 100 to its fleet, which will beoperated on its AOC. The firm tookdelivery of the aircraft at thebeginning of July and it has alreadycompleted more than 40 flight hours.“Completing this many hours hasgiven us great perspective on themodel,” says operations executivePawel Chorzelski.

“We strongly advertised thisaircraft to all of our customers beforeit entered the fleet and the plane itselfhas less than 600 flight hours totaltime making it look very fresh. Wemust admit that compared with theCessna Mustang which we have beenusing since 2009, this aircraft not only

gives passengers extra cabin spaceand a separate lavatory but alsopossesses greater range.

“We can do legs like Warsaw toNice or Warsaw to Olbia without anyfuel stops or even a slight chance ofone and with a full passenger

configuration that could rarely havebeen done using the Mustang.”

The Phenom could be cost-effective too: “This aircraft is very wellpositioned on the market as it beatsCJs with the price, giving up to fourpassengers much more space and amuch bigger luggage compartment,which is enormous given the size ofthe aircraft,” Chorzelski adds.

Flyjet will operate its latest jet onthe floating fleet model and hopes tohave it positioned all around Europe,not only in Poland.

The operator now runs Beechcraft90GTX, Cessna Mustang and Learjet60XR types, with an average fleet ageof three years.

Flyjet brings in more spacious Phenom

Extra space aboard the Phenom 100.

Concierge offersChallenger 300

for charterConcierge Aviation has taken deliveryof a Challenger 300 aircraft toenhance its managed fleet. Theaircraft will be based at Bristol and isavailable for charter.

“This delivery was the culminationof a two-and-a-half year project withthe owner of the aircraft,” says mdGlen Smith. “We completedoperational evaluations of severaldifferent models to ensure weachieved the best balance of range,performance, cabin space andacquisition price before signing forthe 300 at EBACE 2012. Twelvemonths later Bombardier deliveredthis high specification aircraft onschedule. The quality of service fromthe sales and delivery team has beenexceptional.”

Smith also speaks of the extendedAOC which has been granted: “OurAOC now includes north and southAmerica, Africa and the Far East,offering our clients a far wider rangeof non-stop destinations.

“Our team has worked tirelessly onthis project and we will now focus onensuring we maintain our level ofservice delivery in this new market.”

Concierge chief pilot BryanTreadgold adds: “We are hugelyimpressed with the capability andoperation of this aircraft and haveseen it consistently meet thepublished performance figures over avariety of sectors.”

Inaer forms Spain’s first all-female medical helicopter crewThe Malpartida medical base inCáceres, operated by Inaer Spain, isnow the home of Spain’s first all-woman medical helicopter crew. Thecrew is made up of pilot BeatrizParera, medic Gloria Palacios andSalobrar Sánchez and Rocio Ramosfrom the Extramadura Health Service.The crew uses a Eurocopter EC135.

“The gender of the crew doesn’tmatter, what matters is the harmonybetween them and the healthprofessionals, to ensure successfulmissions like we’ve seen over the pastfew days,” explains Parera.

Inaer operates a total of 27 medicalaircraft in Spain. In 2012 the companycompleted 8,228 medical emergencymissions and treated 6,658 patients.

Switzerland-based charter salesspecialist Vertis Aviation is to add aBombardier Global 6000 to itsmarketed aircraft portfolio, startingthis month. The ultra-long rangeaircraft will be positioned primarily inJohannesburg, South Africa, in amove designed to satisfy the growingdemand for business jet travel in andaround the African continent.

The Global 6000 forms part of aninternational network strategy forVertis and will be the company’s firstjet actively marketed from an Africanlocation. A local flight departmentwill operate the jet and it will bedeployed on both inter- and intra-continental missions in order to servean African client base which isincreasingly seeking ultra-long rangeaircraft.

“We are very excited about thepossibilities that this immaculateGlobal 6000 offers for our inter-national charter clients. With its ultra-long range and short-field capabilitiesit is ideal for work on the Africancontinent which requires aircraft thatcan cover vast distances,” commentsErica Da Veiga, a partner at Vertis.

“This addition marks thebeginning of our expansion strategyin Africa which we believe offers greatpotential for further development.We’re already seeing a high demandfor charters between Brazil andAngola, Lagos and Johannesburg,London and Johannesburg, andanticipate the route map will justbecome more complex as thecontinent’s requirements expand.”

The Global 6000 is configured

with 14 seats and the company says it features a contemporary interiorand spacious galley, along with adedicated crew rest area. An on-board communications suite featuresinternet access and Wi-Ficonnectivity along with a full IFEsystem. The aircraft has a range of6,000nm and a cruise speed of 488kts.Vertis believes that these attributes

will lead to bookings from heads ofstate and government officials.

This news follows reports that aMoscow-based Airbus A319 and aBombardier Global XRS will be addedto Vertis’ books from next month aswell. The three new aircraft will jointhe long range charter fleet whichVertis markets on behalf of itsoperating partners.


Luca Madone, Erica Da Veiga and Jeffrey Emmenis – partners of 28 East Group whichowns Vertis Aviation.

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Vertis gets African marketing projectoff the ground with Global 6000

Geotech Airborne has relocated aSquirrel B3 from its operations inBrazil to South Africa. The Squirrelwill be put to work carrying outairborne geophysical surveys.

Geotech Aviation’s South Africanfleet now comprises six B3s alongwith two Cessna Caravan 208Bs. The aircraft was already owned by the company and registered in Brazil but has been transported toSouth Africa and received anew registration. It is now ready for service and will be on con-tract shortly.

Geotech Airborne’s businessdevelopment manager Robert Wilsonexplains the type of operation theSquirrel will be engaged in: “Geotechis the world’s leading airbornegeophysical survey company offeringhelicopter and fixed wing geo-physics, data processing and datainterpretation. We use these heli-copters for active and passiveelectromagnetism, state-of-the-artgravity, high sensitivity magneticsand radiometric surveys. Geotech isa full service company in helicopterand fixed wing airborne geophysicsfor both the oil and gas and miningsectors as well as general engineeringand environmental sectors.”

However, the transition to life inSouth Africa for the latest Squirrelhasn’t been without setbacks,explains director of maintenanceCraig Siepman: “We had a couple oftechnical issues which kept it on theground longer than we anticipated.”

Siepman nonetheless praises thereliability of this helicopter type: “It is a very capable, reliable aircraft and

is also maintenance-friendly.“The B3 is one helicopter type we

use for our surveys. They’re very wellsuited for the range of environmentswe work in and have the requiredpower to carry the system andcomplete surveys safely.”

Siepman also hints thatGeotech Aviation will consideroffering a wider range of services as it looks to the future: “Wehave traditionally flown airbornegeophysical surveys and our prioritywill always remain focused on survey.However, we would like to expandinto other markets and offer clientsa wider range of services. With abigger fleet we can allocate aircraftto other projects.”

Geotech transfers Squirrel andreadies it for survey service

A B3 Squirrel runs a survey for Geotech.


The Italian police force has takendelivery of its first two AW139intermediate twin engine helicopterson schedule. The helicopters will beoperated by the 1st Aviation Unit ofthe Italian police and based at Praticadi Mare, close to Rome. The deliveryforms the first part of an eight-aircraftcontract signed last July.

The AW139 was the helicopter ofchoice for the police force as it iscurrently undergoing an extensivemodernisation programme andbelieves the specification of theaircraft to be well suited to itsdemanding mission schedule. Thismodel is already in service with boththe Italian Coast Guard, Guardia diFinanza (customs and borderprotection) and the Italian Air Force.The police force will be able to takeadvantage of the existing logisticalsupport in place at these felloworganisations.

The number of AW139s in servicewith Italian government operatorsnow stands at 31, and thesehelicopters engage in a widespectrum of roles, covering lawenforcement, homeland security,patrol, special operations, search andrescue, government and vviptransport, disaster relief andcommand and control.

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Hervé Laitat, ceo of Abelag.

Name remains the same, asAbelag expands its horizons

Belgian operator Abelag is to beincorporated into Luxembourg busi-ness aviation group Luxaviation. Thisyear is Luxaviation’s fifth anniversaryand it is marking it by integratingAbelag, which employs over 300people and operates more than 50aircraft in Benelux, Germany andFrance. Abelag will keep its name,and has been integrated in the samemanner as Fairjets back in 2009.

Abelag brings 50 years of busi-ness aviation experience whileLuxaviation will give the operatoraccess to its international network,which it is looking to expand byopening an Asian office in Singaporeat the end of June. The partnershipwill make use of synergies inmaintenance, training and customeracquisition fields.

Barth Foucart, executive director

of Abelag, says: “At the dawn of our50th anniversary celebration, theassociation with Luxaviation pavesthe way for new opportunities. Wewill focus on the continuousoptimisation of our services as well asthe diversification of our activities.”

Ceo Hervé Laitat adds: “By joiningLuxaviation, we will continue to offerour clients high quality services whiletaking profit from the full range ofadvantages only an internationalgroup can provide.”

Abelag was created in 1964 and isheadquartered in Brussels withsubsidiaries in Kortrijk, Antwerp,Eindhoven and Paris. It employs 45pilots and its charter fleet includestwo Beechcraft 200, three CJ2, twoCJ3, one Citation Ultra, three Learjet45, six Citation XLS, four Falcon2000EX and two Falcon 7X.

Aero-Dienst has taken delivery of aCitation CJ4, expanding its total fleetto 12. The aircraft can accommodateup to seven passengers and will runcommercial operations on Aero-Dienst’s AOC from its new base atGiebelstadt business airport.

Already operational fromNuremberg, both Munich airportsand Düsseldorf, the company’s newbase is located in the heart ofMainfranken, the gateway to thetourism region known as Franconianwine country, and it has excellentconnections to the scientific andbusiness region of Würzburg.

Aero-Dienst says it is offering fast,easy check-in and a full servicehandling for crew and passengers,describing it as “just the perfectairport for business aviation.”

Besides Learjet 45XR/60, Phenom300, Falcon 900EX EASy and 7X typesthe company used a CJ3 previouslybut is now benefitting from thesuperior speed and range offered bythe latest acquisition, which is thenext step up, according to aircraftmanagement supervisor AndreasStrabel: “We have had the aircraft

since 1st May and it is very reliable.We have performed lots of hoursalready and we did a lot of long rangeflights and there have been noproblems up to now.”

Strabel points out the new featuresaside from the range and speedupgrade: “The CJ4 has a swept wing

design and the outward appearanceis nice. It’s a little bit more dynamicthan the CJ3. The engines are efficientand it has a bright cabin. Avionics forthe pilots are great and there are alsodata link possibilities. It is very state-of-the-art and has a huge baggagecompartment.

“We have a cabin layout of seven passengers with the side-facing seat close to the entrance doorand in exceptions we have adaptedthe lavatory seat so we can fit eight passengers. A typical missionthough is three to four or even five passengers.”

Strabel also states that Aero-Dienst is always on the look out fornew managed fleet additions fromcompanies that fit with itsphilosophy: “Our customer base ishuge family-owned companies andblue chip companies, so our aircraftare really business tools. We arealways looking to expand ouractivities at these locations and addmore locations in the southern andwestern parts of Germany.

“We are not really in the brokerbusiness; our approach is to build up long-term relationships withmostly German companies, and startwith them on a single charter flight. Then, after years and once theyknow the advantages of business jets,they sometimes decide to buy theirown jet and then we offer thecomplete package. We have theservice centre here in Nuremberg, foralmost all major jet manufacturers.This is our strategy.

“But we do expand at the rate ofone aircraft per year, something likethat. It’s not a huge expansion likeother companies, but it is a solidoperation nonetheless.”

Steady growth sees Aero-Dienst step up to CJ4 at new base

Aero-Dienst’s CJ4 stationed at its base in Giebelstadt.

Italian policeforce receivestwo AW139s

Bond signs up to seven-year ambulance deal

UK-based Bond Air Services has beenawarded a seven-year contract byNorth West Air Ambulance, worthover $15 million, to provide airambulance support across fivecounties in north west England.Bond’s operational bases will beBlackpool airport and City airportManchester, with aircraft, crew andmaintenance support. The servicewill cover the counties of Cheshire,Cumbria, Lancashire, GreaterManchester and Merseyside – an areaof more than 5,500 square miles witha population of approximately eightmillion people.

Bond has operated HEMS forNWAA since the charity was foundedin 1999, and this contract renewalstrengthens that partnership. NWAAnow operates two EC135s provided byBond, which says it is the largestoperator of air ambulance aircraft in the UK.

Bond md Chris Greenhill says:“For 14 years Bond has helped thecharity provide vital life-savingservices for people in the region. Welook forward to continuing ourpartnership with them andenhancing the service we offer.

“We have always enjoyed a closeyet formal and professional relation-ship with the ambulance service aswe work together to develop thecritical service we provide. This willinclude looking at increased hours ofoperation and increased medicalcapability for the aircraft.

“We currently fly approximately1,600 missions a year from bothbases. Each is allocated two pilots andone engineer, with backup resourcesavailable to cover sickness and leave.A backup air ambulance is providedfor scheduled and unscheduledmaintenance, all of which enables usto provide customers with an averageservice availability of 98 per centacross our fleet.”

Greenhill speaks of the additionalinfrastructure that will be put in placeto support the service: “We arecurrently looking at an option tointroduce a third aircraft this year toprovide increased support to theregion. We are working closely withNWAA to set up forward operatingbases, to be used on a daily basis, atcertain hospitals within the region.

He adds: “The charity is alsoreviewing the use of doctors as part ofthe crew on both aircraft. Currentlyone of the two aircraft is crewed by aparamedic and doctor.”

The EC135 is particularly suited toits purpose, as Greenhill explains:“The EC135 is the most utilised lighttwin helicopter for emergencyservices on a worldwide basis, with itshigh levels of reliability, spaciouscabin, skidded undercarriage, highmain rotor and enclosed tail rotor.The EC135 makes an ideal aircraft for air ambulance and HEMSoperations.” He also reveals that theuse of the aircraft for night retrievalsis one area currently under review.

Looking forward to a continuingpartnership: Chris Greenhill of Bond.

An AW139 helicopter, part of the Italianpolice force’s order of eight.


Gulfstream releasesPlaneBalance appGulfstream has released its newPlaneBalance application, a weightand calculation tool. The appcomplements the company’sPlaneBook iPad application, anelectronic document managementsystem that has helped pilots andflight crew operate Gulfstreamaircraft more effectively since 2011.“This interactive application canprovide weight and balanceinformation and can generatereports about centre of gravity,aircraft configurations, payloadweight and fuel,” says Bill Colleran,director of technical publications.

Beechcraft sees deliveries increaseBeechcraft Corporation hasrecorded a 75 per cent increase insecond quarter deliveries for 2013when compared with the secondquarter of 2012.

The company delivered 56 unitsversus 32 in the second quarter of2012. For the first half of 2013, thecompany delivered 115 aircraft ascompared to 69 in the first half of2012, an increase of 66 per cent.

Cessna’s Sovereign goes all-inclusiveCessna has announced aprogramme covering all scheduledmaintenance and parts costs forthe Citation Sovereign for the firstfive years or 1,500 flight hours. TheSovereign Shield programmereduces maintenance-related directoperating costs of model year 2013Sovereigns. “Buyers can takepossession of a 2013 Sovereign withconfidence that the maintenancefor the next five years is covered,”says Brad Thress, Cessna senior vp,business jets.

Eurocopter developsquieter landingsEurocopter has demonstrated newlanding procedures, relying onaugmented satellite guidance thatcan be tailored to more completelycomply with the localenvironmental requirements.

The procedures were validatedwith an EC155 during flight testsperformed as part of the company’sparticipation in the green rotorcraftintegrated technology demon-

strator programme and showedsignificant reductions in thehelicopter’s perceived soundfootprint. “These new testsunderscore how advanced flightguidance systems can be broughttogether with the latest navigationtechnologies to reduce perceivedsound,” says Yves Favennec, vp ofresearch at Eurocopter.

Bombardier addsJohannesburg officeBombardier Aerospace is to open anew Regional Support Office andparts depot in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica. The office and depot willanchor regional supportcapabilities for its business aircraftcustomers on the continent.

EASy II delivered by RUAGRUAG Aviation has completed itsfirst Dassault EASy II flight deckupgrade. The project was carriedout on a Falcon 900EX. “The RUAGAviation team successfullycompleted this integration inrecord time during a standard A/A+check, significantly minimising theimpact on the customer’s operatingschedule,” says Bernd Heinrich,general manager of the Genevafacility where work was carried out.

Kitchener to retrofit KingAir 200sKitchener Aero Avionics hasdeveloped a complete digitalcockpit upgrade for the King Air200. It also offers the G-1000upgrade, but says that the newpackage represents a capable andcost-effective alternative.

The Dual Garmin G600 flightdisplay system with TAWS-Breplaces the standard “heavy-iron”avionics suite that originally camewith King Air 200s. It is significantlylighter than the OEM avionicspackage.

Falcon resources availableat users’ fingertipsDassault Falcon has launched acustomer service app for mobileand tablet users which puts theglobal resources of the Falconnetwork at users’ fingertips. Itoffers instant touch-call featuresfor AOG hotlines, the technicalcentre, spares, and field service aswell as service centre locationsearch and Falcon pilot contacts.

A IRCRAFT NEWS . . .

Sloane’s deputy chief pilot Gary Spender and chief pilot Jeff James, standing with the GrandNew.

Sloane Helicopters has added aGrandNew to its emergency medicalservices fleet. The delivery took placein Italy and the aircraft then flew toSywell, UK.

The helicopter is the latest versionof the 109 series and is equipped with a number of advanced featuresthat increase safety and reduce pilot workload. These include asynthetic vision system, a four-axisautopilot, HITS (Highway In The Sky) technology and a helicopterterrain awareness warning system.

These features are said to make the helicopter one of the mosttechnologically advanced in its class.

Sales manager Stephen Mitchellcomments: “This air ambulance is thebest of the bunch. It can outperformother aircraft in its class and is veryfast as well.”

He also speaks highly of thetechnological features on theGrandNew: “It has enhanced safetybecause it has a new avionics suite inthe cockpit. The four-axis auto pilot ismore advanced than the three when

dealing with height. As soon as youget into the hover, you canprogramme it by pressing a buttonand it will fly to the height you want itto fly, before flying back down to thehover position. It’s fully automated.”

Mitchell continues: “TheGrandNew also offers syntheticvision. Digital synthetic avionicsmean that instead of just looking at a blue sky and an orange earth onthe artificial horizon, you haveactually got the shape of the terrain infront of you.”

Sloane receives ‘best of the bunch’GrandNew for EMS missions

Cello Aviation has continued itsassociation with music stars bytransporting American vocalist LanaDel Rey to the Lebanon as part of herworld tour.

The 27-year-old singer andsongwriter was taken by theBirmingham-based carrier to aconcert in Beirut using its luxuryconfigured BAE 146. Del Rey had justperformed in Athens and was flownto the Lebanon following this show.

Cello’s previous clients haveincluded Coldplay and Jessie J, thelatter of which recently flew withCello to concerts in Gibraltar andRabat in Morocco.

“Cello has established itself as thechosen carrier with a number of topinternational music and performingstars,” says Nim Baines, ceo.

“Touring is a huge commitment,with artists travelling extensively andhaving to give their best day in, dayout and so they want to travel withminimum inconvenience and plentyof comfort so that they can arrive at aconcert fresh and ready.”

Baines adds: “Our aircraft is bigenough to carry performers, theirsupport crew and instruments butalso to operate into small airports

that often eliminate the need foroverland transfers.”

Baines also cites the importance ofthe on-board experience: “Celloalways tries to provide a welcomingand relaxed atmosphere. The food isproduced using high quality freshproduce whenever possible and themenus are prepared to meet theneeds of our passengers. Our crew areexperienced at working withcelebrities and understand theimportance of discretion.”

Lana Del Rey flies with Celloto perform at Beirut show

JOIN THE FUTUREreturnjet.com/operators

Cello ceo Nim Baines with the BAE 146that flew Lana Del Rey to Beirut.

DC Aviation of Stuttgart, Germany,has increased its fleet with fiveadditional medium range and longrange business jets. These include aGulfstream G550, a Dassault Falcon900 and a Dassault 7X. The company,which employs over 330 staff, believesit is the largest German businessaviation operator and the latestacquisitions strengthen this status.

Michael Kuhn, md, says: “Thisfleet expansion and the resultingadditional capacities put us in aposition to respond on a top-notchlevel to growing charter demand inthis segment. At the same time weare, of course, very happy about thetrust our clients have in us withregard to aircraft management.”

DC Aviation now has a total of 17 long range jets and 12 mediumrange or short range jets, and alsooperates out of Dubai and Zurich.Having acquired the Swiss providerJet-Link and its daughter Heli-Link,both headquartered in Zurich,further fleet growth is now expected.DC has taken on Heli-Link’sEurocopter EC155B1 as part of thedeal, with vip configuration for up toeight passengers.

DC expands fleetwith helicopter

and jet additions

First production M2 rolls outCessna is celebrating the first production unit of the Citation M2, itsnewest business jet. The aircraft has exited the company’s manufacturingfacility in Independence, Kansas, with deliveries expected to begin in thefourth quarter of 2013. “Seeing the M2 roll off the assembly productionline was a special moment,” says Lily English, general manager of Cessna’smanufacturing plant. “This is a huge achievement for the whole team, andgreat news for M2 customers.”


Menzies opens atBarcelona GATMenzies Executive has opened afacility at the general aviationterminal at Barcelona airport.

It will provide 24/7 immigrationand customs support, crewtransportation, hotel reservationsand catering coordination. Aircraftservices include pushback, luggagehandling and lavatory drainage.

Côte d’Azur Airportsacquires Saint-TropezAéroports de la Côte d’Azur hasacquired 99.9 per cent of the sharesof AGST, which operates Saint-Tropez airport. Côte d’Azur is thesecond busiest French airport forbusiness aviation traffic after LeBourget, with more than 42,500movements in 2012.

Duncan earns SouthAfrican certificationDuncan Aviation’s maintenance,repair and overhaul location inLincoln, Nebraska, has beencertified by the South African CivilAviation Authority as an approvedaircraft maintenance organisation.

PATS completes BBJ3 interiorPATS Aircraft Systems has re-delivered a 737-900ER BoeingBusiness Jet interior completionproject to Middle East based clientswho praised the high quality of theaircraft interior: “PATS exhibited anindustry-leading level of capability,professionalism and integrityduring the entire BBJ3 interiorcompletion. The team was highly

communicative, honest andtransparent in every aspect of thework and openly welcomed ourteam to participate in a team-oriented project environment,” thecustomer remarks.

FlightSafety builds sim with G1000FlightSafety International is todesign and manufacture the firstinterchangeable full flightsimulator equipped with GarminG1000 avionics for use in King Air350 and King Air B200 aircrafttraining. The simulator will also beused to provide differences trainingto operators of King Air 300 andKing Air C90 series aircraftequipped with G1000 avionics.

Signature adds Dublin de-icingSignature Flight Support Dublinhas acquired the assets ofGategroup’s aircraft de-icingbusiness at Dublin airport and willmake the service available tobusiness and general aviation.

Air BP implements self-serve systemPilots requiring Avgas fuel atGoodwood aerodrome now havethe option to serve themselvesthrough Air BP’s first UK self-servepayment system, without needingto pre-book or wait for assistance atbusy times.

The updated system will allowGoodwood’s general aviationcustomers to use a Goodwood fuelcard to uplift Air BP Avgas fuelsafely and conveniently.

OPERAT IONS NEWS . . .

Celebrating are Katerina Tanaskovic of Euro Jet Tivat, Euro Jet ceo CharlieBodnar, Tivat airport commercial director Slavka Bauk and Tivat airport directorRanko Bošković.

Euro Jet opens Montenegro loungeEuro Jet Intercontinental has opened a vip crew lounge in the southernAdriatic resort town of Tivat, Montenegro. The lounge opening coincideswith Euro Jet’s fifth year anniversary.

The crew lounge includes a fully air conditioned area for crews to relax,along with full computer, printer and Wi-Fi capabilities, cable television,and a variety of complimentary snacks and beverages.

Tivat Airport has made available six parking spots for general aviation.However, this limits aircraft from staying too long. A good alternative toreposition is the nearby airport of Podgorica, says Euro Jet.

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MotorSport Vision (MSV), whichowns and operates five motor racingcircuits in the UK, reports that it isdelighted with its Agusta A109 Grandhelicopter, which replaced its AS355Ntwin Squirrel at the start of the year.

The aircraft enables company ceoand former Formula 1 driverJonathan Palmer, who is a pilot, toregularly visit each of the circuitswhich span the country: BrandsHatch in Kent, Snetterton in Norfolk,Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire, OultonPark in Cheshire and central BedfordAutodrome. MSV also owns a King AirB200GT for international travel,although this is not flown by Palmer,who has a rotary background.

“I had the Twin Squirrel for 12years from new and it’s done a verygood job, but I did fancy some extraspeed and I had always hankeredafter a 109,” he says. “I’m absolutelydelighted with the 109 Grand, it’s afantastic aircraft. The speed isoutstanding and it will genuinelycruise at 160 knots compared to 125or 130 on a good day with theSquirrel, which means that I can be atOulton Park in an hour from myHorsham head office, saving 40minutes on a round trip comparedwith the 355.

“It has a very solid feel with heavierand longer control movements than

the more delicate Squirrel and feelslike a TGV train pounding alongthrough the skies. To start with I wasconcerned about losing the big opencabin of the Squirrel, because ofreduced cockpit space and not beingable to talk to passengers as easily –you’re more isolated in the more

business-like 109 cockpit. Butactually it suits the aircraft better andI now prefer it that way.

“When you are doing nearly threemiles a minute, particularly aroundsouthern England with severalLondon CTAs and CTRs to transit,timely radio transmissions are crucialand you don’t want to be too involvedin conversation with the passengersbecause you’ll inevitably miss atransmission, to everyone’s frus-tration. So actually it’s quite nice to beseparated and just get on with thebusiness end of flying.”

Palmer explains that the fuel

economy of the new aircraft iscomparable with the previous one:“The 109 Grand, in terms of miles perlitre, actually burns about the same asthe Squirrel. With another 70kg ofusable fuel that means about 365nmVFR range – about 35nm more thanthe 355N. Payload with full fuel isslightly less, though the powermargin at max weight is much more,so MTOW helipad departures aremore relaxing.

“The longer cabin of the 109 Grandmakes for a much more spaciouspassenger environment and Ioccasionally have some very vippassengers so I can be comfortablethey will be too. It’s also nice neverhaving to wonder how I’m going to fitbaggage in – the bay is huge.

“I’ve done about 200 hours in thelast six months so it’s working fairlyhard, but it has run like clockwork so far and I’ve had nothing let medown – yet!”

The Agusta allows Palmer tospread his time efficiently betweenhis multiple business locations: “Theability to travel circuit to circuitquickly and effortlessly means I canvisit more. Over a weekend I’ll usuallyvisit two or three circuits and evenjust an hour at one is enough to get apretty good idea of how it’s going. I’llgauge the crowd from the parked cars

MotorSport Vision ceo Jonathan Palmer is delighted with his Agusta Grand helicopter.

MSV enjoys speed and space benefitsof Grand upgrade for circuit travel

The great thingabout the helicopteris that journey timesare so predictable

MJET enhances managed fleet withA319CJ, Global 6000 and G200

Austrian heavy and ultra long range jet operator MJET has addedthree aircraft to its managed fleet.The additions, comprising anAirbus A319CJ, a Global 6000 and a Gulfstream G200, all belong to private owners but will bemanaged by MJET. The A319CJ –which has 5,935nm range – wasrecently delivered from a Swiss-based completion centre and willrun private operations. It featuresextra fuel tanks in the cargo holdand built-in airstairs. The Global6000 will be flown under theoperator’s AOC.

Dan Rusu, asset manager, says ofthe A319CJ: “MJET is proud of being

one of the members of theprestigious ACJ operators’ family.

“Although it is the first Airbus inour fleet, we have wide experience inoperating bizliners. The new ACJincludes all the amenities essential

to the perfect travel experience andoffers to our client all the advantagesof efficient, intercontinental flight.”

As for the Global, Rusu isimpressed with what it offers: “The6000 entered into service last yearand is an updated Global XRS. Thedifference is the new Vision avionics,based on Rockwell Proline Fusion.MJET as a company is focused onlarge and long range jets so it fits inwith our company philosophy and isan obvious addition.”

Further fleet additions areexpected says Rusu: “We will havemore news soon and will be addinganother aircraft in the fourthquarter.”

MJET takes delivery of a brand newGlobal 6000 in Montreal, Canada.

Our ‘Me and My Aircraft’ readersurvey and review continues, andthis month the spotlight falls on thelong range and large businessaircraft sector. We decided to include business aircraft with arange in excess of 3,500nm and/or acabin of 2,500 square feet, althoughopinions do vary on the meaning of‘long range’.

In this report we talk to someowners and operators about theaircraft they fly, their strengths and failings. We asked aboutmaintenance support, dispatchreliability, operating capabilitiesand value for money as well as more generally for the best andworst aspects of the aircraft, andmost desirable upgrades.

Only EBAN readers who we havebeen able to verify as confirmedcurrent users of a particular aircrafttype are given access to the relevantsurvey forms.

AIRBUS: ACJ318 AND ACJ319

The airliner heritage of the ACJ318makes it a very robust aircraft, andoperators who use it are pleased withits performance. Martin Lener ofTyrolean Jet Services comments thatthe aircraft has a great dispatchreliability and that, due to the highnumber of A320 series deliveries, theaircraft type is very well engineered.

Lener also praises the rangecapability, as this aircraft has properrange for non-stop flights across theAtlantic, with extensive baggagecapacity of 12.7 cubic metres.

He says that it is a very efficientaircraft that offers 20 per cent morecabin height and 65 per cent morecabin width when compared with aG550, and this doesn’t come atsignificant additional cost. It has a 5.5degree steep approach capabilityallowing it to land at such runways asLondon City, and also benefits fromexcellent worldwide customersupport due to the number of A320series in the skies. Lener does,however, feel that the customersupport at Airbus for the ACJ inparticular could be improved. Hismost desirable upgrade is AdditionalCentre Tank modification (ACT).

Héloïse Faury of Global Jet is alsosatisfied with its ACJ318. She believesit is very good value for money andhas good maintenance support.

Tyrolean also operates an ACJ319and Martin Lener is equallyimpressed with its capability. “Thisaircraft benefits from continuinginnovation and runs very well,balanced with three additional centre


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as I’m flying in, then I’ll have awander round and see what’shappening on the ground. I’ll meetsome of the competitors, theorganisers, see if our restaurant foodis up to scratch and get a feeling forhow the event is going. I can then, forexample, leave a car race meeting atOulton Park and in 35 minutes beacross to Cadwell Park nearHumberside to check on a Britishsuperbike event.”

It is not only the time saving thatPalmer values: “Apart from beingabout four times faster than driving,the great thing about the helicopter isthat journey times are so predictable– within a couple of minutes in thehour. And it’s enjoyable; flyingtransforms one of the most tedioustimes of life – driving on the publicroad – into one of the mostpleasurable!”

For European travel MSV’s King Airis usually used. “We’ve got someoverseas projects on and I usually useour B200GT for those, though it’ssurprising how far you can go intoEurope and the 109 be faster overall –about 400 miles I reckon.

“General aviation is to my mind anessential part of running a businesslike ours. We are also very fortunate inthe UK to have very practicalregulations regarding landing.Outside a built-up area you can land ahelicopter pretty much anywhere ifyou’ve got the land owner’spermission, which isn’t the case inHolland or Germany at all.”

The MSV chief executive beganflying in his motor racing days,despite being frightened of flying as achild and avoiding planes – a trip toPaul Ricard in France to test an F1Lotus cured that. “On my return Ithought flying was great, poppeddown to my local airfield at Shorehamand helicopters really caught my eye.A lovely guy called Dennis Kenyonspotted me looking wistful, took meup for a flight and a year later in 1983I became his new Skyline company’sfirst pupil at High Wycombe.”

The Agusta 109S is the sixthhelicopter Palmer has owned, after anEnstrom F28A, a couple of JetRangers,a single Squirrel and then the twin. Hebelieves that there is a link betweenracing driving and operating aircraftand that this comes down to morethan simply a love of machines: “It is agreat challenge – as my mate MarkWebber is enjoying now, learningwith Al Gwilt in an AS350B2.Helicopters are wonderful andfascinating machines and I’ve always

loved controlling anything with anengine, whether it’s cars, motorcycles,boats or aircraft.

“I enjoy the multi-dimensionalchallenge of flying helicopters, fromthe control co-ordination to thenavigation and radio work too. I findthat, by and large, air trafficcontrollers are a great bunch. Theyhave a highly pressurised job much ofthe time, particularly around theLondon airports, but are very helpfulif they have confidence in you.

“There are continual challenges -every time you take off, climb, cruise,descend and land, there is a pride intrying to make it as smooth aspossible. There is also considerablegrace and elegance about a well-flown helicopter. They are still to mymind the most amazing machines –the ability to go straight up and thengo precisely from A to B and dropdown again is still a wonderful thing.”

Palmer’s major foray into rotarycame when he purchased a BellJetRanger in 1987 while he was racingwith Tyrrell in Formula One. He hasbeen flying ever since, obtaining hisCPL and IR in 2001 to make best useof his new IFR AS355N and now has around 7,000 hours, usually flying at least five days a week in the109 Grand.

He is keen to praise fellowoperators and his maintenance teamat Sloane in Northampton: “There aresome terrific people in the helicopterworld I deal with. Starspeed atFairoaks are a great bunch and I’veknown the team there for a longtime – Ian Field used to do all my 355LPCs. Pete Barnes did some flyingwith me about a week before hetragically died – Al Gwilt wasscheduled to do my 109 rating flighttest that day. Pete was a good friend –he actually flew the air ambulancethat took my son Jolyon to TheLondon hospital six years ago, withmajor internal injuries. His death wasa massive shock to those in the closeIFR twin heli charter business.”

Palmer loves his new aircraft.“Agusta 109s in general are goodlooking helicopters and while I ambiased of course, I think G-MSVIlooks great after Edmonson atThruxton did a fabulous job with mytraditional blue livery. I maintain it onthe most intensive programme andcheck every 30 days or 50 hours. Ihave another engineer, Jack Shramfrom EBG, to check every week or twoat my hangar in West Sussex.

“I am always fastidious aboutmaintenance, mainly for safetyreasons, but partly too because Iknow from experience that if you canhave an engineer look at an aircraftevery couple of weeks, at least ifanything is starting to wear they canflag it up and parts can be orderedahead, to minimise time out ofservice – time out which justparalyses my lifestyle.”

I have always lovedcontrolling anything

with an engine

Maleth-Aero of Malta is to manageand operate a vip-configured Boeing737 for Multiflight of the UK.

The 300-series aircraft canaccommodate up to 60 passengers,has a 5.5 hour range and can hold upto five tonnes of cargo. It can also beconfigured to a 48-seat layout with 16club four seats and 32 rear cabinseats, as an alternative to the 60 vipseats. Maleth-Aero says that its fleetcontinues to expand and operatesworldwide, with this latest aircraftoperating on its AOC since the start of July.

Maleth-Aero ceo Michael O’Briensays: “We are delighted to havebrought this aircraft into our fleet.The 737 is a popular aircraft and

comes with an experienced crew. Therange, flexibility and cargo capacityare excellent and will give us theability to operate across Europe,Africa, Middle East and Asia.”

Multiflight finance director MilesBeecham adds: “Choosing Malethwas simple. Their approach to themarket is well respected and theyreally made Multiflight feel part of thefamily. It took them only six weeks tohave the aircraft approved and ontheir AOC and we look forward todeveloping an excellent workingrelationship with them.”

The first charter booking wasmade by an undisclosed Head ofState, with great interest expectedthroughout the summer months.

Maleth-Aero makes Multiflight’s 737 available for charter

ME & MYAIRCRAFTLong range and large

business aircraft

Airbus ACJ321

Gulfstream G550

Bombardier 5000

Dassault Falcon 900

Boeing BBJ

tanks giving it a range of 5,000nm,” hesays. He is happy with the quick on-site support on offer but once againcomments that Airbus does not seemto be as dedicated to businessaviation as traditional business jetOEMs. Lener says that the mostdesirable upgrade is high speedinternet in the ACJ319.

BOEING: B727, B737, B757 AND BBJ

Despite the greater age of the aircraft,Abdul Latif of Al-Anwa Establishmentis happy with the overall performanceof his B727-200.

Long range charter sectorrides high despite the

challenging world economy

A Global Express XRS, operated by ACM.

Continued on next page

that the best thing about the aircraftis its cost-efficiency. Daniilidis does,however, state that an improvedbaggage compartment and greaterrange are most desired.

One anonymous user says thatthey were very satisfied with themaintenance support offered for the7X, and says that the aircraft is goodfor short runways with no EROPS orETOPS issues. They do, however,believe that the reliability of theGlobal is far superior.

Nuno Neto of Vinair has enjoyed“excellent” product support from theDassault team. He does commentthat there had been “too many smallproblems” regarding the dispatchreliability though. He nonethelessbelieves the aircraft has impressiveperformance, flexibility and flyingcapability, despite some softwareproblems. EASy II installation is themost desired upgrade.

Ejaz Syed responded to our surveylast year to say that he is pleased withthe dispatch reliability, operatingcapability and value of his Falcon 900.However, he is unhappy with themaintenance support on offer: “It isgetting increasingly difficult to

maintain the Falcon due to the highprice of spares and the nearmonopoly Dassault have on this.” Hesays that the aircraft has developed“uncanny types of corrosion” andwould prefer to go for something inthe Bombardier group or theBrazilian market.

Another user declares himself verysatisfied with the dispatch reliabilityof his Falcon 900EX Classic, whichstands at over 99 per cent. Hedescribes the short field capability as“astounding” and says thatperformance is very good, even whenmet with 150kt headwinds. He enjoys having no ETOPS restrictionsand says his aircraft is “very fuelefficient.” Flying characteristics are“very nice” and he speaks of a typicalresponse from a pilot flying theaircraft, which is that it is “nothinglike a Falcon.” Due to its straight leglanding gear it is a challenge toperform a ‘greaser’ landing, and thecontributor feels that the aircraft isimproved by having winglets.

An anonymous user providedfeedback for their 900EX EASy and felthappy overall with its performance,describing it as an aircraft with a good


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ME & MYAIRCRAFTLong range and large

business aircraft

Andrew Hallak of GainJetoperates a vip 737-400 and isdelighted with Boeing’s “vastnetwork” of maintenance support.Getting spare parts is not an issueand Hallak remarks: “The aircraft hasproven to be reliable and has servedour operation well – we have beenable to depend on the vip B737 to getthe job done.”

The aircraft currently has a six-hour flight range but this will beincreased to intercontinental rangeof eight hours once the auxiliary fuel tanks are added. Hallakcontinues: “The large baggage holdcapacity, about 5.7 tonnes, is a veryfavourable feature, especially withsports teams and music bands. Butits reliability is the best thing. Theoperation cost is high but that is onlyto be expected.” In terms ofupgrading he would like to be able toaccommodate all 68 passengers invip seating.

Ejaz Syed of Arabasco used tooperate a B737-200 and had statedthat his most desirable upgrade wouldbe another 737. Several months downthe line his wishes have been fulfilledand the company now operates a 737-500 with vip configuration. Syed saysthat the best thing about the aircraft isits dispatch reliability, although hestill feels there is room for improvedavionics. Hashem Jamalallail, also ofArabasco, is equally happy with theperformance of its aircraft. Hebelieves that despite the highoperation cost there is more cabinspace available and this is a greatadvantage.

GainJet operates a B-757 andAndrew Hallak says that the aircraftoffers a combination of “capacity,luxury and range.” It accommodatesup to 62 passengers in all-vip seatingand also features a bedroom and anen-suite. The baggage compartmentis vast, with capacity up to 10 tonnes,

and the aircraft has a range of up tonine-and-a-half hours. Hallak saysthat the aircraft is ideal for theoperation it serves and is an idealproduct for the clientele who tend to charter it. It has proven to be agood investment, due to its reliability and versatility, combinedwith the company’s service andexperience. Hallak concludes that thevip airliner market is a tricky one, andthat beyond having the right product,as it has found in its vip B757, itrequires years of experience to servethis market.

The Boeing Business Jet series hasproved popular with operators. OneEBAN reader, who wishes to remainanonymous, holds the capacity andcabin configuration potential of theaircraft in high regard. They did feelthat the BBJ would benefit from Wi-Fiand satcom technologies, however.

DASSAULT: FALCON 7X AND FALCON 900

The Falcon 7X is widely used, andcaptain Eduard Meisel of Jetallianceis very satisfied overall with theaircraft. He says that TAG at Genevaprovides a good service centre while pointing out that the centre atParis is “not so good.” He continues:“The aircraft has good range and acalm, quiet cabin with low fuelconsumption. We see no need for anupgrade; it is perfect as it is.”

Kimon Daniilidis of Interjet,Greece, also uses a Falcon 7X and says

Gainjet’s vip Boeing 757-200, with its crew standing before it.

You get what youpay for, so [theG550] is good

value for money

Continued from previous page

The interior of Global Jet's Global Express XRS.

They enjoy good support from the tech ops at Gulfstream and saythat assistance is always at hand inAOG situations. They feel that thecomfort, range and speed of theaircraft are its strongest attributes,while expressing concern at the costof Gulfstream and Rolls Royce parts,which they describe as “veryexpensive.” The feedback providedhinted at a desire for the display unitto be upgraded to DU-885s, howeverthis is perceived to be costly.

SMC Aviation’s Kjell Nordbaekoperates a G550 and is very happywith its range and performance. Hebelieves the aircraft is very good valuefor money, but does remark that itslast visit to the Savannah servicecentre was not a positive one.

Andrew Hallak has receivedconsistently good support forGainJet’s Gulfstream fleet; thecompany has taken delivery of 14Gulfstreams since 2006 and Hallakcomments: “Wherever we haverequired support, it usually has beenreadily available and reliable.”

He sums up his thoughts on theG550 as follows: “This is an excellent

aircraft, designed to offer a very highdegree of performance. It’s proven tobe reliable and is one of the mostsuperior performance executive jetsavailable. This is the reason we havetaken delivery of two of them in ourhistory.” Hallak singles out the 13.5hour range as one of the aircraft’smost appealing aspects and believesthat, despite the high price tag, “youget what you pay for, so it is goodvalue for money.” A combination ofcomfort and convenience make it avery attractive aircraft to offer toclients, he says.

Michal Pazourek comments thatABS Jets also operates a G550 and isequally happy with the results. “Thisaircraft has good operationalreliability over a long period of time,even under extreme climatic


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deal of flexibility. The user doescomment that there was a lot of noisein the cabin and that the aircraftwould be enhanced by installingmore effective noise cancellation.

Hashem Jamalallail of Arabascocomments that the company’s Falcon900 performs well and he isparticularly impressed with its range.However, he did state that there arenot enough MROs in Arabasco’s areaof operation.

BOMBARDIER: GLOBAL 5000 AND GLOBAL EXPRESS

Victor Ivan of Tiriac Air operates aGlobal 5000 and is happy with thespeed, range and comfort of theaircraft. He feels the aircraft wouldbenefit from a Vision flightdeck.

Stephane Leporq of BouyguesService Transport Air operates thesame aircraft type and is happy on allfronts with what it offers, despiteexperiencing some electronic bugs.

The Global Express has proved anextremely popular aircraft withoperators, and ACM’s Jonas Kraft iskeen to point out that the dispatchreliability of his XRS and Global 6000is “much better than the Falcon 7X.”ACM performs its own maintenancefrom Baden-Baden and is able to runan efficient operation by doing so.Kraft affirms that the Globals are a“very good brand with great reliabilityand they have the best cabin in thisclass of aircraft.” He does feeloccasionally let down by the supportof Bombardier.

Martin Lener of Tyrolean alsoexperienced issues with its GlobalExpress when it first entered service,saying: “It has suffered from a seriousspare parts supply problem.” Thiswas back in 2003 and since then theaircraft has been trouble-free. Lener is very happy with thePininfarina interior of his GlobalExpress with XRS compliant cabin.He explains that operations arehelped by having in-housemaintenance provider Tyrolean JetServices on hand for regular checks.He believes that the cabin in theaircraft is of the highest quality and will only be surpassed by theG650. The aircraft has a “state-of-the-art concept” and is working verywell for the company. Increasedcabin pressure modification is onealteration Lener believes would be desirable.

GULFSTREAM: G-550

Gulfstream’s business jet range hasalways carried with it a reputation forluxury, and its operators demand thehighest standards in reliability andperformance. One anonymous user isvery satisfied in all areas with his G-550 and praises the maintenancesupport of AMAC Aerospace in Basel,which gives “outstanding customersupport.”

Me & My Aircraftthroughout 2013

NOVEMBER

Very light jets

We are keen to hear your views.Log in at www.ebanmagazine.comand you will find voting forms foreach type in your fleet. It takesmoments to complete, and themore replies we receive the betterour final reports will be. Your usernumber and pin is on the back ofthe mailing sheet included withyour magazine.

Make your opinion count!

September 17, 2013

Do business with the best of

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JFI owner donates Sinatra’s Gulfstream JFI Jets owner and Long Islandresident Arik Kislin is donating hisGulfstream II business jet to WilsonTechnological Center at Republicairport in Farmingdale, New York.The Gulfstream, once owned byFrank Sinatra, will have an activeretirement as a training jet forfuture aviation mechanics in theWestern Suffolk BOCES aviationmaintenance technology prog-ramme at Wilson Tech’s campus.

The 1968 model G-IIaccommodates 12 passengers andhas a range of over 3,000 miles. Itstwo Rolls Royce engines power theaircraft to a cruise altitude of 45,000feet and a speed of 520 miles perhour. The aircraft was designed andengineered by Grumman Aircraft innearby Bethpage, New York.

“This jet will provide both highschool and adult students withmore opportunities for hands-onlearning about jet instrumentationand engines,” says Dr MichaelMensch, coo for Western SuffolkBOCES. “We are extremely gratefulto have this jet with such a historicpast added to our aviationmaintenance technologyprogramme.”

Karen Bowden, principal ofWilson Tech’s Republic airportcampus, adds: “This donation willcertainly help students prepare for

their Federal AviationAdministration exams, helpingthem to earn FAA licenses inairframe and power-plant forgreater job opportunities.”

Kislin owned the aircraft forseven years and operated it all overthe world. Prior to that, the aircraftwas owned for a time by singingicon Frank Sinatra and sub-sequently by actor Harrison Ford,an accomplished aviator himself.

“I love this aircraft and truly

hate to see her grounded, but after44 years of service her time hascome,” Kislin says. “I am pleased toknow she will continue to be ofservice to the Wilson Center and thepeople of Long Island as aneducational tool and a proudreminder of the aviation heritage ofthis region.”

JFI Jets is a worldwide providerof aircraft management and charterservices with fixed base operationsand part 145 certified repair centre.

conditions,” he says. He is happy thatthe aircraft enables the company toserve long-haul passengers while alsobeing capable of landing on shorterrunways. The aircraft can fly abovethe NAT-OTS system which is anotherhelpful feature. He believes theaircraft can be improved through theinstallation of satellite datalink. ■

The large baggagehold capacity [ofthe 737] is a veryfavourable feature

Arik Kislin, who owns JFI Jets, pictured with students of aviation maintenancetechnology at Wilson Technological Centre's Republic Airport campus.

THK Gökçen Aviation of Ankara hastaken delivery of five EC135s toprovide medical airlift dutiesthroughout Turkey. The helicopterswill start operations in August.

The operator is the commercialcompany of the Turkish AeronauticalAssociation THK, and the delivery of this first batch takes place onlythree months after the selection ofEurocopter as the preferredmanufacturer. THK Gökçen andSaran Holding will deploy a fleet of 17EC135s to deliver helicopter medicalemergency services in the frameworkof a five-year contract with theTurkish Ministry of Health. Theremaining helicopters will bedelivered in spring 2014.

“Turkey is a growing helicoptermarket and we are glad the EC135continues to accompany the projectof the Turkish Ministry of Health.With THK Gökçen we have gained an excellent partner to strengthenour footprint in this strategicallyimportant country,” says OlivierLambert, Eurocopter’s senior vp forsales and customer relations.

THK says that the EC135 combinesa wide, unobstructed cabin withexcellent performance, range andpayload capacity – along withcapabilities for low noise operations.The helicopter’s oversized sliding sidedoors and rear clamshell doorsenable fast loading and unloading ofpatients, with additional safetyduring ground operations due to theshrouded Fenestron tail rotor.

THK Gökçenreceives first fiveHEMS EC135s

From north to south, spread alongthe east coast of the Adriatic Sea are the relatively small countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro andAlbania. Our feature focuses on thefirst two, where business aviationis most active.

SloveniaSlovenia became a member of the EUin 2004, and adopted the Euro in2007. It is mountainous and a havenfor skiers and hikers, but also hasindustries in car parts, chemicals,electronics, textiles and furniture.There are four airports suitable forbusiness aviation, and a handful ofbusiness air charter operators.

In the past year Elit’Avia has hireda new coo, Puja Mahajan, and is alsoin the process of setting up an AOC inMalta. It has taken on a Challenger605 in Slovenia which it acquiredfrom Africa, and this takes the totalnumber of aircraft of the modeloperated by Elit’Avia to six. MichelCoulomb, ceo, says: “The company isinvolved in a lot of projects and theseare ongoing. The Challenger 605addition makes this fleet one of thebiggest in Europe.

“We are doing both aircraftmanagement and charter. We arechartering mostly to the Russianmarket and Europe. We’ve got aGlobal 6000 as well under SlovenianAOC based in Russia. We haveextended our sales department andnow have sales people in Slovenia,Russia, Paris and in Atlanta.”

Coulomb summarises the successof the company over the last 12months: “Elit’Avia is actually doingquite well in 2013. We are very happywith the direction we have taken withRussia and Africa, and so it’s actuallya growing company and is quitestable financially too.

“In Slovenia we don’t actually haveany competitors. There is a smallmanagement company but it’s adifferent business... there’s nocompetition there. Competitioncomes more from the rest of Europe –UK, Austria, Malta. I think that we arewell-known for the quality of workthat we are doing.”

He singles out a couple of staffmembers for special mention: “Ouraccountable manager and flight ops

manager Tomaz Pretzl has broughtgreat value into the company. Thenew coo Puja Mahajan, coming fromBombardier, is going to be a big assetfor the company too.”

Elit’Avia has also been proactive in widening its horizons acrosscontinents. More news comes fromwest Africa, where it has opened anoffice in Accra, Ghana, in order toserve a growing demand for businessaviation in the region. The office inGhana is currently managing fourbusiness aircraft and aims to expandits west African fleet. These managedaircraft comprise two BombardierGlobal 6000s and a Global XRS inNigeria, plus a Dassault Falcon 2000in Ghana itself. Management of theseaircraft is a blend of exclusive clientuse and charter availability.

The company manages a fleet ofGlobals, Challengers, Falcons and haspast experience managingGulfstream G550s and G450s. Byfurther developing its presence inwest Africa, the operator is looking tostand out from the crowd in servingthis emerging market. It expects totake delivery of a Gulfstream G550and a Falcon 7X by the end of the year, which will nearly double the sizeof its regional fleet.

One of the aircraft undermanagement is on long-term lease by a Fortune 100 company. In thiscase, Elit’Avia provides aircraftmaintenance and crew placement.

“We have been active in westAfrica for about 18 months,” saysCoulomb. “Personally, I had theopportunity to live in Lagos from1992 to 1997 and believe that thisunique experience has beeninvaluable to our regional growth.West Africa has not traditionally beenwell served by business aviationmanagement companies, which isremarkable considering that Nigeriahad more new aircraft orders thanSouth Africa last year.

“Our west African clients valuesafety, security, comfort and direct

access to destinations within thecontinent, which may otherwise bedifficult to access efficiently using acommercial aviation service. Inter-nationally, we are seeing growth trafficbetween the region and destinationsincluding Moscow and Paris. As theeconomies of west African nationscontinue to grow, we are contributingto an overall elevation of businessaviation service standards. Based on our regional experience andindustry knowledge, we are uniquelypositioned to serve this region andlook forward to sharing in its growth,”Coulomb concludes.

Since the beginning of 2012, Janezlet has operated a Beech 200 SuperKing Air, having gone from an allpiston fleet to a mixture of turbopropand piston. Company ceo Matej Ceraris very happy with the diversity of theaircraft, as it is able to perform longerrange flights with eight passengers in addition to undertaking shortflights and using short runways in the Mediterranean islands. Cerardoes however feel that the companyhas suffered poor maintenancesupport, which has made the aircraftmore expensive to operate than somelight jets.

Janez let is expanding its low costair taxi operation, which will providea service between local airline hubsand remote holiday destinations atcompetitive rates. Despite economicchallenges it has managed to increaseits activity in the past year, with Cerarattributing this to “maintainingcustomer service at a competitiveprice.” Its ability to perform missionsat short notice has seen bookingsfrom high profile clients, he says:“Our dispatch and customer supportteam deserves a lot of credit in this area.”

Future plans consist of providinghigh quality aviation at lower pricesas well as lower cost personal shortrange taxi flights. It is also hoped thatEuropean aviation authorities willreconsider their stringentregulations. “Small business aviationis an important part of a successfuleconomy and we hope the authoritieswill stop implementing laws whichdestroy new generation smallaviation, otherwise our industry willkeep shrinking,” Cerar concludes.

Flycom specialises in preventativeand scheduled maintenance services

Local challenges remain asAdriatic operators seeopportunities overseas

Accountable manager and director of Eudora Let, Zoran Matic.


Air Partner launchesprivate jet cardAir Partner has launched ‘ThePerformance Card’, targeted at thebusiness travel market. It is said tohave enhanced value for usersflying day-return flights from aregular base airport, offeringtransparent fixed pricing andguaranteed availability when pre-purchasing flight time. SimonWheatley, UK manager for privatejets, says: “We have launched thePerformance Card in line with agrowth in the private aviationmarket among business users. It isa unique offering, catering for aspecific niche market that will growin parallel with a strengtheningeconomic recovery.”

In addition, Air Partner hasappointed Grahame Chilton as anon-executive director. ChairmanRichard Everitt says: “Grahamebrings a wealth of global businessexperience which will beinvaluable to the company.”

Air Partner confirms that in thewake of tensions in Egypt, it hasflown major oil companypersonnel out of the country in anevacuation operation.

Skytime adopts Wvyernsafety programmeSkytime Jets is now a certifiedWyvern broker. The company cannow offer a comprehensive safetyprogramme to its customersthrough Wyvern’s safety suite oftools. Skytime will have access toan expanded database of auditedoperators through the WyvernReport, allowing them to survey anoperator before brokering. Thisreport can then be sent to thecharter client, providing customerswith safety and quality assurance.

PrivateJets adds DSG tocollaboratorsPrivateJets.co.uk is celebrating 15years of private jet charter bypartnering with Digital SportsGroup. DSG is responsible for

sports media outlets such asfootball.co.uk, sport.co.uk,golf.co.uk and flydays.co.uk, and itsonline reach will introduce anaudience of over 11 million amonth to PrivateJets. DSG will bethe firm’s preferred partner for golfsyndicate days.

The system also allows visitorsto arrange multi-leg flights, as wellas informing them of adverseweather conditions that may affecttheir journey.

This partnership is not the firstthat the company has embarkedon: an exclusive alliance hasalready been formed with La Nava,a shooting range and resort in theCastilla-La Mancha region of Spain,and also with The Yacht Concierge.

Lux-Jet offers jet shareschemeLux-Jet, based at London Lutonwith a CJ2, says it is offeringpassengers affordable rates onprivate jet seats, through its jetshare venture.

Destinations include Cannes,Ibiza and Palma, with bookingavailable online. Customers canarrive 15 minutes before thedeparture time with access to thevip terminal and lounge. Theaircraft are flown under theoperator’s AOC certificate.

Md Scott Nicholas says: “My aimis to establish a really simplebusiness that offers people privatejet share with prices comparable tobusiness class fares.”

“What’s fantastic about theprivate jet sharing experience isyou may find yourself sharing thejet with other like-mindedindividuals, whether it’s a coupleon their dream honeymoon, acelebrity DJ or someone spendinga weekend on a yacht or the golfcourse. You never know whatchance encounter or introductiona Lux-Jet flight may provide.”

Busy office for ACS amidEgypt tensionsAir Charter Service reports that itsDubai office has been arrangingpotential evacuations in casetensions in Egypt continue toworsen. The company has receivedan increasing number of enquiriesand has already contracted aircraftto be placed on standby at Cairoairport.

Justin Bowman, deputy md ofACS, comments: “We have beengetting a large amount of calls fromworried companies. We are alsoreceiving requests to fly to Cyprusand other surrounding countries toescape the troubles in Egypt.”

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ADRIATICREGIONALREVIEW

We are very happywith the direction

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in the air for high and mediumvoltage overhead lines. Using thelatest equipment and technology itoffers a service to detect and analysedefects in the equipment supply andtransmission of electricity.

It uses helicopters which arespecifically tailored to its operations.The AS350 B2 has room for fivepassengers, the EC120B has four seatsavailable and it also has a smallerSchweizer 300C. Missions includethermovision and infrared recording,which Flycom has conductedoverseas in Austria, Germany,Hungary, Italy, and elsewhere inEurope. It also runs a korona orultraviolet imaging camera which candetect the beginnings of a powerfailure, either on the ground or withpower lines in the RTP station.Passenger operations are also offered,and the operator can providepanoramic flights with impressiveviews, flights for special occasionssuch as weddings or birthdaysurprises, along with business travel.

CroatiaWith a population twice the size ofSlovenia, Croatia became the 28thmember of the EU on July 1st thisyear, and expects to join theSchengen agreement by 2015. Thismay improve the country’s economicoutlook, which has seen decline inrecent years. Unemployment hasbecome a major issue for Croatia.

Its mountains and in particular itsbeaches attract many visitors, and ithas 1,246 islands and islets, of whichjust 48 are permanently inhabited,along its large coastline. Businessaviation has access to no fewer than14 airports.

Tim Air has enjoyed a successfulfirst year as an on-demand charteroperator and is based in Zagreb. Itruns passenger and cargo operations,including organ transplant transport,and its range encompasses theCroatian coastline as well asneighbouring countries. Tim Air has aPiper Cheyenne II in service but it isalso able to provide a Cheyenne IIIAand a Citation CJ2+ through itspartner companies. It is now lookingto run ambulance missions inaddition to charter services as it looksto the future. A steady growth inCroatia’s tourism sector has boostedbusiness and this is set to continue.

Eudora Let, based in Vodice, hasalso suffered at the hands of industryregulation, with accountablemanager Zoran Matic confirming:“We are still in stagnation in Croatia.”Matic believes that business in theaviation industry is going down: “Thisis because of government policy;taxes and policies towards theEuropean Union and outside theEuropean Union. Croatiangovernment policy, especially when itcomes to investment in Croatia, isprohibitive,” he says. Despite thestruggles to survive in the business hepraises the work of the staff in his

company, who are putting great effortinto maintaining the survival of thebusiness. Eudora Let is said to be thefirst commercial helicopter operatorin Croatia and operates a Piper Aztecand a Eurocopter Alouette II on itsAOC from Resnik airport.

Jung Sky is a Croatian carrierwhich is now three-and-a-half yearsold. It has been flying its Citation Jetfor two years after starting out with aCessna 172. Last year the companyclocked up over 650 hours using itsCJ. Founder and owner Kresimir Jungsays that he is “very satisfied” with thequantity of requests and the numberof flying hours and flights that thecompany has received. He also saysthat this year Jung Sky has taken onmany new customers: “Each year wefly about 600 hours on average, andwe have many strong clients who arevery well-known in Croatia; verystrong in a financial way. In the wholeof Europe we have some brokerswhich are our partners and we flycustomers all around Europe.”

Jung adds that the company is nowlooking to invest in a CJ2, and saysthat under normal operations hedoesn’t foresee many challenges: “Weare satisfied with this system and howit is working. We are very experiencedin this type of operation and we deal


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with companies who have a lot ofexperience as well.”

Financial institutions can still poseproblems however: “It’s very difficultto get financing and so on – that’s thebiggest problem. If you want to getsome credit it’s always a problem inthe last few years because banks havea big amount of money but they don’tgive it out. They are very cautiousbecause they had a crisis.

“But we have financing for thisaircraft and we are now in a gooddirection to have another one. We willget it but it will take a lot of time, a lotof documentation and a lot of work toget there,” Jung adds. The founder

says that Jung Sky doesn’t often flyunusual operations, after it wasforced to cut down organtransportation: “We’ve made about 15flights for organs, but we don’t tend tofly them any more because theCroatian medical system is very poor.They don’t do this transportation anymore so that’s the reason why westopped such flights.

“Most of the normal flights we doare very similar to each other and Icannot say we have many specialsituations. We fly to many airports allaround Europe, to London City, toInnsbruck and to some other airportswhich you need special approval tofly to. We have businessmen as clientsfor the whole year and during thesummer season we have mostlytouristic flights. Recently we flew withfour Chinese passengers to Tivat inMontenegro. We have people fly fromall around the world: Americans,Ukrainians, Russians and so on.”

Delic Air is an owner-operatedcompany, licensed to carrypassengers and freight on routes notnormally served by scheduled airservices. The company wasestablished back in 1996 and ownerNenad Delic says that this year hasbeen steady, with no developments ofnote: “We have four aircraft, same aslast year. Our hours have decreased alittle bit, let’s say 25 per cent, but weare satisfied nonetheless.

“We operate two Piper Cheyenne,for taxi and sightseeing.

“The last 12 months have still beenabsolutely successful, because in this20-25 per cent was a lot of companieswho have gone bankrupt – they had been flying and never paid.Without these companies we are still

Michel Coulomb, ceo of Elit’Avia, says thecompany has enjoyed a busy year.

flying well though. We now have astable financial situation witheverybody paying.”

Delic, like many other operators inthe region, lists the problems ofrunning a business such as his inCroatia: “At this moment the greatestchallenge will be working next yearhere. There are new taxes and newgovernment fees, so it’s not easy. Wehave old clients who are very satisfiedflying with us, and if we keep theseclients without any problem that willbe very good and will secure us untilnext year. These are our plans.”

Winair, headquartered inVaraždin, is a member of the T7Group and says it was the firstCroatian company to be establishedfor the development of generalaviation. Its primary activity is theorganisation of flights with jetaircraft. It believes it is the firstcompany in Croatia with entirely newsmall and medium range aircraft.

With a motto of ‘time is life,’Winair looks to understand the needsof its customers and prioritises speed,flexibility of travel organisation,business comfort and the possibilityof landing in airports of all categories.This increases time efficiency andproductivity in flights to more than500 destinations.

It has recently created ‘The WinairProject’ with a view to increasinginterest for the development ofgeneral aviation, and primarilybusiness aviation, in Croatia. ■

The 2013/14 Handbook of BusinessAviation, Europe, Russia, Middle Eastand Africa Edition, was published inMay, and gives details of many moreAdriatic charter operators. It also listsbusiness aviation facilities andservices including airports, FBOsand maintenance centres.

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

Comprehensive data for the Adriatic online

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■ The changing buying habits of thebusiness aviation customerPanel lead: Carol Cork, PrivateFlyPanel:Phil Brockwell, Centreline Air Charter Bernard Fragner, GlobeAirJames Leach, Air Charter Service

■ Business aviation – do we need tomanage the perception of our sector?Panel lead: Brian Humphries, EBAAPanel:Alex Berry, Chapman FreebornJulian Burrell, Vertis AviationRichard Koe, WingX

Norwich-based air charter operatorSaxonAir reports that its business hasincreased significantly since it began acampaign to promote businessaviation to local businesses. Now itplans to build on this success by co-operating with the one-day businessaviation event BGAD to continue thisadvocacy throughout East Anglia.

The company has seen a recordincrease in air charter use during thefirst six months’ trading of 2013. Fixedwing charter hours for the first half ofthe year increased by over 65 per centagainst the same first six months of2012, with helicopter charter hours atits Norwich base up by 41 per cent inthe same period.

Christopher Mace, groupcommercial director, believes thispositive news is a further sign ofincreased business activity from theUK as companies see the value inoptimising travel time for key staffaway from the office environment andfamily life.

SaxonAir’s campaign promotesprivate air charter to the businesscommunity and highlights the timesaving benefits, flexibility andpotential boost in productivity thatcan be gained by using the service.

“Air charter is not necessarily aboutliving a luxury lifestyle, being servedchampagne and caviar on-board,”advises Mace. “The majority of our

clients are, in fact, businesses thatappreciate that air charter enablesthem to make the very best use of time with pre-cleared check-ins, theability to undertake work on-board inprivate and secure surroundings aswell as landing at private airportscloser to their destination not servedby the airlines.

“There is no substitute for meetingface to face,” he adds. “A majorcontract could be in the balance,presentations to be given or multiplesites to visit. These are many of thereasons when our business clients usethe service as part of their overalltransport solutions. The increased use of our aircraft in the first half ofthis year is down to a betterunderstanding of air charter, ourstaff’s commitment to customerservice and the varied, modernaircraft fleet that we can offer.”

This surge in interest is timely,ahead of the Business and GeneralAviation Day, BGAD 13, which will beheld on Tuesday 17th September atCambridge airport. SaxonAir will beexhibiting on the day, alongside morethan 60 other business aviationorganisations. Seminars will also bedelivered in an alliance between theBritish Business and General AviationAssociation (BBGA) and the Baltic AirCharter Association (BACA), whichbetween them represent operators,

suppliers and brokers. Visitors willalso be able to see inside the cabins ofvarious business aircraft on display,such as the King Air 200 and Phenom300. Meanwhile, PrivateFly will berunning a ten-pin bowling challengeespecially for BGAD.

Mace emphasises how crucial theday can be in generating business forcompanies like SaxonAir: “There is agreat focus for BGAD to present itselfto the local business region in terms ofadvocacy for air charter. It is also agood opportunity for us to see thebrokers. We like the fact that it is on asingle day as well.

“Last year we brought the Hawker900 on static display and it was one ofthe first opportunities we had to showthe aircraft off to a lot of the brokers.We were busy all day with peoplecontinually going in and out of theaircraft. Most of the major brokerswere there and it was a goodopportunity just to catch up witheverybody. This time I’m hoping tocontinue in that vein in terms of theindustry but also hope that we willhave some potential clients andbusinesses from the region who willbe able to attend. It gives us anopportunity to put ourselves in frontof them so they can understand moreabout the values of air charter.”

Full details about BGAD can befound at www.bgad.aero

BGAD seminars shinea light on vital topics

BGAD Cambridge takes place on Tuesday 17th September at Cambridge Airport.Visitors will network with around 60 exhibiting companies, see an estimated 20aircraft on static display and attend a first class seminar programme.EBAN readers in the UK will find an invitation with this issue of the magazine. Anyonecan register to attend the free seminars on the BGAD web site, www.bgad.aero

Reaching out to local business bringsmore charter business, says SaxonAir

Christopher Mace, group commercial director of SaxonAir’s parent company Klyne Aviation, with a company-owned Hawker 900.

■ Taxation by another name –the introduction of ETS, APDand two more new chargesbeing considered for oursectorLead: Marc Bailey, BBGA• Border Force cost recovery• Full fuel duty relief used in air

navigation and navigation withinEU waters

• The Court of Justice of EuropeanUnion and its ruling that theexemption should only apply tocommercial airlines.

AFTERNOON SESSION 14:00-15:30

MORNING SESSION 11:00-12:30

■ CAA update for businessaviation sectorLead:Jacky Mills, CAA• Describe the work of the BASP• Significant Seven areas applicable to

business aviation.• The SARG organisation

■ Flight data monitoring – theCASE project and benefits foryour SMSLead:Malcolm Rusby and CASE team

■ Training for our sectorLeads:Carol Leach, AQMS, and Marc Bailey,BBGA• National skills council for aviation

services• GTAs and current developments• Accreditation of qualifications to

support professional licences• Development of national

occupational standards to supportthe new skills of continuedairworthiness

• Skills shortages for SMEs and micros


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