Professional Pilot April 2016

APRIL 2016
Glazers Distributors flies a Dassault Falcon 2000LX to support the 106-year-old beverage
distribution company and its 7000 employees across 15 states, Canada and the Virgin
s
er
d
i
Islands. On the ramp at DAL (Love Field, Dallas TX) are (LR) Chairman Bennett Glazer,
ov
Pr
CEO Sheldon Stein, Dir of Aviation David Thatcher, Chief of Mx Kelly Butler,
x
M
ng
i
Aviation Coordinator Brande Waddle and Capt/Safety Officer Darren Fleming.
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4 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016
Stevens Aviation
French Blitzer Scott
Grant
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Stuart
Karsten
Don
David
Cindy
Mike
Regular contributors
PETER BERENDSEN, ATP/CFII. Boeing 747, MD 11
BRENT BUNDY, Helo. AW 119, Airbus AS350B3
DAVID BJELLOS, ATP/Helo, CAM. Gulfstream IVSP, Bell 407
STUART LAU, ATP/FE/CFII. Boeing 747/757/767, CRJ, Saab 340
GRANT McLAREN, Editor-at-Large
MIKE POTTS, Senior Contributing Editor
KARSTEN SHEIN, Climatologist, Natl Climatic Data Center. Comm-Inst
DON VAN DYKE, ATP/Helo/CFII. Bell 222
CINDY YOUNGBLOOD, ATP. BE400, CE500, CE560XL
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April 2016 Vol 50 No 4
SOMEWHERE BELOW YOU,

THERES A WORLD FULL OF SPEED LIMITS.
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April 2016
Features
18
Vol 50 No 4
10 POSITION & HOLD

Our battle against ATC privatization by Ed Bolen
ATC would be run by board of directors dominated by airline reps and could
be funded by user fees that would restrict GA use, destinations and airspace.
18 MARKET TRENDS
Static bizjet sales by Bob Rockwood
In-depth analysis of why current corporate aircraft prices are not increasing.
34 EVENT COVERAGE
NBAA Leadership Conference 2016 by Brent Bundy
Industry executives and experts gather together at San Antonio TX.
42
36 UP COLLECTIVE
Rotary-wing big show summary by Matt Zuccaro
HAI welcomed thousands of attendees and exhibitors despite low oil prices.
38 HELO CONVENTION
Heli-Expo 2016 by Brent Bundy
Tradeshow had 14,000 visitors, 695 vendors and 55 V/STOL machines.
42 GA SALES FACTORS
10 trends affecting bizav growth by Marvin Cetron
Population increase assures more air travel. And pursuit of global markets also
makes more executive jets necessary.
48 CORPORATE PROFILE
Glazers Distributors by Cindy Youngblood
Alcohol distribution company keeps spirits high with a Falcon 2000LX.
48
54 INTERNATIONAL OPS
Bizav flights to Asia by Grant McLaren
Apply for permits in advance as airport slots and parking are tight. Rules and
regs are strict, customs and visas are costly, and service varies widely.
58 RADAR SCHOOL
How to tune your radar by Archie Trammell
Correct procedure is necessary and its different since automation.
62 WX BRIEF
Hail by Karsten Shein
These hardened ice balls come from severe storms and can wreck aircraft.
84
68 INNOVATIVE WINGS
Status report on new aircraft from various OEMs by Owen Davies
Manufacturers are making performance breakthroughs in bizjets and TPs.
78 LONG-RANGE COM
HF radio by Shannon Forrest
A stalwart communications tool of the past thats still relevant today.
84 SELECTING MX PROVIDERS
Finding the right MRO by Don Van Dyke
Successful aircraft ownership and ops are linked to good mx, repair and
overhaul. Matching needs and capabilities is key to positive results.
94
94 ALPINE HEMS
Medical helo missions in the Alps by Mario Pierobon
Safe mountain rescue operations demand dedicated helicopters.
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April 2016
Vol 50 No 4
Departments
ALT
You asked. We acted.
12
VIEWPOINTS
Opinions from Futurist Erica Orange, FSI Exec
Woody McClendon and Top Communicator
Al Higdon.
22
SQUAWK IDENT
Pro Pilot readers forecast the benets electric
engines may bring to the aviation industry.
24
TERMINAL CHECKLIST
Quiz on procedures when making the approach
to OME (Nome AK). Answers on page 26.
28
SID & STAR

While the Howler is in for service, Mr Lugnut
rides in Donald Trumps bizjet and concludes
even a small aircraft can bring in business.
30
ALEX REMEMBERS
Gen Pershings chase of Pancho Villa with Curtiss
JN Jenny 2s led to a commemorative painting.
92
RAMP & HANGAR

Jobs, products and other reader opportunities.
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Experience. Unlike any other.
Glazers Distributors flies

a Dassault Falcon 2000LX
to support the 106-yearold beverage distribution
company and its 7000 employees across 15 states,
Canada and the Virgin
Islands. On the ramp at
DAL (Love Field, Dallas TX)
are (LR) Chairman Bennett
Glazer, CEO Sheldon Stein,
Dir of Aviation David
Thatcher, Chief of Mx
Kelly Butler, Aviation
Coordinator Brande
Waddle and Capt/Safety
Officer Darren Fleming.
Photo by Jay Davis.
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POSITION & HOLD
By Ed Bolen
President & CEO NBAA
ur nations general aviation industry is confronted with a battle

on Capitol Hill against those who
support proposals for taking our air trafc
systema natural monopolyand handing

it over to a board dominated by big airlines.
This concept is contained in HR 4441,

an FAA reauthorization bill introduced on
Feb 3 in the US House of Representatives.
The bill proposes to create a privatized
air trafc control (ATC) system funded by
aviation user fees. This is a risky proposition, not only for our nations GA community, including
business aviation, but also for citizens and communities
across the US.
Heres why: Currently, our elected representatives ensure that the publics interest is at the forefront of any
decision affecting access to our nations airports and
airspace. By contrast, under HR 4441 an airline-centric
board would have ultimate authority to dictate where
and when people would be able to y, at what cost and
through what payment methodincluding user fees.
Should commercial airline interests be granted such
sweeping power and effectively remove the publics elected representatives from the equation, there would simply
be no means for recourse over the decisions of the board.
Proponents of ATC privatization respond to these concerns by pointing to safeguards in HR 4441, which they
claim would shield GAand small communities served
by the industryfrom subjugation by airline interests.
Such protections amount to turning the chicken
house over to a fox and then asking what protections the
chickens should receive. The fox will eventually nd his
way around those protections and get to the chickens.
Indeed, any such authority favoring airline interests
would directly impact areas of the country that currently
depend upon the exibility of business aviation for such
vital tasks as opening new production facilities, developing new utilities infrastructure, and transporting doctors directly to small communities in need of medical assistance.
There is a critical need for industry stakeholders, including Pro Pilot readers, to let their representatives know
such a scenario would hurt business aviation. Thousands
of individuals and dozens of business aviation groups
have already mobilized against this threat, responding
to NBAAs Call to Action and contacting their elected
representatives to encourage them to oppose ATC privatization funded through user fees.
While we are making progress on this issue, we certainly cannot afford to rest on our laurels. As I write this,
the House is still working to nd a path to the oor for
consideration of HR 4441, and the Senate is expected to
introduce its own FAA reauthorization measure soon.
That means we cannot pause in this battle. If Pro Pilot readers havent already done
so, I ask you to join with NBAAs more than
10,000 members to protest against the
awed concept of ATC privatization.
NBAAs Contact Congress resource is
one way you may quickly and succinctly
express your opposition to this proposal
threatening Americas world-class aviation
system. Simply launch any web browser
and visit www.nbaa.org/action.
At NBAA we want the US to continue to
be the world leader in all aspects of aviation for decades to come. Risky proposals
Ed Bolen
for creating a privatized ATC system funded by user fees wont make our system better, and would
leave smaller businesses, consumers and communities in
a worse situationnot a better one. Please help on this
matter of critical importance to everyone in the business
aviation community.
HR 4441: The Facts

1. Control of ATC would go private. Control and discretion over
the nations air traffic control (ATC) network would be stripped
from Congress and placed in the hands of a privately-elected
Board of Directors, that HR 4441 terms a Corporation.
2. Airline reps would dominate Board control. Of the 12 positions on the proposed Board, only 2 would be held by those representing noncommercial owners and recreational operators of
general aviation aircraft. The airlines and their pilots will hold the
greatest number of seats on the ATC Board proposed under HR
4441, giving the airlines the strongest influence.
3. Airports and airspace use would be decided by the board.
As proposed in HR 4441, the Board would have clear authority
over use and operation of the nations ATC system. This includes
authority to dictate which groups have access to certain airports
and airspace. With airline interests possessing the strongest voice
on the Board, this means the Board could determine when GA operators would be allowed to fly, to where, at what cost, what type
of payment would be required (including user fees), and which
airports would be given priorities.
4. New user fees are probable and would be voted by the
Board. With regard to user fees, the language contained in HR
4441 states that the new Board may assess and collect charges
and fees from any air traffic services user for air traffic services
provided by the Corporation in US airspace or international airspace delegated to the United States, leaving the door open for
the Board to force user fees on GA operations.
Source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4441/text
Photo by Jos Vsquez
Our battle against ATC privatization
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VIEWPOINTS
These editorials are the opinions of the contributors
Futurist Erica Orange, FlightSafety Executive

Woody McClendon, and Top Communicator
Al Higdon express their thoughts
Erica Orange foresees smart, sensor-based

cities. She says that in addition to continued
technical developments in all elds, we will
live longer and have more meaningful lives.
Erica Orange
EVP & COO,
The Future Hunters
With longer lives and more
automation, where will we live
and what will we do?
hange has always been a conC
stant, but it is now happening
faster than ever before. Very large things are happening
in increasingly compressed amounts of time, and the

impacts of this acceleration will be felt everywhere. As
I look 50 years into the future, I see the pace of change
becoming faster and faster.
Here are 3 key ways in which I think the world may be
transformed by 2067:
1. A new era of mass consciousness. As models of human consciousness evolve, they will have to account for
the reality that humans could, and likely will, share consciousness. This wont happen through spiritual means,
but through tech-enabled networks. Weve been steadily moving toward a world governed by a greater global
consciousness through shared digital experiences (eg,
ubiquitous mobile networks, social media). As we march
towards 2067, the question will become: Have we set
ourselves up for a dystopian future where humanity looks
more like the Borg from Star Trek? Or will we have moved
toward a place where humanity can othersource the
lower-level tasks of our existence to machine intelligence,
while sharing consciousness to become more enlightened
than ever before? All of this will shift the paradigm in the
way we think about machine consciousness. If machines
can dream, imagine, hallucinate and create, what is it
that separates them from us? Perhaps by 2067 they will
be completely indistinguishable from us, and all sentient

life forms will be connected in the noospherea universal coalescence of awareness and the transcendence to a
higher form of collective intelligence.
2. Workreation: The emergence of a new creative class.
Robots are increasingly being trained to match human
dexterity and speed. However, this new wave of evolutionary technology can automate not just manual work,
but also cognitive tasks. What may be looming is an era
of technological unemployment, in which computer scientists and software engineers essentially invent us out
of work, and the total number of jobs declines steadily
and permanently. The widespread disappearance of work
would usher in a profound social transformation and will
create a new normal, where the expectation that work
will be a central feature of adult life dissipates for a significant share of society. A broader question that emerges
from all of this is: Are we heading towards what we call
a workreation future where jobs consist of more creative
endeavors? Will this be a future where creation itself,
rather than material compensation, is what compels us to
work? Less passive and more nourishing, creative forms of
mass leisure could develop in the decades to come. And
as virtual reality (VR) technology improves, peoples cyber-existence could very likely become as rich as their
real life.
3. Synthetic biology (synbio) and life extension. We
are entering a new era of modular biology. Humans of
tomorrow will be able to mix and match their own biology not only to suit them (eg, augmentation, enhancement), but also to save them. We are approaching new
and exciting, if not occasionally bizarre, frontiers in implantation, transplantation, genetics and medicinethe
likes of which weve never seen before, but will become
commonplace by 2067. So far, modular genetics is about
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the closest we have come to playing God with our

collective biology. This will lead to radical new life extension techniques. But how long are we really meant
to live? Its a philosophical question that cant be easily
answered. Researchers like biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey are actively pursuing immortality, or at
least a gradual cessation of the aging process. If people
in 50 years live closer to 150 years (at the very least), as
an example, where will everyone literally be kept? We
are already overcrowding our cities, and that will only
become a bigger issue by mid-century. By 2067, it will
become an imperative for us to figure out how to terraform and/or colonize outer space as a way to store all
of our people (among myriad other reasons). Ultimately,
synbio could have as much, if not more, impact extra-terrestrially. Synbio could allow space travelers to use synbio microbes to produce their own fuel, food, medicines
and building materials from readily-available raw materials at the destinationwhether its the moon or even
other planetsrather than bringing all necessary supplies
aboard. This will herald a new, far more efficient, era of
space exploration. We are on the precipice of this now.
Another 9 things that are also likely to occur and will
transform the way we live in future:
1. 4D printing. The next generation of 3D printing. The
4th dimension is time. Early applications will be in military, medicine and industry in the form of 3D-printed nanobots that selfreplicate over time.
2. Smart, sensor-based cities. Everything in smart cities will be efficient, optimized and based on omnipresent
data feeds.
3. Vertical urban farming. Still in its infancy, it will become more widespread, particularly in developing parts
of the world with suboptimal transportation infrastructure.
4. Truly immersive VR. The VR of today is still fairly rudimentary. In the coming years, VR will better simulate
haptics and olfaction, making it completely realistic and
immersive.
5. Aquatecture & water-focused urban planning. As
flooding threatens many of the worlds highly-populated
coastal cities, well see more concepts that incorporate
architecture planned to adapt to these events.
6. Hacking the human brain. A growing focus on
mind-reading technologies.
7. Data storage revolution. Holographic data storage
is already being researched. But the next frontiers will
include engineering of quartz and synthetic DNA-based
data storage. All the worlds data can, in theory, fit onto
DNA that takes up the surface area of the tip of a thumb.
8. Water wars. The worlds primary conflict moves from
one thats ideological (religious extremism, etc) to one
thats resourced-based, specifically on water.
9. Rapidly Evolved Space Exploration. Including space
tourism, possible colonization and development of a
space elevator.
A final thought
Lastly, it is equally important to remember that for every trend, there is a countertrend. And the countertrends
dont happen in spite of trends; they happen because of
them. So while it is exciting (and sometimes scary) to
think of all the ways our world will transform in the next
50+ years, because of powerful countertrends, there will
always be part of our society and economy that will run
in opposition to these developments.
Woody McClendon
ATP/Helo/CFII.
Sales manager,
FlightSafety Intl
Automation: Mind and computer
in perfect harmony
ecades ago, the first steps toward automated flightD
decks were taken when EFIS systems arrived and
replaced a few of the primary flight instruments. Those
of us who admired technology welcomed automation as

a safer way to fly, freeing us from the burdens of stick
and rudder chores to monitor and look down the road,
heading off problems before they became life threatening. Many pilots, though, fought the trend, grumbling that
automation made flying more complicated.
In the ensuing years, we witnessed avionics systems
originally just radios and a few instrumentsfundamentally changing how we flew airplanes. All of the round
dial instruments began being replaced by bright-colored
screens, and the mighty old control wheel was replaced
by a sidestick. This was as big a change as the arrival of
the jet engine. For the pilots flying these new automated
aircraft, the changes were especially profound. For some
pilots, however, it was more than they could comprehend, but comprehend it they must if they were to remain
relevant and employed.
Automated aircraft give pilots insights into situational awareness beyond any aviators wildest dreams. The
near-perfect, pictorial stream of information that pilots
enjoy today takes the uncertainty out of flying. The result
is the best safety record in aviation history. US air carriers,
for example, fly billions of miles a year and havent had a
fatality in over 10 years.
But there is a dark side. A string of accidents has killed
hundreds of people as perfectly good airplanes have
crashed. How can this be? How can these automated aircraft, with all of their colorful information displays and
flight envelope protection, be falling out of the sky?
Cockpit voice recorders pulled from the rubble have
given investigators an insight from the grave into a terrible
problem. Trained, competent pilots have ridden jets into
the ground, their last words chilling clues that they had
lost control and had no idea how to regain it.
This current in-service edition of the Airbus 321 has a high degree of
sophistication in the cockpit. Woody McClendon says passengers will
still want human pilots, but future generations of pilots will be better
trained to work in harmony with computer-assisted automation.
Let your voice be heard.

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Al Higdon
Using the lessons from those voice recorders, we now
stress more training on stick and rudder skills so that pilots
Cofounder of Sullivan
can take over and manually fly the airplane when they lose
Higdon & Sink ad agency.
track of the automated picture, or the computers fail.
Former communicator
CRM has had a powerful rebirth as accident data
and copywriter for both
has shown that pilots, faced with an automation crisis,
Beech and Learjet and
stopped talking to each other.
subsequently SHS Acct
In the last 20 seconds of life for Air France 447, which
Executive for Cessna
crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in the dark hours of
morning, the pilots hardly spoke to each other; they were
Thanks, Pro Pilot, for a half-century of publication
totally confused. Air France 447 is a sober reminder that
and nearly 600 issues of great reading
we always have beenand still arethe pilots in command. It is up to us to manage these automation tools
and not let them drive us into the ocean or a mountain.
dont know how many current readers of Professional
As sophisticated as these machines are, left to their own,
Pilot were active in the industry at the dawn of this fine
they will fly the airplane into an ocean or a mountain.
publication in 1967. I was. And it was a hallelujah JanuFor now, brains concerned with self preservation are not
ary day at the then-fledgling Learjet in Wichita, where I
ingrained in machines, but they are in pilots.
worked at the time, when vol 1 no 1 hit our mailbox. It
Some 50 years from now, cockpits will be much simproudly pictured Radiation Incs Chief Pilot Roby Green
pler and more elegant than they are today. In my opinion,
and Sr VP George Shaw with the company Learjet 23 on
its likely that pilots wont be at the front of the airplane,
the front cover.
nor will future cockpits have windows. Visual systems
At the time, Murray Smith, who had both the foresight
will become sufficiently sophisticated that they will creand the guts to launch a new magazine edited specifically
ate a 3D presentation of the outfor the professional pilotin the
side worldin all directions.
headwind of already stiff, estabIntegrated into a 360 view of
lished competitionsaid the Leartheir surroundings, pilots will enjet embodied both the heart and
joy a holographic presentation
the spirit of the emerging business
of their attitude and navigational
aviation industry, just then trendsituation.
ing to turbine equipment. I dont
As pilots settle into their seats
know if this matchup still rings
for a flight, they will be greeted
true, but it was mighty nice to hear
by the airplane and invited to esthese words then, from someone
tablish a mental link with it. Then
of Murrays stature.
the busy mind-machine process
I believe 3 factors contribute
of flying will begin. The flightmost significantly to Pro Pilots
deck will be completely silent,
not just remaining strong in the
except for quiet exchanges beindustry, but its constant success
tween the pilots as they whisper
and growing importance as a key
corrective inputs as needed by
resource for corporate flightcrews
the fluid situation of the flight.
(LR) Alex Kvassay, Murray Smith and Al Higdon have and managers the world over:
Flightdecks of the future will shared ideas and opinions that have come to fruition in the
1. The consistency of its editocreate a sensory environment for magazine. Smith suggested that Pro Pilot carry Kvassays rial message has never wavered.
the pilots, and control inputs will past adventures in a featurette series, but it has been Al From day 1 right through until
be easily adapted to any aircraft. Higdon who has conversed with Alex and helped him select now, the magazine is focused on
Its likely that type ratings will be the various Kvassay adventures, edited them for publication its mission to keep those men and
in the magazine, and coined the title, Alex Remembers.
things of the past. Pilots will be
women charged with managing,
able to move easily from the flightdeck of a smaller doflying and operating corporate aircraft up on the latest
mestic aircraft to a vertical takeoff machine, and then to a
information they need to do their jobs exceptionally well.
suborbital, long-range airliner as the differences in flight
Articles are written by a broad cross-section of profesenvelope and control inputs will be filtered by the autosionals.
mated flightdeck into a single flying experience.
2. The format in which Pro Pilot interacts with its readBut make no mistake about it, those airplanes 50 years
ers. Listening to their problems and ideas, and responding
from now will not be UAVs. No matter how sophisticated
to their questions is unique. I truly believe we all feel this
the automation or the pressure from cost-cutting accounis our magazine.
tants who run flight operations, the passengers aboard
3. The entrepreneurial spirit which brought Pro Pilot to
those aircraft will deserve and demand that there be hulife 50 years ago continues today. As a personally wholman oversight in control of their trip.
ly-owned venture, the magazine is not bound by corpoIn the future we will complete the process of perfectly
rate hierarchy that most other aviation periodicals must
integrating human and machine control of flight. The evocontend with. Thus it is able to be nimble, reacting quicklution of man and machine will grow into a tighter and
ly to changing conditions in the industry.
tighter entwinement of mind and computer. It will stand
I believe I speak for other readers when I say: Keep on
to the world as a shining example of the perfect mind-madoing what youre doing, Professional Pilot. Were all
chine bond. And what a powerful miracle that will be.
depending on you.
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MARKET TRENDS
Another look at current static corporate

aircraft prices with further explanation
for their lack of increase
I recognize that operations are not in perfect alignment
with hours flown, especially given that large-cabin, longrange planes dominated new aircraft sales up until recently. However, there is no way a 30% decrease in operations
does not translate to a significant decline in hours flown per
plane. In fact, those who are more heavily involved in statistical analysis than I am, conclude this reduction to be in the
23% to 25% range.
Reductions in utilization per asset of this magnitude translates to a reduction in the value of that asset. Period.
Current per aircraft utilization shows slack between

total flight hours and demand
In a tough market Embraer has done well with their entry-level light
Phenom 100 (shown above) and more capable Phenom 300. These
bizjets have been top industry sellers for the past 3 years because
they have acceptable acquisition prices, very sturdy construction and
attentive aftersale product support.
By Bob Rockwood
Managing Partner, Bristol Associates
hen last we discussed the issue of falling prices

for corporate aircraft, the focus was on the declining growth of the worldwide fleet. Growth
spurs demand, and when demand outstrips supply, prices
increase. Sadly, the inverse is also true, and it represents the
current state of the industry.
Concentration of wealth in fewer hands has a negative

effect on corporate aircraft sales
In a previous article (Pro Pilot, Jan 2016, p 66) I observed
that the concentration of wealth into fewer hands is having
a negative effect on corporate aircraft sales. Simply stated,
fewer people controlling more money equals fewer aircraft
prospects. Now lets take a look at some of the other factors
influencing the reduction in demand.
Number 1 on my list is the reduction in utilization per aircraft. Based on FAA numbers, the number of operations of
business jets peaked in 2008 at around 4.8 million. Using
JETNET data, the number of planes back then was around
15,000. For discussion purposes lets assume that each plane
carried out 320 operations per year.
Operations in 2015 had only gotten back to about 4.3 million. Not only are these numbers still lower than in 2008,
but they are being spread over an additional 5000 planes
that were added to the fleet over the past 7 years. So relative
to the above we are now looking at each plane carrying out
about 215 operations.
Per aircraft utilization has been an issue for our industry

for years. Because of this, we have seen the continuing development of business models that foster higher flight hours
per plane. This trend has accelerated over the past 7 years as
recession hit our industry hard.
In many ways this is a good thing. Given that it reduces the
barrier of entry to get in to the world of business aviation,
it offers the promise of exposing more people to it. More
people means more prospects, and in turn that means more
business. But it doesnt necessarily mean more business in
the form of fleet growth.
Each of these business models, whether considering Vistajet, Onejet, Flexjet, SurfAir and the like, or the multitude of
management companies offering Part 135 charter service,
theoretically allows more people the use of each asset,
thereby reducing the number of planes required for a given
number of flight hours or operations.
There is no doubt that as the number of people who now
want or require business aircraft transportation increases, demand for these aircraft will potentially increase too. However, there is currently so much slack between the total hours
available in the fleet and the demand for those hours that
minor increases in hourly demand wont convert to additional aircraft sales for years to come. To wit, just to get back
to the operations per aircraft status of 2008 we would need
to be doing over 6,000,000 operations per annum, not the
4,300,000 done in 2015.
Operations
5
4.8
4.6
4.4
4.2
4
Operations per plane
400
200
2008
2015
Operations
2008
2015
Operations per plane
DO WHAT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE.

THEN DO MORE OF IT.
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
In the 10 short years of Embraer Executive Jets, weve certified not one, but four clean-sheet
designs. We elevated the standards for the light jet categoryand then established a new
category of mid-size jets altogether. And today, the worlds most delivered business jet is an
Embraer. Such progress was only possible due to an amazing history building commercial and
military aircraft that achieved similar seemingly impossible accomplishments. Proving you can
come a long way in 10 yearswhen its preceded by 40 years of preparation.
Rethink Convention.
EmbraerExecutiveJets.com
Millions of operations
Current flight ops vs needed ops

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Current operations
20%
10%
0%
Operations needed
Some airlines now offer ultra first class with suites

Of course no discussion concerning the demand for corporate aircraft, their use, and the potential for the growth of the
fleet would be complete without considering changes to the
alternatives that serve the same end purpose.
While on the theme of alternative means of accessing business aircraft, it is worth noting that the airlines are coming on
line with ultra first class accommodations in the form of suites
with 2 or 3 rooms and smaller, private cabins. I cant see this
having a significant impact on demand for our corporate aircraft sales in the short term, but the trend is worth watching.
If it starts generating decent revenue, the airlines will likely
expand the service. Again, it is not likely to ever be a huge
negative factor for us, but it wont help.
Business aircraft bring people together

General aviation aircraft serve one purpose: Bringing people together in a manner that fosters communication and understanding. And business aircraft do so in a more efficient
manner than other modes of transport. This is no different
than comparing a CNC automated milling equipment to a
manual milling machine. The former is more efficient and
productive, and adds overall value to the business.
But technology is bringing forth alternative means to communicate more effectively, just as it is improving on the CNC
machine with the development of such devices as 3D printing. And these new technologies are yet again even more
efficient and cost effective. Im not suggesting that technology will supersede either corporate planes or CNC machines
entirely, but it does reduce the demand for both. That is the
point of this discussion.
Being more specific, if the results of a face-to-face meeting
can be accomplished at less cost by using GoToMeeting over
the Internet versus flying between locales, then GoToMeeting
will be the modality of choice. Will it kill the need to travel? Of
course not. But it can affect the demand for travel.
I dont think of the business aircraft market as a particularly
price-sensitive market and industry. Then again, companies
have regained profitability by cutting overhead more than
via sales or product pricing increases.
Mx and support costs for bizav ops have increased

During the 11 years from 2005 to 2015, inflation averaged
about 1.95% per year. During this same period, the variable
costs of operating a Gulfstream IV SP (excluding fuel) averaged
around 16.4% per year. In other words, MRO and support costs
have risen more than 8 times the rate of inflation. As always, I
want to thank Conklin and de Decker for these numbers.
Average annual
inflation 2005-2006
Overall
inflation
Ops cost
inflation
Inflation percentage
Lets look at this a different way. If you had a GIV SP in

2005and you still have itand you fly 400 hours per year,
it costs you an additional $300,000 per year to do the same
thing and enjoy the same service. And we are only considering MRO and support (catering, crew travel, etc). Want to
add in some fixed cost increases like hangar, or insurance?
Sure, that will be another $100,000 per year.
Point out to me the CFO who wont bring this to the attention of his executive team. Short of locking all of them in a
small room (not a bad idea by the way), there is no way that
this type of price increase hasnt affected demand and contributed to the decrease in value of the assets we hold dear.
Remanufactured aircraft coming back in vogue

Have you noticed that remanufactured aircraft are coming
back into vogue? Im referring to the Nextant remanufacturing
of the Beech/Hawker 400 and Beech King Air 90 turboprop,
both including substantial additional upgrades, especially in
the cockpit. Sierra Industries has been providing substantial
upgrades for years, primarily to Cessna planes. Stevens is also
in the game in a big way, most recently offering a Garmin
cockpit upgrade to the Beech/Hawker 400. I cant honestly
quote any statistics, but Id say there is currently more activity
in the conversion/remanufacturing market than since the late
1970s. Back then, this market was driven by huge new plane
order backlogs combined with new aircraft price escalation,
the likes of which are unimaginable today.
Theres not time and space to discuss what is driving this
market today. For purposes of this article, whats important
is that refurbishing an old plane cuts down on fleet growth.
The numbers arent huge. No single item from this list is a
huge dominant factor, but each item contributes to the issue.
And, on a cumulative basis, these factors definitely curtail
demand and fleet growth.
In closing, I will remind you of something I said in the mentioned January article: Even though the growth of the business
aircraft fleet isnt what it used to be, our growth numbers are
still the envy of many other industries. And, the maturation
of the fleet provides opportunities for all sorts of aftermarket
products and services. Not a bad place to be.
Bob Rockwood has been in the aircraft
brokerage business since 1978. During
his tenure at Omni Intl Jet Trading Floor
he began writing The Rockwood Report,
which discusses the corporate aircraft market. In 1986 he joined Bristol Associates as
a managing partner.
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Electric engines are being advocated

as the answer to reducing noise and
improving green operations. What
changes do you see electric engines
bringing to the aviation industry?
attery technology is rapidly

moving to the point where use
in future hull designs or retrofits can
be expected to provide substantial
economic and performance benefits to operators of aircraft of virtually all sizes but, more importantly, to
commercial and military users. The
potential for significant increases in
power and endurance, while enormously decreasing the industrys
carbon footprint, should be expected to truly revolutionize aviation.
Terry Jones
ATP/Helo. Bell 205 Huey/
B206 JetRanger
Ops Manager
Advantage Helicopters
Vernon BC, Canada
ntil the discovery of unobtainium batteries will never have

the energy densities and weight
properties to make an electric aircraft even remotely practical. Its a
chemistry search and that makes
your question somewhat dumb.
Drones have certain 10 to 15 min-
ute applications and can carry a

couple of pounds but thats about
it. The Airbus E-Fan is, in my opinion, nothing more than an expensive toy. Batteries also have many
other issues theyre far from trouble-free. Being green is a mantra
that has little practical basis in our
aviation industry currently.
Larry Weitzman
Comm-Multi-Inst. Baron 58TC
President
Allegheny Air
Placerville CA
opefully the eventual operation

of electric-powered recreational and personal business aircraft
may bring costs down to an affordable level for us non-millionaire GA
enthusiasts. Electric power can cut
aircraft noise and virtually eliminate the carbon footprint. But will
long-term use of battery-powered
aircraft be practical? There are potential applications that look good
but are still quite a long way off into
the future.
Paul Herrick
ATP/Helo/CFII. Various Army
aircraft
Chief Warrant Ofcr (ret)
US Army
Pensacola FL
rawbacks on electric motors

are really more on power supply sources. So I dont see any significant movement in battery power
in the next 20 years. Motors have
become smaller, using sophisticated permanent magnets and core alloys, more efficient electronic power management and meaningful
reductions on size and weight. But
the technology of batteries hasnt
evolved to become a viable alterna-
Airbus E-Fan has large rehargeable batteries

that power 2 discrete electric ducted fans.
tive except for very small airplanes

such as drones with a limited range
and endurance.
Michael Collyer
ATP/CFII. Challenger B650
Chief Pilot
United Airlines
Vancouver BC, Canada
dvantage of electric power for

aircraft is not in the engines but
it boils down to the capacity and
longevity of the fuel source, in this
case its the batteries or possible
fuel cells. Next problem for attention is the refueling downtime
needed. If recharging batteries takes
hours or an overnight, the range of
the electrically-powered aircraft
will be very limited and multiple
hops would be almost impossible.
Jay Knutson
Comm-Multi-Inst. Baron 55
Pilot
CEDOCs
Boulder CO
lectric engines are ultimately the

way forward as I see it. Sure, tech
breakthroughs are needed. But with
electrical power I foresee significant aircraft empty weight reductions thus increasing aircraft endurance or payload. In the same light,
electric power developments will
significantly reduce pollution that
comes with the use of hydrocarbon
fuel. And of course I look forward
to the reduction of noise that will
come when jet fuel turbines are replaced with quiet electric engines.
Louis Kigonya
Licensed Ops Officer.
Cessna 208 Caravan
Flight Dispatcher
Air Serv
Entebbe, Wakiso, Uganda
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Terminal Checklist 4/16

Answers on page 26
6. Select all that apply. When making a cold temperature

altitude correction as indicated by procedural note 5 in the
Briefing Strip, pilots should_____
a
self-announce corrected altitudes on the CTAF.
b
apply cold temperature corrections to ATC assigned
altitudes.
c
report cold temperature corrected altitudes that apply to
the initial approach segment to ATC.
d
calculate and make manual cold temperature altitude
corrections if the aircraft does not have temperature
compensating equipment.
4. LP may be a fail-down mode for approaches with vertical

guidance when published with LPV and LNAV/VNAV
minimums.
a True
b False
5. Select the true statement(s) regarding the equipment to fly the
approach to LP minimums.
a
RAIM must be available.
b WAAS-certified GPS equipment is required.
c DME/DME RNP 0.3 equipment may not be used.
d Ground-based navigation equipment must be monitored.
2. Approaches to LP minimums are classified as approaches

with vertical guidance (APV).
a True
b False
3. Select the true statement(s) below regarding RNAV (GPS)
approaches with LP minimums.
a
Advisory vertical guidance is not provided.
b
Aircrew and aircraft authorization is required.
c
LP minimums must be lower than those associated with
the LNAV procedure.
d
Lateral navigation sensitivity increases as the aircraft gets
closer to the runway.
e
Terrain, obstructions or operational limitations prevent
the use of vertical guidance to LPV minimums.
1. Select the true statement(s) about AFIS.

a
AFIS is broadcast part-time at Nome Airport.
b
A worsening breaking action report is cause for an AFIS
broadcast to be updated.
c
AFIS is only available at airports where an FSS provides
local airport advisory service (LAA).
d
AFIS is the continuous broadcast ofrecorded noncontrol
information at airports in Alaska that have a UNICOM as
the CTAF.
Not to be used for navigational purposes
from ATC to enter and remain in a holding pattern until the

lateral flag or integrity alert disappears.
a True
b False
7. When flying direct to SPYVY on a course of 090 at 7000 ft

9. Authorized operators may follow a vertical glidepath to a VNAV
MSL, a flight that is cleared for the approach should____
DA of 340 ft MSL.
a
remain at 7000 ft MSL until reaching SPYVY.
a True
b False
b
intercept the approach course of 099 at SPVYY.
c
descend to 3700 ft MSL within 30 nm of SPYVY.
Which are restrictions on flying the approach procedure at night?
d
fly the holding pattern course reversal when reaching 10.
a Landings are not authorized on Runway 10.
SPYVY.
b Circling to land on Runway 21 is not authorized.
e
Both b and c are correct.
c The VASI-L must be operational to land on Runway 10.
8. If WAAS service is unavailable and a lateral flag or integrity d Circling to land is not authorized north of the runway for
alert appears prior to the FAF, the crew may request clearance category C and D aircraft.
Reproduced with permission of Jeppesen Sanderson. Reduced for illustrative purposes.
Refer to the 12-2 RNAV (GPS) Rwy 10 for PAOM/OME (Nome

AK) when necessary to answer the following questions:
Learjet 23
North American Sabreliner
When the first aircraft built for

business aviation took flight,
FlightSafety was there. Working
directly with our Customers and
the manufacturers to develop and
deliver training focused on safety.
Cessna Citation Model 500

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From the beginning and throughout our history, weve remained focused on our mission to enhance aviation safety.
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Answers to TC 4/16 questions
a, b, c Automatic flight information service (AFIS) is only found at airports in Alaska

1.
that have an FSS on the field (in this case, Nome Radio). AFIS improves FSS

specialist efficiency by reducing congestion on the local airport advisory

(LAA) frequency. The AFIS broadcast is an automated transmission of essential,
routine information, such as weather, favored runway, breaking action and
airport NOTAMs. AFIS broadcasts are updated upon the receipt of any official
hourly and special weather, worsening braking action reports and changes in
other pertinent data. Nome Radio operates part-time (as indicated by the asterisk)
so AFIS is only broadcast part-time.
2. b Approaches with localizer performance (LP) minimums are non-precision

approaches with WAAS lateral guidance.
3. c, d, e Refer to AC 90-107 for guidance on conducting RNAV (GPS) approaches

to LPV and LP minimums. RNAV (GPS) approaches to LP minimums are commonly
referred to as WAAS procedures without vertical guidance. These approaches are
typically published in locations where vertical guidance is not feasible due to
terrain, obstacles or other operational limitations. LP course guidance provides
lateral sensitivity that increases as the aircraft gets closer to the runway. LP
minimums are only published if they are lower than LNAV minimums. Advisory
vertical guidance may be available during an LP approach. However, barometric
altimeter information remains the primary altitude reference for complying with
any altitude restrictions.
4. b According to AC 90-107, LP is not a fail-down mode for approaches with LPV

minimums. LP minimums are not published with LPV or LNAV/VNAV minimums.
5. b, c The aircraft must have GPS equipment certified for WAAS capability by TSO
C145/C147 in order to fly to LP minimums. The use of WAAS-certified equipment
does not require RAIM. Procedural note 3 in the Briefing Strip indicates DME/
DME RNP-0.30 not authorized.
6. a, d The FAA NOTAM, Cold Temperature Restricted Airports indicates that pilots

without temperature compensating equipment must calculate and make a manual
cold temperature altitude correction to the designated segment(s) of the approach
using the AIM 7-2-3, ICAO Cold Temperature Error Table. Jeppesen provides
a Cold Temperature Correction Table on a separate chart for the airport so altitude
corrections can be made easily. On initial contact with the ATC facility issuing the
approach clearance, pilots must report cold temperature corrected altitudes
that apply to an intermediate segment and/or a published missed approach final
altitude. Pilots are encouraged to self-announce corrected altitudes when
flying into airports without an operating control tower. Pilots should not apply cold
temperature corrections to ATC assigned altitudes.
7. e A course of 090 to SPYVY is within the boundaries of the TAA icon depicted in
the upper left of the plan view. The TAA icon indicates a descent to 3700 ft MSL
within 30 nm of SPYVY and that a course reversal is not authorized (NoPT).
8. a AC 90-107 indicates that if no WAAS service is available prior to reaching the FAF,
the pilot may complete the RNAV (GPS) approach to LNAV minimums if no lateral
flag or other integrity alert appears. However, if the pilot sees a lateral flag or
integrity alert, the pilot should do one of the following:
Request clearance from ATC to enter and remain in a holding pattern (fuel

permitting) until the lateral flag or integrity alert disappears.
Request a clearance from ATC for a different approach using ground-based

navigation aids (if available).
Request a clearance from ATC to fly to an alternate airport.
9. a Ballflag note 4 in the profile view indicates, Only authorized operators may use
VNAV DA(H) in lieu of MDA(H). This means that certain authorized flights may
input the vertical descent angle (VDA) to display an advisory glidepath to follow
to a DA. In this case, the pilot must make a decision upon reaching 340 ft MSL to
continue the approach to landing or perform a missed approach instead of
continuing to the RW10 waypoint. The approximate point of reaching the
VNAV DA is shown as an arrow on the profile flightpath.
10.
b, c, d

Procedural note 1 in the Briefing Strip and in the landing minimums section
indicates that night landings are not authorized on Runway 21. Procedural note
2 in the Briefing Strip indicates that the VGSI (in this case the VASI-L as shown in
the lighting box) must be operational for landing on Runway 10 at night. Note 2
in the landing minimums section states Circling not authorized North of
Rwy 10/28. This restriction applies to day and night operations.
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ALEX REMEMBERS
a personal memoir
Gen John Pershings chase of Pancho

Villa with Curtiss JN Jenny 2s in 1916
led to a commemorative painting
First Aero Squadron insignia.
Peter Westacott, famed British pilot and artist, painted this replica of 2
Curtiss Jenny 2s flying over Gen Pershings base at Columbus NM in 1916.
By Alex Kvassay
Former salesman for Beech and Learjet
he First Aero Squadron now is an organization of

individuals in Columbus NM. The team is dedicated
to maintain the spirit and history of the First Aero
Squadron of 1916.
In 1916, a band of Mexican fighters led by Pancho Villa
attacked the small town of Columbus, which was only 3
miles north from the Mexican border. There was a gunfight with the few American soldiers stationed there, fires
were started and people were killed. It is unclear what the
purpose of this attack was. Some believe that the Mexicans were looking for a crooked arms dealer who would
supply them with rifles but happened to be out of town at
the time of the attack.
General John Pershing, later of World War I fame, was
based in El Paso TX and was given the assignment of hunting down Pancho Villa. Even after 9 months of chasing all
over Northern Mexico, the mission was a failure. Pancho
Villa was never captured. One aid to Gen Pershing during
this campaign was a dashing cavalry 1st lieutenant named
George Patton, who would later become the famous tank
commander general of WW II.
There was no air force or air corps at the time in the
US military. The original airplanes, Curtiss Jenny 2s, were
assigned to the US Army Signal Corps, and had red stars
Wanted poster of Pancho Villa posted by the Chief of Police

of Columbus NM. Gen Pershing was tasked with finding him.
His mission was unproductive and Villa was never captured.
painted on their vertical finsnot to confuse them with

todays Communist Chinese air forces. These airplanes
were unarmed and were used only for reconnaissance
and communications. But these Jenny 2s crashed frequently so they were replaced in favor of later models of
the same aircraft.
To commemorate all this, there is a modern museum in
Columbus NM and a full size metal statue of a Jenny 2 on
a tall pedestal.
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In 2001 Peter Westacott and a group of friends, including Alex Kvassay,

presented his painting of the First Aero Squadrons JN 2s to USAF Chief
of Staff Gen Michael Ryan during an informal ceremony at the Pentagon.
After successfully disrupting Pancho Villas operations in

the Texas-Mexico border, US Army Gen John Pershing was
selected by US President Woodrow Wilson to command
the American troops sent to Europe in 1917 during WW I.
A full-size metal replica

of a US Army Signal
Corps Jenny 2 stands
on tall pedestal at the
Columbus Airport in
New Mexico.
In 1999 a group of aviation enthusiasts visited Columbus NM to check

out the history of the First Aero Squadron. From LR are Alex Kvassay,
Jim Greenwood, Bill Lafferty, John Zimmerman and Peter Westacott.
But how did I get involved with this to the extent that it
required 2 trips to Columbus?
In a previous article I told Pro Pilot readers about Peter
Westacotts paintings for NBAA (Nov 2015, p 46). Peter
was involved with a group of friends that included John
Zimmerman of Aviation Data in Wichita, former Learjet
PR Chief Jim Greenwood, Jim Davis of the FAA, and Bill
Lafferty, who made the 1st landing in the Berlin Airlift
and piloted the last B36 flight. Well, I was also part of
that group.
During a meeting with them, the subject came up as
to what Westacott might paint next. Greenwood suggested something with an old OX5 engine. And this is how
they finally settled on the Jennys of Columbus NM. Peter
painted a very realistic presentation of the first 2 Jenny 2s
flying over Gen Pershings camp. A copy of this painting
illustrates this article.
The funny part was that when the painting was completed, John Zimmerman who decided to order it, was
terribly upset. Why in the hell did I agree to make this
painting? I have no business at all with the US Air Force!
What am I going to do
with it? After some arguments, it was decided to
present it to the Chief of
Staff of the USAF at the
time, General Michael
Ryan. Some of us traveled
to Washington and we
were admitted to the Pentagon only after some tedious
security checks. Having worked in the Pentagon with no
ID or drivers license in 1948, this was a different experience to me. We went to Gen Ryans office and presented
the painting to him. He was very impressed, especially
since this was the first out-of-country combat operation
of any US military aircraft. He ordered that the painting
be mounted in his office. It may still be there probably
acting as a conversation piece for future Chiefs of Staff of
the USAF. Unfortunately, John Zimmerman never profited
from this undertaking.
Alex Kvassay, 89, recently made a farewell trip
to his native Budapest, Hungary, with side
trips to the Greek Islands and Istanbul, Turkey,
where he lived before immigrating to the US
in 1948, thrown in. In more than 60 years of
international travel, first for business and later
for pleasure, Kvassay has made more than
600 oceanic crossings.
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EVENT COVERAGE
NBAA 2016 Leadership Conference
By Brent Bundy
Phoenix Police Officer-Pilot

Comm-Inst/Helo
AS350, AW119, Cessna 182
(LR) Nationwide Assoc VP/Gen Mgr Av Dept

Daniel Wolfe, CNH Chief Pilot Tony Aiello
and Jet Professionals US Sales Mgr Julie
Goodridge present the BAMC and Baldwin
Business Aviation Management scholarships.
Pres & CEO Ed Bolen provided

updates on the status of potential
ATC changes and spoke of the vital
importance of an involved membership. Additional lecturers included John Izzo, Drew Dudley, Jackie
Freiberg, Tony Kern and Mark Fernandes. A highlight of the event was
listening to the remarkable milestones Manchester Bidwell Corp Pres
& CEO Bill Strickland has achieved
in education for both the underprivileged youth of Pittsburgh PA and his
expanding network of worldwide
schools. Strickland has truly found
leadership where few others thought
to look.
Continuing the theme of engagement, particularly for the future of
the aviation industry, Nationwide
Ins Aviation Dept GM Dan Wolfe
recognized Business Aviation Management Committee (BAMC) schol-
Attendance at the annual NBAA Leadership

Conference continues to grow each year. The
event gives attendees the opportunity to hear
top industry speakers as well as interact with
fellow av leaders and the corporate sponsors.
statement from Catamaran

Human Resources VP Mike
Rude summed up the 2016
NBAA Leadership Conference: Engagement has a tangible impact on
the bottom-line of business. These
words also highlight the importance
of an involved team for a successful
venture. Held Feb 2224 in San Antonio TX, the 24th gathering of the
annual event saw continued growth
with attendance reaching 450.
Mesinger Jet Sales VP Josh Mesinger, and Jeppesen Dir GA client mgmt
Reggie Arsenault co-chaired the
proceedings, which included some
of the top motivational and leadership speakers in the industry. NBAA
arship winners Jason Herman and

Matthew Lipka. Wolfe, chair of the
BAMC Professional Development
subcommittee, expressed the importance of engagement with it being
a direct correlation to leadership
which is reflected in the recipients.
Also celebrated were the Baldwin
Business Aviation Management
Scholarship winners, Shelbey Hooker and Wendy Ulrich.
(LR) CNHs Tony Aiello, BAMC scholarship

winners Jason Herman and Matthew Lipka,
Nationwides Daniel Wolfe. Both Herman and
Lipka are volunteers with the NBAA Domestic
Ops Committee and active commercial pilots.
While each speaker approached

the weeks theme from unique and
inspiring angles, there was commonality in the concept that leadership
is a group effort and can only be
obtained with the buy-in of those
being led. Mark Hernandes closed
the week with the challenge of, Its
your move. With the quality of
this years agenda expected again
next year, a good move would be
planning to attend the 2017 NBAA
Leadership Conference Feb 1416 in
Miami FL.
Photos by Brent Bundy
Featured speakers at the 24th NBAA Leadership Conference included (LR) NBAA Pres & CEO Ed Bolen, Leadership Expert Drew Dudley, Luck Companies Chief Leadership Officer Mark Fernandes, Leadership Author Jackie Freiberg, Business Leadership Expert John Izzo, Convergent Performance
Founding Partner & CEO Tony Kern, Catamaran Human Resources VP Mike Rude and Manchester Bidwell Corp Pres & CEO Bill Strickland.
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2016 HELI-EXPO IN LOU
Up collective
Despite low oil & gas prices, HAI still welcomed thousands of enthusiastic
attendees and exhibitors. Plenty of new helicopter sales were celebrated.
By Matt Zuccaro
Photo by Eleni Smith
Photo by Brent Bundy
President & CEO

Helicopter Association Intl
Highly mobile Matt, pictured at left with Pro Pilot Publisher Murray Smith, sped along on a Segway scooter
to all parts of the 2016 Heli-Expo from tech sessions to convention floor displays on every day of the event.
Although both registrations and displays were down slightly from last year, there was still a rich field of
manufacturers and service companies promoting products.
AI Heli-Expo 2016 in Louisville KY during Feb 29

to Mar 3 came to a close with some 14,000 industry stakeholders in attendance. At the show were
695 exhibitors, 55 display helicopters on the exhibit floor
and 750 tech-class students attending education courses.
As usual, the networking opportunities provided by the
sponsors and exhibitors at Heli-Expo 2016 were many
and enjoyed by all. The warm welcome and hospitality
received from Louisville and its citizens was very much
appreciated by those in attendance, as were the great
facilities of the Kentucky Exposition Center. We were
pleased to have the newly constructed and certified heliport located at the exposition site, which was established
to accommodate the helicopters flying in to be displayed
at the show. New helo orders came as a result.
Noticeable was the reduced attendance figures below
those normally experienced at Heli-Expo, which was a
result of the sharp decline in the oil and gas sectorlately
plagued by slumping petroleum prices. The introduction
of Louisville as a new HAI convention location also contributed to less attendance than expected. However, an
on site canvass of exhibitors on the show floor indicated
a high percentage of qualified customers and the normal
business activity that is expected at Heli-Expo. Therefore,
this years show still was a great business event for both
attendees and exhibitors.
We had all the normal elements that have become regular activities at Heli-Expo such as our popular free Rotorcraft Safety Challenge courses, an array of various other
education courses, committee meetings, industry forums,

career fair and the military-to-civilian transition workshop. One of the major industry issues addressed was
unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), which was the focus of
a general session during the 2nd day of the show. Also related to UAS was a full agreement vote by HAI members
to approve a new HAI member classification to be named
HAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems members.
HAI also announced the introduction of its new Accreditation Program of Safety, which is focused on mission-specific standards for helicopter operators. The initial group of recently accredited HAI operator members
acknowledged at the annual membership meeting included Paradise Helicopters, Firehawk Helicopters, Papillon
Helicopters and Life Flight Network. Additionally, a full
house was present during the Meet the Regulators session, where senior FAA executives updated the audience
on recent FAA initiatives concerning helicopter operations. Then the attendees had the chance to ask questions
mainly about industry regulatory issues.
As is HAIs usual practice, the association will survey
attendees and exhibitors about their experiences at Heli-Expo in Louisville. Answers will be taken into account
as HAI considers future host sites.
For the next year were looking forward to returning
to the Big D. Heli-Expo 2017 will be held in Dallas TX
during Mar 69 at the Dallas Convention Center. Following Dallas, Heli-Expo 2018 convention will be celebrated
in Las Vegas NV.
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HELO CONVENTION
2016 HAI Heli-Expo

By Brent Bundy
Phoenix Police Officer-Pilot

Comm-Inst/Helo
AS350, AW119, Cessna 182
Photos by Brent Bundy
or the first time in its history

the Helicopter Association International (HAI) brought its
annual tradeshow, the largest in the
rotorcraft industry, to Louisville KY.
Derby City welcomed the 2016
Heli-Expo during the week of Feb
29Mar 3. Global downturns in helicopter sales were reflected in the
overall conference numbers with
decreases from recent years. Attendance figures were down about 20%
to around 14,000 visitors viewing
the 695 vendors and 55 static aircraft on display inside the Kentucky
Exposition Center.
While 2015 saw major aircraft
announcements, this year focused
more on progress updates and existing models delving into new areas
such as medical and VIP configurations, further demonstrating declines
in the marketparticularly in larger
aircraft that had been slated for offshore use, which has now steeply
dropped off in orders.
Analysts remain optimistic for continued recovery for the industry in the
coming months as does HAI. Next
years Heli-Expo will return to Dallas
TX during March 69, 2017.
Frasca International VP Business Development Craig Zysk with a sample of the companys extensive line of flight simulators.
Equipped with a Garmin G1000H flightdeck,

the AW119Kx has been popular with law
enforcement and EMS operators worldwide.
Sino-US Chairman & GM Chris Zhao (seated L)
signs order of 25 AW119Kxs with Finmeccanicas
Stephano Zalonis (seated R) as CEO & Managing
Director Daniele Romiti (M) looks on with reps from
both companies. Sino-US will use the aircraft for
their new venture into EMS operations in China.
Developed by Polish builder PZL-Swidnik and

previously known as the SW4, the AW009
is already gaining fans. Its priced below $2
million and is expected to see use by tour,
EMS and law enforcement operators.
Anticipating US certification by mid-2016, the
AW169 medium twin already has over 50
global orders, primarily for EMS use. European
deliveries began this past year.
MD Helicopters CEO Lynn Tilton updates
attendees on progress of the revamped MD902
Explorer and the new military-grade MD530G.
Tilton also announced plans for a new military
attack helicopter named the MD6XX. MDs
production line is reported to be already booked
out for the coming year.
MD is pairing with Universal Avionics for an allnew flightdeck on the MD902 Explorer. First test
flights took place recently. Original and retrofit
options will be available soon.
The MD530F continues to be popular with

law enforcement and SAR activities across
the globe. This copy was recently delivered to
Two Bear Air Rescue based in Whitefish MT.
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On track for anticipated certification in 2017,

Bell received an LOI for 10 more 525 Relentless.
There are currently 2 units of this fly-by-wire
commercial helicopter progressing through the
test program.
The Bell 429 light twin has gained worldwide

popularity in a variety of fields including corporate, medical and law enforcement. It is also
available in a wheeled version, the 429WLG.
Matt Hasik, Bell Helicopter exec vp of

comm programs, provided updates
on numerous programs including the
525 Relentless, 505 Jet Ranger X, and
upcoming V280 Valor. Examples of all
3 were brought to the expo.
Still months away from first delivery, Bell has already received orders for over 350 of its 505 Jet
Ranger X, shown here in aeromedical configuration with an Air Methods livery.
Airbus H215 is being pushed as the less

expensive little brother to the H225. After
Heli-Expo the H215 began a tour across
North America.
The most successful
light twin in its
class, the Airbus
H145 received 107
bookings for 2015.
It continues to be
a top-choice for
medical and SAR
missions.
Marenco Swisshelicopter announced additional

interest for the composite SKYe SH09. The company says they have 84 orders for the light single
as their 2 prototypes continue testing. The goal
for first deliveries is 2018.
The revolutionary follow-up to the V22 Osprey is the new

V280 Valor. At a lower price than the V22, it incorporates
a new gearbox that allows for the engine nacelle to remain
stationary as the propeller changes positions. The 3rd-gen
tiltrotor is expected to make its maiden flight next year.
The cockpit of the Bell 525 Relentless showcases

Garmins G5000H touchscreen suite. This is the
first of its kind designed specifically for helicopters.
Robinson Helicopter
Pres Kurt Robinson
provides updates on
R66 modifications and
details on the new
R44 Cadet. Upcoming
features include an optional cargo hook, R66
ENG model (electronic
news gathering), and
a wire strike STC.
Robinson Helicopter listened to its customers to design the R44 Cadet. It is a 2-seat
model between the R22 and the R44
Raven I. It allows additional payload as
well as the option for A/C and IFR avionics. The R44 cadet should make an ideal
training aircraft.
(LR) Bristow Group Pres & CEO Jonathan

Baliff accepts awards from Sergei Sikorsky
and Sikorsky Pres Dan Schultz on behalf
of the 39 pilots who participated in a heroic
rescue of 400 oil rig personnel whose lives
were threatened by a runaway barge on
Dec 31, 2015.
Sikorskys S92 continues to be the go-to heavy

twin for offshore oil and gas market, particularly for Era Group. The S92 recently saw
an increased gross weight expansion and an
improved main gearbox is in development.
Currently ranking as the #1 selling turbine
helicopter, the Robinson R66 recently received
its snow certification and can also be ordered
with new optional fuel tanks providing 2
hours of additional flight time.
Passion for Support

From January 2016 AgustaWestland has become the new Finmeccanica Helicopter Division;
Expanding its world-class support and training network to keep the growing global helicopter fleet flying.
Working with all of our customers, we are delivering innovative support and training solutions to
maximise efficiency, availability and operational success.
Everything we do, we do with passion.
One Company. Stronger Together.
finmeccanica.com
HELICOPTERS / AERONAUTICS / ELECTRONICS, DEFENCE AND SECURITY SYSTEMS / SPACE
GA SALES FACTORS
10 trends affecting bizav growth

Global population increase
assures more air travel. And
pursuit of worldwide markets
also makes more executive
jets necessary.
More world population means more needs. US stock market continues

to grow. And technological breakthroughs make current goods obsolete, pushing people all over the globe to buy new and better products.
By Marvin Cetron
President, Forecasting International
s regular Pro Pilot readers know, Forecasting Intl

(FI) has spent more than half a century tracking the
forces that shape our future. Our specialty is trend
analysis. We track more than 50 continuing changes that
are now reshaping our world. In this article we look at how
some of the most important trends will affect business aviation and professional pilots in the next 20 years.
1. The economy of the developed world is growing

steadily, but not as fast as it used to.
Looking at our trends, something resembling prosperity has returned to the countries that support most business aviation: Global GDP growth is back to an estimated
3% around the world in 2015. It was 2.6% in the United
States, 1.8% in the European Union, and more in the developing countries. Unemployment is down to 5.1% in the
US, 9.5% in the EU. Good times? Better, at least.
Yet, there are signs of trouble. In the US, the Dow is down
9.6% on the year. The Euro Stoxx 50 blue-chip index is off
nearly 18%. Hong Kongs Hang Seng Index has slumped
more than 22%. The worlds investors, at least, are worried.
One big reason is China. Its double-digit growth almost
single-handedly propped up the global economy when
the US and Europe could not. In the next recession, it may
be powerless.
Officially, GDP growth in China slipped to 6.9% in
2015. The real picture may be much worse. China could
be in the worlds greatest depression, and they would still
report 7%, says Gordon Chang, a noted expert on the
countrys economy who estimates that true growth there
is only 1 to 2%. The data agrees. Chinas manufacturing
hit a 77-month low in Aug 2015 and still is shrinking.
The Chinese stock market is below its August low despite

currency devaluation and a $236 billion effort to prop up
share prices. Debt is now 300% of GDP, much of which
will never be repaid. The real-estate sector is contracting. Beijing claims unemployment has held at 4% since
2003 but the National Bureau of Economic Research puts
it closer to 11%.
As a result, China has been importing less for 14 straight
months. This is a problem, because no fewer than 43
countries count China as their biggest export market.
All these issues in China add up to a slowing global
economy. Growth is expected to average 3.1% from 2017
through 2021, down from 5.7% in 2007. By 2025, according to the World Bank, just 6 countriesBrazil, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, and the Russian Federation
will account for more than half of all global growth.
However, theres good news for professional pilots.
Even with this slowing economy, business aviation will
remain healthy. Bombardier predicts that 9000 business
jets worth $267 billion will be delivered by 2024. Honeywell puts it at 9450 deliveries and $280 billion through
2024. RnR Market Research says China alone will buy
2420 business jets between 2013 and 2032. This solid
growth in the global fleet will support a steady market for
skilled flightcrews.
For international ops, new business aircraft will travel to
destinations seldom seen in todays corporate flightplans.
Corporate pilots can expect to visit cities like Lagos, Nigeria; Jakarta, Indonesia; and almost any major center in the
heartland of China or India. See trend 5 for more thoughts
about possible bizav destinations.
2. The global economy is growing more tightly

integrated.
There are 2 forces at work here, the Internet and the
worlds shipping and package-delivery industries. Thanks
to the Internet, foreign partners and customers are as
close as the executives desk, and the tiniest firms can
compete with industry giants as equals. Thanks to delivery networks, they can reliably ship products to and receive supplies from the remotest parts of the globe. The
world today is a single market, open to all.
Only the continuing expansion of the Internet keeps
global integration on our trend list, but between 2 and
3 billion people still lack access to the net. Most of these
people live in Africa and Asia. However, most will be
connected in the near future and when they are, FI will
finally retire this trend. We expect it in the next 5 years.

Here are some implications for professional pilots: Observers once imagined that e-mail, videoconferencing and
other forms of virtual travel would largely replace the
real thing. But just the opposite has happened. As businesses expand around the globe, executives travel more,
not less, to make contacts, sign contracts and fly the company flag. Thanks to the tech-mediated integration of the
global economy, corporate flight departments will continue to grow busier long after this trend is complete.
Heres an overcrowded train

in India. The birthrate is up
all over the globe. There were
7.3 billion people in 2015 and
the population of this planet
will reach 9.7 billion by 2050.
3. The worlds population is growing rapidly,

though not as fast as it once did.
There were 7.3 billion people in the world in mid-2015.
By 2050, there will be 9.7 billion, according to the United Nations. However, that estimate may be too low; UN
estimates have been adjusted upward several times in
recent years
Unfortunately, the greatest fertility is found in those
countries least able to support their existing populations. Just 9 account for half of global population growth
through 2050, 1.2 billion people in all: India, Nigeria,
Pakistan, Congo, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Uganda,
andthe only industrialized land to make the listthe
United States. Of these, only the US, India, and Indonesia
can hope to feed their people 35 years from now.
Even these growth estimates may be too low. The Center for Strategic and International Studies warns that most
official projections underestimate both fertility and future
gains in longevity. At FI, we believe they are correct.
By 2050, business must expand to provide food, resources, transportation, and other goods and services
for nearly 1/3rd more people. As they do, the need for
corporate air travel will expand even faster. Among the
countries with the greatest population growth, only India will benefit from a substantially larger working-age
cohort. With good governance, that young workforce
should make the Indian economy one of the worlds fastest growing at least through 2030.
As a result, professional pilots can expect a lot more
flights to Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and fast-growing
Indian cities whose names you have not yet heard. Travel
to Indonesia and Nigeria also is likely to expand, but not
quite as rapidly.
4. When not perturbed by abnormal political or

economic instability, oil prices average around
$65 per barrel.
At least, that is what we thought back in 2008. That estimate was a bit too high. The International Monetary Fund
assumes that oil prices will average about $50 per barrel
for the next few years. For several reasons they probably
are correct.
Fracking has made it possible to extract fuel from oil
and gas wells that once seemed played out and from deposits that resisted economical development. This alone
cut the price of oil from $100 per barrel to $60. Then the
United States signed its nuclear deal with Iran. The end
of trade embargoes this January allows Tehran to resume
oil exports that in 2012 amounted to 2.3 million barrels
per day.
In August 2015, this overhanging supply drove oil prices to $40 per barrel. Then just 4 months later, Brent crude
traded as low as $27.67 per barrel.

Saudi Arabia says it will not cut production even if prices reach $20 per barrel.
One last development also will help to keep oil prices in
check: Renewable energy is starting to compete with fossil fuels. Wind energy is as cheap as oil and gas in much
of the world, and solar is not far behind. That should put
an end to high oil prices until the supply of petroleum
truly begins to run out some decades from now.
What does this imply for professional pilots? In the worst
of the recession, when fuel prices were high and budgets
were tight, companies learned to plan itineraries and fuel
stops for maximum advantage. This penny pinching will
not go away now that Jet A is relatively cheap. However,
in the worst of the recession, some companies cut back on
travel, and a few even shuttered their flight departments.
We will not see such bad times in the near future. Low fuel
costs make corporate aviation an even better deal for profit-minded companies. They will help to ensure that professional pilots remain busy for years to come.
5. Urbanization is packing more of the worlds

people into ever-larger cities.
People have been migrating from rural areas into growing
urban centers for at least 4000 years. This process shows
no sign of stopping. As recently as 1990, the world contained only 10 megacities with populations of 10 million are more. Today, there are 35. By 2050, fully 2/3rds of
humanity will live in cities2.5 billion more than today.
There is a good reason for this trend: Cities are economically efficient. Some 600 cities produce 60% of the
worlds GDP. They are expected to grow 1.6 times faster
than the global average. Almost all this growth will occur
in emerging markets, 2/3rds in China and India alone.
This trend guarantees a wider range of destinations for
business aviation. More flights will go to expanding markets throughout Asia. Sub-Saharan Africa also will attract
business travel as urban populations grow, economies
expand, and the continents emerging middle class becomes a viable market for the worlds exporters.
Adventurous pilots can look to these regions for employment. By 2032, Boeing expects the world to need
192,300 more pilots533,500 after taking retirements
into account. China will account for 40% of this new demand. Another 20% of pilots will go to the Middle East.
PROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016 43
Antiterrorism experts in the US, Britain and other Western countries

warn that terrorist threats will continue worldwide. Business jets could
become relatively soft targets for would-be terrorists, with the possibility
of attacks on private aircraft and kidnapping of influential Westerners.
Most will fly for airlines, but filling those seats will mean a
tighter job market for business aviation. Expect corporate
salaries to rise even faster than the number of openings.
6. Militant Islam continues to spread and gain power.

The Muslim lands are, on average, overcrowded and
poor. Most have large populations of unemployed, potentially violent young men and too many fringe religious figures eager to exploit them. Thus extremists plague this vast
region. In 2008, the world was still focused on Al Qaeda
and the Taliban. Today, the Islamic State threatens Syria
and Libya, while Boko Haram aims at Nigeria.
There may be worse to come. Anti-terrorism specialists
in Britain warn that the risk of attack there is growing. In
Paris and Brussels, more than 160 people have died in
bombings since Nov 2015. The head of Europol, the EUwide law enforcement agency, estimates that up to 5000
European Muslims have already visited the Middle East
and returned home radicalized and trained for jihad.
Implications for professional pilots: The US and Europe
have done a good job of hardening airlines against potential attack. Unfortunately, this leaves business jets as a
relatively soft target for would-be terrorists seeking to kidnap influential Westerners or to mount a 9/11-style attack.
Terrorists have not yet commandeered a corporate aircraft.
Yet, flightcrews should bear the possibility of a terrorist
attack in mind when visiting unstable lands. High-risk
destinations even may include some European countries.
Remember that the Paris attacks were planned in Belgium.
7. Technology continues to transform both the

economy and society.
New technologies are pushing the state of the art in all
fields. They will do so far into the future.
Biotechnology offers to improve crop yields and feed a
hungry world, to cure hereditary disease, to develop clean
new manufacturing methods for medicines and industrial
chemicals, and perhaps even to extend the human lifespan well beyond current averages.
New materials are enabling stronger, lighter structures,
some of which can monitor their own wear and even heal
damage.
From nanotechnology, we can expect wonders that

range from higher-powered, longer-lived batteries to miniature robots that roam the bloodstream to destroy cancers and clean out blocked arteries.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining power and versatility. Applications include robots that can operate safely with human coworkers, newspapers written by smart
software, and automated psychotherapy delivered online.
Computers that think as we do require theoretical breakthroughs, but we still may reach the singularity, when
our artifacts become smarter than we are.
This is good for professional pilots, as air travel benefits
from many new technologies. Cockpit electronics are the
most obvious example. Enhanced vision systems are now
taken for granted, but we can still look forward to better
head-up displays and collision avoidance systems, routing automation, widespread adoption of enhanced RNP
and PBN, and reductions of in-cockpit workload to lessen
the risk of human error.
Ever improving 3D printers have begun to deliver
cheaper, higher-quality turbine blades and fuel nozzles.
Look for printed items to spread from engine parts to wing
fittings and other structural components.
New materials promise to make aircraft lighter, stronger,
saferbetter. Obvious prospects include a new steel as
strong as titanium, self-sealing plastic that repairs damage
almost instantly, and metallic glass, which can combine
high strength with corrosion resistance and near-imperviousness to wear.
All these new technologies will be coming soon to
an aircraft near you. Your next plane will be safer, more
reliable, and easier to fly as a result. But will it still need
human pilots? Recent studies warn that up to 45% of
human jobs could be replaced by automation as soon
as 2025. And if cars can be driven by computers, why
not airplanes? After all, bizjets seldom have to dodge
pedestrians.
At FI, we believe the FAA will approve autonomous aircraft in 2026, much as the US Department of Transportation recently named computers the legal drivers of autonomous cars (Technology Timeline, Pro Pilot, Feb 2016, p
72). Yet, aircraft development and marketing take years. It
will be closer to 2035 before autonomous airliners enter
service, and later still before they are seen in significant
numbers.
Even then, professional pilots will remain at the controls of business aircraft. Corporate directors will not soon
risk top execs in planes that lack human judgment when
things go wrong, and executives themselves will covet the
prestige of living pilots long after the masses have settled
for silicon. Yet, business aviation will feel one early effect
from autonomous aircraft. Probably 20 years from now, a
generation of discarded airline pilots will flood into the
business market looking for new jobs.
8. Transportation technologies and practice are

improving rapidly.
Think of this as an extension of trend 7. These are the
technologies that will hit closest to home.
Supersonic business jets (SSBJs) really are on the way.
When we first looked at them, only 2 competitors hoped
to put the first SSBJ into service: Aerion Corp of Reno
NV, and Supersonic Aerospace Intl (SAI), based in Las
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Even in China, where a 40-hour week exempts transportation, fishing, telecommunications and many other
industries, 83% of workers say they feel overworked or
nearly so. Many Chinese employees who assemble iPads
and iPhones put in more than 60 hours a week, often
without a day off.
Air travel helps busy executives make the best use of
their time. This has long driven the growth of business
aviation, and it will continue for the foreseeable future.
Growing stress is a less welcome effect of time pressure,
sapping worker health and morale. Professional pilots are
as much subject to stress as the executives they transport.
Despite limits on flying hours, they can expect to feel
more of it in the future.
Spike Aerospace has completed concept design of its supersonic business jet, the S512, and joins Aerion in the race to produce an SSBJ for
a growing market of corporate buyers, charter suppliers and high net
worth individuals (HNWIs).
Vegas. SAI has dropped out, but Spike Aerospace, Lockheed Martin and Airbus all are working on SSBJs or small
supersonic airliners that can also be built in executive
variants. Aerion, for example, plans to accomplish its first
flight in 2021. The company foresees a worldwide market
for 600 SSBJs in the first 20 years.
Other modes of travel also are growing more efficient.
Rail, especially, is beginning to compete with aviation between major cities over distances of a few hundred miles,
and Elon Musks high-speed Hyperloop could link San
Francisco and Los Angles, or almost any city pair in Europe, with a 30-minute train ride within 15 years.
Autonomous cars may be closer than we think. In the
US, we expect to see driverless cars from BMW, Mercedes
Benz and other auto makers early in the 2020s. Tesla CEO
Elon Musk says the companys electric cars will be fully
autonomous by 2017.
Implications for professional pilots: Despite their promised speed and convenience, we do not expect fast rail or
the Hyperloop to have much immediate impact on aviation. It simply takes too long to bring them online. But
autonomous cars may make business aviation even more
convenient. Picture a busy CEO flying to visit a remote
factory and then spending hours on the road because his
destination is 100 miles from the nearest usable airport.
When cars drive themselves, they will become another
office, as the bizjet already is. And whether on the ground
or in the air, better transportation technology can only
expand the market, as we see it, for professional aviation.
9. Time is growing increasingly precious.

Call it time poverty. American men now work for
pay 12 hours a week less than they did 40 years ago,
but e-mail and smartphones have turned off-duty hours
into unpaid working time. A Harvard Business School survey found that 94% of professionals averaged at least 50
hours of work per week. Nearly half worked 65 hours.
College-educated men lost 6 hours of leisure over the 20
years ending in 2005.
This trend does not apply to most of Europe, where regulations limit the number of hours asked of workers. Yet
in the UK, 40% of managers put in more than 60 hours
a week.
10. Entrepreneurship is spreading.

There will be more businesses in the years ahead. Some
63% of Americans in their 20s either own their own business or want to start one, according to surveys. But entrepreneurship is not limited to the US. China now allows
some students to defer coursework while trying out business ideas, and the Internet Plus strategy aims to promote net-powered startups. McKinsey estimates that new
Internet applications could account for 22% of Chinas
GDP growth through 2025.
Europes startup culture also is booming. The High Tech
Campus in Eindhoven, Netherlands, is home to more than
130 new companies and some 10,000 entrepreneurs and
researchers. Lisbon also saw nearly 100 startups created every day in 2014. We must credit Silicon Valley for
showing the world how much a strong entrepreneurial
culture can accomplish.
This also has good implications for professional pilots.
Some startups are taken over by larger companies whose
executives need to visit their new acquisitions, others
do business with larger firmswhich also requires long
distance traveland a few grow big enough to establish
their own aviation departments. It all adds up to more
demand for corporate air travel and the pilots who make
it possible.
Conclusion
There you have them, FIs current nominees for the 10
trends that will do most to change corporate aviation in
the years ahead.
We believe this is the most promising set of trends business aviation could hope for. The worlds corporate fleets
will grow larger and busier for decades to come. The demand for professional pilots will grow with them. And
with the new technologies coming online, it should be a
fascinating time to be in the air.
Are you ready to break the sound barrier? You should
not have long to wait.
Marvin Cetron is a forecaster/futurist and
president of Forecasting Intl. His study
for the Pentagon, Terror 2000, written
in 1994, offered detailed and remarkably
accurate predictions of the subsequent
course of terrorism.
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CORPORATE PROFILE
Glazers Distributors
keep spirits high
with a Falcon 2000LX
Chairman Bennett Glazer (L) is the

3rd generation family member to
lead the Glazers family business.
His grandfather Louis Glazer
started the company.
Louis Glazer began selling soda water from a horse-drawn wagon

in 1909. Today this huge alcohol distribution company is flying high
with a new blend of leadership.
By Cindy Youngblood
Contributing Writer
n 1909, Louis Glazer started a

business selling flavored soda waters from the back of horse-drawn
wagons in Dallas TX. He named his
company the Jumbo Bottling Company. The establishment of the 18th
Amendment to the US Constitution
(Prohibition, 19201933) gave a big
push to the soda pop industry and
propelled Glazers business. It was
the early years of the Great Depression and the Jumbo Bottling Co was
growing while most of the country was struggling. Louis son, Max,
worked for the company and began
developing a plan for expansion.
After the repeal of Prohibition in
1933, while many smaller beverage
companies went out of business, sons
Max and Nolan Glazer shifted the
companys focus to include alcohol-
ic beverages and changed the name

to Glazers Wholesale Distributors.
Glazers was the first company in Texas to acquire a liquor license.
Today, Glazers distributes thousands of brands of liquor, beer and
wine for partner suppliers from
all over the world. With over 7000
employees across 15 states, Canada
and the Virgin Islands, Glazers is one
of the largest private companies in
the US. Its headquarters are located
in Dallas and about 40% of its workforce is in Texas.
Glazers leadership
Glazers has always been a family business. This has held throughout
the 106-year history of the company.
Todays Chairman Bennett Glazer is
the 3rd generation family member
to lead the Glazers family business.
Founder Louis Glazer was Bennetts
grandfather and Nolan was his father.

Bennett joined the family business in
1968 as a sales rep in Houston TX. He
worked his way up and became the
company CEO in 1996 when he tripled company revenues and led the
Glazers family of companies into 8
new states. Bennett is also the CEO
of Glazers Inc, the parent company
of Glazers Distributors. He has a BA
from the University of Texas at Austin. Today he oversees the executive
management team to ensure achievement of annual goals and serves as
company spokesman to external and
internal stakeholders.
A radical transformation
In 2010, Glazers underwent a radical transformation with a completely new leadership team led by Sheldon Shelly Stein. Prior to joining
Glazers, Stein was vice chairman of
As the population in Texas doubled from

1936 to 1960, Glazers expanded across
the Lone Star State, adding locations in
Houston, Amarillo (pictured at right circa
1946), San Antonio, Fort Worth and El Paso.
Glazers San Antonio warehouse, below,
opened in October 2013. The 518,000
sq ft, air conditioned facility rests on 45
acres. Its the size of 11 football fields.
Director of Av David Thatcher runs Glazers

flight operations from DAL. He also frequently
meets with executives at the general office.
Global Investment Banking at Merrill

Lynch and previously had been a senior managing director at Bear, Stearns & Co for over 20 years.
Stein has a BA from Brandeis University and a law degree from Harvard. For most of his career, Stein was
an investment banking advisor. Glazers was a client of his for 5 years while
he was working at Bank of America
Merrill Lynch. After a long career in
investment banking, he wanted to
do something different, so he joined
Glazers to revitalize the company, increasing revenues from $2.8 to $4.3
billion. When Stein made the move
to Glazers, he brought with him a
top-shelf team of investment banking
leaders and industry professionals.
To grow Glazers, Stein has poured
millions into upgrading its operations.
From adding financial software and
improving facilities, to increasing the
work force and adding a flight department. With Stein, Glazers developed
a new philosophy: Attend more faceto-face meetings and events in order
to build important relationships.
Launch of a flight department

Glazers is a very social business,
but in the past few executives attended events because travel was so
challenging. And this hurt the company. Once the new team realized
the magnitude of travel required to
nurture relationships with thousands
of suppliers around the country, they
knew they needed their own aircraft
in order to have control over the companys travel ops, pilots and mx.
In 2012, Glazers leased a Falcon
2000LX and launched its flight dept.

The company hired an aviation consulting group to advise and help them
find the right plane. The company
wanted a newer model with 10-pax
capability, updated technology and
wide body to improve both comfort
and inflight productivity. Short field
takeoff and landing capability was
also important as Glazers often visits
wineries in remote locations served
only by small airports. Several options were presented and Glazers selected the Falcon 2000LX.
Prior to having its own flight dept,
Glazers flew approximately 100 hrs
per year on chartered aircraft. Today,
the company flies the Falcon some
300 hrs/yr to attend meetings and
events and visit suppliers. With the
flight dept, the company has been
able to develop relationships, conduct business and maximize efficiency. The aircraft and flight dept more
than pays for itself because we can
now make meetings we otherwise
wouldnt attend, states Bennett.
Now executives can fly to a dinner
meeting with a customer and still be
rested for the next day, something
they could not accomplish before.
Business is growing because our relationships with suppliers are much
better, and wear and tear on our executives has reduced significantly,
says Stein.
Flight department administration

The aviation consulting group was
also instrumental in helping Glazers
find the right person to direct its dept
of aviation.
David Thatcher was hired for the

position in May 2012, and he in
turn hired the remaining staff. Prior to joining Glazers, Thatcher was
the safety manager and captain on
a Falcon 2000 classic for a Fortune
200 company in Dallas. When approached by the consulting group, he
was intrigued by the idea of a start up.
He loves a challenge and he wanted
to use his business and management
education in addition to flying.
Thatcher is CAM-certified. He graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1991 with a BS in
aeronautical science and also holds
an MBA from Daniel Webster College. Thatcher started as a flight instructor in South Florida, where he
quickly moved into flying a Navajo
Chieftain on charter trips throughout Florida and the Caribbean. Since
then, hes worked for various private
and public companies, mostly flying
5 variants of the Hawker. He also flew
Boeing 737 airliners out of DCA and
worked at a fractional company before going back to corporate flying in
Dallas. Thatcher has logged 10,000
flight hours and holds 5 type ratings.
Aviation personnel
In addition to helping select the
Falcon 2000LX, Thatcher was tasked
with hiring another pilot. By mid2012, with the new aircraft and 4
new employees, the Glazers aviation
department was ready to soar.
Captain and Safety Officer Darren
Fleming learned to fly while he was a
senior in high school in 1990 at SNA
(John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana CA).
He went on to attend San Jose State
University in CA, where he earned a
BS degree in aviation ops.
record keeping and the dept scheduling SOPs.

Waddle has 20 years of experience
in aviation. For 12 years, she worked
as a flight attendant for several Part
121/125/135 operators. Over the
years, she moved up into management and learned how to write technical publications. She worked on
developing, revising and distributing
manuals for Part 121 flight attendant
ops, and for Part 125 and 135 ops.
She is a board member with the North
Texas Business Aviation Assn and she
recently received an NBAA scholarship to get an FAA dispatcher license.
Former Marine F/A18 pilot, Darren Fleming
joined Glazers in 2012 as Falcon 2000LX
captain and safety officer.
Upon graduation he joined the Marine Corps, where he flew McDonnell Douglas F/A18s. Once out of
the military, Fleming began seeking
work as a corporate pilot. For a time,
he flew both Part 91 and 135 operating a Citation 500 series aircraft for
an individual and management company on the West Coast before going
to work for a fractional operator for
2 years flying the Beechjet. He later
moved to North Texas and was hired
by a Fortune 100 company who operated a Bombardier Challenger 601
and a Gulfstream V. Fleming worked
as contract pilot on the GV and
G550 before joining Glazers. Hes
logged 6500 hrs flying 8 types of jets
throughout his career.
Fleming joined Glazers as a captain
and safety officer, which was a new
role for him. In order to establish an
SMS, he consulted with NBAA and
IBAC as well as other flight depts to
determine protocols and best practices. Fleming and the rest of the team
worked with a 3rd party manual-writing company to create a customized
flight ops manual (FOM) and international manual specific to the Glazers
operation. In addition to the FOM,
they created standard operating procedures (SOPs) to describe how Glazers uses its aircraft on a day-to-day
basis. The SOPs have proven useful
when working with and familiarizing
contract personnel with Glazers ops.
Aviation Coordinator Brande Waddle also joined the Glazers flight dept
in 2012. Her position involves coordinating with headquarters to schedule trips, services and crew/passenger
itineraries. In addition, she handles
ground transportation, fuel pricing,
Maintenance department
Dir of Mx Kelly Butler has 32 years
experience as an A&P and 20 as an
IA. He was hired by Thatcher in June
2012 to head up its maintenance.
Today Kelly oversees all mx ops including preflights, line mx, troubleshooting and servicing/cleaning.
Additionally, he conducts interviews
and audits of outsourced MROs.
A&P and IA Kelly Butler is Glazers Director of

mx. He is working on his CAM certification.
Kelly attended A&P school at Braniff School of Aeronautics in Dallas

TX. He began his career as an aircraft
tech with Jet Fleet and KC Aviation,
and then moved to Million Air at Addison as an IA/QC inspector. After
his employment at Million Air, Kelly
moved into different flight dept positions. He also spent time overseas
as a flight engineer on a GIII operating in Africa, the Middle East and
Europe. He returned to the US to
work as DOM for a Dallas-based operation before he was invited to join
the Glazers team. Kelly is currently
a board member with the North Texas Business Aviation Assn and he is
studying for the CAM certification.
Aircraft fleet and pilot ops

Glazers chose the Dassault Falcon 2000LX as the best aircraft for
its mission because of its outstanding
performance and long range, bigger
engines and greater fuel capacity. It
is the most advanced and up-to-date
aircraft in the Falcon 2000 series. The
LX model can cover 4000 nm with 6
passengers, approximately 1000 nm
more than the classic version.
The companys Falcon 2000LX features Honeywells Primus Epic Flight
Display System with 4 LCD screens,
14-inch each, and is equipped with
Minimum Navigation Performance
Specifications (MNPS), Reduced
Vertical
Separation
Minimums
(RVSM), North Atlantic Track ops
(NAT), RNAV-5 (B-RNAV), RNAV-1
(P-RNAV), RNP-0.3, RNP-10, GPS
non-precision approach requirements and autothrottle with the ability to fly the flightpath. The bizjet has
a wide-body design and is configured
to accommodate 10 passengers very
comfortably, providing Glazers executives ample room to work and hold
meetings enroute. Glazers average
passenger load is 5 per trip and flight
time averages 2.1 hrs.
The busiest season for Glazers is
Oct through Dec, when sales for beer,
wine and spirits are the highest. Trips
are scheduled well in advance and
generally they fly out and back the
same day, although theres the occasional overnight. Pilots fly about 300
hrs/yr and average 10 trip days each
month. They typically fly on weekdays, occasionally on a weekend and
they dont get pop-up trips. Thatcher
and Fleming alternate trips as PIC,
and flying legs. A few times each year,
the company will use contract pilots
to cover for duty time issues, training,
vacation or sick leave. Depending on
the number of passengers and the mission, Glazers will use a contract flight
attendant on 40 to 50% of its trips.
Both Thatcher and Fleming complete upset recovery training (UPRT)
on a recurring basis. And all Glazers
pilots go to Flight Safety Intl in Dallas
for recurrent training and for specialized airport approach and departure
training. Thatcher likes the pilots to
participate in additional safety standdowns and classes to improve their
abilities and awareness.
Mission
The leadership team frequently
visits wineries, distilleries, industry
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business-aviation@viasat.com
Glazers warehouse totals 4.5 million sq ft

in structural size. The company distributes
61 million cases of product using 5.1 miles
of conveyor belts and 1100 trucks annually.
events, conventions, and suppliers

throughout the US, Canada and the
Virgin Islands. Its all about furthering relationships with vendors and
suppliers, says Stein. With Glazers
new leadership team, new philosophy and new flight ops in place, the
company is now soaring high by attending events and spending time
with critical customers, something
they could not do before acquiring
the Falcon 2000LX.
Bennett recalls, Prior to having
the flight dept, our relationships with
customers were suffering. Before
the formation of the flight dept, the
executives wasted a lot of valuable
time flying commercial, often sitting
at airports. The plane is essential for
our business. The value it provides in
our ability to connect with customers, build relationships and not waste
time is priceless, adds Stein.
Glazers is a great company that
really cares for its people, remarks
Thatcher. That attitude is shared across
the flight dept. They all love working
for Glazers and say its a fun company that really values family. In fact,
the company uses the acronym FAMILY to sum up its commitment to employees and business partners: Fun;
Aspire to excellence; Mission-driven;
Integrity, Inclusive, Innovative; Leadership; Yield outstanding results.
Safety and training

Glazers flight dept is strong on
training and goes beyond industry
minimum requirements. All 4 members participate in various continuing
education programs related to gener52 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016
al flight ops, as well as those specific

to their position. Topics such as CRM,
winter ops and the carrying of dangerous goods are learned online. Every year the group attends an NBAA
event where they each participate in
additional training classes.
Something unique to the dept is its
participation in benchmarking with
other flight depts. Benchmarking is a
voluntary, informal method of sharing
and comparing operation protocols
and processes with other flight ops to
learn from one another and improve.
Its a way to tear down the old method of keeping the hangar closed and
operating in a bubble, states Butler.
Its amazing what you can learn
when aviation professionals sit down
together and ask, How do you do this
or that? The team is part of a core
group in North TX that meets regularly
to collectively share knowledge. They
have participated in the North Texas
Business Aviation Safety Roundtable,
which focuses on various topics relat-
Aviation Coordinator Brande Waddle has 20

years of experience in aviation ops and is
working toward an FAA dispatcher license.
ed to flight ops, maintenance, SMS,

scheduling/dispatching, and more.
Benchmarking is a very valuable
tool and a growing trend within the
industry, states Fleming. The all
too common practice of keeping the
hangar door shut and believing you
have nothing to learn and no areas
in which to grow is not a part of our
flight operation.
Everyone within the flight dept and
across the company helps to promote
safety. We dont have to be anywhere
at any time, says Bennett. If its not
safe, we wont go. Through use of
an incident & hazard reporting form,
people in all depts can share information related to safety processes and
procedures. Anytime an issue is presented, it gets e-mailed to everyone

within the flight department so all can
have the opportunity to share their
input. This input is then discussed
during a quarterly safety meeting to
keep everyone actively engaged and
involved. Additionally, each December they examine the previous years
findings from audits, incidents & hazards reports, and risk assessment tools
to determine trends, new protocols,
and safety performance goals for the
next year.
In December 2015, the dept successfully completed an IS-BAO audit
and is now Stage 2 certified.
To monitor flights, track ETAs and
keep ground transportation and people informed, Glazers utilizes tracking software on a large monitor in the
office to view progress and upcoming
schedules. They can also follow from
their phones using an app.
The Glazers philosophy

Family is the foundation of the
Glazers organization. Our people
are our most valuable asset, states
Stein. The culture at Glazers is one
of people first. And the team in the
flight department certainly agree.
We love our pilots and the flight
dept team. Theyve become part of
the Glazer family and we could not
be happier, declare Shelly Stein and
Bennett Glazer.
Glazers Distributors is a private,
family-owned and family-focused
business. Beyond its alcohol distribution business, Glazers Inc includes
holdings in real estate and investments. In addition to growing new
markets, Glazers makes donations
to the United Way, fundraising events
and local charities.
Glazers has witnessed many
changes since its early days using
horse-drawn wagons to sell soda waters. Through vision, innovation and
strong values, the company continues
to achieve new heights. Now with
eyes to the skies, spirits will no doubt
continue to soar. Cheers!
Cindy Youngblood
holds an ATP
license and is
type rated in the
BE400, CE500 and
CE560XL. She has
extensive experience in both Part 91
corporate and Part 135 charter ops.
AT 89 YEARS
YOUNG, WERE
JUST GETTING
STARTED.
Aviation never stops. Neither do we.
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Add staying power to that list and youll understand what drives
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Change history with us. Visit phillips66aviation.com.
Phillips 66 and Phillips 66 Wings logo are registered trademarks owned by Phillips 66 Company. 2016 Phillips 66 Company. All rights reserved.
INTERNATIONAL OPS
Procedures for bizav flights to Asia

Airport slots and
parking are tight.
Rules & regs are
strict. Customs and
visas are costly.
Service varies widely.
Apply for permits
in advance.
lenging slot restrictions. At SIN its
become increasingly difficult to obtain parking for more than 2 days.
Looking to the future, International Trip Planning Services (ITPS) Ops
Mgr Ben Fuller anticipates increased
infrastructure and parking challenges at more destinations within the region. About 6 months ago we only
rarely encountered parking issues
at GMP (Gimpo Intl, Seoul, South
Korea). Now one of the first things
we check when we have operations
planned to Seoul is whether a GA
aircraft can be accommodated for
overnight parking, reports Fuller.
General aviation traffic seems to be heading to China these days but there are many other
destinations within the vast Asian region for both business and pleasure purposes. Be alert that
the operating environment is generally more expensive and restrictive north of Hong Kong.
By Grant McLaren
Editor-at-large
lthough the operating environments in North and SE

Asia differ in terms of costs,
parking availability and assorted regulatory restrictions, bizav support
infrastructure, services and credit
acceptance are generally good at
most major airports. For North Asia
the news is both good and bad in
terms of executive jet access, with
easier slot approvals and parking for
the Tokyo area but significant issues
at Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai.
We forecast growing access at other
airports in China but there will also
be parking issues as well as limitations on overnight and extended
staysespecially at popular tourist
destinations.
According to international support

providers (ISPs), the most significant
operating challenges these days are
related to securing overnight and
longer term parking at certain destinations, rather than with permits and
other regulatory considerations.
The most difficult airport slot
and parking situations include HKG
(Hong Kong Intl), PEK (Capital Intl,
China) and SIN (Singapore Changi),
and we anticipate this situation to
continue for the foreseeable future,
says Universal Aviation Sales & Account Mgr East Asia Edmond Yuen.
Few applications for overnight
parking at HKG are successful. Our
experience has been that only 1 or 2
requests are approved out of every
50 requested. PEK can be almost as
difficult, as there are strict business
aviation curfews in effect and chal-
Permits, lead times and

regulatory changes
Permits for most destinations in
the region can be arranged within
3 business days, although this is not
always the case. For major destinations in China, permits are normally
processed within 3 business days.
But youre looking at a 7-day lead
time for operations to non-published
domestic airports, explains Jeppesen Global Vendor Relations Mgr Jan
Hanna. Permits for Indonesia can
take 7 or more business days and the
local CAA does not tend to be very
responsive. In the case of Myanmar,
its best to plan on 10 business days
lead time for landing permits.
While some recent regulatory
changes in the region have been
positive, such as China no longer
requiring sponsor letters for landing
permit applications as of January
2016, other regulatory tweaks are
presenting new challenges. Hanna
adds, It became law on Oct 15,
2015 that foreign registered aircraft
operating to Indonesia, both private

and charter, may only make 1 stop
in country. This is causing significant
complications for GA operators who
are now faced with flying out of the
country between each stop in Indonesia or using local charter aircraft to
move passengers within Indonesia.
ISPs say that the level of GA service
and support is very good throughout
North & SE Asia, even when landing
at secondary and smaller airports.
Ground handlers, FBOs and service
standards are often excellent at major centers, and generally more than
adequate at smaller airport locations
in China, Cambodia and Vietnam.
Traffic and costs on the increase

ISPs report that traffic to North
Asia, particularly to China, is on the
increase, which is putting strains on
local infrastructure. While HKG is
looking at adding a 3rd runway and
China is considering a 2nd airport
south of Beijing to help alleviate
traffic, these are all several years out
into the future. Meanwhile, GA traffic to SE Asia is down from its peak
in 2012 due largely to a global drop
in oil and resource prices.
Costs for bizav ops to Asia are
on the uptick. North Asia is a very
high-cost environment for business
aviation, remarks Avfuel Account
Mgr David Kang. A 2-day stop at
Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai
with a Global or a Gulfstream 550
can easily run you $10,000, while
quick turns in Tokyo can set you back
$6000 to $7000. Navigation fees
can also be extremely high, running
about $4000 to overfly China on a
flight from HEL (Helsinki, Finland)
to HKG. And each time you enter
China youll pay a compensation
fee of about $3000.
While SE Asia is generally a lower cost operating environment than
North Asia, destinations such as SIN

can be particularly expensive.
Hong Kong
HKG seems to be the poster child
in terms of being the most difficult
location for airport slots and overnight parking in Asia. As some 90%
of overnight parking requests for
HKG are rejected, the backup option
for most operators is to drop pax and
reposition. Youll be able to obtain a
maximum of 6 hours on the ground
for a drop-and-go or tech stop but
its unlikely youll get the airport slot
time that you request. Convenient
reposition options for HKG include
MFM (Macau Intl) and SZX (Shenzhen Baoan Intl, China), both about
60 minutes away by car. MFM, however, often fills up, and SZX requires
permits and visas for China. Alternatively, you can reposition to airports
in Taiwan, the Philippines or Vietnam.
Permits for Hong Kong can be obtained within about 3 business days.
However, airport slots are typically
not issued until 48 hours prior to arrival and confirming overnight parking can be a nightmare, says Fuller.
Best practice, if you wish to RON
with your aircraft at HKG, is to make
your parking request 15 days out and
then begin working on slots. It becomes a balancing act and nothing
is certain or very predictable. You
may find, for example, that assigned
slots do not correspond with your
parking approval.
Beijing and Shanghai

PEK has a blanket restriction on GA
movements from 0700 to 0900 daily
and extended parking stays are rarely possible at this location. Be aware
that only 1 slot may be obtained and
used daily during the 0800 to 2200
peak period. So if you want to arShanghai has become a magnet for bizav
ops to Asia. While there are 2 airports
available, both have particular operating
restrictions and you may not be given a
choice of where to land.
GA access to the Tokyo area has never been

better or easier, particularly now that HND
(Haneda Intl) has become more user-friendly
for business aviation operations.
rive and depart the same day, you

wouldnt be able to leave until after
2200 local. Recommended airport
for a reposition is TSN (Tanjin Binhai
Intl, China), about 80 miles away.
Shanghai offers 2 airport options:
SHA (Hongqiao Intl) and PVG (Pudong Intl). While overnight parking is
often possible, max parking stay at
PVG is 3 days and youll likely only
get 2 nights. PVG has the same slot
restrictions as PEK.
You may not have a choice in
which Shanghai airport you may
use, says Kang. If youre arriving
from Japan or somewhere in the
northeast, youll almost always be
required to land at PVG. But if youre
arriving from Europe, youll normally need to use SHA.
There are 5 airports in China
where they currently enforce a 1 slot
per 0800 to 2200 local peak period
limitation. These are PEK, PVG, SZX
and CAN (Guangzhou Baiyun Intl).
Tokyo
Its now much easier to obtain airport slots and parking for both Tokyo
airports, HND (Haneda) and NRT
(Narita), with the new runway operational at NRT and 24 hour availability of HND. Its generally easier
to obtain slots and parking at NRT,
as HND is typically more restrictive
in terms of parking availability and
extended stays.
While you may not get exactly the time slot you want at HND,
its usually possible to get 2 nights
parking, says Kang. NRT and HND
both have VIP customs/immigration
clearance options available to help

to expedite the clearance process.
SE Asia is generally easier and

more flexible
The operating environment and
regulatory requirements in SE Asia
are usually more flexible and friendlier towards business aviation than
what youll find in N Asia. Parking,
however, can be an issue for bizav
operators at SIN as well as airports in
Bangkok and popular Thai resort areas. SIN has been actively discouraging overnight charter operations,
says Kang. A Gulfstream V on charter was recently denied landing permission at SIN and had to go to XSP
(Seletar, Singapore). Unless you can
make a case that you have an operational requirement to land at SIN,
charter flights are generally redirected to XSP.
Although GA traffic seems to be
down to both Indonesia and Malaysia, quality of services and infrastructure is good at major airports.
However, If youre heading to a
smaller airport location in Indonesia
for a tech or destination stop, there
may be limitations in ground support
equipment and credit availability
to consider.
Thailand
Bangkok has 2 airports available
for bizav ops: DMK (Don Mueang
Intl) and BKK (Suvarnabhumi). DMK
is the preferred option, according to
ISPs. Note that BKK has PPR and airport slot requirements, and extended
parking there is often not possible.
Yuen points out that popular resort
destinations in Thailand, including
HKT (Phuket Intl), USM (Koh Samui)
and HHQ (Hua Hin), are becoming
more difficult in terms of overnight
GA parking. Also, be aware that
Bangkok airport authorities are often not allowing GA to use BKK and
instead they encourage operators to
use DMK, Yuen adds.
Singapore
While XSP is not generally a challenge in terms of business aviation
parking, SIN can be difficult at times
and tends to restrict parking to no
more than 2 nights. Singapore encourages GA operators to use XSP
and may only approve a single RON
at SIN, says Yuen. We recommend
Singapore is the top GA destination in SE Asia

for both private and charter flights south of
Hong Kong. SIN (Singapore Changi), however,
has become extremely congested and parking overnight is not always possible there.
using XSP, as theres plenty of parking. The airport has a 6024 ft main
runway that is operational 24/7.
Another alternate for SIN is JHB
(Senai Intl, Johor Bahru, Malaysia),
1 hour away by car, but this involves
clearing both Malaysian and Singapore customs/immigration. Keep in
mind that airport slots at SIN are restricted during peak periods of commercial airline operations, which are
from 1105 to 1200, 1605 to 1800 and
2105 to 2300 for arrivals, and from
0605 to 1100 and 2005 to 2200 for
departures, says Jeppesen International Trip Specialist Junko Borelon.
Operating restrictions
Be aware that permit revisions are
not always straightforward in this
region. China, for example, only allows 2 revisions to an approved permit before youll have to apply for
a new one. The Philippines wants a
lead time of 48 to 72 hours to approve a landing permit, and any revision kicks in an additional 48-hour
wait time. Any notice shorter than 48
hours will result in a rejected permit
request.
Be aware of airways that may be
available only to locally registered
aircraft or scheduled commercial
traffic, as can be the case in China.
Keep ADS-B airway requirements in
mind when operating on certain airways between Hong Kong, Vietnam,
Indonesia and Australia.
Customs/immigration and visas

At most locations in this region
youll clear customs and immigra-
tion within the main terminal. Some

locations, however, offer expedited
VIP clearance options to passengers and/or crew. NRT allows you
to avoid main terminal clearance in
favor or a faster and more private VIP
service for a charge of about $3000.
At HND, GA operators do not have
a choice and must use GA clearance services and pay an additional
charge. SIN has a nice commercially
important passenger (CIP) clearance
facility that can be arranged with advance notice and for an additional
fee, adds ITPS Ops Specialist Curt
Kurshildgen.
Crew visas are an important consideration in some parts of this region, particularly China, explains
Kang. Youll need a C-type crew
visa for China when arriving or departing as flightcrew member, but
youll need a different type of visa
if arriving commercially to pick up
a GA flight. There are ways to avoid
this double visa requirement by having your ground handler present a
general declaration. But, if something goes sideways in the process
you may be stuck at customs/immigration for a couple of hours.
Flying to Asia
When flying a business jet to Asia,
its important to be aware of permit
lead times, restrictions, airport slots,
parking availability and other unique
local
regulatory
requirements.
Particularly when operating to extremely busy destinations such as
HKG and PEK, its important to have
contingency arrangements ready just
in case your operation cannot be
accommodated.
Overall, Asia is becoming more
and more user-friendly and efficient
for business aviation operators. If you
have all your ducks in a row, youre
not likely to experience any serious
issuesunless something goes sideways with your hard-to-obtain slot or
parking request for HKG, concludes
Fuller.
Editor-at-Large
Grant McLaren has
written for Pro Pilot
for over 20 years
and specializes
in corporate
flight department
coverage.
RADAR SCHOOL
How to tune your radar

In the old days it was continuously necessary but the
procedure is different since automation.
In a 2-pilot operation it is important that only 1 of them perform the tuning exercise during the
flight. Thats to avoid the possibility of both pilots forgetting to return the CAL/GAIN control to
the CAL position.
By Archie Trammell
President, Radar Training Systems

ATP/CFII.
ts becoming more obvious that

automated flightdecks can often cause accidents. But let me
explain why: Pilots arent being
properly drilled on the fundamentals
of operating a system, and use of
airborne weather radar is a classic
example.
Once upon a time, radars had such
controls as a trace, erase rate,
contour, and iso echo. Each
function was controlled by a knob
that had to be twisted and tweaked
at frequent intervals for the radar to
serve its purpose. Most of those controls have now been automated, answering only to some obscure black
box algorithm. Some, however, cannot be automated. So that particular
capability of airborne radar is ignored and lost. Radar engineers assume that if there is no algorithm for
it, pilots dont need it. And that is so
very wrong. Pilots do need it for safety purposes. But to get it they must
resort to basic radar fundamentals
and manually tune their radar to dig

it out. Its not difficult. It requires only
a simple selection of MAP mode and
a couple of twists of a knob.
Learning from radar imagery

Notice that what a tuned radar
display reveals is not evident in the
normal automatic configuration.
Picture 1
Look at what these 2 photos of the

same weather formation illustrate.
Picture 1 (below) shows a radar
display in the automatic mode. You
see a lot of green, yellow and red,
but all its revealing is where theres
light rain (green), moderate rain
(yellow) and heavier rain (red). In
short, it may be an area of simply
rain or a flood but perhaps it contains hail, mixed with microbursts,
or even a tornado. Theres no way
to tell. The picture just shows a very
ugly area of rainy weather. For an
airport operation it may appear okay.
RVR is good and no one is complaining. But it could just as easily
be a killer situation.
Picture 2 shows the same weather
as revealed on your radar after being
tuned, in the modern sense. Note
that the red on the far end of the formation is now reduced back to only
green, which indicates its only an
area of extra heavy rain. Just below it
theres a red area which in this tuned
image indicates its a rainfall rate of
at least 4.5 inches per hour with hail
very possible. Sticking off to the right
is a fingervery likely hail. Farther
down are 3 spots of red, also suggesting hail or even a string of tornadoes.
No way should an airport operation
Picture 2
be attempted at this moment. Severe

hydroplaning on the wet runway is
guaranteed and the RVR is nil. Obviously, much more vital information
is available when the raw returns are
tuned, as shown in this comparison.
Picture 3
Tilt management
Proper use of TILT and TIP

How do you do that tuning correctly? Step 1, TILT must be adjusted
to insure weatherand only weatheris being detected and displayed.
To achieve that, simply select TIP, as
shown on picture 3. TIP is the Threat
Identification Position. Its the TILT
selection that results in the bottom
edge of the radars beam sweeping
level to the earth, as illustrated. Obviously, at TIP all echoes detected
and displayed are from objects that
intrude up through your current altitude and will be encountered if in
your flightpath. When flying below
FL290, TIP is simply 1/2 your beams
diameter greater than 0. Above
FL290, TIP is the TILT selection that
results in ground being displayed
from about 80 nm outward.
Step 2, select the MAP mode. That
will result in areas of rainfall rate less
than about 1 inch per hour being
displayed as yellow rather than red.
In other words, areas of simply rain
showers will no longer be displayed
as red, only areas of no-fooling thunderstorms will be displayed with red.
Its not exact, but close. Selecting
MAP also sharpens the radar beam
a slight amount, yielding a crisper image. Finally, on some radars
you must select MAP to activate the
GAIN control, which must be varied
when tuning the radar.
Depending on radar types, the
GAIN control has several different
forms because each manufacturer
has tried to hoodwink you into believing their GAIN is different and
better than the competitions. But
that is not true. All do essentially the
same thing: They vary the volume
of the radars receiver, what the receiver hears and doesnt hear, just
as your COM radios do. Radars accomplish that in various ways, either
mechanically or electrically, by varying thresholds for the colors of the
detected echo. So by turning GAIN
down you can cause red echoes to
disappear, leaving only yellow and
green. And by turning GAIN up you
can make red echoes appear where
before there was only green and yel-
Tilt for tip

(Vis-a-vis antenna diameter)
10''
5
12''
4
15''
3.4
18''
2.75
24''
2
28''
1.75
30''
1.5
To select TIP at altitude to FL290, increase TILT from 0 by 1/2 a beam diameter, as indicated.
low. Thus, in fact, the label GAIN is

a non-sensible label on the control
because it is actually better at reducing than it is at gaining. In short, it
is a calibration control with which
echoes can be made to appear
weaker than fact or stronger.
Think calibration when you see

GAIN
Older radar receivers tended to
run out of volume capability at
just about CAL; the top end of travel. Newer ones have been improved
such that they can be turned well
above CAL, by 30 or so dBZs. This
leads to the Calibratable Range,
better known as the STC range.
The significance is the CAL control
runs out of effect, more or less, at the
Calibratable Range. Therefore the
tuning process out in the distance
is not as valid or effective. Often the
STC range of your radar will be stated in the specs, but a reasonably accurate estimation of it is to multiply
the antenna diameter in inches by
3.5. Thus, for most common 12-inch
antennas on GA aircraft its 3.5x12 =
about 42 nm. And for the common
28-inch antennas found on airliners
its near 100 nm.
The next thing you must first do

in tuning your radar is to identify
the CAL position. That is, you need
to find the position at which echoes
will be displayed in properly calibrated colors of green, yellow and
red. On most modern radars, that
position will be labeled CAL. If its
an older radar, CAL will normally be
with the control turned fully clockwise. At MAX or PRESET.
Lets summarize
Now youre ready at last to begin
the tuning process. In summary here
are the 4 steps:
1. Set TILT to TIP.
2. Select MAP.
3. Identify the CAL position.
4. Begin the tuning process.
The tuning commences by tweaking the CAL control counterclockwise from CAL. With each tweak,
note the effect on the echoes of interest. Remember, each tweak causes red rain to reduce, leaving only
areas of progressively heavier rain
in red. If after a slight tweak the red
disappears, youre approaching a
baby thunderstorma low range
heavy thunderstorm in NWS terms.
If a bit more tweak is required bePROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016 59
B
C
E
H
F
G
Picture 4
fore the red disappears, its a higher

range heavy storm. With each tweak
the lighter rain is dropping back to
yellow, leaving only progressively
heavier and heaver rain displayed
in red.
Examine edges of the 3 colors
for waves, fingers, steep gradients.
Along about now youre wondering
what kind of nonsense all that is.
Hurtling through the atmosphere at
7 or 8 miles a minute with ATC bugging you in one ear and a demanding company junior VP hollering for
attention in the other, who has time
for tweaking and observing? True,
very true.
Wise pilots soon develop a workaround. After much experimentation
they discover that just by quickly
moving CAL to about the reduced
mid-position they quickly bring up
all the most vital information.
Picture 4 shows a wicked looking
storm as seen with CAL at the calibrated position. The pendant shape
alone identifies it as a dangerous
weather system. Picture 5 shows the
same storm with CAL turned down
to about mid-position. There are 8
clues indicating that its a very serious storm:
A. Notch at the downwind end indicates extreme winds aloft.
B. Indication of a hail shaft.
C. Another indication of a hail shaft.
D. A tornado-like hook.
E. Scalloped edge indicative of
strong outflows.
F. Steep gradient and hail finger.
G. Hint of a clockwise hook and
possible tornado.
H. An extremely sharp gradient
Picture 5
identifying an extreme shear.

All that information is available
to you with just a quick look on a
tuned radar display. And, incidentally, you dont have to have the latest
and greatest radar to bring up all that
information. These photos were taken on a 1979 Bendix, 2nd tier radar.
Some caveats
If you fly for an airline, you may encounter a radar on which CAL values
cannot be reduced, only increased.
That is true of the most common version of the 1980s era Collins WXR
701 series systems. On it, there are
only minus values on the CAL control. The kicker is that in a sense
they arent minuses, theyre pluses.
As the knob is turned counterclockwise from the MIN position, the red
in weather echoes becomes bigger
and uglier looking. Thats because
at each click youre turning the receiver volume up above CAL rather
than down, making the weather look
more fierce than fact. For that reason
some pilots like to run with CAL set
at -2 thinking thats on the safe side,
but that is a bad habit. On this radar,
run it with the system in CAL, use
the control to bring up progressively
lighter areas of rain by turning it first
to MIN, and then clockwise slowly.
That will sometimes be helpful in
identifying where the visibility will
be most degraded. Also helpful in
identifying where the accumulation
of airframe ice may be greatest.
A trick with this radar worth knowing is that in the MAP mode echoes
will be displayed about a half color
level softer than fact. So an echo

with red in it when WX is selected
can be simply a heavy rain shower.
To discover if it is, select MAP for a
sweep or 2 with CAL selected. If red
drops out its most likely just a shower. If red doesnt drop out, its a thunderstorm of at least heavy category
in current NWS terminology.
Finally, and this is the most critical
caveat of all, neverI mean NEVERleave your radar in MAP with
CAL reduced. Always return it to the
WX mode, CAL at the Calibrated position, when the tuning exercise is
finished. Otherwise you may leave
CAL turned down in which event the
radar will lie to you about hazards. A
level 6 thunderstorm full of hail and
microbursts may be only green and
yellow on the display.
Your radar is a precision

analytical tool
And there you are. With just a bit
of knowledge and a turn or so on
a knob you can convert your radar
from telling you little beyond where
the storms are into a precision analytical tool. When tuned, your radar
reveals the nature of hazards, precisely what they are, where they are,
and how dangerous they may be.
Realistically, you will seldom have
use for tuning your radar while enroute, although it can be instructive
in determining a safe avoidance distance. But you will often find it very
useful pre takeoff to determine when
its safe to go and when not. Also
this procedure is very instructive
when approaching a terminal area
with storms all around. Note that
you dont have to fly with one hand
on the CAL control to do it. Prior to
entering the terminal area, tune your
radar and just leave it in that tuned
position throughout the arrival to
help you identify go/no-go areas.
Once you become comfortable
with these described procedures,
you are on your way to becoming a
true master of the atmosphere, a true
professional at your craft.
Archie Trammell is
President of
Radar Training
Systems. He holds
ATP, CFII, A&P, and
A&P Ground
Instructor licenses.
We Are Family.
Its important to have someone you can count on

when it comes to aviation fuel.
You can count on Eastern Aviation Fuels and the Stallings family behind the brand. With an aviation
heritage spanning three generations, we take great pride in our commitment to the aviation industry.
We are continually renewing that commitment by delivering innovative products, consistent quality,
competitive pricing, dependable supply and specialized support programs all tailored to the business
of aviation and its customers.
Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the aviation industry relies on Shell Aviation.
To discuss your aviation fuel supply needs or to learn more about Eastern Aviation Fuels, please call
1-800-334-5732 or visit www.easternaviationfuels.com.
To learn more about becoming a Shell branded FBO, as well as information

on the Shell AeroClass Rewards Program, visit www.shell.com/aeroclass/us
or call Elly Johnson at 800-334-5732.
WX BRIEF
Hail
Overshooting top
Tropopause
Anvil
Wind
Mammatus
These hardened
ice balls are
products of
severe storms
and can
wreck aircraft.
New cell
Shelf cloud
Downdraft
rain area
Stable air
Warm moist air
Roll cloud
Gust front
Anatomy of a severe thunderstorm. The red arrows indicate updraft trajectories. Although hail will mostly fall from the base of a storm, often just
ahead of the downdraft rain shaft, it can be ejected from the storm along the paths described by the updraft arrows, including beneath the anvil, on
the back side, and out of the top of the storm. Pilots should avoid storms by at least 20 miles to stay clear of hail showers.
Both windscreens and the radome of this Airbus A320 are severely damaged from a hail encounter during cruise at FL340.
By Karsten Shein
Comm-Inst, Climate Scientist
he region had been under a severe thunderstorm watch and

a tornado watch all afternoon.
Toward evening, silhouettes of towering cumulonimbus could be seen
outlined against the darkening sky
with flashes of lightning illuminating their insides. Yet evening was a
busy arrival time at this major business airport and a line of twinkling
landing lights stretched into the distance. Several aircraft could be seen
threading between massive, flick62 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016
Crazed windscreen of a Boeing B727 after flying through a hail shower

at FL350. Hail is associated with severe thunderstorms, but the storms
updrafts may eject hail many miles into the clear air around the cloud,
where passing aircraft may encounter it with no warning.
ering cloud columns as they made

their way toward the approach path.
Suddenly, amidst the routine communications between the approach
controllers and pilots coming in
to land, a nervous voice crackled
through, Metro Approach, Citation 3 7 Yankee 5 miles southeast
is declaring an emergency! We just
passed through heavy hail. Our
windscreens are damaged and the
left engine is out. Not missing a
beat, the approach controller sent
the 5 aircraft on the approach path
to hold at different close-by airway
intersections and then, over the
now silent frequency, she asked the

Cessna pilots if they could maintain
altitude and see through their windscreen. When informed they had
enough power from the right engine
but couldnt see forward, the controller gave them vectors to intercept
the glidepath so they could use their
instruments to make it to the runway.
As they descended, they side slipped
to see out of an undamaged side
window and were able to get their 3
wheels safely onto the runway.
The local National Weather Service office later reported that several
cars in the vicinity of the aircrafts
Radar image of
severe thunderstorms moving
across south
central Texas.
All storms with
strong echoes such
as these should
be considered
severe and likely
to produce hail
1-inch in diameter
or greater. Such
storms should be
avoided by at
least 20 miles.
route had been damaged by grapefruit-sized hail. The business jet itself
had sustained severe damage. Several fan blades from the left engine had
been damaged and 2 had separated
entirely, both main windscreens had
to be replaced, and the nose and
leading edges of both wings looked
as though someone had taken a
hammer to them. Both pilots insisted
that they were at least 10 miles from
the nearest storm.
Hail itself is normally nothing
more than a chunk of ice that the
air currents within a thunderstorm
have chucked through the sky. Fortunately, most aircraft are sufficiently
robust to survive an encounter with
hail stones, but when it strikes a
large ice ball at high speed, even the
hardiest aircraft is unlikely to escape
undamaged.
It begins with a drop

Hail can form in almost any thunderstorm, though in general it takes
the severe forces inside a larger
storm or a supercell to produce even
small hailstones. To understand hail
formation we must first start with the
precipitation process inside a storm.
Even the smallest storm cells contain
millions of liters of water. In the beginning this water is in vapor form,
which condenses into cloud droplets
as the rising air cools. Ultimately,
cloud droplets aggregate into larger droplets that can, with sufficient
size, overcome the upward currents
and fall to earth as rain droplets. It

takes about a million cloud droplets
to form a single small raindrop, and
over 10 billion for a moderate size
hailstone. Whats more, meteorologists theorize that most rain drops
begin life as ice crystals high up in
the cloud where temperatures are
well below freezing. Ice is far better
at attracting water than liquid.
In simple, short-lived airmass thunderstorms, a lack of windshear aloft
allows the raindrops to fall back to
earth through the updrafts once they
gain sufficient size (around 2 mm diameter). Droplets evaporate as they
fall, cooling the air and creating a
supporting downdraft. This downdraft disorganizes the updraft and
can quickly put an end to the storm,
resulting in a shower of smaller rain
dropsthough more often than not,
the rain completely evaporates before it reaches the ground.
Windshear aloft will tilt the updrafts. This means that as the raindrops fall from the high reaches of
the cloud, they are not falling through
the updraft. This allows the storm to
live longer and grow larger. It also
means that the updraft can suspend
the droplets for longer periods, allowing them to grow to larger sizes. The
largest raindrops will be almost 5 mm
in diameter. Tilting is also important
for hailstone formation.
Often, however, the largest storms
are also being pushed across the sky
as they fire away. This movement
can set up a situation where the up-
drafts and downdrafts can form complex patterns within the storm, and
where a falling rain droplet can be
entrained by an updraft and lofted
again into the storms heights. Here
is where things get interesting.
Birth of a hailstone
When rising in cooling air, the
droplet ceases to evaporate and may
even gain some mass. If it makes it
back above the freezing level for a
sufficient period, the droplet will either partially or completely refreeze.
In the largest storms, an ice pellet
can form at high altitude and serve
as the hail embryo without ever fully
melting into a raindrop. Extreme updrafts may even loft insects or other
small objects that can become coated by supercooled water and form
the nucleus of a hail stone.
Once lofted back into the upper
region of the storm, the amount of
time the hail embryo spends there is
important to the formation of a proper hailstone. Meteorological studies
of hail formation suggest that a large
updraft tilt that lets the embryo move
almost horizontally through the upper levels is the most supportive of
large hail formation. This thunderstorm structure is, fortunately, found
in only a small proportion of storms.
After spending time in the upper
part of the storm, the small stone falls
through a region of supercooled liquid water droplets. Because the air is
still below freezing in this region, the
Massive hailstones such as this one are rare,

but not unheard of. The spiky, opaque nature
of this hailstone indicates it formed by riming,
and thus is lighter and less dense than its size
would suggest.
Examples of hail the size of a golf ball. Although the US National Weather Service will report hail
size in inches diameter and defines a severe thunderstorm as one producing hail at least 1 inch in
diameter, hail size is more commonly reported relative to objects with which people are familiar,
such as peas, golf balls or tennis balls.
ice pellet remains frozen. But the ice

preferentially attracts water molecules, and any supercooled droplets
the pellet encounters will freeze to
it, causing it to grow. The formative
hailstone may partially melt on its
descent, but it now has the ability
to remain partially frozen and better
resist evaporation on its way down.
At this point, the small stone may
fall from the storm or it may be
caught up again in another updraft
and repeat the cycle of freezing and
aggregation. Each trip lasts less than
a minute, but a typical golf-ball sized
hail stone will spend 5 to 10 minutes
inside the storm, accumulating layer after layer of ice. The shape and
character of the stone is a function of
the available water, any melting that
occurs, and the temperature regime
to which it is exposed.
For example, if the hailstone falls
through very cold air, any supercooled liquid that freezes to the
stone will freeze quickly into an
opaque rime that contains air pockets. These air bubbles can keep the
stones density and weight light, allowing updrafts to keep the stone
suspended until it reaches a much
larger size. If the stone falls through
a region of warmer and wetter air, it
will attract a lot of supercooled water. But that water may not instantaneously freeze. Instead, it envelops
the stone and only freezes once the
stone is again lofted into colder air.
This allows a more uniform freezing
process that produces a clearer and
denser glaze. Glazed stones tend
to be relatively spherical, while unglazed stones often appear more irregular, often with noticeable bumps
or even spikes. Although both types
of hail can cause damage, the denser
glazed type has the potential to impact with greater force.
Eventually the chaotic currents
within the storm will expel the hailstone. Most often, the hail will fall
from the base of the storm, and
during its fall it may soften and even
melt or partially melt before it reaches the ground, depending on the air
temperatures through which it had to
fall. Additionally, most storms wont
produce hail stones larger than a golf
ball because they simply dont have
the energy to suspend such large
stones.
The complexity of producing hail
coupled with the movement of the
storm itself usually means a hail episode may last only a minute or 2 at
the height of the storm, though a hail
streak may cover several miles as
the storm tracks across the ground.
Occasionally, a storm that produces
hail will become stationary, allowing
hail to accumulate on the ground.
In 1984 a thunderstorm near DEN
(Denver Intl, CO) deposited kneedeep hail over the better part of an
hour.
Ejected danger
For aviation, the problem with hail
is that thunderstorms dont always
dump the hailstones from the base of
the cloud. A stone that becomes em-
bedded in an updraft can be ejected

from the middle or upper regions of
the storm, and the updrafts velocity
coupled with the size of the stone
will determine just how far the stone
might travel from the cloud.
Other than the cloud base, there
are 2 common regions where cumulonimbi will expel hail, (1) beneath
the anvil leading the storm and (2) at
the upper rear section of the cloud.
Both are places where updrafts may
terminate, especially in a supercell
thunderstorm. A 3rd place a strong
storm may eject hail is directly above
the cloud. On large storms that are
pushing against the stratosphere,
the updraft can often be located by
a bulge in the clouds flat top where
the ascending air protrudes beyond
the capping temperature inversion. If
there are strong winds aloft, expect
them also to drive the hail downwind from where it was ejected.
The larger and stronger a storm,
the stronger the updrafts and the farther the storm will be able to throw a
hailstone. Meteorologists have long
suggested a 20-nm margin of safety
for pilots flying near thunderstorms,
not just for avoiding hail but also for
avoiding any strong turbulence accompanying the storm. The FAA in
AC 00-24C dictates a 20+ mile clearance around any intense echoes and
avoiding airspace beneath a thunderstorm anvil. However, the largest storms can toss hail even further
than 20 miles.
An important point to remember
as well is that hail ejected anywhere
other than from the base of the storm
can exit at an upward trajectory that
may carry it above the storms level as well as outward. A good rule
of thumb for hail avoidance is to
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Hail covers a street in

Melbourne, Australia in
this March 2010 photo.
Slow moving storms can
release enough hail to
blanket large areas with
several inches of frozen
precipitation.
Hail damage to the tail section of a Boeing B737-33V as it flew

through an area of storms at 15,000 ft after departing GVA (Geneva, Switzerland) in August 2003. The aircrafts windscreen and
other sections were also heavily damaged.
remain a mile away for every 10,000

ft of storm height. Thus a 40-nm
clearance around a 40,000 ft cell is
appropriate. Additionally, a clearance of at least 2000 ft per 10,000 ft
of height above any storm tops when
inside that horizontal safety margin
should keep an aircraft away from
most hail.
The problem with hail encounters in flight is that they normally
occur in clear air as an aircraft is
attempting to skirt a storm. In these
cases, the hail was probably shot
well above the aircrafts altitude and
is now falling back toward earth as
gravity takes over. Additionally, a lot
of the strongest storms that produce
hail reach their fullest strength in the
later part of the dayeven after sunset. This means that an aircraft could
run into a hail shower without even
seeing it beforehand. Most of the
time these encounters also happen
at high speed. A typical business jet
may be traveling upward of 400 kts
when it runs into hail.
Hail damage
If you encounter hail while cruising, the first strikes may be startling.
But it is important to continue to
maintain positive control of the aircraft. Modern aircraft are designed
to take hits. Aeronautical engineers
routinely shoot hail at windscreens
and engines to ensure they can withstand these encounters. The chances
are pretty good that at cruise speeds
youll pass through the hail shower
in a few seconds and youll be back
in clear air.
The only known instances of hail
bringing down an aircraft have been
when the airplane has flown into
a severe thunderstorm. For exam66 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016
ple, in 1977 a Douglas DC9 flew

through a storm after departing HSV
(Huntsville Intl, AL) enroute to ATL
(Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Intl, GA).
The onboard weather radar showed
that there was an area of lighter precipitation within the storm, and the
crew steered toward it. But unbeknownst to either pilot, the area was
actually a strong hail shaft. This is
because hail is less dense than liquid precipitation and less reflective
in radar wavelengths. Unfortunately,
the engines ingested massive quantities of hail, surged and failed with no
altitude available to attempt a restart.
Most commonly, hail will be
small enough simply to produce
small dings along leading edges
and nacelles. Less frequently, larger
or denser hail will hit with enough
force to craze windscreens, destroy
exposed antennae, produce large
dents in aluminum surfaces, and
crack holes in plastic, fiberglass or
carbon fiber radomes. In sufficient
quantity, hail may also damage engine blades or surge the engines as
it melts inside the hot sections. Fortunately, most aircraft can remain
airworthy even if the radome were
to be knocked away or the wing
edges deformed. Normally the most
dangerous damage hail can do to an
aircraft is to craze the windscreens
to the point where any forward vision is obscured. In such cases, the
aircrafts instruments can be used to
navigate to the nearest airport. And
either autoland (if so equipped) or a
good sideslip (for side window visibility) can help the pilot to get the
airplane on the ground.
Hail doesnt just affect aircraft in
flight. All hail must eventually descend toward earth. Small hail or
hail falling through dry air from a
height may melt or sublimate before

it reaches the ground, but large and
dense hail can easily make it to the
ground intact, striking any aircraft
sitting out or moving about an airport. Regardless of whether your aircraft encountered hail in flight or on
the ground, it should not be flown
again until you are certain of its airworthiness. Check especially for any
places the hail may have cracked the
aircraft skin, dinged a lifting surface,
damaged an antenna or gouged a
windscreen. If the hail was substantial, a mechanic should make a thorough inspection over the aircraft to
search for any hidden damage.
Thunderstorms that may become
severe or produce hail are closely
tracked by aviation meteorologists
and a convective sigmet will be issued for those regions as appropriate. In terminal controlled airspace,
controllers should also be keeping
an eye on convective activity and
route their aircraft around it. The
presence or forecast of hail at an airport is shown in metars and tafs as
GR (GS for small hail). Ultimately,
it is up to pilots to stay sufficiently
clear of any thunderstorm that may
be capable of producing hail. If you
encounter any hail, please be sure to
file a pirep that will help your fellow
pilots avoid the area.
Karsten Shein is a
climatologist with
NOAA in Asheville
NC. He formerly
served as an
assistant professor
at Shippensburg
University. Shein
holds a commercial
license with instrument rating.
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INNOVATIVE WINGS
Status report on new aircraft coming

from various manufacturers
OEMs across the board are making performance breakthroughs
in bizjets and turboprops.
By Owen Davies
Contributing Writer
here are more new models

of executive aircraft entering
the market now than in any
comparable period in memory. Every major airframer has at least one
model approaching takeoff. Many
OEMs have more. There are reasons
for this sudden ferment. For several
years, the world economy seemed
buoyant enough to support bizjet
sales. New technologies are finding
their way from the military to corporate jets, from heavier ultra-long
range to smaller models. And some
companies are revamping in-production models to incorporate improvements that customers asked for.
Bombardier
Picture the ultra-long range Global
6000. Now stretch it to 111 ft long
and 102 ft between the wingtips.
Then expand its cabin by 20% to provide room for 17 pax. Finally, divide
the cabin into 4 distinct living spaces and a dedicated rest area for the
crew. This is the forthcoming Global
7000. Like its predecessor, the Global 7000 will easily leap oceans. With
8 on board, its projected range is
7400 nm at Mach 0.85enough to
fly from New York to Shanghai without stopping.
Passengers will enjoy a cabin
height of 6 ft 3 in and width of 8 ft
2 in, with amenities including ultrahigh-speed Internet access, windows
80% larger than in previous Global
models, and a galley that some New
York apartments might envy. Club
seats and foldout side tables will
switch a space from private office to
conference area.
The cockpit may be even more
accommodating, with fly-by-wire
(FBW) sidestick controls and the
Bombardier Vision flightdeck. Avion68 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016
Bombardier Global 6000
ics include synthetic and enhanced

vision systems (EVS), ADS-B Out,
WAAS, LPV, weather radar with
windshear detection, and an optional surface management system.
Also in the works is a Global 8000,
with room for 13 pax and 7900-nm
range at Mach 0.85. Features announced thus far closely resemble
those of the Global 7000, but with a
shorter cabin.
However, the new Global aircraft
wont reach the market on time. The
Global 7000 was set for delivery this
year, the Global 8000 in 2017, but
slow orders in 2014 pushed back
Bombardiers plans. The Global
7000 is now due in 2018. Bombardier has not announced a schedule
for the Global 8000.
Cessna Citation
This venerable bizjet builder has 3
new models coming.
First up is the Citation Latitude, a
midsize jet that serves as a prototype
for the others. It is the only new Citation model currently available. First
deliveries took place last August. Basic data includes max cruise speed
of 446 ktas and max range 2850 nm,
making the trip from LAX to JFK in
a single hop. The Latitude can take

off from a 3580-ft runway, climb to
FL430 in 26 minutes and land in
2480 ft. Payload is 2544 lbs, including up to 9 passengers. Touchdown
speed is around 100 kts. Unit price
is about $16 million.
The Latitude retains many design features from its forebears. The
wings, tail group and flight controls
are virtually identical to the Sovereign+. Engines are also the Pratt &
Whitney PW306D1 with FADEC,
delivering 5760 lbs of thrust each.
Pilots type-rated in the Sovereign+
will feel at home.
The cabin offers a flat floor, 6 feet
of headroom and 77 inches of width.
Big seats recline well enough to form
a reasonable bed. Wi-Fi operates the
lights, temperature and entertainment system. Cabin pressure never
gets higher than 6000 ft. This is one
occupant-friendly place to be.
Up front, pilots also will find large,
highly adjustable seats and improved
lighting and temperature controls.
Even the windshields are bigger.
Controls and avionics are state of the
art, save that the FBW actually involves cables. Avionics are Garmins
G5000 system, held over from the
Citation X+ and the Sovereign+.
Performance is good for such a little craft. Max cruise is 300 ktas, stall
speed only 67 kts. Max operating altitude is FL280. Takeoff requires 1697
feet, and landing takes 1721 ft. Range
is 1000 nm or 1200 nm at 242 kts.
The first SF50 took flight in March
2014. Since then, the firms 3 production-spec aircraft have completed
1300 hours of flight testing. FAA certification is expected in the late summer of 2016, with deliveries to begin
shortly thereafter.
Cirrus has nearly 600 orders for the
machine in hand, according to program manager Matthew Bergwall.
The company expects to deliver 50
Visions in the next 12 months. After
that, it will ramp up to more than 100
units per year.
Citation Latitude
Citation Longitude
Citation Hemisphere
The Citation Longitude is a super-midsize model with room for up

to 12 pax. It will take off in 4900 feet
and land in 3400. Max cruise is 476
ktas. Range is up to 3400 nm with 4
pax. Max cruising altitude is FL450,
where cabin pressure will hold at
5950 ft. The price tag reads $23.9
million.
Many of the Longitudes features
are drawn from the Latitude, including the fuselage cross-section, windows, and nose section. Cabin width
is 77 inches.
Cockpit includes the expected
Garmin G5000 avionics suite. Head
up displays (HUDs) and an EVS are
optional.
Longitudes first flight is planned
for this summer, with certification
and first deliveries expected in 2017.
Last in line is the Citation Hemispherea clean-sheet large-cabin
design. It was originally supposed to
be powered by SNECMA Silvercrest
engines, but recent reports suggest
that the Hemisphere will use the Latitudes FADEC-equipped Honeywell
HTF7700L engines. Cessna projects
a range of up to 4500 nm and a maximum cruise speed of 516 ktas. First
flight is scheduled for 2019. Price,
not yet announced, is expected to
come in around $33 million.
Daher
Cirrus
After 9 years in development, the
single engine Cirrus SF50 Vision is finally nearing service. The 6-seat personal jet, priced near $2 million, got
its start in 2007. Then development
slowed until 2011, when its creator
was acquired by CAIGA, a Chinese
GA firm that pledged $125 million
to complete the project. The result is
a small, V-tailed airplane with a Williams FJ33-5A turbofan clinging to its
strongly curved spine. Unique among
jet aircraft, in case of emergency the
SF50 can return to Earth under a ballistic parachute.
There are good things to say about

the new Daher TBM 900. It flies faster and farther, climbs better, burns
less fuel, and uses shorter runways.
Its even quieter and more comfortable than its predecessors.
Good numbers back up the claims.
With a max cruise of 330 kts at its
optimum FL280, the TBM 900 is 10
kts faster than the previous TBM 850,
which debuted in 2006, and a remarkable 45 kts faster than the TBM
700. It can take off in 2380 feet at
max gross and standard conditions
over a 50-ft obstacle. Landing length
is 2430 ft. The TBM 900 burns 37
gal per hour at economy cruise and
around 60 gal at high speed.
Many of the improvements are
due to drag reduction. The most
conspicuous result is a new cowl
with a larger, more efficient air inlet behind the prop and a simplified
plenum for better airflow. The 900
Cirrus SF50 Vision
Dassault Falcon 8X
also is the first TBM with winglets to

contain span-wise airflow, increase
the planes effective wingspan, and
further reduce drag. A new 5-bladed Hartzell composite prop and new
spinner also help.
The PWC PT6A-66D engine itself
remains unchanged. But improvements such as the more efficient
inlet, redesigned plenum and new
exhausts give 80 more horsepower
on the same fuel consumption. The
engine has a thermodynamic rating
of 1825 hp, delivering 850 shp. Pressurization keeps the cabin at 8000 ft
equivalent at FL280. A potty chair
can be had as an option.
Up front, the TBM 900 retains the
Garmin G1000 all-glass cockpit.
New for 2016 are flight envelope
monitoring added to the autopilot
to assist in maintaining stable flight
when outside normal flight parameters. Aural alerts have been added
for stall, overspeed, landing-gear extension, and use of oxygen masks.
Garmin software provides a Bluetooth link to stream GPS, weather,
and other data to a mobile device.
You will find only a single lever
to operate the engine. After start-
Daher TBM 900
Dassault Falcon 5X
up, it slides to the left and becomes

the thrust lever. Its hard to grab the
wrong control when distracted.
TBM 900 is proving to be an appealing package. On the market
since 2014, 100 of them had been
sold by the end of 2015, with 55
shipped in that year alone at a price
of $3.8 million.
Dassault
There are 2 new Falcons in the
nest, the 5X twin and the 8X trijet
the new top of Dassaults line. The
8X first flew in early February 2015.
Certification is expected in mid2016 with first deliveries coming not
long after.
The 8X is the first new Falcon not
designed from scratch. It mates a
stretched 7X fuselage with 7X wings
re-engineered to improve performance and drop nearly 600 lbs. This
combination increased fuel capacity
by about 2960 lbs.
With all that fuel, the svelte aircraft
is expected to reach the 6450 nm
range, enough to go from Los Angeles to Beijing or from Hong Kong to
Paris, London or Cape Town at an ef-
ficient cruise of Mach 0.80. Because

the 8X can land at 85% of maximum
takeoff weight, it can make a short
hop and then continue on for another 4500 miles without refueling.
The 8X is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW307D engines equipped
with FADEC. Some enhancements
give them 5% more thrust and yet reduce fuel consumption. The changes
also cut NOx emission 30% below
current standards.
Dassault isnt releasing performance numbers until flight testing is
complete, but calculated top speed
is about Mach 0.90. Approach at
106 kts and a steep descent will
make the 8X the only jet in its class
that can fit into the 3934-ft runway
at LCY (London City). Dassault also
claims direct operating costs will
be as much as 35% below those of
competing jets.
The Falcon 8Xs cabin is 7 ft 8 in
wide, with 6 ft 2 in of headroom. Its
design allows for 30 possible configurations. The forward section offers
3 possible versions of galley and
crew accommodations, the longest
including a 78-in berth.
The working area resembles the
Falcon 7X cockpit, with digital sidestick controllers and an EASy III avionics suite built on the Honeywell
Primus Epic system. All comms,
nav, systems information and flight
management are handled from the 4
screens. HUDs for the SVS and EVS
are optional.
The first customer-owned Falcon
8X has been at the Dassaults completion center since October 2015.
The new models price will be about
$58 million.
This brings us to the Falcon 5X
twinjet. With a top speed of 370 kts
indicated, a high cruise of M 0.85,
and an approach speed of 105 kts,
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Embraer Legacy 450
Epic E1000
it resembles a slightly smaller 8X,

although it has a reduced range of
5200 nm with 8 onboard. Unfortunately this is still theory because the
5X lacks engines. It was designed
around the SNECMA Silvercrest turbofan, but lack of certification and
severe delivery problems with that
powerplant have set the Falcon 5X
back by 2 years. First flight is scheduled for 2017, with first deliveries
not taking place until early 2020.
Embraer
The Legacy 450 is a slightly smaller version of the 12-pax Legacy 500,
which entered the market in October 2014. For a mid-light business
jet, it boasts impressive performance
numbers. Range is 2900 nm, with a
high cruise speed of 462 kts. It takes
off in 3907 ft and lands in 2090
ft. Maximum operating altitude is
FL450.
In fact, the $20-million Legacy 450
is as big and competent as the Citation Latitude, which Cessna calls
midsize. It carries up to 9 pax, or
5 with full fuel. Each of its 2 Honeywell HTF7500E engines with
dual-channel FADEC provides up
to 6450 lbs of thrust, pushing it to
FL430 in 21 minutes. With full flaps
and some fuel burned off, the landing speed is 105 kts indicated, very
near the Latitudes.
The Legacy 450s flat-floor cabin is 82 inches wide, with 6 feet of
headroom. Its club seating includes
2 chairs that fold down to form a
respectable bed. It offers the usual
entertainment system, Wi-Fi Internet
access, an optional sat phone, and
6000-ft cabin altitude. A wet or dry
galley is optional.
Where the Legacy 450 shines is in
the cockpit, one of the most sleek72 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016
ly high-tech work areas yet seen in

a business jet. Flight controls, like
those of the bigger Legacy 500, are
FBW sidesticks; the 2 Legacy models
are the only bizjets equipped with
FBW under $50 million. Throttle and
ground steering also are FBW.
Avionics suite is a Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion package with
4 displays, synthetic vision system,
graphical flight planning and an
onboard central maintenance computer. A surface management system
helps avoid collisions on the ground.
The optional EVS comes with a compact and capable HUD. The combination provides operational capability down to Cat II minimums.
Ever since Embraer entered the
corporate jet market a bit more than
10 years ago, it has consistently
pushed the competition to improve
their game. With its mouth-watering
front office and luxurious passenger
accommodations, the Legacy 450
maintains that tradition.
Epic Aircraft
At first glance, the 6-pax E1000 turboprop seems to have it all. A 1200
shp P&W PT6A-67A pulls it along at
325 kts cruise, nearly as fast as a Daher TBM 900 and 45 kts faster than
Pipers M500 Meridian. Range at
max cruise is 1385 nm, significantly
farther than either. Built largely from
carbon fiber composite, it is priced
at $2.95 million fully equipped,
squarely between its competitors
base prices.
With market-worthy numbers like
those, what could go wrong? Very
little that hasnt already, as it turns
out. The E1000 reached the market
in 2004 as a $1-million kit. By 2006,
the company had logged more than
1000 hours of certification testing.
By 2009, it had been through layoffs,

lawsuits, and a voluntary bankruptcy. Epic was reorganized in 2010 and
most recently sold to a Russian MRO
called Enterprises LLC. In 2015, a former CEO was arrested for defrauding
both Epic and its customers. At last
word, he remained in federal custody. For a company only 12 years old,
Epic has had a colorful history.
The E1000 itself seems remarkably
free of issues. Homebuilders completed about 45 of the 56 kits sold, a
high success rate for such a complicated aircraft. At least one has more
than 1000 hours in the air without
a significant problem. Based on reported flight times, Epic quotes an
average speed of 280 kts for its test
aircraft, compared with 250 kts recorded for the TBM 900 and 203 kts
for the Meridian.
The current prototype made its first
flight in Dec 2015. A few more aerodynamic refinements are expected
to make it the fastest single engine
turboprop airplane on the market.
A production prototype is due to
fly this spring, with FAA certification
and first deliveries expected later in
the year. Standard equipment will
include a 3-screen Garmin G1000
flightdeck with synthetic vision,
ADS-B Out and a TCAS. At the end
of 2015, Epic reported 60 orders
booked for the E1000.
Gulfstream
This veteran airframer has 2 new
clean-sheet aircraft in development,
the G500 and the G600.
The new aircraft are intended to
fill niches just below Gulfstreams
extreme-distance models. The G500
will cover 5000 nm at Mach 0.85,
while the G600 will travel 6200 nm
at that speed. Max operating speed
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HondaJet
Gulfstream G500
Gulfstream G600
for both is Mach 0.95. Key to this

performance, the company says, is a
wing modeled on that of the G650.
It functions efficiently from near the
speed of sound down to 130 kts.
These 2 new models are powered
by PW800 series engines from PWC.
The G500 will use a pair of PW814GA engines, while the G600 will
carry the slightly more powerful PW815GA. Both models offer a 10,000hour TBO with 750 hours between
major inspections.
The G500/G600 cabins are both 7
ft 11 in wide, with 6 ft 4 in of headroom. Both offer berthable seats for
10. Other features include a side
sofa with room for 3, a spacious
galley, communications and entertainment systems, and a dozen of
the G650ERs enormous windows.
Many other configurations of course
are planned. Pressure altitude tops
out at 4850 ft.
The cockpit is what pilots can
expect of high-end aircraft from

now on. There are FBW sidestick
controllers that push back to simulate control loadsreportedly a
first for civilian aircraft. The Gulfstream Symmetry Flightdeck offers 10
displays and touch-screen controllers and HUDs for the EVS, while
software provides a structured task
list to reduce workload and improve
safety.
Although the G600 is still in simulation, the G500 is well along in
flight testing. It flew in May 2015
and made its first cross-country
trip, from SAV to HSH (Henderson,
Las Vegas NV) for the 2015 NBAA
Convention. By February 2016,
the first G500 had passed 320 hours
in the air, and 3 more test aircraft
had joined the fleet. Certification
of the G500 is expected in 2017,
with first deliveries of the G500 and
certification of the G600 the following year.
The 6-seat, all-composite HondaJet HA420 is finally ready after a development process of more than 30
years. Honda delivered the first production aircraft 2 days before Christmas 2015, 2 weeks after receiving
FAA type certification.
The product of this long evolution
seems to be quite a competent little
airplane. The 2 GE Honda HF120 turbofans, famously mounted on pylons
above each wing, provide a 420-kt
cruise at up to FL430. Range is 1180
nm, enough to hop from New York
to Chicago or London to Rome. Takeoff is less than 4000 ft, and landing
length is less than 3000 ft.
The HondaJets max cruise gives
it a 30-kt advantage over the Phenom 100E, its most direct competition. Honda also claims up to 20%
better fuel efficiency than similar
aircraft. Standard accommodations
consist of 2 pilot seats up front and
a well-appointed cabin with 4 passenger seats, 2 on each side of a narrow aisle, and a small lavatory. An
alternative configuration allows for 1
more pax.
The cockpit features a Garmin
G3000 glass system with 3 multifunction displays (MFDs) and dual
touchscreen control panels. The installation will be familiar to pilots
with time in the Cessna Citation M2
or the Phenom 300, which also offers the Garmin G3000 as an option.
At $4.5 million, the HondaJet is in
the same price range as other very
light business jets. In January the
production line was reported full
with 20 aircraft under construction.
Pilatus
Swiss airframer Pilatus developed
its new 10-pax PC24 business jet on
HondaJet HA420
Pilatus PC24
Piper Meridian M600
Piper Meridian M500
its successful PC12 turboprop in order to meet customer demands for

more speed and range while keeping
good short-field performance and
load capacity. The PC24 first flew in
May 2015.
Its 2 Williams FJ44-4A engines
give up to 3600 lbs of thrust each.
Max cruise at FL300 is 425 kts.
Payload is 2500 lbs, 915 lbs with full
fuel. Range with 4 pax and 30 minutes reserve is 1950 nm. This twinjet is coming out with a $9-million
price tag.
The PC24s great appeal is the ability to fly where others cannot. This
midsize twin can operate from runways as short as 2690 ft, including
grass strips and unimproved surfaces. This gives access to an estimated
21,000 airports around the world,
half of them unusable by other aircraft in this class.
To say that the PC24 has been well
received is an understatement. Pilatus closed its order book after EBACE
2014. In 36 hours it had sold 84 production places, the companys entire
planned output from 2017 through
2019.
The PC24s flat-floor cabin is 67 in
wide, with headroom of 61 in. An
executive configuration offers 6 seats
and a baggage area accessible from
inside. There also will be an all-cargo version for air ambulance service
and special missions equipment.
To ease loading, it will have a door
more than 4 ft wide and high behind
the left wing root.
Up front, pilots will find a Honeywell Primus Apex system. Included
are synthetic vision, graphical flight
planning, coupled VNAV, SBAS,
WAAS/LPV approach capability, as
well as integrated system synoptics.
Single-pilot Part 23 certification is
expected in 2017, with deliveries

beginning soon after.
Piper
This historic airframer brought 2 of
its 6-seat M-Class turboprops to market in 2015.
In January 2016 there was an updated Meridian M500 featuring a
Pratt & Whitney T6A-42A, 500-shp
engine. With max cruise speed of
260 kts, it has a max range of 1000
nm on 170 gal of fuel. The M500
takes off in 1650 ft and lands in 1020
ft. Maximum approved altitude is
FL300. Standard equipment includes
flight into known icing. The M500
can sport Hartzells 5-blade prop as
an option.
The M500 carries a Garmin G1000
avionics package with dual 10-inch
primary flight displays (PFDs) and a
single 12.1-inch MFD. Synthetic vision and weather radar are standard.
Avionics improvements for 2016
include stability and underspeed
protection and an automatic level
mode. M500s basic price tag reads
$1.99 million.
Piper introduced the $2.82-million M600 in April 2015. The M600
carries over the M500 fuselage but
mates it to a new clean-sheet wing,
and the P&W PT6A-42A engine has
been uprated to 600 shp. Max cruise
remains at 260 kts, but 90 extra gallons of fuel in the wing tanks extend
the range to 1300 nm with a 45-min
reserve. Standard useful load has
grown to 2400 lbs, up from 1698
lbs in the M500. Piper Pres and CEO
Simon Caldecott says this difference
allows the M600 to have payload
enough to carry a professional pilot,
passengers, and their luggage.
The M600 cockpit comes with a
Garmin G3000 avionics suite. There

are dual PFDs and 1 MFD, all 12.1
inches. Synthetic vision and weather
radar again are standard, with options including an Iridium transceiver, stormscope (both available in the
M500), and TCAS.
To date, the M600 does lack one
feature the M500 offers: availability.
Originally scheduled for certification in the Q3 2015, the aircraft was
pushed back when the wing needed
a redesign to achieve the promised
cruise speed. Piper says the M600
has entered the final stage of testing.
Certification is now expected in Q3
2016 with deliveries shortly after.
Textron Aviations turboprop

The company has a new turboprop
in the works, according to an announcement made in March 2016.
So far, Textron has said only that it will
reach speeds over 320 kts and have a
range of more than 1700 miles. Still
to be revealed is whether it will carry the Beechcraft or Cessna brand.
Key to the project is GEs planned
advanced turboprop (ATP) engine,
designed to compete with Pratt &
Whitney Canadas PT6 series. GE
says ATP engines will burn 20% less
fuel than comparable models, deliver 10% more power at altitude, and
last 30% longer between required
overhauls. First run is scheduled
for 2018.
Owen Davies is a
veteran freelance
writer and was senior
editor at OMNI. He
now works as a
futurist at Forecasting
International and
TechCast Global.
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Flying Made Simple
LONG-RANGE COM
HF Radio
A stalwart long-range communications tool
of the past thats still relevant today.
Lost to space
nd
V
HF
Ionosphere
UH
Fa
Kennelly-Heaviside reflective region
HF
HF
Atmosphere
Low angle wave
Transmitter
Skip distance
Skywave range
The lower the frequency the more it travels along the curve of the earth. VHF and UHF mainstay frequencies for aircraft communication over land
propagate pretty much in a straight line which is okay for the aircraft receiving VHF and UHF communication within a fairly short range. HF has
the fortunate bounce or skip capability of being reflected by a phenomenon called the Kennelly-Heaviside layer. This occurs as our atmosphere meets
the ionosphere so that HF signals can propagate much further from the transmitter and can be used to carry radio communication transmissions to
aircraft flying long distances from the transmitter over the ocean. The advent of satellite broadcasting with the innovation of Controller Pilot Data
Link Communication (CPDLC) achieves a clear alphanumeric communication that is superior but is a bit slow in acceptance by many operators and
expensive to install. HF works now, has worked for over-ocean communication for a long time and will probably continue to do so far into the future.
By Shannon Forrest
President, Turbine Mentor

ATP/CFII. Challenger 604/605,
Gulfstream IV, MU2B
wareness of the approaching

Jan 1, 2020 ADS-B Out conformance deadline serves as
a reminder that legally operating an
aircraft in certain airspace depends
upon avionics as much as it does
procedural compliance. In a modern aircraft, many electronic transactions occur behind the scenes. A
pilot simply activates a device and
things happen (transponder for instance). Functions that require active participation and are used on
every flight, like engaging a mode
on an autopilot, are well rehearsed
and usually conducted proficiently.
According to the psychological laws
of exercise and recency, infrequent
actions tend to be forgotten or performed poorly. Check airman and
instructors say that a pilots strengths
and weaknesses regarding avionics can be ascertained with a single
glance at the instrument panel of the
aircraft most often flown. The assess78 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016
ment hinges on identifying a telltale

sign of over reliance, such as worn
out paint on or near a button, switch
or knob. Contrarily, a newer veneer
equates to lack of use. Its a combination of pseudo-science and comedy, but theres truth to the thesis that
certain things in a cockpit are used a
lot and others are ignored.
One reason for functional obsolescence is that as technology evolves,
older avionics are no longer given
the attention they formerly garnered.
Consider the ADF. Despite the fact
that NDBs still exist and a large percentage of the fleet is equipped with
RMI needles, ADF use precipitously
declined when GPS became the standard for precise navigation. When
satellite-based systems became the
preferred medium of airborne communications, the change came with a
predictable deleterious effect as well.
One technology waxed in popularity
while another waned. The component that fell out of favor was the high
frequency (HF) radio.
Whether HF radio is still required
generates controversy and lively discussion. According to AC 91-70A,
pilots must maintain continuous

contact. With VHF only, thats not
possible in many parts of the world.
If youre entering one of those areas,
another long-range communication
system (LRCS) is requiredin some
cases 2. Given an aircraft can be
equipped with instruments ranging
from satellite phones to CPDLC,
what constitutes an LRCS was debatable until the FAA issued a policy
letter in June 2014. If a single LRCS
is required, it must be HF radio. If
the airspace requires an additional
LRCS, whether or not you can eliminate a 2nd HF radio (absent or inoperative) hinges on the acceptability of the substituted device and the
controlling authority. For answers,
start with the minimum equipment
list (MEL). This provides guidance as
to what will work instead, and under what circumstances. If the MEL
provides absolution from a 2nd HF
radio, double check the airspace requirements just to be sure.
Pilots fall into 3 groups when it
comes to HF: All the time, sometimes,
and never. Experienced users are
likely flying at least a medium-sized
Illustration by Jos Vsquez
jet engaged in frequent oceanic operations. Infrequent users and novices

may discover that formalized training
is sparse or non-existent. Generic international procedures courses might
touch on the topic but in-depth discussion is rare. Its possible to conduct self study but that can present a
challenge as source material is spread
across FAA/ICAO publications, regulatory documents, manuals and industry handbooks. Sometimes HF
knowledge is passed along by those
that have been there, done that but
the veracity depends on the reliability
of the source. Its critical to stay up
to date on the latest practices and requirements as being unaware of rule
changes and interpretationsand not
being in compliancemay result in
an unexpected route, denial of airspace entry, or violation.
History of the airborne radio

Prior to the 1900s, the only means
of sending electronic messages was
the telegraph. In 1896, Marconi
concluded that waves were the key
to communicating without wires. At
first, his devices spanned short distances, but a breakthrough came in
1901 when he transmitted a medium frequency signal over 2000 miles
from England to Canada. The claim
was initially shrouded in doubt because the content of the message
was simply the Morse code for the
letter S. Given the primitive equipment (antenna held aloft by a kite)
and nascent technology, Marconi
might have succumbed to expectation bias. Nonetheless, experimentation continued unfettered.
World War I provided impetus for
invention. When the war ended,
research and development drifted
towards civilian use as the world
clamored for global air travel. The
Croydon airport in London, which
played a pivotal role in defending Britain against bombs dropped
from Zeppelins, began operating a
ground-to-air radio station in 1920.
By 1928 it was a rudimentary control tower. Cleveland is credited as
the first city in the US to enact a
control tower with radio capability
(1930), but College Park MD began
experimental communications with
aircraft as early as 1927. Increasing
air traffic necessitated coordination
between towers and prompted the
first regional air traffic center, which
HF radio can be used to check the aircraft master clock prior to oceanic operations. The National
Institute of Standards broadcasts UTC time continuously on HF frequencies 5, 10, 15 and 20 mHz
from a station located in Fort Collins CO.
opened in Newark in 1935. An aircraft with a radio had an advantage

in safety and efficiency, but limited
range of the equipment still meant
extended periods without contact.
The solution was to utilize an HF
wavelength that would travel beyond the horizon.
HF radio (also called short wave)
saw heavy use during WWII as a
means to communicate in real time
over long distances. Before the war,
60,000 Americans held amateur radio licenses and dabbled in HF radio
as a hobby. Professional operators
and commercial broadcast stations
that fought for the same bandwidth
considered these operators hacks and
gave them the derogatory term ham
in reference to their mediocre equipment and weak Morse code skills.
When the fighting started, nearly
50,000 licensees joined the military
or served in other critical roles. After
the war the term ham stuck despite
the fact that operators became highly
skilled and contributed to the science
and engineering of HF (now its considered a positive moniker). In the
post-war years HF popularity peaked.
However, HF use declined when satellite-based communication became
the focus in the 60s and 70s as the
number of professional HF operators
correspondingly decreased.
HF radio principles, advantages

and limitations
Although the VHF band on the
electromagnetic spectrum (30300
mHz) is the primary means of aero-
nautical communication, it has a limitation: Line of sight (LOS), meaning

the sender and receiver must maintain a clear pathway for an exchange
to occur. Many variables affect the
distance a radio wave will travel, but
as a rule of thumb the range of an airborne VHF signal can be obtained by
multiplying 1.23 to the square root
of the altitude. Given that altitude is
a restrictive, theres a finite endpoint
with VHF communications.
One property of an HF radio wave
(330 mHz) is the capacity to increase range beyond LOS by reflecting off the atmosphere and returning to earth. But just because it
can, doesnt mean it will. There are 3
possible outcomes: Reflection, transiting into outer space, or absorption
by the atmospheric layers. Thats
where knowledge of the science
comes inalong with a touch of art.
The ionosphere consists of 4 strata
encompassing 30375 miles above
the surface. The level of ionization
of each layer frequently changes
(greater ionization is better for long
range communications). The skill is
to attain maximum reflectivity (distance) by choosing a frequency that
interacts best with the current state
of the ionosphere.
One thing thats apparent when
using HF is that clarity differs from
VHF. Some pilots describe it as no
better than communicating via soup
cans attached by a string. The band is
susceptible to noise so, in addition to
the message, the receiver hears constant static in the background. This
interference originates from manPROFESSIONAL PILOT / April 2016 79
Rockwell Collins ARINC MultiLink merges multiple data sources, including the companys proprietary high frequency data link (HFDL) performance data, to provide a comprehensive global flight
tracking solution.Each point represents a position report sent from an airborne aircraft.
made sources like electrical cables

or naturally occurring atmospheric
events like lightning, and is more
pronounced in summer and greatest at night, especially in the 1.65
mHz range. Cosmic noise generated
in outer space impacts the entire HF
spectrum but is more pronounced
above 20 mHz. In short (pun intended), theres no wayor wave
around it. Interference also occurs as
a function of population density. Unlike VHF, aviation frequencies in the
HF band are chunked into sections
and spread out over the width of the
spectrum rather than being assigned
a contiguous range to operate in.
Marine, government, military, amateur radio and commercial entities
all compete for a limited slice of the
air. And this can be problematic.
One tool used to mitigate the density issue is single side band (SSB).
Modulation is the processing of altering a carrier wave so that it can
carry information such as human
voice. Nearly everyone is familiar
with the nomenclature AM and FM,
shorthand for modulating a signal by
amplitude or frequency. AM (used
in HF) produces a carrier wave that
consumes the majority of the power
and 2 sidebands (upper and lower)
that retain the message. Its an inefficient way to operate in a constrained
network. Suppressing one of the
bands and the carrier at transmission
and reintroducing it at the receiver
reduces the bandwidth required. Either band can be used, but the upper
band is the default in aviation.

Its common for the person transmitting to occasionally ask for a signal check. Sometimes the response
comes back as 2 digits. If the transmission is clear and strong, we say
5 by 5. Using these numbers originated with the RST scale, employed
by amateur radio operators in the
1930s. In reality there are 3 numbers, not 2, and they represent readability, strength, and tone respectively. Aviators always believed 5 to be
the upper limit. And thats true for
readability, but strength and tone (an
assessment of Morse code) peaked
at 9. Later, the radio operators guide
from the US Army field manual
(FM 24-6, circa 1945) changed the
strength measurement by limiting it
to 5 and deleted the tone category.
Theres no mention of this scale anymore, so why is it still being used?
Military pilots returning from WWII
were familiar with the term and likely brought it to civil aviation. When
this method was developed the receiver was looking at a radio that
displayed the numbers. Without a
meter its impossible to objectively
differentiate between 2 consecutive
digits, so today the technique is obsolete slang and confusing. A better
practice is to use a verbal descriptor that everyone understands. We
should really say unreadable, loud,
and clear, weak or strong to describe
the received transmission.
Antennas utilized play an integral role in HF and theyre one of
the greatest challenges to airborne

installations. As a rule of thumb,
bigger is better. In the early days of
flying boats and airships, antennas
were long retractable wires that
trailed behind. The Hindenburg dirigible, for example, had an 85 ft long
antenna that was let out by hand. As
aircraft performance increased and
size decreased, wires were still used
but were secured to the airframe instead of dangling. There are 2 configurations that still exist. Long wire installations are double lines in a V
shape and have 3 attachment points:
Wingtip to tail and back to fuselage,
or fuselage to tail and back again.
These are typical of slow single or
multiengine aircraft. A short wire
configuration is a single line running
from the fuselage to tail. Because it
has less drag, its more appropriate
for faster piston, turboprop and light
jet aircraft.
Large jet manufacturers devised a
way to internally embed an HF antenna by combining it with the vertical stabilizer because exterior wires
dont work well on big aircraft. In
addition to being aerodynamically
elegant, the shunt antenna optimizes the angle between the aircraft
and ionosphere. Its engineered to
energize the skin into an antenna,
which enhances performance, although is a source of maintenance
headaches if components are not
bonded properly. Occasionally its
more serious than just an HF failure. It can trigger spurious cautions
or warnings. In one transport category type, the interaction is known
to erroneously generate a fuel high
temperature message. The notes in
the checklist point out that its likely caused by an HF glitch. However,
if a pilot is not vigilant and acts too
quickly, the corrective action is to
shut off a generatornot ideal when
far from a suitable airport.
HF radio in action
Modern HF radio abides by the
same protocol as VHF but it has one
exception: Instead of speaking directly to ATC, messages are usually
relayed through intermediate operators. The best known and largest
of the HF providers is ARINC, now
owned by Rockwell Collins. Initial
contact works like this: A pilot needing service determines which HF frequency to use by comparing aircraft
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MF and HF band communication
Band and function
Frequency
The medium-frequency (MF) and

high-frequency (HF) bands are not only
used by commercial AM broadcasting stations,
but portions are also used by aircraft for
air-to-ground communications
Aircraft flying over the oceans typically
use HF communication because it can
travel great distances.
HF equipment operates in the frequency range
of 2 to 25 mHz and is normally single-sideband.
Very low frequency (VLF)

Omega
Low frequency (LF)
Decca
Loran C
ADF
Medium frequency (MF)
Commercial broadcast
High frequency (HF)
HF communications
Very high frequency (VHF)
Marker beacons
ILS localizer
VOR
VHF communications
Ultra high frequency (UHF)
ILS glidescope
DME
Secondary surveillance radar
Super high frequency (SHF)
Radar altimeter
Weather radar (C band)
Doppler radar (X band)
Weather radar (X band)
Doppler radar (K band)
Extremely high frequency (EHF)
330 kHz
1014 kHz
30300 kHz
70130 kHz
100 kHz
2001700 kHz
300 kHz3 mHz
5351.6 kHz
330 mHz
225 mHz
30300 mHz
75 mHz
108.1111.95 mHz
108.0117.95 mHz
118.0135.975 mHz
300 mHz3 gHz
320340 mHz
960 mHz1.215 gHz
1.03 gHz and 1.09 gHz
330 gHz
2.22.4 gHz
5.5 gHz
8.8 gHz
9.4 gHz
13.3 gHz
30300 gHz
location with a grouping (family)

of frequencies depicted on a chart.
There are 2 types of families and
picking the right one is important:
Major world air route area
(MWARA), reserved for ATC functions like position reporting and
weather deviations (80% of total
messages).
Long distance operational control (LDOC), used for diversions,
medical emergencies and other activities associated with aircraft dispatch.
Theres a short list of acceptable
practices when it come to LDOC
and those can be found in the
ARINC handbook. Note that HF
frequencies are printed with 4 or 5
digits (eg 5520, 17904) but the aircraft radio may add a decimal point.
Its semantics. One is in kilohertz
and the other megahertz but theyre
the same number. With a choice of
frequencies within a family, which
one should be used? ATC will likely provide a primary and secondary
when switching over from VHF but
the mnemonic is, high sun high frequency and vice versa. Again, the
science is based on whats happening in the ionosphere. If one doesnt
work, keep trying. When transmitting its important to state the ARINC
communication center location followed by the word radio and the
frequency being used. When the
operator responds, the request can
commence. Using over is the recommended response when ending a
transmission.
While utilizing HF radio, pilots
are required to maintain a listening watch, even if communications
are not taking place. Selective calling (SELCAL) allows the HF radio to
be turned down or deselected until
needed, alleviating constant static.
Best described as airborne call waiting, SELCAL informs the pilot when
contact is requested. It works by

using 16 letters correlated with discrete tones (some older aircraft are
restricted to 12). Operators register
for, and receive, a combination of 4.
When the tones (letters) are transmitted, the aircraft decoder looks for a
match. If so, an aural alert sounds.
The response is to turn up the volume and check back in. A shortfall
of SELCAL is that all the possible
combinations (10920) are assigned
and recycled, meaning 2 aircraft can
have the exact same code, which
explains getting an alert when not
expecting it. To reduce the chances
of false alarms duplicate codes are
usually assigned to aircraft in different geographic regions. If ownership
changes, the codes do not transfer
with the plane so its important to
ensure paperwork is correct before
flying internationally.
Conclusion
There are those who say that HF
is an anachronistic relic when compared to satellite-based communication, navigation, and surveillance
(CNS) products. John Patterson, senior system engineer for commercial
aviation services at Rockwell Collins
disagrees. Patterson points out that
HF is a core technology at Rockwell Collins, which provides High
High Frequency (HF) communication

HF communication systems are
long-distance communication systems
and are not employed on all aircraft.
-Airlines may or may not utilize these
systems, depending on their
particular requirements
-HF systems are not usually found in
light aircraft.
Many airlines that employ HF communication systems do so because
these systems provide for an extended
range of communications between
aircraft and form aircraft to ground
stations.
HF communications systems are
used primarily on larger aircraft that
require extended communication range.
Typical aircraft HF communication
systems consists of:
-a control head located in the cockpit
-an HF transceiver and power
amplifier located in the radio rack
-an antenna coupler located in close
proximity of the antenna
Frequency Data Link (HFDL) to 87

different agencies, and for over 2600
aircraft.
HF has an advantage over satellite
technology by maintaining global
coverage in regions where satellite
coverage can be spotty or non-existent. The cutting-edge ARINC Multilink system leverages this characteristic to provide global monitoring,
tracking, voice and messaging. By
combining Satcom, HF and ADS
B/C, Multilink is able to pinpoint
actualnot computedaircraft position. Thats an operational benefit
but also one that emphasizes safety,
as an aircraft is never lost.
Regardless of whether one opts
for a basic HF radio or chooses a
blended approach to an LRCS, the
technology is reliable. Some say HF
is experiencing a resurgence. Those
that are familiar with it opine that its
been there all along, and will remain
a viable communication solution
well into the future.
Shannon Forrest is
a current line pilot,
CRM facilitator and
aviation safety consultant. He has 9400
hours and holds a
degree in behavioral
psychology.
SELECTING MX PROVIDERS
Finding the right MRO

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Fokker F28, Bell 222
Pro Pilot Canada Technical Editor
esilience of the corporate aircraft market underscores the

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fleet, currently comprising just over
31,000 aircraft, is projected by the
Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) to grow to 38,000 by
2025. According to Honeywell, of
the 9200 business aircraft purchases
planned during this period, 52% will
be large cabin models with the remaining segment nearly evenly split
between midsize and small cabin
models. North and South America
will continue to provide the greatest
demand.
The corresponding 10-year maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
requirement will amount to $121.8
billion. The task of satisfying this
challenging need will fall to a global
Elliott Aviation is a family-owned business that has been in operation

since 1936. Factory-authorized solutions provided range from aircraft
sales, acquisition and management to engine mx, avionics and interiors
for business aircraft such as Citations, Embraers, Hawkers and King Airs.
workforce of nearly 280,000 maintenance personnel.

Relatively few corporate operators
have in-house MRO departments,
and these find it challenging to remain relevant in an increasingly
OEM-centric world. The dominant
position of engine OEMs will soon
be joined by the airframe manufacturers, the principal drivers being
cost-of-entry factors such as tooling
and expertise.
Professional pilots who understand aircraft ownership, operating
and maintenance models can clarify concepts and jargon which decision makers may find complex and
confusing. Given the high-values
of engines and airframes as well as
associated maintenance costs, such
understanding is critically important
to the selection of suitable technical
support.
This article suggests a basic strategy to match business aviation operating profiles and the aircraft inspection and MRO market that seeks to
serve them.
Operator needs
In favorable economic conditions,
an aircraft owner seeking to upgrade
may sell before the OEM warranty
expires in order to retain the aircrafts marketability and value. Conversely, when an economy is weak,
an owner may elect to keep the aircraft, even beyond warranty expiration. But in that case, operators must
find MRO providers experienced in
out-of-warranty airplanes.
Low fuel costs, which dropped over
55% during the past 24 months, will
continue to significantly influence
the operating and MRO supply chain.
Declining fuel prices more than offset
the higher maintenance costs of older airplanes and improve their relative operating cost advantage versus
new-generation types. This may delay
retirements of older aircraft, keeping
them in service longer and spurring
MRO demand with their engines,
components and airframes.
Operators must meet this need with
choices from among a worldwide
Table 1. Business Jet Market Segments

In service
In development
Very light
Light
Medium
Airbus
ACJ 318/319
BBJ 1/2/3
Boeing
BBJ Max 8/9

Learjet 70
Learjet 75
Bombardier
Cessna
Citation
CJ2+
CJ3+
M2
Mustang
Challenger 350
Global 5000
Global 6000
Challenger 650
Global 7000 (2017)

Global 8000 (2018)
CJ4
Sovereign
XLS+
Citation X+
CJ4+ (2018)
Latitude
XLS++ (2018)
Longitude (2019)
2000S
2000LXS
900LX
Dassault
Falcon
Embraer
Phenom 100
Gulfstream
Phenom 300
Legacy 450
G150
HondaJet
HA420
One Aviation
Eclipse 550
Pilatus
G280
G450
C Series BJ (2021)
F7X
5X (2018)
8X (2016)
Legacy 500
Legacy 650
Lineage 1000E
G550
G650/G650ER
G500 (2018)
G600 (2019)
PC24 (2017)
Sukhoi
SyberJet
Converted
airliners
Large
SBJ (2017)
SJ30-2
This table provides an overview of business jet evolution by presenting those in production as well as those currently in development. Information
provided here may guide decision-makers to formulate mid to long-term plans for maintenance support.
field of over 4700 civil MRO firms,

80% of which are small and medium
enterprises (SMEs)some affiliated
to OEMs, others independent. How
does one choose? A brief review of
inspection and MRO concepts, from
a pilots perspective, may help in
identifying appropriate candidates
and in making recommendations.
The maintenance process

Regular inspections and preventive
maintenance assure airworthiness
and appreciably avoid operating failures and equipment malfunctions.
Aircraft items are controlled by flying
hours, calendar time, landings/cycles,
an extension limit, or a combination
of limits, according to schedules approved by the State of Registry.
Inspections: The aviation industry refers to inspections as checks

for different levels of maintenance.
Industry practice is to phase these
activities to improve availability, but
the following terminology and inspection types are still common:
Line checks. An A Check inspects the aircrafts landing gear,
control surfaces, fluid levels, oxygen
systems, lighting and APUs. The B
Check inspects internal control systems, hydraulic systems, and cockpit
and cabin emergency equipment, as
well as A Check items.
Base checks. The C Check opens
the aircraft for inspection of wear,
corrosion and cracks. A D Check
requires disassembly of the aircraft
at a specialized facility to perform
depot-level inspection and heavy
maintenance comprising complete

structural checks and restoration.
Maintenance: MRO providers offer combinations of airframe, engine, component, line, and modification maintenance as described in
Table 2 (p 86).
MRO industry trends

The MRO business has evolved
over many years with accelerating
pace driven by 7 primary forces:
1. Increased focus of OEMs on
MROs. Aircraft and engine OEMs
focus on the MRO business by offering total care solutions. OEMs are
specially positioned to leverage data
from electronic monitors on many
aircraft and perhaps even to control
scheduling of aircraft maintenance.
Table 2. Types of MRO providers

Demand by
MRO segment
MRO segment
Characteristics
Airframe
Airframe MRO market is considered a low-margin, labor-intensive segment
14%
Engine
Unlike airframe MRO, the engine segment is largely contracted with engine OEMs having a large share of
the market. Engine MROs, recognizing the value of the aftermarket, typically enjoy higher margin work
40%
Component
Like engine MRO business, the component segment is largely contracted, though it varies greatly among
component types, as does the labor/material mix.
Line
Line maintenance is less prone to contracting and, because it is labor-intensive and constrained by turnaround times, opportunities for economies of scale are relatively few.
17%
Modifications
OEMs tend to limit the number of MROs licensed to perform this work to keep the profitability of the
process in-house. Completing passenger product modifications (interiors, IFE, etc) and aircraft upgrades
(winglets, etc) is expensive, labor-intensive and will drive high modifications growth.
7%
22%
Information given in the table above describes the main characteristics of MRO providers according to the segment in which they offer services.
Percentages shown are in terms of cost. These are derived from several sources and should be considered as approximations only. The MRO provider
may be independent, closely affiliated with an OEM, or an OEM itself.
2. Globalization. Low-cost labor

locations such as India, Latin America and China are set up for MRO
service. Asia enjoys net inflows in
labor-intensive, heavy-maintenance
airframe MRO activities, whereas
the United States is a net exporter.
However, reduced labor intensity of
airframe heavy checks as the fleet
renews and increased intervals will
be offset in emerging markets by increasing labor rates.
3. Shifting markets. The strongest
drivers of growth are the engine and
component markets. D Check costs
will improve with new technology,
while engine and component sectors
will take a larger market shares.
4. Substitute parts. The FAA Parts
Manufacturer Approval (PMA) allows non-OEMs to reverse-engineer
OEM parts and sell them at signifi-
cant discounts, the provider being

accountable for quality and performance. Use of serviceable material
and repaired parts is also gaining
acceptance to control costs.
5. Aircraft health monitoring systems (AHMS). AHMS enables predictive maintenance (PM) by monitoring
and assessing the health of components in real-time, predicting failure
and determining appropriate actions.
Collection, storage, aggregation and
analysis of data are key factors.
6. Live and predictive maintenance. Operators rely on data to
limit part failure and reduce costs by
replacing components before they
cause breakdowns. This approach
cuts labor costs by avoiding unscheduled repairs, out-of-service events,
and cost for employee time-on-tools.
7. New technology. Several tech-
Duncan Aviation offers services such as aircraft sales, airframe and engine
maintenance, AOG support and avionics installations. Main bases are LNK
& BTL. Duncan recently announced a partnership with Avionica to distribute
and install satellite comm and data collection and transmission equipment.
nology trends require MRO providers to haveor acquirethe skills to

keep up with advances such as:
Green engines that offer greater
fuel efficiency and lower emissions
than conventional engines. They require less maintenance and reduce
cost of ownership, but their designs
and material requirements oblige
service providers to develop new
skills and capabilities.
Composite materialsincreasingly common in new aircraftcalling for different maintenance skills
from service providers and opening
opportunities for new providers.
Expertise in aluminum does not
necessarily translate to expertise in
composites.
Additive manufacturing (3D
printing) used to fabricate aircraft
components (plastic/metal brackets,
Metro Aviation strives to achieve the industrys highest quality in

aircraft mx, completion services and special mission pilot training.
Metro has outfitted helicopters for noteworthy operators including
Era and Massachusetts State Police, both flying Airbus EC135 models.
Banyan FXE performs airframe inspections, evaluations, mx and

repairs. The company minimizes downtime by assigning avionics
techs to work on panels while mechanics are tasked with frame and
engine duties. Banyan also offers paint and interior completions.
fuel nozzles, etc) and out-of-production parts on-demand, reducing

manufacturing time, material costs,
labor content, and making parts
available at the point-of-use.
At-the-asset maintenance, a derivative of mobile technology and
part of a full information system
across all MRO operations used to
access relevant information at the
time/place of need.
Wearable technology such as
Japan Airlines use of Google Glass
worn by maintenance engineers
working around the aircraft on the
tarmac. Images are sent to maintenance specialists for assessment who
relay any possible issues they see
back to the engineer on the ground.
Work is completed promptly, can be
assessed in real time and all information is recorded to assess issues
further down the line.
Concerns
Technical advances are rarely free
of functional issues, implementation challenges or compromises. The
following concerns reflect a few of
many opportunities to further the
state of the MRO technical art:
Increasing role of OEMs in aftermarkets. OEMs, while competing
directly in the aftermarket, increasingly charge for technical support
and access to technical information.
Since engine OEMs control the majority of the aftermarket at the point
of powerplant sale, close cooperation between MROs and OEMs becomes even more important.
Value of reduced timing. Con-
Jet Aviation at Basel, Switzerland has dedicated OEM teams to service Airbus,
Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer and Gulfstream aircraft. These techs
and mechanics perform the full range of maintenance inspections. In addition,
Jet Aviation offers complete avionics installation solutions.
trary to common thought, turnaround time shorter than planned

may not be desirable. When an
aircraft is withdrawn from service
for heavy maintenance, its return is
carefully planned. An earlier return
may be difficult for the MRO to accommodate as another aircraft may
not be ready to be withdrawn from
service to keep the maintenance line
active.
Factors worth measuring. A recent study identified 130 processes
as being part of most large MRO
businesses, of which roughly 10%
are deemed high-yield (materials
availability, reliability tracking, etc.).
Initiatives to quantify the benefit of
each MRO process must carefully
consider whether or not each such
exercise has value.
Increasingly fly-by-wire. As
aircraft electronic systems become
more complex and continue to
replace mechanical systems, increasingly specialized skills will
be required for aftermarket service
and repair, which may invite OEMs
deeper into the service mix.
Information-driven MRO. Sophisticated real-time aircraft health
monitoring and centralized maintenance systems will create a plethora
of data and greater dependence on
electronic diagnosis and less on in
situ analysis. However, collecting
data is one thing; deriving meaningful, reliable information is quite
another.
Analytical techniques must ensure
high-quality decisions and avoid
false positive indications. Moreover,
data ownership remains a point
of dispute between operators and

OEMs, the former allowing the latter
to use the data in their parts-removal
and analysis process to sell replacement components and services.
Needs profile
The corporate needs profile describes the primary goals and requirements of the flight department.
In short, these are to reliably provide
safe, secure and efficient transportation by air. It is clear that these goals
must be understood and shared by
organizations providing inspection
and MRO services.
Table 3 (p 88) is an example of a
basic needs profile for business aircraft inspection and maintenance
with the engines enrolled in a power-by-the-hour program. The purpose of the profile is to identify and
quantifyto the extent possible
high-level requirements as well as a
checklist of matching tactical needs
and enabling capabilities.
MRO selection
The effectiveness of a maintenance
program may be measured using a
combination of 3 core metrics: Turnaround time, quality and cost.
A maintenance event with a turnaround goal seeks to ensure that
the timing agreed for the aircraft return to service is met by the MRO.
However, maintenance which solely seeks to return the aircraft to service as quickly as possible should
be rare and only used to meet a
critical or unusual transportation
need. In this case, convenience
Clay Lacy Av VNY and BFI are both Part 145 stations offering world
class mx services for Citation, Beech, Bombardier, Dassault, Embraer,
Gulfstream and Hawker aircraft. CLA also has 3 mobile response teams
to provide 24/7 AOG support and routine line mx and inspections.
should be an excluded justification. The more usual basis seeks to

optimize quality and cost goals, the
former to resolve reliability concerns and the latter to minimize
expenditure.
Table 4 (p 90) sets airworthiness as
the primary goal of each metric path
associated with the overall maintenance event. The table suggests
evaluation factors to be considered
in developing a preliminary list of
suitable MRO providers.
Once several inspection and MRO
providers are identified, the selection criteria may be useful in ranking the candidates for consideration.
Table 4 provides a framework for
dialogue between the flight department, candidate MROs and those
responsible for finance and administration. Topics for discussion should
include both the evaluation criteria
as well as a thorough examination of
associated aspects of oversight, risk
Stevens Av performs avionics upgrades and mods, airframe and engine

mx, paint jobs, and cabin and interior completions. The company services
aircraft from Beech, Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer, Gulfstream, Learjet,
Piaggio and Pilatus. Stevens has bases at GSP, GYH, DAY and BNA.
management, exclusions and administration. The selection process

concludes with analysis and choice
of MRO Provider.
The framework provided in the table may also be used later to quantify MRO performance evaluation
both in real-time and after the maintenance is completed.
reliability of the business airplane

may be most critically considered.
Remember that maintenance isnt
an option so it shouldnt be an afterthought. The better you integrate
maintenance needs into your operational practices, the more convenient, seamless and cost-effective
those down cycles will be.
Conclusion
Don Van Dyke is

professor of advanced
aerospace topics at
Chicoutimi College
of Aviation CQFA
Montreal. He is an
18,000 hour TT pilot
and instructor with
extensive airline,
business and charter experience on both
airplanes and helicopters. A former IATA
ops director, he has served on several
ICAO panels. He is a Fellow of the Royal
Aeronautical Society and is a flight operations expert on technical projects under
UN administration.
For most business aviation users,

private jet travel is an essential tool
designed to extend corporate reach,
broaden commercial influence and
enhance situational awareness over
long distances. The business jet is
recognized as an enabler, supporter and accelerator of commercial
enterprise. The prospect value of
time is what permits early movers to
dominate in business and to secure
significant earnings. It is in making
these opportunities available that the
Table 3. Example business aircraft inspection/maintenance needs profile

(power by the hour enrollment)
Corporate needs flight profile
Maintenance tracking
Transportation
Command and control
Logistic support and procurement
Corporate citizenship
Community service
Notifies what, where and when service must be performed

Tracks SBs/ADs issued by the OEM/regulator and notifies applicability
Provides information on how maintenance must be performed
Helps to enhance operational reliability and preserve value of the aircraft
Scheduled maintenance
Dispatch availability
Documents aircraft non-availability due to scheduled/unscheduled
maintenance, refurbishment, ADs, or damage repair
Used to analyze the benefits of altering maintenance schedules, installing
optional SBs, etc, and permit OEMs/MROs to assess their impact on
maintainability and reliability programs.
Substantiates the benefits of optional maintenance
Line checks. Comprise short-duration A Checks and B Checks.

Base checks. These comprise longer depot-level C Checks and
D Checks including heavy maintenance culminating in a complete
structural check and restoration.
Unscheduled maintenance
Usually causes interrupted service with aircraft on ground (AOG),
possibly away from MRO locations
Maintenance provision usually set per flight hour
E2 = Exceeding Expectations In Aviation Services.
From nose to tail,

Stevens is my go to for my Lear 35.
I have counted on Stevens Aviation for over 10 years. They have kept
my Lear 35 on the cutting edge, completing 27 STCs over the years including
avionics upgrades, a new interior including a custom-made headliner with LED
lighting, air frame modifications and a masterful exterior paint job. I have used
all five Stevens facilities and know and trust the mechanics at each location. It is
their professionalism, their pride in their work and their loyalty to me, to themselves
and to Stevens that continually exceed my expectations.
Stevens Aviation is a diversified aircraft service provider offering
expertise in aircraft maintenance, modification and refurbishment, aircraft sales,
aircraft management, flight services, and fixed base operations. Youll find
our facilities in Greenville SC (GYH), Dayton OH (DAY) and Nashville TN
(BNA). For more information, contact Phil Stearns, Sales Manager, at 937470-1851 or pstearns@StevensAviation.com.
Ralph Hunter Cuthbertson, III

Owner/Chief Pilot
SAI Flight Services
www.stevensaviation.com
Table 4. MRO selection/evaluation criteria

Core metrics: turnaround time,quality and cost
Turnaround-based specification
(seeks to solve a travel problem)
Quality-based specification
(seeks to solve a reliability problem)
Cost-based specification
(seeks to solve a budget problem)
Goals:
Airworthiness
Shorter-than-planned downtime
Enhance productivity
Avoid missed opportunities
Hard-time vs On-condition replacement
Goals:
Airworthiness
Higher-than-expected quality
Enhance reliability
Avoid missed opportunities
Increase expected life
Goals:
Airworthiness
Lower-than-projected costs
Maximize value
Hard-time vs On-condition replacement
Mission evaluation
Recommendations from other users
OEM-MRO relationship (license, partner, JV)
OEM ratings/approvals (class/limited)
Length of certification
Compliance with standards
Adherence to quoted return to service
On-condition inspections, rejected parts list
Inventory and distribution
PMA parts
Delivery, insurance
MRO warranty
Process improvement
Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints
ISO
AHMS data ownership
Industry associations
Academic affiliations
Awards (regulator, industry)
Technical evaluation
Recommendations from other users
OEM-MRO relationship (license, partner, JV)
OEM ratings/approvals (class/limited)
Length of certification
Compliance with standards
Performance
Capacity
Dispatch and operating reliability
Operating costs
Hard-time inspections, rejected parts list
Expected service life
MRO warranty
Process improvement
Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints
ISO
AHMS data ownership
Industry associations
Academic affiliations
Awards (regulator, industry)
Financial evaluation
Affordability (price, value retention)
Time and Material vs Flat Rate estimates
Adherence to quoted costs
Maintenance expense categories
Payment options
Tax benefits
Value retention
MRO warranty
Reduced cost of ownership
Risk evaluation
Reputation
SB/AD compliance
Rate of technological change
Backlog/back orders
Alternatives
Capability of MRO provider
Experience/training of employees
Employment (technical, contract, certificated/
non-certificated, repairmen, unionization)
Fatigue risk management
Tools and test equipment
OEM authority to perform work
Performance of MRO provider
Audit procedures
Security (workplace, bonded store)
On-site vs subcontracted work
Ability to meet turn-times
Number of work/audit discrepancies
Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPs) infractions
Certification infractions
Damage during checks
Technical records inaccuracies
Penalties and legal actions
Administration of MRO provider
Number of contracts
Change in key personnel
Employee turnover
Exclusions (delays not caused by MRO provider, special
processes, etc)
Other
Risk evaluation
Reputation
SB/AD compliance
Legal risks (liability, etc)
Oversight of subcontractors
Political and regulatory development
Capability of MRO provider
Experience/training of employees
Employment (technical, contract, certificated/
non-certificated, repairmen, unionization)
Hard-time inspections
Tools and test equipment
OEM authority to perform work
Performance of MRO provider
Audit procedures
Security (workplace, bonded store)
On-site vs subcontracted work
Ability to meet quality standards
Number of work/audit discrepancies
Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUPs) infractions
Certification infractions
Damage during checks
Technical records inaccuracies
Penalties and legal actions
Number of contracts
Change in key personnel
Employee turnover
Exclusions (ie caused by vendor parts shortage,
special processes, etc)
Other
Risk evaluation
Billing discrepancies
Disputed costs
Payment terms
Economic/financial risks
Currency/interest risks
Sales, excise and use tax (treatment of personal use or entertainment) and reporting
Wages
Tax liabilities
Financial status
Change in management
Termination of contracts
Unnecessary replacements/overhauls
Other
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during a rescue mission in the Swiss Alps.
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By Mario Pierobon
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very year the Alps attract all

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Peculiarities of HEMS
HEMS missions generally take
place outside of infrastructures such
as landing sites and airports. Rescue
missions and passenger transport differ on to the ability to plan ahead.
Rescue missions are subject to dynamic framework conditions and, as
they generally involve time-critical
medical emergencies, can neither be
postponed until a later point in time,
nor can the patients choose their
provider of confidence, explains
Stefan Becker, head of corporate
development of Swiss Air-Rescue
Rega, Switzerlands leading HEMS
provider. High safety standards for
HEMS are necessary by means of
regulations or from the dedication or
commitment of HEMS operators to
be good and passionate advocates of
emergency patients.
INAER Aviation Italia, a leading
HEMS provider, operates from 31
bases in Italy16 of them located in
mountain and Alpine areas. INAER
Captain Augusto DAlberto notes
that HEMS are also carried out with

dedicated helicopters, different from
the ones generally used for passenger transportation. The versatility
of the helicopter allows different
uses including patient transportation
from one hospital to another, and
other peculiar jobs such as the rescue in the mountains or at sea using
techniques and devices that do not
apply to other means of transport,
thus reducing drastically the time of
intervention, says DAlberto.
Rescue service helicopters must
have specific technical and operational characteristics. The important
thing is for the helicopters to have
good maneuverability, not excessive
dimensions, low noise and enough
space in the cabin to provide an opportunity for medical personnel to
move conveniently, says Captain
Renzo Rossi, a helicopter pilot who
helped pioneer professional HEMS
operations in the Alps starting from
the 1980s.
HEMS helicopters must be configured with approved rescue, hoist
and snow equipment. With regard to

operational performance, they must
be certified as CAT-A helos and are
usually operated in performance
Class 1. Weight and balance calculations need to take into account
the medical equipment installed on
board. From an operational point of
view, regulatory standards provide
for some alleviations that dont apply to commercial air transport operations. Furthermore, flight and duty
time limitations are specific to HEMS
operations and in Europe these are
regulated in accordance with national legislation, remarks Stefano Fortina, compliance monitoring
manager of Elilombarda, a HEMS
helicopter operator.
HEMS in the Alps

Because of the topography and existing transportation routes, ground
vehicles cannot operate efficiently
in the Alps. DAlberto says, Despite
having higher initial management
costs compared to ground assets, helicopters allow a very high return in
efficiency, thereby allowing to bring
aid in a direct and immediate way.
This is fundamental for mountain
dwellers that see this service as an
indispensable need.
AgustaWestland AW139s have outstanding

safety margins and enable rescue crews to
operate at high altitudes. This copy belongs
to INAER Aviation Italia.
In terms of medical care, although there are fewer inhabitants

per squared kilometer in Alpine regions than in agglomerations, people who live in the mountains have
an equal right to emergency assistance as everyone else. To provide
those people with the same access to
emergency assistance by ground is
more expensive than by helicopter,
mostly due to an extensive network
with small mission numbers for each
single ground EMS base, whereas a
helicopter can cover larger areas. In
addition, many sport activities that
could result in rescue missions becoming necessary take place in the
mountains, such as climbing, paragliding, hiking and base jumping,
notes Becker.
Helicopter flights in the Alps require pilots to be proficient in mountain flying as well as being familiar
Stefan Becker is the director of corporate
development of Rega, Switzerlands leading
helo emergency medical service provider.
Rega helicopter rescue specialists (HRS) training in Airbus

H145. Many missions in the
Alps are per
formed in exposed locations and/or steep
terrain. Rega works closely together with the Alpine Rescue
Switzerland (ARS) foundation
to train the companys HRS.
Capt Augusto DAlberto flies for INAER Avitation Italia, a leading HEMS provider with
31 bases in Italy, 16 of which are located in
mountain and Alpine areas.
with the area of operations. You

also need to have helicopters with
excellent performance to remedy
the problems of altitude, wind and
adverse weather conditions which in
this type of environment can often
change and make a whole operation
particularly challenging in a matter
of minutes. Very often, rescues are
made in inaccessible areas where it
is not possible to land, so the use of
hoists or external slings is required,
says Rossi.
The main peculiarity of HEMS operations in the Alps is the need to
perform rescue missions at high altitudes and out of ground effect, which
impacts on both the performance of
the aircraft and on the need for oxygen onboard to be made available
to the flightcrew when working with
complex aircraft above 10,000 feet,
unless an exemption is granted by
the competent authority. We have
been approved to operate with the
AW139 above 10,000 feet but below 13,000 feet without the need to
have an oxygen delivery system for
Elilombardas Compliance Monitoring

Mgr Stefano Fortina believes an operator should differentiate its activities.
An option could be to increase existing
HEMS operations with offshore activities
in order to obtain the maximum financial
and operational stability.
Elilombardas AgustaWestland AW139 has been approved to operate above 10,000 ft but below
13,000 ft for a maximum of 30 minutes without the need to have an oxygen delivery system.
a maximum of 30 minutes,reports
Fortina. Also, the HEMS helicopters
that serve the Alps are relatively few
and then the service area of each aircraft is relatively large.
The HEMS fleet

Operators must consider their operating environment and particular
necessities when choosing helicopters for HEMS in order to maximize
all safety and quality aspects. These
helos must also be equipped with
the best technologies available.
In general, the helicopters most
employed by INAER in Alpine regions
are the AgustaWestland AW109S
and AW139, the BK117 models C1
and C2, and the Airbus H145. These
helicopters, within the whole INAER
fleet, are the best performers at high
altitudes and in complex mountain
operating theaters, says DAlberto.
In the whole Italian territory there
are 25 bases with mountain rescue
capacity. Among these bases, 16 are
directly managed by INAER and they
cover most of the mountain areas in
Italy, from the Alps in the north to
the central mountainous regions.
In practice, a helicopter can fly from
300 to 700 missions a year, depending on the area and the type of ops.
Rega has 8 mountain bases in Switzerland served by 11 AW109SP Da
Vincis, and 4 lowland bases served
by 6 Eurocopter EC145s. Regas annual report highlights that the Swiss
HEMS provider performed 5943

primary missions and 2723 secondary missions in 2014 alone. With a
strong fleet of 17 helicopters, each
machine performed on average 510
HEMS missions.
Elilombarda has a single AW139
stationed in the Alps (Caiolo, Sondrio) for HEMS. Elilombardas experience is on average of 1 to 2 missions a day over 365 days, with 500
flight hours per year.
Rossi notes that the number of missions flown depend on the structure
and organization of the company
providing the service. But in theory,
with scheduled maintenance, a helicopter can fly up to 1000 HEMS
missions a year. This figure accounts
for double crews operating 24 hours
instead of just from dawn to sunset.
The presence of a hangareven
prefabricatedat the rescue base
definitely ensures a higher operating
capacity, emphasizes Rossi.
Emergency areas
Emergencies are spread fairly evenly throughout the Alps, and the emergency rate depends on the season
and on the road mileage of the area.
During the winter, challenges are
where there is a strong concentration of activities like skiing and free
riding. Emergencies in the summer
are always in the areas for climbing
or hiking. Even in lagoon areas the
intervention of the helicopter can
be critical in response to syndromes

from drowning, explains DAlberto.
Using helicopters correctly reduces the times of intervention of the
medical team by several minutes,
thereby reducing mortality and the
time of hospitalization. Indeed, it
has been shown that if the intervention is done within the first 15 to 20
minuteseven for serious medical
conditionsrecovery times are lower and therefore there is a reduction
of costs related to longer hospitalization times, Rossi notes.
Structure of a HEMS station

DAlberto describes HEMS station
as normally structured buildings with
an operations room where the crew
has the material necessary for the
organization of the missions (computers, maps, technical materials),
an alerting system, a logistics area
where staff can have a little comfort,
a hangar to shelter the helicopter, a
helipad, an adequate supply of fuel,
and a firefighting squad with logistics in place. He adds, INAERs
bases are generally staffed by 1 or
2 pilots, an experienced helicopter
technician able to use the winch, a
doctor and a nurse.
Becker comments, Because many
rescue missions in the Alps are performed in exposed locations and
in steep terrain, Rega works closely together with the Alpine Rescue
Switzerland (ARS) foundation to
train helicopter rescue specialists
Captain Renzo Rossi is flying this AW109.

Rossi helped pioneer professional HEMS ops
in the Alps beginning flights in the 1980s.
(HRS), who are called out to back

up the helicopter crew when Alpine experience or additional help
with recovery is required. Each HRS
provides active assistance during a
rescue mission using their in-depth
knowledge of the mountains to assess the risks for the helicopter team.
Furthermore, their familiarity with
specific areas and routes is extremely useful during search and recovery
activities in mountainous and inaccessible terrain.
Rossi notes that its important to
highlight that primary interventions
in daytime, usually dedicated to
road accidents and illnesses or accidents in the mountains, should have
response times of around 4 minutes
from the time of the call by the operations room. The proximity to the
same room can sometimes accelerate and facilitate the planning and
takeoff, he states.
Prole of the HEMS pilot

Qualified HEMS pilots have to
continuously improve their CV because the clients have become very
selective over the years. If pilots are
called to work in particular contexts
(sea, mountain or night ops), the requirements will increase to ensure
the safety of operations. INAER is
particularly focused on all the aspects concerning the training of its
pilots and of the helicopter crews on
both technical and on safety issues,
to ensure to the clients and to the
patients the most professional and
quality service in all circumstances,
explains DAlberto.
Emotional maturity is a characteristic that Capt Rossi also highlights as
distinctive of a good HEMS pilot. It is
INAER Airbus H145 during a rescue mission

in the harsh terrain of the Dolomites.
important to have the ability not to be

influenced, as far as possible, by the
situation in which one may end up
into, such as possible pressure from
the medical team and sometimes by
relatives of the injured person. It can
also happen that the situation is so
dramatic that you can make risk decisions pushed only by emotional impulses to complete the operation to
save the patients life, possibly jeopardizing that of the whole crew, says
Rossi. Furthermore, he emphasizes
that the ability to interact with all
members of the team is also essential.
It may seem trivial, but HEMS pilots
often tend to decide by themselves
and do not capitalize on the potential of those who may be of great help
during the mission. Despite the commander being the responsible for the
flight, I believe that the presence of a
good tight-knit crew can solve situations and hazardous events in some
phases of flight, Rossi adds.
Standards of reference
Apart from regulatory standards in
air operations regulations, several
types of operations have additional
industry standards that further improve operations in terms of safety.
The European HEMS & Air Ambulance Committee (EHAC), together
with the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems
(CAMTS) of the US, has recently
founded a European counterpart,
CAMTS EU. Standards for CAMTS
not only exceed regulatory requirements, but also provide guidance to
the companies towards a professional, safe, efficient and patient-centered setup. The well-established
standards for medical transport ser-
vices are applicable also in Europe.

Furthermore, the European HEMS &
Air Ambulance Committee (EHAC)
works on medical best-practice advices, based on current scientific
research. EHAC as pan-European
trade organization works also closely with the European Aviation Safety
Agency (EASA), the European Helicopter Safety Team (EHEST) and also
exchange with the Association of
Air-Medical Services (AAMS) in the
US, emphasizes Becker.
According to Fortina, additional standards may also be dictated
by HEMS customers (eg National
Health Service providers) during
the procurement process. Fortina
explains, The customer can define
more restrictive conditions from an
operational standpoint, but usually it
adheres to the regulations. Vice versa, from a technical point of view, as
a function of the interventions, the
customer may define a list of equipment to be on-board or installed in
the aircraftor otherwise supplied
at the operating base.
Different types of HEMS

There exist 2 types of HEMS flights.
Only stabilized patients are normally
transported from one hospital to another, and this type of flight is classified as secondary HEMS from the
point of view of the medical service.
Non-stabilized patients are only
transported from the accident site to a
hospital and this other type of flight is
classified as primary HEMS. There
are substantial differences between
the 2: Reaction times are stricter for
primary flights, and a reduced flightplan (even via radio) is contemplated
for primary flights, says Fortina.
AgustaWestland AW109SP Da Vinci helicopter undergoing maintenance at the Rega Center at

Dbendorf Air Base, Zurich. Rega is a non-profit and non-governmental organization and is funded by patrons. The company has been providing 24/7 public service in Switzerland since 1952.
Rossi describes primary interventions as situations that are not completely known, and therefore only
once arrived at the scene of the accident or illness it is possible to decide
where to land in order to facilitate
the arrival of the medical teamor
the use of the winch when landing
is not possible. Landing on a road
may not always be possible if there
are no ground teams that can block
traffic and secure the landing site.
Furthermore, in the mountains you
often have to make a landing in hovering, he remarks.
Secondary interventions are normally done from a hospital to another hospital, so everything can be
planned with the patient, who is stabilized and whose clinical situation
is clear. Rossi adds, Normally it is
a flight without uncertainties. Often
these flights involve long transfers
and require good planning with regard to the situation and weather
along the route and the management
of fuel.
However, Becker points out that
a patients conditions can change
in either direction at any time, from
stable to unstable and vice-versa.
The medical crew on an air rescue
mission must be able to handle both
situations at all times. For this reason, in addition to the emergency
physician and certified paramedic, it
is necessary to have a dedicated helicopter that is used exclusively for
air rescues and equipped with stateof-the-art intensive care medical
instruments. As a consequence, all

of Regas helicopters carry, among
other things, mechanical reanimation devices. This enables patients
who need to be reanimated to
receive even better care from our
medical crews.
Becker goes on to explain, On
the one hand, the emergency physician and paramedic can initiate
the necessary additional procedures
at an early stage while the device is
performing the thorax compressions
mechanically. On the other, it is only
possible to carry out continual, effective thorax compressions of the
necessary quality over a long period of time using an automatic chest
compression device. In addition,
this apparatus allows reanimation to
continue without interruption even
when the patients are being moved,
for example, in or out of the helicopter, or when transferring them from
the stretcher onto an operation table
at the hospital.
Public utility or business?

Rega has the peculiarity of being a
private, non-profit and non-governmental organization that is funded
by patrons. Our services are primarily geared towards the needs of the
Swiss population. We are financed
by means of private funding. This
enables us to operate independently and solely in the interests of our
patients. On this basis we provide a
24/7 nationwide public service since
1952, and to this end we take an

active stand against the commercialization of air rescue. Emergency
missions and other operations
carried out on behalf of the general public are not conditional upon
whether or not the ensuing costs
are covered. Our efforts and rescue
activities are based on the fundamental principles of the Red Cross
movement, states Becker.
Rossi also believe that HEMS is a
public utility service on which you
should not do business, at least on
the part of local governments. Surely the use must be rational both by
the public healthcare system, but
also by the operators that provide
the service. There must also be a
very strict control by the institutions;
I think it is impossible to fail to establish, given the type of flight, the minimum guaranteed hours, long-term
contracts, the costs necessary to
operate the service and the margins
that operators should rightly have,
he says.
INAER is the major private operator providing HEMS services in Italy on behalf of local governments
and National Health Service providers. According to DAlberto, thanks
to the latest technology in which
INAER is continuously investing,
there are still spaces to increase the
use of HEMS helicopters also during
night for primary and secondary
transport, and more generally with
low visibility. The capabilities of the
last generation helicopters together
with our crew experience and continuous training would increase the
range of the operations for a more
comprehensive emergency service,
says DAlberto.
Elilombarda is also a private operator: Our HEMS helicopter flies on
average 500 hours per year. Certainly, an operator should differentiate
its activities, and an option could
be to increase existing HEMS operations with off-shore activities, for
example, in order to obtain the maximum financial and operational stability. Betting it all on HEMS could
be risky, says Fortina.
Mario Pierobon is a
safety management
consultant and content producer who
is currently working
on an airside safety
research project.
THE WORLD STANDARD

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APRIL 2016

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