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Chocks away!

Saturday, February 11th, 2012

You’ll often hear the phrase “Chocks away!” in aviation films, and particularly to represent British aviators.

But why do modern aircraft, and private jets need chocks? Who removes the chocks before take-off at a private jet terminal?

Read on to find out what chocks are used for, and why they could increase the cost of your private flight.

1. What is a chock?
Traditionally a wooden triangular block of wood that when placed under the tyre of a private jet stops any involuntary movement.

Today most aircraft chocks are made from ribbed rubber.

Often a private jet will carry its own chocks in the luggage compartment. This is because a private jet often flies into remote airfields with little or no support from the airport.

PrivateFly organises local handling agents to support our passengers and crews on arrival at a smaller private jet airports.

2. Where did the phrase ‘Chocks Away’ come from?
The term was originally used by British pilots during World War II, who allegedly shouted “Chocks away!” to indicate that they were ready to take-off. The ground crew would then remove the chocks in front of the aircraft’s wheels, ready for take-off.

3. Who removes the chocks on a private jet?
An airline chock is removed by the ground crew. In private aviation, after the passengers board their private jet, the pilots will normally make sure all chocks are removed prior to closing the door.

At some private jet airports, like RAF Northolt in London, crews are not allowed to remove chocks for safety reasons.

4. What is chock time?
An airline will publish a flight’s departure time as the expected time the aircraft will start taxiing. This is known as ‘off chocks’ or ‘off blocks’ or ‘block time’. Likewise an airline’s published arrival time is the time the aircraft stops taxiing.

Often airlines like RyanAir and EasyJet will publish much longer chock times so they always appear to be on time, even if they depart late.

Private jets flight times are much more confusing. Some private jet companies quote flight times as chock times (from beginning of the taxi to when the aircraft is parked at the arrival airport).

Other private jet companies will quote airborne time (from the take off to the landing and not including any ground taxiing). PrivateFly publishes actual flight times only.

5. Are private jet passengers charged for the taxi time?
PrivateFly does not charge our members for taxiing time. PrivateFly private jet charters are fixed cost and the price will not change, no matter how long the taxi or flight actually takes.

Many fractional and card providers of private jet flights (such as NetJets) will add 20 minutes to every flight for the taxi.

For example on a flight from London to Paris this means fractional and card private jet customers are being charged an extra 40% of the flight cost for taxiing on the ground.

PrivateFly does not charge any extra fees for ground taxi time.

6. How does a pilot signal for the chocks to be removed?
From inside the flight deck a private jet pilot will touch both thumbs together then twist both hands through 180 degrees to point the thumbs upwards and outwards; this indicates to the private jet ground staff that the aircraft’s brakes are on and it is safe to remove the chocks.

7. Why does a private jet need a chock?
An aircraft’s brakes are normally hydraulically applied. Unlike a car which has a wire from the hand brake to the brake, a private jet uses hydraulic oil to apply pressure to keep the brakes in place.

After a period of time after an aircraft’s engine is shut down, the hydraulic pressure in the brake pipes dissipates and the aircraft’s brake will be removed.

If a private jet is not chocked, there is a danger that it will roll away causing damage if it impacts a surrounding building, vehicle or other aircraft. If a private jet is parked on a slope or in windy conditions, it is particularly important to ensure the aircraft wheels are chocked.

8. Is it true that the doors in the PrivateFly office are chocked?
We believe in bringing the spirit of aviation to everything we do, so aircraft chocks in the office keep us grounded. In our case they never put the brakes on moving our technology and service forward though!

9. Do bigger aircraft use bigger chocks?
The size of an aircraft wheel dictates the size of the chock required to stop the wheel moving. Surprisingly, many large aircraft have smaller wheels than you would expect. This is a design requirement to minimise the total weight (known as the All Up Weight) of the aircraft.

10. “Chocks away” in film
Often used in War films, the phrase “Chocks away” was recently heard in Aardman Animations studios’ “Chicken Run”. The chocks in this case were made of Toblerone.

Posted in Aircraft, Airports, FAQs, FBO, Pilot, Safety | No Comments »

UK airport consultation: A pilot’s view

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

What the proposed Thames Estuary airport could look like

Yesterday it was announced that the government’s consultation on a new UK aviation hub will begin in March. The process will focus on the need to retain the UK’s status as a major aviation hub and the options for siting a new airport close to London – including a detailed assessment of the ‘Boris Island’ Thames Estuary airport proposal.

This is welcome news – given we have previously built our biggest London airport in exactly the wrong spot from a safety perspective. Here’s why.

In order to reduce the ground speed required for flight and the length of runway required, aircraft take off and land into the wind. This means that, at Heathrow, aircraft are predominately flying low and slow over Greater London to land on the two westerly runways – as 80% of winds in the UK are westerly.
Heathrow, like most airports, has a mandatory 3 degree glide slope approach. This results in a descent of 300ft per mile on the ground – and given Heathrow’s position, means aircraft over the centre of our capital city are descending through 1500ft over our most populated areas.
Taking these factors into consideration and looking at London as a clock face, the worst possible position for an airport is therefore at 9 o’clock – where we have inadvertently built our biggest airport. Far better to have aircraft descending and landing at airports in the 12 o’clock (Luton), 3 o’clock (proposed Thames Estuary) or 6 o’clock position (Gatwick) where their approaches will not affect such large areas of population.
Landing is the most critical stage from a safety perspective – accident data shows that the majority of incidents occur on the approach. This is when an aircraft is most vulnerable, flying low and slow. As we saw with BA 777 crash in January 2008, an incident over London is an accident waiting to happen. Not to mention the nightmare scenario of a ground-to-air missile attack on low-flying aircraft coming into Heathrow.

The majority of pilots agree: We have in inadvertently built London’s major airport in the worst possible position. In their consultation for a new UK airport hub in London, the government should consider Manston (in Kent) or the Thames Estuary as the only viable locations.

Posted in Air Traffic Control, Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, British Airways, Closest airports, Investment, Pilot, Politics, Travel trends, Weather | No Comments »

Private Jet Predictions for 2012

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Despite the continuing economic downturn, the next 12 months promises some exciting times for the private aviation industry.

Key factors in 2012 will include London’s Olympics, the global economy and advances in technology, all of which look set to have an impact on the private aviation industry as a whole.

Here are my predictions for the year ahead in private aviation:

1. London Olympics
Demand for private jet flights, helicopters and (most importantly) parking; will be very high. London’s regional airports such Oxford, Southend and Lydd will become medium stay parking for large numbers of private jets that inner London Airports cannot accept. Customers wanting a flight to or from London during the Olympics need to book early to guarantee availability. London Olympic Flights

2. RAF Northolt Airport
RAF Northolt will become London’s premier private airport. As the UK’s Ministry of Defence increasingly needs to generate cash from its assets, the current limitations of 10 private jet landings per day at Northolt will be increased. As RAF Northolt is within the M25 and a short drive from the centre of London, RAF Northolt could become the equivalent of Le Bourget in Paris.

3. Aviation Taxes
In 2012 there are two key aviation tax issues:
i) Regional taxes: The Italian government has started 2012 by announcing that non-Italian jets parked for more than 48 hours at Italian airports will be heavily taxed, which means that private jets will simply park in neighbouring countries.
ii) Air Passenger Duty: The UK government will work out how to collect Air Passenger Duty (APD) on private aviation flights. The current plan is to leverage Air Passenger Duty on the average passenger count (rather than actual number of passengers on each flight). However the government also needs to plan how to collect the tax from overseas operators for flight departures from the UK.

4. Pilot Shortages
Currently private aviation is facing a future of pilot shortages. Many factors are causing private jet charter pilot shortages including less ex-military pilots (due to the global reduction in military personnel); scheduled airline pilot demands and planning; and lack of training scheme and funding availability for private pilots.

Pilot training schools currently estimate that 96 percent of new pilots are interested in an airline career, compared to just 4% planning a career in business aviation. Whilst this has the potential to limit private aviation industry expansion, in 2012 industry bodies such as EBAA and BACA will be looking for solutions. Private Jet Pilot Shortages

5. Speed of Response
In the current competitive market, with aircraft operators competing for every flight, a vital customer requirement is how fast the flight quote is returned. Obviously price is a crucial factor in private jet charter Along with increased price transparency, customers now expect increased responsiveness at every stage of the process – both through instant online pricing or by 24-hour telephone.

6. Private Aviation Goes Mobile
Increasingly customers and flight crew expect to be able to request, book and manage private jet charter from their mobile or tablet device. Despite doubts about the value of “apps” for high value transactions we see the private aviation industry as a whole concentrating on developing mobile and tablet apps to for post-booking management. Expect to be able to view and change flight details on your way to the airport soon.

7. Experimental Business Models
In 2011 the private aviation industry saw the development of “social jet-sharing” and new empty sector business models. In 2012 we expect entrepreneurs in private aviation to come up with different private jet models to produce solutions to the traditional issues of industry inefficiency and the perceived high costs of private jet charter. We’ll also see how successfully the new business models address the issue of maintaining customer flexibility and privacy whilst satisfying multiple customer flights.

8. Aircraft Trends
Look out for military technology in corporate jet designs. Embraer’s Legacy 500 (possibly coming to the market at around $18m) uses “fly by wire” flight controls in a medium sized corporate jet. Meanwhile the new Gulfstream G650 promises to be an exciting option for the private jet set.

9. The Rise of Private Jet Charter
Again due to difficult global economic conditions, we expect to see private jet users increasingly move away from cash upfront card, fractional and ownership options towards ad hoc jet charter. As the charter industry matures and offers clear price transparency and reliable VIP service, charter becomes a viable option for those trading down from aircraft owning or factional and card schemes.

10. Emerging markets
Private jet manufacturers are seeing strong demand from the Asian market. The trend in Europe is generally for unbranded aircraft, whereas in Asia expect to see corporate and individual names emblazoned on the side of aircraft.

So in summary I expect to see some highs and lows, but the Olympics promises a fantastic opportunity to showcase the industry.

Posted in Aircraft, Emerging markets, Innovation, Investment, iPad, iPhone app, London 2012 Olympics, Pilot, Politics, Price comparison, Private jet charter, Recession, Top 10 | No Comments »

Pilot shortages in business aviation

Monday, November 21st, 2011

At The Future of Business Jets conference in London in November 2011, I chaired an industry round table on pilot shortages. This is a very brief summary of the discussion (please excuse the bullet points format) and includes some comments from those who took part which may not reflect the groups overall opinion. Please do contact me (adam@privatefly.com) if you would like any more details; or indeed if you took part and think I have missed anything!

Current professional pilot numbers & predictions of requirements for the next 10 years

There are currently 250,000 commercial pilots globally. IATA (Air Transport Association) predicts that over the next 10 years the aviation industry will need 17,000 new pilots every year. The table decided this could be a very conservative estimate and the actual numbers of new pilots required could be significantly higher.

We checked IATA’s calculation by looking at Airbus & Boeing’s order books. eg for Airbus:

Airbus have 4216 aircraft on order yet to be delivered
Currently output from Airbus is 500 aircraft delivers per year @ 15 pilots = 7,500 Airbus pilots
Highest number of Airbus deliveries per year is expected to be 1,500 eg 22,500 Airbus pilots

The assumptions being:

Scheduled airlines have an average of 15 pilots per aircraft
Highest output of aircraft from a single manufacture in recent history was Boeing at approx 1,500 in 2007

Factors affecting the global shortage of pilots

The majority of airline pilots have traditionally been recruited from the military or civilian training establishments. Most nations are now drastically reducing their military organisations. On top of this reduction, Air Forces are using increased numbers of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and globally are reducing pilot numbers.

The average cost of pilot training in Europe is now EUR 80,000 – 100,000. Banks are not lending and so new young pilots must find this funding from friends & family. The low cost carriers have set a precedent of very low pilot starting salaries and charging for aircraft type ratings. The return on (a pilot’s training) investment is very low and is not a motivating factor.

The difference between private jet and airline pilot recruitment

A scheduled airline will order an aircraft for delivery in 3-4 years time and can plan their pilot training and recruitment with long lead times. A private jet operator on the other hand may only have one month’s notice before the arrival of a new aircraft – and so has very short lead times when new pilots are required.

At present no private jet company supports or sponsors pilot training. The NetJet pilot training programme established in 2008 (in association with Oxford Training School) is believed to be cancelled. Private jet companies compete with airlines (with considerably larger budgets) to recruit new pilots. The question is whether business aviation is doing enough to attract pilots to fly private jets instead of scheduled airliners.

Scheduled airline pilots have a regular schedule, good career progression, and a stable job. A private jet pilot has a less regular schedule, and limited career progression opportunities within typically very small companies. But flying private jets does offer more of a flying challenge, pilots fly into smaller airports and have much more operational control over their flights.

Current statistics from training schools show that amongst student pilots, 96% are interested in an airline career while only 4% are considering a career in business aviation.

Pilot shortage or experience shortage?

Regulation changes mean that less experienced pilots will be in the cockpit. For example Europe’s new multi-crew licence, which allows abinitial (new) pilots to fly with as little as 200 hours flying experience. Asian airlines will prefer to have home grown pilots rather than expensive ex-pats and Asian flight training establishments are expected to gear up extensively to meet demand. Regulations and training will adapt to ensure any pilot shortage is met. The future First Officer will have significantly less airmanship than in the past.

Pilot shortage impact on private jet charter market

The expansion of the business aviation industry over the next few years will be limited by the lack of available pilots and crews. Charter customers may need to book their flights further in advance in order to guarantee crew availability for their flight. A private jet operator will always ensure their owner’s flights are crewed before a charter flight is crewed. Aircraft owners will see less return on investment of their aircraft. This may produce a ‘snow ball’ affect, as more private jet customers turn to charter as apposed to ownership.

How can the business aviation industry solve a future pilot shortages?

The private jet charter industry is calling for industry organisations such as EBAA and BACA to investigate possible pilot shortage solutions. One possible option is for business aviation operators to share their pilots in a “pilot pool”. Aviation Authorities (such as the CAA in the UK) should review the possibility of private jet operators having shared licensing qualifications for pilots. eg 2 European operators who both fly the Citation XL, should be able to share pilots for charter flights. Currently pilots can only fly charter flights for an operator if they have a OPC (Operator Proficiency Check) with that specific company.

These private jet industry organisations should also actively promote ‘private flying’ careers to student pilots at training organisations. An industry wide crew benefit scheme would also help to persuade student pilots to take private jet jobs as opposed to starting an airline career.

Posted in Aircraft, Pilot, Private jet charter, Recession | No Comments »

Can a private jet fly in the fog?

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Low visibility in fog presents challenges for all aircraft, though private jets have more flexibility in their routing and flight plans

Foggy conditions and poor visibility over the south of England in recent days have had a significant impact on airports and air passengers around London – with Heathrow, London City Airport, London Luton and other London airports all affected. By 09.00 GMT at Heathrow today (Monday), 37 airline arrivals and 23 departures had been cancelled by fog. At London City airport – which on a non-foggy day has one of the world’s most stunning airport approaches (see our shortlist and vote) – 44 airline flights were suspended yesterday (Sunday).

All aircraft, including private jets, are affected by fog and poor visibility. Although many commercial aircraft are equipped with auto-land autopilots (that can land the aircraft in zero visibility), it is on the ground and during the take off phase that most of the Air Traffic Delay occur. When the visibility at an airport drops below 1,500m (described by pilots and airports as RVR – Runway Visual Range) the airport enforces Low Visibility Procedures (LVPs). During LVPs, Air Traffic will reduce the number of aircraft taxing and taking off to prevent accidents and incidents occurring.

But just as in heavy snow and other unforseen weather conditions, the flexibility of private jet charter is a huge advantage in foggy weather. A private jet charter flight plan allows for last minute changes of plan, finding gaps in the fog and rerouting the flight accordingly – not an option open to airlines. For example, visibility earlier this morning was at just 100 metres at London Luton airport, but 4km at London Northolt. So by switching a flight departure from Luton to Northolt, the customer was able to depart with very minimal delays.

The fog now appears to be lifting but huge backlogs for airlines will mean disruption continues for the next day or two. With many aircraft now out of position, passengers are recommended to contact their airlines for further information before leaving home.

In foggy conditions, the advantages of private jet charter become very clear!

Posted in Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Fog, Pilot, Private jet charter, Safety, Weather | No Comments »

Can a private jet fly in the snow?

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Heathrow was grounded by snow last winter

Airlines were grounded by snow last winter at Heathrow airport

With winter starting to tighten its grip in the Northern Hemisphere and weather forecasts indicating another record-breaking big freeze this winter, travel disruption is a major worry for many people. A white Christmas may be an exciting prospect if you can stay at home and enjoy it, but not necessarily for those who need to travel for business, on Christmas holidays or to long-awaited reunions with family and friends over the festive period.

Last winter, heavy snowfalls, ice and Arctic temperature wreaked havoc for thousands of airline passengers who were left stranded after major airports closed and airlines cancelled flights. 35,000 commercial flights were cancelled during December 2010 in Europe – more cancellations than the whole of the previous year. And there was a similar weather story across the Atlantic with major air travel disruption for the East Coast of the US.

Obviously such extreme winter conditions impact private aviation too – but certainly not to the same extent and private jet charter is still able to keep passengers moving when airlines are frozen (whether due to bad weather or volcanic ash). So why can private jets fly when so many scheduled flights are grounded?

Private jets can use many more airports

In Europe, private jet charter flights can take their pick from 3,000 airports – ten times more than the 300 airports used by airlines. Snowfall and temperatures can vary considerably even over a relatively small area of the country, so this allows the pilot to switch to an airport than is less affected – not an option open to inflexible airlines. And at smaller airports, snow clearing and de-icing can actually happen quicker, as there is a much smaller area of taxiway and fewer aircraft to keep clear (plus many private jets are kept out of the cold in hangars which reduces deicing requirements). As we saw last winter in the UK, Heathrow and Gatwick were less able to cope with clearing snow, despite their greater resources, than a smaller airport such as nearby Farnborough in Surrey which managed to stay open for much more of the time.

Private jet travel allows for flexible schedules

When you hire a private jet, you agree a departure time and route but, unlike airline flights, this plan is very flexible and either the customer or the pilot can change the schedule up until about two hours ahead of takeoff. So bringing a flight forward when further snowfall is forecast – or switching the route to find ‘gaps’ in the weather or to avoid closed airports is a very real possibility. Airline schedules are simply unable to work like this – their only option is to cancel the flight.

Private jets can start moving again very quickly

Inevitably the most extreme of winter conditions will affect some private jet charter flights. Safety is the primary consideration and there will be times when it is simply unsafe to fly due to extremes of temperatures or severe ice on runways. However the agility of private jet charter is a huge advantage when conditions begin to thaw. As we saw last winter, with enormous backlogs and so many aircraft out of position, airlines took days to return to normal – leaving passengers stranded even after the snow was cleared. With so much more flexibility, private jet flights were able to start operating almost immediately. Charter brokers such as PrivateFly.com – which gives access to thousands of private aircraft worldwide – were particularly well-placed to help passengers, finding aircraft that were already waiting at their closest airport. With PrivateFly you can book at very short notice (online or over the phone) and in many cases be in the air in as little as 90 minutes from first contact.

Posted in Aircraft, Airlines, Airports, Ash cloud, Business, Business travel, Closest airports, Evacuation flights, FAQs, Holidays, Pilot, Private jet charter, Safety, Snow, Volcano, Weather | No Comments »

How much does it cost to hire a private jet?

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

This is one of the questions I am frequently asked. Many people who have not flown by private jet have no idea how much it costs to charter an aircraft. Even those who have used private jets before often find it difficult to understand how private jet pricing works.

One of PrivateFly.com’s key objectives is to be completely transparent to our members about private jet charter pricing. Since the recession, private jet customers have become more cost-conscious and more demanding in securing the best deal and we believe the industry must respond by providing more transparency and choice.

We aim to make private jet pricing simple and you can find instant estimate prices for any private jet flight using our private jet hire cost calculator. The cost of a private charter can vary considerably. From £2,000 for a short trip on a turboprop aircraft to £500,000 for a round-the-world trip on one of the biggest and most luxurious aircraft available. Of course most charters are somewhere between these extremes, with a two-day return flight on a small or medium jet within Europe ranging from around £4,000 to around £12,000.

The flight price depends on a number of factors including aircraft type, locations, timings and the distance of the flight. However the private jet charter price is for the whole aircraft so, for larger groups on some journeys, the cost per head can be comparable with business class airline fares.

Airport positioning
Unlike airlines, private jets can operate from a large number of airports and the aircraft is often located in a different place to where the flight will start. Like a taxi, it will need to reposition itself (often empty) into the departure airport prior to the flight. The cost of chartering the jet will take into account the cost of these positioning flights (which are often called empty sectors or empty legs). Empty legs can sometimes be sold as one-way charters to other customers, often at a substantial discount.

Return times
On a return trip, the length of time between the outward and return flights will also determine what extra costs are incurred for example airport parking charges and hotel costs for your crew.

Translating private jet charter costs
Here is a list of the costs involved in private jet charter and what they mean:

Flight Time: The hourly rate of the aircraft multiplies by the airborne flight time for the entire trip.
Airport Landing Fees: Each airport charges a unique landing fee for an aircraft. This will depend on its weight.
Airport Handling Fees: Most airports require an aircraft to be managed on the ground by a Fixed Based Operator (FBO) or Aircraft Handling Company. The charges incurred will cover the cost of arranging fuel, toilet servicing, passenger transport to and from the terminal, crew rest facilities and other handling requirements.
Passenger Taxes: Depending on the route many countries now charge a passenger departure tax.
Crew Salaries: Most private jets have 2 pilots but smaller propeller aircraft can operate with only one captain. Larger cabin aircraft such a Gulfstream will also have a flight attendant on-board.
Crew Expenses: When working, the crew’s meals will be provided by the company.
Hotel Costs: Overnight hotel costs are always paid for by the aircraft operator and billed to the charterer.
Ground Transport: Costs of taxis for the crew and any requested cars for the passengers will be added into the charter price.

Here’s a working example of private jet charter pricing

Let’s take a simple example of a return flight between London City Airport and Frankfurt Airport. You can follow this example using our online private jet cost calculator.

For this flight we’re using one of our most popular aircraft available for charter – a Citation XLS, which in this case is based in London Biggin Hill.

Flight Schedule:
1 Jan – Depart Airport London City Airport: 09:00hrs local
Arrive Airport Frankfurt Main
Passengers: 5

2 Jan – Depart Airport Frankfurt Main: 12:00hrs local
Arrive Airport London City Airport
Passengers: 5

Cost calculation

*Outbound*
London Biggin Hill to London City (positioning)	11 (nm)
London City to Frankfurt Main	334 (nm)
Total Distance	345 (nm)
Flying Hours	1 Hrs 18 Min
Flying Cost for 1 Hr	£2,936
Flying Charge (Flying Cost for 1 Hr x Flying Hours)	£3,818
Landing Fee in LONDON CITY and FRANKFURT MAIN INTL	£1,600 + £273 = £1873
Number of Fuel stops	0
Total Fuel stop Cost	0
Total cost Leg 1	£5,691

*Inbound*
Frankfurt Main to London City	334 (nm)
London City to London Biggin Hill (positioning back to home base)	11 (nm)
Total Distance	345 (nm)
Flying Hours	1 Hrs 18 Min
Flying Cost for 1 Hr	£2,936
Flying Charge (Flying Cost for 1 Hr x Flying Hours)	£3,818
Landing Fee in LONDON CITY	£1,600
Number of Fuel stops	0
Total Fuel stop Cost	0
Total Cost Leg 2	£5,418

Posted in Air Passenger Duty, Aircraft, FAQs, FBO, How to, Luxury travel, Pilot, Price comparison, Prices, Pricing, Private jet charter, Recession | No Comments »

What is a FBO?

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

You’ll often hear the terms “FBO” being talked about within the private jet industry, but where does the name come from and what exactly does it mean? PrivateFly.com investigates.

What is a FBO?
FBO stands for Fixed Base Operator. It refers to the private jet terminal at an airport.

History of the term
The terms Fixed Base Operator was created in the United States in 1926, harking back to the pre-commercial days of private aviation.

After the end of World War I in November 1918, civil aviation in the United States was primarily unregulated and was mainly made up of transient pilots (often called ‘Barnstormers’) who operated inexpensive military surplus aircraft. They moved from city to city, often landing in farmers’ fields on the outskirts of a town – since airports were scarce at that time. These travelling aviators offered passenger flights, aerobatic demonstrations or impromptu airshows for the locals, charging whatever economic conditions would allow – and then moving on. As a result, mechanics and early flight instructors moved around with the aircraft and had no fixed business location.

The Air Commerce Act of 1926 generated a number of requirements in the licensing of pilots, aircraft maintenance and training standards, as a result, the transient nature of civil aviation was curtailed. The pilots and mechanics then began establishing permanent businesses, which were termed Fixed Base Operations or Operators – as a way to distinguish these new permanent aircraft operators from the transient aviators of old.

Until comparatively recently the term FBO was applied to the aircraft operator who was based at the airport (and in fact this is still the case at many smaller private jet airports). When a private flight wanted to land at an airfield which was not their home base, they would contact the Fixed Base Operator at the airport, in order to make the practical arrangements for the flight to land there. Initially this was all done in a non-commercial manner.

As the industry has evolved and private jet flight movements became busier, a need arose to create third party organisations to manage facilities for customers and crew at busier airports – such as refueling, security, hangars, lounges, car parking and concierge.

FBOs today

These days the FBO industry is evolving fast. From a landscape where there were previously lots of smaller, independent players, we are now seeing much more consolidation – particularly post-recession. It is a competitive field – many larger private jet airports have more than one FBO, which gives operators a choice of where to land; with facilities and costs varying considerably.

Increasingly frequent-flying passengers are becoming aware of this choice too and are expressing their own preference when booking private jet hire.

There are a number of key players in today’s market which operate across multiple locations. Signature Flight Support are the biggest brand, with over 100 FBOs worldwide. They are the market-leader in the United States but are actually owned by a British company, BBA Aviation plc, which is headquartered in London.

Others such as Ocean Sky and Landmark Aviation are snapping at Signature’s heels – some looking to compete on fuel pricing, others developing different niches in order to compete for their share of handling private aviation traffic.

Posted in Aircraft, Airport security, Airports, Closest airports, FAQs, FBO, History, Pilot, Price comparison, Prices, Pricing, Private jet charter, Recession, Travel trends | No Comments »

What’s the difference between a Captain and a Pilot?

Monday, September 5th, 2011

We’ve all heard “This is your Captain speaking” bellowing out over tannoy systems on scheduled flights (normally followed by a delay announcement), but what is the difference between a pilot and a Captain?

A pilot is a job description, and does not imply any qualification or rank.

Professional pilots have completed either a Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) or a Air Transport Pilot’s Licence (ATPL). This differentiates them from amateur pilots who have a Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL).

An aircraft must always have a nominated pilot who is in overall charge of the aircraft, this pilot is the Captain.

A newly qualified airline or private jet pilot is allocated the rank of “First Officer” then later “Senior First Officer” before they take a “Command Course” after which they can become a Captain. In the military First Officers are called “Co-pilots”.

It is a legal requirement in Europe that every chartered private jet flight must have a minimum of 2 pilots. One of the pilots will take full responsibility for the flight and be referred to as the Captain. If both pilots are Command Course qualified, one pilot will take responsibility for the flight and will be referred to as “Commander”.

My flying CV shows a sample of the progression between Pilot, First Officer and Captain:

Captain Adam Twidell
1990 – Joined Royal Air Force as a cadet pilot at University of Edinburgh, Scotland
1994 – Commissioned with Royal Air Force
1996 – Qualified as a pilot gaining RAF ‘wings’
1997 – Co-pilot flying C130 Hercules
1999 – Captain flying C130 Hercules
2004 – First Officer, NetJets, Citation XL
2005 – First Officer, Netjets, Citation XLS
2006 – Launches PrivateFly.com and continues to fly as a Citation XLS Captain

Posted in Aircraft, Pilot | No Comments »

Private jet tech round-up

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

The private jet industry is not always seen as the most innovative when it comes to new technologies. While other travel sectors have embraced the internet’s ability to give customers increased transparency and control while driving significant operational efficiencies, a traditional private jet company is often perceived as an organisation with one wing in the past. Many assume that a private jet service and online technologies are incompatible, perhaps due to the industry’s very traditional, premium values.

There’s certainly a nugget of truth there: In many ways the industry does still operate in old-fashioned ways (and there are certainly significant inefficiencies in operational terms which could be improved) but there are also many exciting developments taking place across the industry, which demonstrate that the private jet sector is not the technological tortoise that many believe it to be. Here PrivateFly.com presents a round-up of some recent tech developments, in and out of the cockpit.

High speed internet connectivity on Bombardier jets

Bombardier's Global 5000 business jets will soon be fitted with high-speed internet.

Manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace has recently announced that it is to provide new increased high-speed internet access for passengers as an option for its Global 5000 and Global 6000 business jets. The system, provided by EMS Aviation, provides a virtual office in the sky with resilient in-flight data links and multi-regional service coverage. This will be dramatic step forward from what is available in today’s private jets: Most don’t offer internet access of any kind and those that do offer just a basic data link service – allowing passengers to send text-based emails only. With the current system, speed, bandwidth and coverage are limited – and the service usually comes at a high price. So this will be a major enhancement to the onboard experience for passengers, particularly those travelling on business – unless of course they are looking to escape from their emails for a while!

Smartphone app for best fuel prices at FBOs

More and more businesses in the industry are embracing the immediacy of apps for smartphones and tablets. Last month we announced the launch of PrivateFly’s Android app, which – following our iPhone and iPad app launch last year – gives instant price estimates for global private jet hire to users of the increasingly popular Android platform. Within the industry, B2B service providers are also developing some interesting and groundbreaking apps for pilots and operations staff.

Globalair.com has recently released an application for iPhone and iPad which allows pilots to locate and compare which private jet terminal (FBO) to use at any given airport, according to the most competitive fuel prices. The app puts pertinent FBO location and fuel pricing information at pilots’ fingertips and provides real-time, accurate information based on a search by airport/city and type of fuel required. Globalair claims that pilots will be able to make significant cost savings on a trip to trip basis.

iPad app for weather and flight planning & scheduling

Leon Software now offers its aircraft operators an iPad interface that pilots can use to view essential weather and flight planning notices (NOTAMs). Civil aviation regulations require pilots to check this information prior to every flight. The interface should have a positive impact on flight efficiency: Even today, many airline and private jet flights are delayed because the Captain is waiting for the flight dispatcher to appear with this paperwork.

iPad app for flight paperwork

Another new app allows company-controlled manuals and flight crew documents to be sent to iPads as part of an electronic record-keeping effort, reducing the considerable time associated with the updating of traditional paper manuals. International Business Aviation Solutions Group (IBASG) has produced the system, called JetSync, which connects the app user with a secure, web-based administration portal, from which documents can be uploaded as required. With more and more manuals now required on aircraft, this offers exciting time-saving efficiencies, as well as streamlining the cockpit Similarly, large airlines are making considerable cost (and paper) savings by providing pilots with Electronic Flight Bags – providing the documentation they need on every flight (such as airport landing data for every airport in the world) in electronic form.

New plug-in avionics suite talks to mobile devices

Aspen Avionics Connected Panel technology for the cockpit

Aspen Avionics are introducing Connected Panel technology to the cockpit

Another leap forward in cockpit efficiency was unveiled recently by avionics manufacturer Aspen Avionics. Its Connected Panel technology, which will be available by the end of the year, allows certified avionics in an aircraft’s panel to receive data from personal handheld devices on the iPhone and Android platforms. This will streamline flight-related activities by providing two-way wireless communications between panel avionics and personal smart devices.

The Connected Panel hardware is enclosed in a small box behind the aircraft panel and includes wireless, Bluetooth and USB connectivity options, along with flash memory storage. It also allows for other technology to be plugged in later – which has exciting potential for partnerships with other apps targeted at pilots. According to Aspen, 90 per cent of US pilots now have an iPad in their cockpit. It seems the days of switching mobiles off when boarding an aircraft will soon be over – the pilots will certainly be keeping their devices on!

Remote security checks by video link

Recently Signature Flight Support at London Luton airport has invested in new technology for security screening. This is a video link system which allows security staff to remotely check and clear passengers and their baggage at the point of departure, using the latest technology to perform high-quality visual ID, security and passport checks.

Signature has been testing this for some time now and it appears to be quick and seamless – it’s not offputting to passengers, while providing a more economical and flexible staffing solution.

It will be interesting to see if other private jet FBOs follow suit – and indeed other main airport terminals could also consider using this technology, particularly as a back-up system when experiencing peak demand or for smaller airports where the staffing balance is more difficult to achieve.

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