BUSINESS AIR NEWSE U R O P E A N

ISSUE 196 SEPTEMBER 2009

Kristof Nagl, Mario Rathmanner, Wolfgang Grumeth and Marcus Gurtner are ready to survey terrain in the Middle East. MENA Aerospace Enterprises and Airborne Technologies ofAustria have launched a partnership to provide services including the monitoring of pipelines using a private charter fleet of half-a-dozen twin engine aircraft. Full story page 2.

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

Europe’s fractional and charteroperators have stressed the need forinnovative service offerings as well asstrong financial backing after JetRepublic’s Portuguese subsidiarysuspended its activities.

Bombardier Aerospace hasterminated Jet Republic’s 25 firm and 85 conditional orders for 110Learjet 60XRs originally announcedon 20 June 2008 just before deliveries were due to begin inOctober. But Bombardier stressed itremains committed to the 60XRprogramme. “Production of theaircraft at our Learjet facility inWichita, Kansas, continues asplanned,” the manufacturer said.

Jet Republic launched itsEuropean fractional share companylast year with an order financed byAustria’s Euram Bank. But a JetRepublic spokesman confirms: “JetRepublic’s Portuguese subsidiary has suspended its activities. Thegroup is therefore preserving itsremaining financial resources andwill be reviewing its options.” Jet

Republic’s holding company remainsoperational, the spokesman said, andwould work closely with itsshareholders to ensure that theinterests of existing clients,employees and suppliers areprotected to the best of its ability.

But the announcement meansthat Jet Republic’s fractional aviationcompany has ceased trading afterbecoming technically insolvent.

Jonathan Breeze, ceo, in an emailto staff, says the decision was takenafter funds needed to continue

operations did not arrive. He says JetRepublic will not place any moreorders with suppliers or accept anymore revenue or solicit business from customers.

The demise of Jet Republic’sfractional operation comes soon afterNetJets founder, chairman and ceoRichard Santulli resigned hisposition. Santulli, who has beenreferred to as the “father of thefractional aircraft industry,” says hewill remain at the BerkshireHathaway company as a consultantfor at least a year.

David Sokol, chairman atBerkshire Hathaway-owned Mid-American Energy Holdings, took overas chairman and interim ceo ofNetJets and the company isrestructuring. Santulli said that after25 years of working with the mosttalented group of people imaginablehe wanted to spend more time withhis family and pursue other interests.

Santulli left Goldman Sachs in1986 and acquired Columbus, Ohio-

Jet Republic failure ‘highlightsexceptional challenges’

For details of how to enter, see page 3.

Jet Republic ceo Jonathan Breeze and BobHorner, regional vp sales, Europe, businessaircraft, Bombardier, in happier times.

Elitellina, launched in 1977 toperform transport and aerial work inhigh mountains, is to add anotherAS350 B3 Ecureuil to its fleet in 2010.Two of the aircraft were delivered tothe Italian operator in April giving it atotal of five AS350 B3s.

Enricco Carraro, md, says: “We likeEurocopter helicopters and want tooperate a uniform fleet. The AS350 B3Ecureuil is an extremely versatile andtechnically advanced helicopter. It isideal for all our work.”

Elitellina, a Part 145 approvedmaintenance centre, also operates aLama, and carries out private charter,heli-ski and firefighting activities aswell as hoisting missions.

Guido Fratta, ceo, says: “We’vealways been very happy with ourrelationship with Eurocopter whichtrains our pilots and technicians. Theresults have always been excellent. In32 years we’ve never had any problemwith our fleet.”

Italian operatormakes plans for AS350 B3

fleet expansion

Ocean Sky has taken a majority stakein Dusseldorf-based Triple Alpha.“The acquisition effectively doublesthe size of Ocean Sky’s managedaircraft division,” says ceo KuroshTehranchian, “giving Ocean Sky aparticularly strong presence inGermany, one of the most importantEuropean private jet markets.”

The deal, the first acquisition bythe UK-based company since itannounced it would spend £32million on expansion this year, willbe followed by further acquisitions inthe months ahead, Tehranchianadds. “It is our belief that thelandscape for aircraft operators inEurope is going to changefundamentally, with consolidationsand acquisitions creating a superleague of major players coming outof this recession. Ocean Sky will beone of them.”

Triple Alpha, which was founded14 years ago and is based inDusseldorf, operates principally incentral Europe. The acquisitioneffectively doubles the number ofaircraft in Ocean Sky’s managed fleetto 32 with aircraft ranging from VLJsup to an A319.

The share in the new companyhas been bought for an undisclosedsum. But Ocean Sky says it willimmediately inject €1.8 million intothe business as working capital tofurther strengthen its finances.

Triple Alpha co-founder HansPfeiffer also predicts that the coming months will see“considerable consolidation” in theprivate jet market.

“What we have done is recognisethe changes ahead. It’s a win-win forus to be with Ocean Sky.”

Erik Scheidt, co-founder of TripleAlpha and joint gm, says: “We arevery strong in terms of operations,

Triple Alphaacquisition

doubles OceanSky capacity

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

European charter operatorsweigh up emission tradingobligations page 2

Private aircraft owners due tax rebate after legal battle page 3

Skybus targets increased ad hoc business page 4

MustFly plans Mustangfractional and air taxi fleet page 5

SPECIAL FOCUSOperator review of Sweden page 12

ME & MY AIRCRAFTTwin enginehelicopters page 6

Survey teamready for launch

Continued on page 4

Survey teamready for launch

Continued on page 2

2 SEPTEMBER 2009 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Gainjet: global operations lessen exposure to European requirements.

Charter operators in Europe havecarefully weighed up their responseto the new European CommissionEmission Trading Scheme (ETS)directive. Some, including Execujet,believe it is relevant to theiroperations but others, such asGainjet, say they wholly or largely falloutside the directive’s scope.

The EC now requires operators ofaircraft above 5,700 kgs (12,566 lbs)to submit allowances for CO2emissions produced during flights to,from, and within the EuropeanUnion.

The Execujet Aviation Group,which currently has 150 aircraftunder management and eight AOCsworldwide, confirms it falls underthat new requirement. “All of theExecujet regions that fly to Europewill be required to submit allowancesfor produced emissions as of 2012. Inorder to comply with the newdirective Execujet will submit therequired monitoring plans foremissions and tonne km data. We areon track to comply with the newrequirements,” the company says.

Gainjet ceo Ramsey Shaban saysthe criteria is the number of flights a company does in Europe. “Atpresent we are exempt and think that many operators would fall under this category due to the

current economic situation.”Gainjet, he points out, has a great

many long haul flights around theworld. He adds: “All aircraft fall under this requirement once theydepart and/or arrive at any EUcountry while on any trip. Gainjetrecently did the Manchester Unitedtrip to the Far East. The sectors flownand fuel burnt outside the EU was75% of their whole trip which doesnot fall under the emissions rulings.”

FlyingGroup which now has basesin Europe in four countries –Belgium, France, Luxembourg andHolland – says it will do what isnecessary for compliance. BenPaindavin, marketing and PR

director, says: “We launched our ownscheme a while back to encourageoperators to compensate for CO2emissions but the take up was not ascomprehensive as we hoped.”

Cessna set up a new web site toguide business jet operators throughthe process of registering theiraircraft for flights in Europeanairspace to comply with the EC ETS. The deadline for the applicationfor free allocations was 31 August. All Citations are covered by the newEU directive except for the Mustang,CJ1 and CJ2.

The company explains: “There isan ‘auto-fill’ aspect to the Cessnaversions of the applications, whereby

the operator selects the aircraftmodel and the applicationautomatically populates the relevantboxes with appropriate technicaldata.”

It adds: “Under ETS, owners ofaircraft with a takeoff weight of morethan 12,566 lbs who regularly fly theiraircraft to EU countries must beginreporting annual emissions startingin 2010, and by 2012 must use carbonallocations for all flights in EUairspace. Operators alreadyidentified by the EU are required toregister an annual and specificemissions plan.”

Cessna recommended thatoperators who plan to beginoperations into EU airspace next yearregister as well, and at the same timequalify for free allocations to lowerplanned emission fees. Without freeallocations, operators have topurchase or trade for allocations.

“There are a lot of moving piecesin this programme and we want to dowhat we can to ensure Cessnaoperators are, at the minimum,registered in time to qualify forallocations,” said Tom Grace, Cessnadirector, technical informationservices. “We also are developingmonitoring programmes available to Cessna operators to keep themin compliance.”

European charter operators weigh up relevance of new EC emission trading directive

FlyingGroup: CO2 compliance.Tom Grace: helping with changingrequirements.

MENA Aerospace Enterprises andAirborne Technologies of Austriahave launched a partnership in theMiddle East to provide servicesincluding the monitoring of pipelinesusing a private charter fleet of half-a-dozen twin engine aircraft (seephotograph page 01).

“Regionally, the companies willinitially focus on pipelinemonitoring, leak detection, airbornesurveying and digital mapping,” saysRalph Eisenschmid, MENAAerospace coo. “At a later stage, thescope of services will be expanded toinclude surveillance, patrolling,border control and law enforcement.”

Marcus Gurtner, AirborneTechnologies’ chief sales officer, saysthat the company is looking at therequirements of several projects andis able to provide aircraft includingthe DA42 which can stay in the air for13 hours and the Pilatus PC6. “TheVulcanair P68 and King Air C90 areother aircraft that can be adapted toprovide such services,” he says.

MENA Aerospace is the exclusiverepresentative for AirborneTechnologies in the Middle East.Airborne Technologies providesproprietary image and data analysisservices using fixed wing aircraft.MENA Aerospace’s airline subsidiaryMAE Aircraft Management WLL will operate the aircraft from its basein Bahrain.

Eisenschmid explains: “By theirvery nature, pipelines, power lines,railroads and highways are extremelydifficult to monitor and access, due tothe large geographic area they occupy. Therefore, monitoring andinspecting from the air is the mostefficient, economical, safe andaccurate method. The company usesspecialised fixed wing aircraft insteadof helicopters due to their longerendurance and safer, more silentoperation.”

He adds: “A client’s imaging andanalysis requirements can bedelivered on a packaged servicesbasis, thereby eliminating the client’sneed for large investments inequipment, training andinfrastructure. Real-time airbornedata can be delivered in a multitudeof formats and of course, all data andimaging results are securely storedemploying the strictest of protocols.”

Gurtner says: “The fixed wing air-craft platform is the lowest cost, mostfuel efficient and effective platform.”

Airborne Technologies is anAustrian private limited companybased at Vienna airport. It operates its own fleet of multi-purpose aircraftfor remote sensing missionsthroughout Europe.

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Continued from page 1

Ocean Sky is very active in its FBOsand maintenance. This is what weneed and could not have achieved onour own. We are excited to be able toexpand our operation even morerapidly and access areas where we donot already have a footprint.”

Triple Alpha will continue to tradeunder its current company name aspart of the Ocean Sky Group. Both co-founders will be remaining withthe company.

Tehranchian says: “In commonwith Ocean Sky, Triple Alpha’sfounders are still with the companyand pushing it forward. They bring aremarkable technical expertise to our

company, particularly as bothfounders are pilots conversant in allareas of aviation.”

Ocean Sky launched as an aircraftbroker in 2003, expanding into fullaircraft service in 2005.

It has FBOs at Manchester,Glasgow Prestwick and Luton andoffices in Salzburg, Zurich, andMoscow. The company recentlyannounced plans to expand itsmaintenance network by acquiringFBOs in central Europe.

It manages a fleet that includes aGlobal Express XRS; a GulfstreamG550; three Challengers; two Learjet45s; a CJ3; a Challenger 601 and aGlobal 5000.

Triple Alpha was founded in 1995and has 84 employees and flightcentres in Dusseldorf, Paris, Milanand Palma.

Hans Pfeiffer: thinking ahead.

Triple Alpha acquisition doubles Ocean Sky capacity

Comlux, which has taken steps toreduce currency risk and improve itscompetitiveness in Europe, isconsidering how best to cost-effectively expand its managed aircraft fleet.

Stephen Laven, Zurich-based ceoof the Fly Comlux division, says thatthe global economic downturn has ledto increasing enquiries for aircraftmanagement. But he points out thatthe company has traditionallymanaged Airbus and Bombardieraircraft offering owners the qualityservice and competitive costs madepossible by economies of scale.

“Quite a lot of our enquiries, forinstance, are from owners ofGulfstreams – the G550 and G450 –and we would like to offer them aservice on the same basis as for ourcurrent Airbus and Bombardieraircraft clients. It is a question of howto respond to market demand in a waythat enables us to continue to offer thecost advantages inherent in managingaircraft of the same type.”

Laven says: “The preferredapproach would be to synchronise themanagement of two or more of thesedifferent aircraft to start with and thendevelop the fleet. Comlux has alwaysfocused on managing a number ofaircraft of similar types in order todovetail the provision of services suchas crew and maintenance.”

He confirms: “Many owners arenow looking to charter to get backsome revenue and ComluxSwitzerland has had a number ofenquiries as a result. I think it is fair tosay that a lot of owners have gonedown routes that they previouslywould not have considered in order to

reduce costs. They have looked atselling aircraft but it is obviously abuyers’ market and difficult in thatrespect and that has led them to amanaged solution.”

Laven adds: “We have just set upour first Bermuda approved aircraft: it is a private registration with theaircraft only available for use by its owner.”

The Comlux fleet comprises 15aircraft – two ACJs, two A318 Elites,three Global Expresses, including twoXRSs, two Global 5000s, twoChallenger 605s, two Challenger 850s,a Falcon 2000 and a Hawker 850. Thisincludes three aircraft managed fullyfor private owners – an ACJ, a Global5000 and a Challenger 605.

But most of the fleet is nowoperated from Malta although the two XRS and the Falcon 2000 are being joined on the Swiss AOC by aHawker 850.

Laven explains: “Our costs werelargely in Swiss francs while mostcharter income was in euros or USdollars. By basing operations in Maltaour costs will be in euros and ourrevenue will be in euros which reducesthe currency risk. Operating fromEurope also means that Comlux isenjoying the same level playing field asEU operators.”

In revenue terms, the income fromMalta has grown while that generatedin Switzerland has reduced. “But,”Laven adds, “we have retained theexperience and personnel inSwitzerland such as the sales,administration and flight operations.The pool of expertise available inSwitzerland is extremely important toComlux. From Malta we providemaintenance and flight operations.”

Laven admits that 2009 has been achallenging year with aircraft beingput out to charter on very competitiveterms. “There has been a lot ofpressure on the price. A lot of aircraftavailable providing choice in eachsector. I think it is a charterer’s dreambut Airbus charter has done quite well.It has weathered the economic stormbetter than other sectors.”

SEPTEMBER 2009 3EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Comlux is looking to reduce currency risk.

Most of the Comlux fleet is now Maltabased.

Comlux reports a rising level ofenquiries for aircraft management

Stephen Laven: increasing enquiries foraircraft management.

London Executive Aviation (LEA) haslaunched a Mustang service atLondon Oxford airport. GeorgeGalanopoulos, md, says: “We decidedto base a Mustang at the airportbecause it is an attractive, affordableand well-positioned centre forbusiness aviation, with great openinghours and uncongested airspace.”

He adds: “We look forward togrowing our presence there.”

LEA already bases a new 13-

passenger Legacy 600 at Oxford.Patrick Margetson-Rushmore,

LEA’s chief executive, adds: “The lowoperating cost of the Mustang meansthat we can now offer jet charterprices to people in the Oxford regionfor the equivalent cost of a turboprop.The Mustang is perfect for the kind of short-haul flights with one tothree passengers that dominateEuropean business aviation.”

The facilities at Oxford Aviation

Academy will be used for the VLJ-Europe 2009 conference on 24 and 24 September with Oxford airport’smd Steve Jones the first dayconference chairman and speaker onthe role and infrastructurerequirements for regional airports.

Ambeo, JetBird, Flairjet, Blink,London Executive Aviation,Grossmann and JetQuik are amongthe list of companies that arescheduled to attend.

Alex Hendricks, deputy directorfor network development atEurocontrol, will examine VLJintegration into Europe. The need towork closely with FBOs will beaddressed by Capt Bill Minkoff,president of JetQuik, while AlanRosser, business manager at MarshallBusiness Aviation, will highlight therange of FBO services on offer as well as talk about fees, traffic andairspace issues.

LEA bases Mustang at ‘uncongested’ London Oxford

Dubai-based Empire Aviation Group(EAG) reports it has become the firstoperator in the Gulf CooperationCouncil region to take delivery of theHawker 4000.

Executive director Steve Hartleysays: “The 4000 is the first business jet made from advanced,sophisticated composite materialsand offers significantly loweroperating costs to owners.

“The new, eight-seater Hawkerwas acquired from the manufacturerfollowing the sale by EAG to an ownerin the region and will be managed byEAG, as well as offered for charter.”

A further two 4000 aircraft saleshave already been completed by EAGfor delivery to the region in thecoming year.

The new aircraft joins EAG’s 13-strong fleet of business jets, 10 ofwhich are available for charter.“Another two to three aircraft areexpected to be added before the end of 2009, subject to delivery,” says Hartley.

He adds: “The owner – and ourcharter clients – will benefit from thisnew technology and the cost/performance that it delivers. HawkerBeechcraft Corporation is soconfident about the new aircraft thatit is guaranteeing the aircraft’smaintenance, charging a fixed fee perflying hour to cover all aircraftmaintenance and even tyre wear, overthe first five years of operation.”

Hartley says the 4000 can cruise at514 mph at an altitude of 45,000 feet,with a range of 3,280 nautical miles.

The aircraft, Hartley adds, offersone of the quietest cabins in the supermidsize sector and six feet ofheadroom for the full length of thecabin. Luxuries include finishes suchas handcrafted galley cabinetry. “Due to the strength of thecomposites, the cabin pressurisationsystem can maintain a very low cabinpressure when cruising at the 45,000feet ceiling, which reduces fatigueand dehydration for passengers and crew.”

Empire takesdelivery of

first of threeHawker 4000s

More than 70 operators of private andcorporate aircraft represented by HSPLaw are pursuing fuel tax rebatesranging from €30,000 to €1 millionper year through the German courts.The individual actions follow a legalbattle by the German branch of theinternational law firm HSP Law whichestablished that Germany broke EUlaw when it charged corporations andprivate owners the tax of €0.65 perlitre of fuel.

The HSP branch, headed by DrHeinz Schaefer, conducted thechallenge to the tax applicationthrough its specialist attorney-at-lawAndré Duewel. The German BusinessAviation Association (GBAA) says thatthe “remarkable lawsuit” gained aruling that companies using anaircraft for non-AOC charter have theright to reclaim any previously paidfuel tax. “In the future they will be able to enjoy tax free refuelling on production of a certificate todemonstrate non-AOC commercialusage. As this can representsignificant sums of money, we wouldrecommend that our members whooperate such flights checkimmediately if this redress isapplicable to them.”

Duewel explains that privatecharter companies operating on anAOC have been able to reclaim the fueltax. But corporate fleets and privateowners were among those who werenot exempted from the tax and wereprecluded from claiming refunds.

“It is important for companies toestablish correct procedures to ensureexemption,” Duewel says. “Thoseoperating a corporate fleet forbusiness purposes should be able todemonstrate that they are buying thefuel themselves. If a company hasestablished a subsidiary to operate itscorporate fleet it is advisable to drylease the aircraft to the parentcompany which buys the fuel on itsown account. As well as pursuingcases through the highest courts inGermany we are advising on correctand clear and transparent structures.”

He says one of the companiesclaiming a sizeable refund operated aFalcon 200 which was used to fly itsemployees and board on business.“Private owners can also reclaim thetax on fuel bought for businesspurposes,” he adds.

Duewel predicts that completion ofthe individual legal actions throughthe German courts will take anothertwo or three years.

Hans Pfeiffer, gm, says Triple AlphaLuftfahrt GmbH manages a TBM700for an owner which is sometimes usedas an AOG aircraft to fly parts,mechanics or other personnel. “Thisaircraft is certainly affected by thedevelopment but our other aircraft areon the AOC and therefore notaffected,” he adds.

Private aircraftowners due tax

rebate afterlegal battle

The Hawker 4000: more deliveries inDubai.

Dr Heinz Schaefer: successful taxchallenge.

4 SEPTEMBER 2009 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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Continued from page 1

based Executive Jet Aviation as theplatform upon which to launchNetJets. Berkshire Hathaway chair-man and billionaire Warren Buffett, aNetJets shareowner, bought the firm in1998 for $725 million.

Until the latest recession NetJetsrecorded record profits. But in the firstquarter of this year it sustained a pre-tax loss of $96 million compared withpre-tax earnings of $45 million in thesame period a year ago.

NetJets’ second-quarter revenuesfell 43% year-on-year to $550 million.For the first half of the year it dropped$1.024 billion – or 42% – from the samesix-month period last year. Accordingto parent company BerkshireHathaway, NetJets’ decline reflectedan 81% drop in aircraft sales and a 22%reduction in flight operationsrevenues primarily due to lower flightrevenue hours. NetJets reported pre-tax losses of $253 million for thesecond quarter and $349 million forthe first six months, compared withgains of $192 million and $255 millionin the same time periods last year.

Berkshire Hathaway says NetJetsowns more aircraft than it requires forits present level of operations “andfurther downsizing will be requiredunless demand rebounds.”

Jet Republic launched inSeptember 2008 when tradingconditions were still relatively buoyantand promised to redefine private jettravel and fly to over 1,000 airports inEurope and tens of thousands morearound the world. Its operationalheadquarters in Lisbon, Portugal, andcorporate headquarters in Geneva,Switzerland, were focused on buildingbusiness in UK, western Europe andRussia. Its message was: “Jet Republic

is an inclusive private jet club andequivalent to a five-star boutique hotelin the sky.”

The company offered a jet cardmembership enabling the purchase ofblocks of 25 hours’ flight time on anycategory of jet from €115,000. It alsooffered Learjet ownership optionsincluding share partnership involvingblocks of a minimum of 50 hours’flight time per year on a new Learjet 60XR at €6,500 per hour. Jet Republicalso marketed a scheme wherebyshare owners could purchase 1/16thor more of a brand new Learjet 60 XRand enjoy reduced hourly fees of€4,900.

Members could also purchase anew Learjet 60XR in full “benefitingfrom Jet Republic’s special negotiatedrate of $13,500,000 (compared to a listprice of $14,600,000) and fly up to 200hours per year without paying anyhourly fees.”

But the marketing, includingoffering “unparalleled in-flightservice” and multilingual attendants,has failed to attract sufficient business.

Blink, which has ordered 30Mustangs with five currently in serviceand two more coming into operationlater in 2009, markets a “boardroom inthe sky” experience.

Peter Leiman, joint md, says: “Theannouncement that Jet Republic has

ceased trading highlights theexceptional challenges that aviationstart-ups face in this climate. If youadd in the inherent difficulties inraising finance in the currentmarketplace then it becomes clearthat Jet Republic overstretched itselfwith a product that was notsignificantly differentiated fromexisting offerings.”

In contrast, he says: “Blink haspursued a prudent business plan thatallows us to deliver a totally newproduct to the market in a way thatminimises development risk to ourcustomers, employees and investors.”

Leiman says the product has to beright for today’s market wherebusiness and leisure travellers want tomove around western Europe quicklyand efficiently but at a price thatmakes sense.

Joint md Cameron Ogden saysBlink has flown a significant numberof existing private jet users who arefamiliar with a product similar to thatwhich Jet Republic hoped to offer.“These customers realise that whenthe average number of passengers in aEuropean private jet is 2.3 and theaverage flight length is one hour 30minutes, they do not need a six toeight seat jet and the expensive add-ons that the market providestoday. In contrast they have foundBlink’s four seat air taxi service bettersuits their needs.”

Jet Republic’s demise will hit thebusiness growth expectations of anumber of suppliers and partners. Ithad appointed CTC Aviation to carryout pilot and flight attendant selectionafter receiving more than 2,000unsolicited crew CVs but will not nowhire the anticipated 500 pilots over thenext five years.

Jet Republic’s sleek appeal was notenough for success.

Jet Republic failure ‘highlights exceptionalchallenges’ facing fractional operators

The UK’s Skybus, launched 25 yearsago, is receiving growing requests forad hoc charter for its three Islandersand three Twin Otters. The company’sceo Jeff Marston says: “Skybus has anumber of approaches on a regularbasis but, of course, it depends on theavailability of aircraft, particularlyduring the summer months when theairline is at its busiest.”

He adds: “Skybus has operatedseveral charters this year fromShoreham, London’s Wycombe AirPark and Brittany. It has also operatedseveral charters from Lands End andNewquay to Cork over the last coupleof years.

“The airline is ambitious and wewant to build on what has alreadybeen achieved. We are always on thelook out for new opportunities.”

Commercial manager Mike Vigaradds: “We’re firmly committed to theislands and this will always be ourpriority, but it would be wrong not towant to grow. Skybus has been builton great customer service andreliability and we’re confident therewill always be room for developingthe airline even further.”

Cricket has provided privatecharter commissions ranging from Marylebone Cricket Club’srequirement to travel from Lands Endto St Mary’s in the Scilly Isles to taking the St Brieuc cricket team toNewquay and then on to St Mary’s.Other sports charters included takingthe St Agnes Rugby Club fromNewquay to Jersey.

Judges for an EU flower showtravelled from Newquay to Cork whileSkybus also carried out several

charters carrying committed birdobservers known as twitchers.

“During the last two to three yearswe have operated several charterflights around the south west ofEngland approaches on behalf ofExeter University, who have beenrecording the movement of marinelife including whales, dolphins,sharks and jellyfish,” Vigar says.

Charters to Cork have included

one for Seasalv, a company that wasinvolved in looking for the wreckageof the TWA B747 that blew up west ofShannon. “We also fit in charter forTV companies,” he adds.

But Vigar says the main businesswill remain flights to and from StMary’s. “All our fleet serves variousroutes to St Mary’s from a number ofUK airports including Land’s End,Newquay, Exeter, Southampton and

Bristol. We also serve Newquay to StBrieuc in Brittany. All our aircrafthave been chosen primarily becauseof their short take off and landingcapability and this makes them verydesirable for private charter,” saysVigar. He adds: “We do not plan toadd any further aircraft at present butif a larger STOL aircraft becameavailable we would be veryinterested.”

Enquiries give Skybus incentive to take profitable ad hoc charter business to higher levels

Skybus ceo Jeff Marston: growing private charter enquiries.

Denmark’s Air Alpha has brought asix-seat configured Learjet 60XR intooperation targeting private clientsranging from the ceo to theelectrician. Jesper Carvalho Andersen,ceo of the Air Alpha Group, says:“There is a growing demand forprivate air charter in Scandinavia. It isto satisfy this increasing demand forfaster and more comfortable travelthat Air Alpha has added a brand newLearjet 60XR to its fleet.

“The 60XR has the latest in flighttechnology and design andpassengers can use the satellite phoneor have meetings in complete privacy.The aircraft enables them to make thebest possible use of the journey time.”

Air Alpha, based at Odense airport,is putting the emphasis on enablingclients from all walks of life to try outservices without having to make anylong-term financial commitment.“The 60XR is being marketed to theelectrician as well as the ceo,”Carvalho Andersen says. “We offer ad

hoc flying – charter without any sort ofbinding agreement so clients pay onlyfor the trip and nothing else. In thisway Scandinavian companies canstart slowly and comfortable andjudge for themselves whether thelogistics are valuable for them andtheir business”

He says the 60XR, which operatesworldwide, offers six comfortablesingle seats in a comparatively quietcabin with a mini bar and lavatories.

Air Alpha, which also operatesthree C-560s, provides all relatedservices including transport to thenearest airport and car upon arrival tohotel and meeting room bookings.

Air Alpha sells, maintains, andoperates aircraft focusing on theEuropean market, mainly Scan-dinavia, the Baltic States, and Russia.Carvalho Andersen says: “Our latestexpansion, involving representativeoffices in Riga as well as Moscow,enables us to support our increasingnumber of customers in the East.”

Learjet 60XR to meet growingdemand in Scandinavia

Air Alpha has acquired a Learjet 60XR. Pictured are Capt. Kristian Kornerup, directorChristian Jørgensen and first officer Peter Zornow.

SEPTEMBER 2009 5EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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For all, NBAA2009 presents unrivaled networking opportunities for industrypeers and will show the strength and resilience of the many diverse companiesthat make up the business aviation industry.

NBAA2009: A Critical Part ofYour Business Strategy

www.NBAA.ORG

Italy’s expanding MustFly, part of theAeroservices Group, has chosen theCitation Mustang for its fleetdevelopment. It has ordered 18Mustangs for delivery by 2012. “Theywill be marketed for fractionalownership and also traditional airtaxi,” says the company’s RiccardoFilippi. “We truly believe that this is agood time for proactive small tomedium companies to win businessin the private aviation sector.”

The Aeroservices Group alsoincludes ItAli Airlines, maintenancecompanies, a flight school and amaintenance technician school, runin partnership with LufthansaTechnical Training. “We have a brandnew facility in Pescara and manystudents are joining thisprogramme,” says Filippi. “We cantrain pilots and technicians in-houseand draw on them for our futurepersonnel and we believe this makesus stronger than other companies.”

ItAli Airlines launched in 2001 andoperates five MD-82s, two Dornier328Js, two SA-227 FairchildMetroliners, a C-500 and five CitationMustangs. “Summer time is a good

period for most air operators and ourMD-80s are flying, on a charteredbasis, extensively,” Filippi says. “Mainclients include Opera RomanaPellegrinaggi, a premier religious tour

operator in Italy, which servicesdestinations including Lourdes, TelAviv and Santiago de Compostela. Weare also flying for some of the largesttraditional tour operators.”

Trevor Esling, Cessna’s vpinternational sales, says: “MustFly’sdecision to base its business modelon the Mustang proves the aircraft isideal for many types of air charterservice across Europe.”

Capt. Leo Vecchione, first officer Marco Valerio Di Stefano and Capt. Giulio Bernacchiaare ready to fly the expanding Mustang fleet. Photo: Maurizio Gunelli.

MustFly plans Mustang fractional and air taxi fleet

Trevor Esling: proven versatility.

Heli Travel Munich GmbH (HTM) hasbrought a new EC135 P2i into service.Operating from the Emdencommercial airfield it flies to the AlphaVentus offshore wind farm, 50 kmnorth of Borkum Island. Wind farmoperator Deutsche Offshore Testfeldund Infrastruktur GmbH&Co KG plansto build 12 5MW wind turbines.

Bernd Brucherseifer, operationsmanager, says: “People and equip-ment were transported to the windfarm’s transformer station andconstruction of the first wind turbinewas completed in the summer. HTMwas then commissioned to performlifting operations at sea over thegenerator building which is almost100 metres high. HTM chose theEC135 because of its superior single-engine performance and its multi-purpose capability.”

HTM choosesEC135 P2i for

wind farm work

Seawings, which provides Dubai-based aerial sightseeing tours, reportsgood demand for special flightsduring Ramadan, the Muslim monthof fasting.

Stuart Wheeler, director, says: “We are looking at running two flights daily. This equates to levels of between 150 and 250 passengersfor the month of Ramadan for ascenic flight of Dubai’s iconic skyline followed by a traditional Iftardinner at the Park Hyatt or Jebel Ali Hotel.”

The annual fast of Ramadan isconsidered one of the five “pillars” ofIslam. Muslims are required to fasteach day of the entire month, fromsunrise to sunset.

Iftar, the meal taken after sunset tobreak the fast, usually starts withconsuming a date and drinking water,a tradition which goes back to theearliest days of Islam. “Once thistraditional fast-breaking is complete,people can eat an array of foods, withmany regions having their owndelicious traditional Iftar food,”Wheeler points out.

Based at Jebel Ali Golf Resort andSpa and at the Dubai Creek Golf andYacht Club, Seawings beganoperating with one aircraft and ahandful of staff. Its fleet now includesthree Cessna 208 Caravans and morethan 70 staff.

Wheeler says: “Seawings offers upto 16 flights per day, leaving every 30minutes, as well as a choice of varioustour options, It caters to the needs ofthe individuals, groups, corporate,incentives, tourists and residents. The Ramadan afternoon specialdeparting at 5 pm and the Ramadansunset special departing at 6 pm from the Dubai Creek have bothproved popular.”

Seawings winsbusiness withspecial flights for Ramadan

Ramadan flights take off.

6 SEPTEMBER 2009 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Agusta 109 Power

Offshore oil, high mountains,industrial cities and remote outpostsmake Europe fertile territory for thetwin engine helicopter. Many of thetrailblazing twins from the 1970s arestill plying their trade, whiletechnologically-advanced new modelsare also making their mark.

In this report we talk to owners ofsome of the many models in operationto gauge their satisfaction with theirhelicopters of choice. Unfortunately wehave not been able to cover the wholerepertoire, and so offer our apologies tothe many operators of helicoptersincluding the BO105 and the multitudeof machines of eastern origin, which donot appear in our survey this time. Wewill aim to set that straight when wereturn to the subject in 2011.

We selected owners of twin enginehelicopters from our reader databaseand provided a private web-basedsurvey form for each, where opinionscould be noted about each type’sstrengths and failings. We asked aboutmaintenance support, dispatchreliability, operating capabilities andvalue-for-money.

Only EBAN readers who we havebeen able to verify as confirmedcurrent users of a particular helicoptertype were given access to the surveyforms.

Next month we will be looking at therather less diverse very light jets. If youfly these types and wish to make youropinions heard then please look out forour email and link to the survey forms.

Advanced models continue fine traditionsestablished by trailblazing twins in the ’70s

Me & My Aircraftthroughout 2009

OCTOBER

Very light jets

NOVEMBER

Cabin class pistonaircraft

DECEMBER

Super midsize jets

Make your opinion count!Whichever type of aircraft you own or operate, we are keento hear your views. Log in atwww.ebanmagazine.com andyou will find voting forms foreach type in your fleet. Ittakes moments to complete,and the more replies wereceive the better our finalreports will be. Your usernumber and pin is on theback of the mailing sheetincluded with your magazine, or request a reminder on theweb site.

Don’t delay, take part today!

ME & MY AIRCRAFTTwin engine helicopters

The Helicopter Service of Icelandregularly checks what is available inthe marketplace but has so far seenno reason to switch from Bell. “So farwe are happy with our 230 and 430,”says Sindri Steingrimsson, directorflight operations.

The company provides passenger,photography and film, sightseeing,leisure, aerial work, fire services,freight and survey and surveillanceservices but the 230 is poised fordeployment abroad.

Steingrimsson says: “There arethree or four interesting projectscoming up that we believe both the230 and 430 aircraft are well suited toand we are waiting to see whatdecisions are made.”

The company, he points out, hasPart 145 approval and carries out itsown maintenance. “We are happywith the availability of spare parts.We have good relations with oursupplier in the United States andenjoy direct contact with them. Weare a small company and do notstock up with major items but weobtain these within one or two daysso we have been quite happy withthis aspect.”

He adds: “Our company is comingup to its 20th anniversary and wehave found Bell helicopters andrelated service to be good so we’ve noreason to change. We have had noserious problems and are quitecontent but we do keep up-to-datewith what is provided by othermanufacturers and should the needarise, we are open minded.”

The company, which has been incontinuous operation since 1989says Steingrimsson, was also the first

helicopter company in Iceland toreceive JAR OPS 3 certification fromthe Joint Aviation Authorities and theIcelandic CAA.

The global economic downturnled to many projects, ranging frommining and exploration to hydro-electric power dam building andtourist operations, being put on hold,but charter operators in Iceland areseeing signs that some of these may get the go-ahead in the monthsto come.

“The 230 has the advantage ofbeing able to operate on skis and hasemergency floats. Although it cantake ten passengers we configure itfor seven. The 430 also has clearadvantages for VIP transport,”Steingrimsson says. “It is a verydifficult time for small operators but

we get work because we offer safe,quality helicopters and excellentcustomer service.”

Individual projects have includedanything from bush fire-fighting near the capital city of Reykjavik, tosupporting the arts and recent movie projects such as Flags of OurFathers and HOME 2009, saysSteingrimsson.

Many operators of Bell aircraft,including the 212, 222, 412, 427 and430, expressed satisfaction with theaircraft. Agrarflug-Helilift GmbH &Co KG’s Robert Rücker reported hewas satisfied with the maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability andvalue of the 212 and very satisfiedwith the operating capability. He waseven happier with the 412 – verysatisfied with the value, dispatch

Helicopter Service of Iceland sees no reason to change from Bell helicopters.

Helicopter Service of Iceland sticks with the reliable Bell 230 and 430 as

20th anniversary approaches

Bell Helicopters of fers the widestrange of twin engine helicopters,comprising:

Bell 212: Introduced in 1971 andpowered by two PT6 engines drivingone gearbox and two rotor blades. Itcan accommodate pilot and fourteenpassengers.

Bell 412: First delivered in 1981this is a development of the 212 withfour rotor blades. Over 700 have beenbuilt by Bell and AgustaWestland, andthe current model is the 412EP.

Bell 222/230: Entering service in1980 the Bell 222 carries up to tenpeople including pilots, or fewer incorporate configuration. Switching itsLTS101 engines for Allison 250screated the Bell 230 in 1992.

Bell 430: A stretched version of theBell 230 with four-blade rotors, the430 entered service in 1996 and isexpected to reach the end of itsproduction run during next year. It alsoseats up to ten.

Bell 427/429: First delivered in2000, the Bell 427 features PW207Dengines driving four rotors and canaccommodate eight people includingpilot. It is also expected to reach theend of its production run in 2010,

when it will have been replaced by thelarger Bell 429. First deliveries of thislatest model have just taken place inCanada.

The most popular Bell twin enginehelicopter line in Europe is the Bell212/412, which can be found innineteen countries. Severalcompanies operate both types,notably Abu Dhabi Aviation, Bristow,Gulf Helicopters, Agrar flug-Helilift,Atlantic Airways and the major fleetsin Spain and Por tugal. The largestcombined fleets are with HelicopterosDel Sureste, Faasa Aviation andHelicopteros SA, while AerogulfServices of the UAE has a number ofBell 212s.

The Bell 222 is flown in tencountries, mainly for passengertranspor t, and the 230 in Germany,Iceland, Turkey and the Gulf. AirGreenland tops the fleet league tablewith several Bell 222s.

The Bell 430 finds favour inBulgaria, Russia and the Ukraine, aswell as western Europe and the Gulf,and the population of Bell 427s isequally weighted towards the east, inPoland and the Ukraine, and thelargest fleet with Alfa Helikopter in theCzech Republic.

THE BELL HELICOPTER RANGE

Bell 429

Eurocopter EC155

reliability and operating capabilityand satisfied with the maintenancesupport. But he adds: “The worstthing is the rather expensive spares.”

The Bell 212 also impressedanother operator who was verysatisfied with the maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability andoperating capability. “Whenoperated within the expectations ofits design envelope it is an excellenthelicopter,” he adds. “I am also verysatisfied with the value, which is hard to beat for moving up to 13passengers. The best aspect is thesimplicity: the worst thing is dealingwith peoples’ expectations regardingthe technology. Just because it is an‘oldie’ doesn’t mean it isn’t also a‘goodie’.” He does not advocate anupgrade. "Leave it alone – why gild a lily? It is an excellent value formoney helicopter, reliable and easyto maintain – profitable.”

There was further anonymouspraise for the 412 – our reader wasvery satisfied with the maintenancesupport and operating capability andsatisfied with the value and dispatchreliability. But he adds: “The avionicscan cause delays – especially inhumid weather. The maintenance

costs for the aircraft, especially therotor system, aren’t the best. Why Bellchose to continue trying to make asilk purse out of that rotor system isbeyond me. The best aspect is theutility which provides a bit morespeed than the B212, IFR and theworst thing is the rotor system.”

The respondent adds: “One couldargue the benefits from the JAR OPS 3equipment upgrades will producelittle obvious improvement.However, rational argument against‘mom and apple pie’ safety features ispointless when the passionate, well-intentioned and equally uninformed

draw a line in the sand.”One operator of the Bell 222

reports that he is very satisfied with

the maintenance support, thedispatch reliability and the value andsatisfied with the operatingcapability. “The best thing is the goodoperating costs but the worst aspectis the limited performance with full payload.”

The Bell 427 and the Bell 430 alsohave their supporters. AlexanderGerkin of Ikaros Aviation AVV says he is very satisfied with themaintenance support, dispatchreliability and operating capability of the 427. He is also satisfied with the aircraft’s value. “It is alwaysflying and does not provide anyproblems.”

Capt Michal Wamej of theMagellan Pro-Equity Fund ISA saysthe 427’s most desirable upgrade is asingle pilot IFR. He is satisfied withthe maintenance support, operatingcapability and value and verysatisfied with the dispatch reliability.“The best aspect is that it is veryreliable. The worst thing is its lowMTOW,” he adds.

One operator, commentinganonymously, said she was verysatisfied with 430’s maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability,operating capability and value.

SEPTEMBER 2009 7EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

ME & MY AIRCRAFT

Icy conditions present challenges for Helicopter Service of Iceland.

Helicopter Service of Iceland crewtraining captain Reynir Pétursson worksin icy conditions.

The AgustaWestland AW139 is nowflying in 15 countries around Europeand the Middle East, includingAtlantic Airways in the Faroe Islandsand Vektra Aviation in Montenegro.The largest populations are gatheredaround the North Sea and engaged inoil and gas industry support, and thelargest fleets are in the hands of AbuDhabi Aviation and Schreiner Airwaysin the Netherlands.

Bel Air of Denmark, which haschosen the AW139 medium twin tospearhead its expansion into theoffshore market, says it is happy withthe maintenance support, availabilityof spare parts and manufacturerback-up.

Capt Susanne H Lastein, md, says:“The Bel Air team decided to buy the AW139 after an extremelymeticulous comparison between alloffshore helicopters in the mediumweight class.

“We took delivery of our firstAW139 in late June and since then wehave had a few instances where themaintenance support have done agreat and very fast job.

“We have confidence in the Agustaspare part support and believe it will work out fine in closecooperation with Bel Air. Themanufacture back-up we haveexperienced is second to none.”

is up to the oil companies to backtheir words with contracts – which anumber of them have failed to do.”

But he is satisfied with the AW139’smaintenance support. “Agusta hasfully supported the solving of earlyproblems with tail booms and thatphase appears behind the modelnow. The dispatch reliability issteadily improving as Agusta and theoperators gain experience with themodel.”

The operator is very satisfied withthe operating capability. “What a

performer! I am very satisfied withthe value, safety features, capabilities,and speed. The best aspect is thethird generation technology, safety,speed, comfort. The worst thing is theexpected ‘teething’ problems as thefleet enters the market.”

Most desirable upgrade, he says, isa 6,800 kilo option.

Milan Kuc of Vektra Aviation sayshe is satisfied with the maintenancesupport and value but very unhappywith the dispatch reliability andoperating capability.

Bel Air's Susanne Lastein, HRH Prince Henrik of Denmark and Ian Savage, regional sales manager commercial business unit,AgustaWestland.

Bel Air puts faith in the AW139 after ‘meticulous’ researchAGUSTAWESTLAND AW139

Originally a joint venture betweenAgustaWestland and Bell Helicopter,the AB139 was certificated in 2004and redesignated AW139 in 2006following Bell’s decision to leave theprogramme entirely in the hands ofAgustaWestland. It is powered by twoPT6C turboshafts and has a maximumcruising speed of 157 kts and rangewith no reserves of 550 nm. It cancarry up to 15 passengers.

Bel Air: developing fleet.

The Ente Nazionale AviazioneCivile (ENAC), the Italian CivilAviation Authority, says that theAW139 is proving a good testhelicopter for the evaluation of alow altitude IFR route betweenTurin and Venice in Italy,crossing the Pianura Padana (Po Valley).

Trials were performed usingan AW139 specifically equippedto monitor and process the datagenerated by ground andsatellite based navigationsystems. “In particular, thereliability of navigation data andthe navigation capabilities of theAW139 were evaluated duringthe tests, while taking intoaccount the expected evolutionof satellite navigation systems,”ENAC says. “Our units constantlytracked the aircraft whileevaluating the radar coveragealong the route and thenavigational accuracy of theAW139 flying the 210 nm route.”

The evaluation is part of anumber of initiatives to developa dedicated network of low levelIFR routes optimised forhelicopter operations. “Theseroutes will be integrated into theairspace system and will utiliseflight levels where icingconditions are not normallyexperienced and below where apressurised cabin or oxygenwould be required,” GiuseppeOrsi, AgustaWestland ceoexplains. “If there are adverseweather conditions procedureswill be developed for helicoptersto abandon the use of dedicatedIFR airspace, and utilise theairspace used also by fixed-winged aircraft.”

Passing tests

The AW139’s excellent payloadand performance, she says, ensureshigh productivity for offshoreoperations. Capable of carrying up to15 passengers, the AW139 can be usedfor a number of applications otherthan offshore transport includingEMS/SAR, executive and viptransport, law enforcement andgovernment roles. But Lastein saysthe Bel Air aircraft will be used in a 12-seat configuration for offshore services.

Lastein says Bel Air likes thepayload, performance, multi-rolecapability and flexibility.

Bel Air, established in 1994, alsoprovides a range of services includingaerial works, photography and film,sightseeing and leisure, survey andsurveillance and training.

It says the AW139 is one of thefastest helicopters in its class with amaximum cruise speed of 167 knots.

Another operator, commentinganonymously, says: “Agusta hasdelivered the helicopter that the oilcompanies, at least the safetyauditors, claimed they wanted. Now it

Another 430 operator, GerardWilliams of Starair (Ireland) Ltd, sayshe is satisfied with the maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability,operating capability and value. “Thebest thing,” he adds, “is thepassenger comfort and the worstaspect the limited performance andrange. The most desirable upgrade isa cocooned interior.”

Tufan Savas of Agaoglu Air says heis satisfied with the maintenancesupport and dispatch reliability ofthe Bell 430 Corporate. And he was very satisfied with the operatingcapability and value.

He adds: “The best aspects are the wide passenger cabin, smoothride and comfortable facilities for the pilot. The worst thing is that the engine power is not powerfulenough for some specific flights.These include flights during hot daysand flights at high altitude. The mostdesirable upgrade would be moreengine power.”

8 SEPTEMBER 2009 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

ME & MY AIRCRAFT

AS365 is one of the most successful ‘twins’ butmaintenance support and spares can be an issue

Made in France and flown in Francein large numbers: the AS365Dauphin 2 is one of the mostversatile twin turbine helicopters. Itcan be found in 20 countries aroundEurope and in the United ArabEmirates. The largest fleet is withHeli-Union, but Helicopteros SA inSpain, Helimo in Belgium, andHeliportugal also have substantialnumbers.

LNT Aviation, whose AS365N1was used to help preparations for acomeback by UK motor racingdriver Nigel Mansell, says thatmaintenance support and sparescan be an issue.

The company’s Damian Roberts,however, adds that the Leeds-basedcompany is generally satisfied with maintenance.

“The AS365N1 is maintaineddirect through Eurocopter UK whoare slowly appreciating responsetimes and service levels expectedfrom private owners of largehelicopters. Maintenance supportand the supply of spares can be anissue dependent upon LAEavailability and the Eurocopterholiday period.”

Roberts is also very satisfied withthe “excellent” dispatch reliabilityand the operating capability. “I amsatisfied with the value. The aircraftis becoming more popular forprivate ownership due to its speed,reliability and comfort afforded atreasonable price.

“The best aspects include theease of handling and flying, theengine reliability, ride comfort,cabin size, cargo capacity, speed and range. The worst aspectsinclude the cockpit size andTurbomeca’s monopoly on engineservicing and provision. We’ve been

forced to go onto PBH to guaranteespares provision.”

Roberts says the N3 modelovercomes the SE-performancelimits of the N1 for UK use but atexpense of range. “Fuel tanks thatdo not restrict cargo hold capacitywould be welcome,” he adds.

“The 365N1 has provedinstrumental in ensuring LNTGroup company executives canreact promptly in managing various

interests. It was used to pick-upNigel Mansell and his son Greg for an 11 nautical mile trip from

their jet to our companyheadquarters at Garforth. The roadtrip can take 40 minutes or so and

time was of the essence. The twoneeded to attend a ‘seat-fitting’earlier in the year to prepare themfor subsequent testing of theGinetta-Zytek LMP1 Le Mans car.”

Mansell, who remains the most successful British FormulaOne driver of all time and lastcompeted at Grand Prix level in1995, is being joined for the firsttime by son Greg and former LeMans winner, Ginetta chairmanLawrence Tomlinson to compete inthe world famous endurance race‘1000km of Silverstone’. The teamdrove the car at the course from 11to 13 September.

Peter Dahm says Avinco SAM issatisfied with the maintenancesupport, dispatch reliability,operating capability and value of the AS365 but Marco Besagni ofHelico Srl is unhappy with themaintenance support and dispatchreliability. He is, however, satisfiedwith the operating capability and value.

Nigel and Greg Mansell and Lawrence Tomlinson: The LNT AS365N1 helped out in racing preparations.

Nigel Burton, md of the UK’s EastMidlands Helicopters, is very happywith the A355 and the A109 asbusiness helicopters but frustratedby spare part difficulties.

“You just cannot get partssometimes. It is frustrating andunacceptable,” he reports. “I am veryunhappy with the availability ofspare parts from all sources in theUK. The service is appalling. It is aknown fact that, if you want a sparepart out of the United States and it isthere, that you can get it. Theproblem lies in getting the partallocated to your own operation. It isa constant problem with these twoaircraft and the unnecessarydowntime is extremely frustratingespecially when you need to makethe most of business opportunitiesduring a downturn.”

But the A355 and the A109, hereports, are good aircraft for thebusiness and sports trips thatcomprise the lion’s share of EastMidlands Helicopters’ work as well

as for freight, photography, film,sightseeing and leisure, and surveyand surveillance.

A355 and A109 ‘are good helicopters but spare parts availability is appalling’ says very unhappy East Midlands Helicopters md

LNT Aviation’s AS365N1: enablesexecutives to react promptly.

HOW THE EC155 EVOLVED

Developed and introduced during the 1970s the original SA365C was a twin enginevariant of the SA360 Dauphin. It evolved through increasingly capable models fromthe AS365N up to the AS365N3, which entered service in 1998 and remains inproduction today as the AS365N3+. The next model, with inflated cabindimensions, was originally known as the AS365N4 but has now joined the modernEurocopter naming convention as the EC155.

Burton, who founded thecompany in 1988, says that thecompany’s two A355s are slightlymore cost-effective for longer trips but, although price is animportant factor, client decisionsbetween the two types usually reflectpersonal preference.

“Some prefer the cabinenvironment of the A109 becausethey are seated away from the pilotand can focus on work. The A109 isfaster and this can make a differenceon trips that are 90 minutes or more from, say, the Midlands toScotland. Others like the proximityto the pilot on the A355. However theA109 has a far better luggage

capacity. If you have got golf clubs or equipment to transport than the A109 is the logical choice. Otherthan that, I would not venture an opinion as to which is the betteraircraft. Both have their strengths as far as clients are concerned: it is rather like motorists debatingthe relative merits of a BMW or a Jaguar.”

Burton does not feel that the company’s A109 and two A355s would necessarily benefitfrom more features or upgrades.“Bells and whistles can mean more equipment and more weight when the overwhelmingrequirement is for simplicity andefficiency,” he points out. “I amhappy with the aircraft and how theyare equipped.”

The recession has seen adownturn in the demand for thetransport of spare parts in sectorssuch as the motor industry, but carand horse racing along with businesstrips in a radius of perhaps one totwo hours continue to providebusiness.

As a young man Burton foundtrips in fixed-wing aircraft routinebut sorties in helicopters excitingand gained his private pilot's licencestarting to fly on an Enstrom.

“I received enough transportrequests to consider launching acommercial venture and decided to see how it went. That was 21 years ago and the fleet has grownand expanded from the singleJetRanger we had at the start,”Burton says.

Nigel Burton: frustrated by spare part difficulties.

East Anglian Air Ambulance(EAAA), which covers the Englishcounties of Norfolk, Suffolk,Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire,says it has been “very pleasantlysurprised” at the good servicelevels for the BK 117.

“Maintenance has never beenan issue,” says Simon Gray, ceo. Buthe says that part of the agreementwith Norwich-based operatorsSterling Aviation, is that EAAA has aBolkow 105 on standby cover ifthere should be any problems.

“One of the great aspects of theBK 117 is that it has quite a smallfootprint and disc size inproportion to the internal spaceavailable and it can land in verytight spots if necessary. Weupgraded from the Bolkow 105 andare benefiting from the increasedcapability. We chose the BK 117because of the added comfort for the patients. It has proved agood choice.”

The BK 117 was developedunder a joint collaborative effortbetween MBB of Germany, nowpart of Eurocopter, and Kawasakiof Japan. It is now out ofproduction.

John Himpleman, SterlingAviation’s operations manager, saysthe BK 117’s dispatch rate has beengood. “Its strengths are the load,the range which is suited forcoverage of the East Anglia region,and its carrying capability.”

On average the EAAA is called tofour incidents daily.

EAAA praises BK117 dispatch rate

Western European Jar Ops 1 AOC company available for investment,

sale or lease opportunitiesFor further details please send valid inquiries to

box22@ebanmagazine.com

SEPTEMBER 2009 9EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

ME & MY AIRCRAFTExcel Charter has six Twin Squirrelsamong its fleet of ten helicoptersbased at Stapleford Aerodrome nearLondon. “We put our Twin Squirrels to work in an unrivalled variety ofroles,” says head of flight operationsIan Perry.

Chief pilot Michael Jupp might findhimself collecting a businessman fromhis private jet at Luton and taking himto Battersea Heliport in a vipconfiguration one day and being onmedevac standby the next. “Theversatility of the type allows a veryquick role change for the aircraft,” saysPerry. “Fitting a Heli-dyne stretcheronly takes a short time and, with up to50 days a year in this role, this vastlyimproves the utilisation of our fleet.

“The Twin Squirrel is a fantasticaerial filming platform either with adigital Cineflex on a boom mount or aWescam nose mount for feature films.Even easier to fit are Tyler side mountsout the side door for action shots.What really helps us on these types ofjobs is having four very lightweightaircraft on high skids, which allowsmore room under the aircraft tomount the cameras and moreairborne time for the director/producer. Twin-engine performanceallows us to operate over water and,also of benefit for us being so close to

London, over congested areas.”He adds: “Almost every day one of

our pilots will be called upon to carryout a photographic sortie over Londonfor property portfolios, developmentslike the Olympic Park or artisticpanoramas. The side opening doorsallow for a totally unobstructed view.These views are also enjoyed on our

London sightseeing tours; customersoften remark upon the smooth rideand the great all-round visibility.”

Perry says that with 120 knot cruisespeed and two hour fuel capacity, theTwin Squirrel can cover most of the UKdemand for charter purposes. “It isalso a very capable IFR machine usefulin the English weather and especiallyas the nights start to draw in.”

He points out: “The AS355 has beenaround for a long while and this helpsin a number of ways. The reliabilityand maintainability is superb, we haveour own associated Part 145organisation, MW Helicopters, wholooks after our fleet and have so muchexperience nothing is a problem.

Because it is such a popular aircraftamong operators it easy to trade leaseour aircraft to cover maintenance andnew contracts.

“The support from Eurocopter isstill good and, with so many EASAapproved STCs, we continue to findnew ways to utilise our aircraft. Wehave used an under slung load rig tolift 1,000 kg bags to inaccessible moorsor building materials onto an island.We carry out the latest highly accurateLiDar scanning using a laser systemthat surveys the ground in incredibledetail and we have illuminated wholetown squares for a show using aNightsun. We’ve provided real-timeaerial surveillance using our camera

AS355 TWIN SQUIRREL

The twin engine version of the AS350Squirrel first flew in 1979 and remainsin production to this day in the form ofthe AS355 NP.

The initial production versionAS355E featured Allison 250 enginesand was known as the Twin Star in theUS, this being succeeded by theAS355F and F1 with C20F engines.The subsequent AS355N switched toTurbomeca engines with FADEC.

The AS355 is in service in morethan 20 countries across Europe, inthe largest numbers in the UK, Franceand Spain. Some of the major fleetsare with Arena Aviation, PDGHelicopters and PremiAir in the UK,SAF Helicopteres in France, DGT –Servicio de Helicopteros in Spain, theFrench Customs service and Heli-Union, Heli Service Belgium and HeliAustria GmbH.

Twin Squirrel provides ‘fantastic’ aerial filming platform

The imagination and ingenuity ofowners and operators constantly addsnew business scope to the alreadydiverse roles of rotary aircraft ingeneral and twin engine helicopters inparticular. The type range of ‘twins’used by operators is impressive, withthe S-76, Super Puma and EC135 justthree of dozens of varieties built byWestern manufacturers. Russianmodels include the Mi-171, the resultof intense modernisation of the Mi-8,a model that has racked up more than100 million hours.

The result is a polyglot of types thatare used in many roles at the forefrontof technology ranging from windfarms to major health projects as wellas traditional roles such as vip charterand offshore transport.

An EC135, operated by Bond AirServices, is the chosen aircraft todeliver personnel and complexequipment by winch at the GreaterGabbard wind farm off the UK's EastAnglian coast. Another trailblazingrole for helicopters is being defined inFrance. Eurocopter, the hospital inDreux, the French association ofhelicopter emergency medicalservices and the French civil aviationauthority have cooperated in a seriesof instrument flight tests. Positiveresults are expected to enable patientsto be transported by helicopter fromone hospital to another even underpoor weather conditions.

In the UK, PremiAir’s newestcharter helicopter is a “beautifullypresented” 2009 Sikorsky S76C++.David McRobert, the group’s md says: “The aircraft has a six seat vvipcabin featuring Sikorsky’s latest‘Silencer’ interior which delivers cabinnoise levels approaching that ofbusiness jets.”

He adds: “It really is a fantastichelicopter. Since it entered service inMay it has been in strong demandfrom regular and new customers.Feedback has been excellent and we’redelighted to have it.”

PremiAir is among more than 200operators in 37 countries flying S-76sfor missions including corporate andvip charter, emergency medicalservice, search and rescue, offshore oilcrew transport and civil defence.

Peter Kolesnik, director-pilot ofSwitzerland’s Linth Air Service,

does not feel the S-76 needs anyupgrades. The company, which has used the aircraft for passengercharter since 2005, says it is happywith the maintenance arrangements,availability of spare parts, dispatchrate and value.

Stephen Tierney of the UK's AirHarrods, which owns three of its ownhelicopters and operates them forcharter with Capital Air Services, alsomanages an A109 and an S-92 whichare also available for charter.

Tierney says: “The S-76 has asuperb cabin with plenty of room andvery easy access. It is a fast aircraft withsmooth and comfortable level ride.The latest C++ version has enhancedperformance with Turbomeca Arriel2S2 engines with increased singleengine power over other C models.These engines are among the mostfuel efficient helicopter enginescurrently available on the market.”

Tierney says that both thecompany’s S-76s are fitted with theSikorsky ‘quiet’ technology maingearbox. “These have made a bigdifference in reducing cabin noise,

added to which we have the latestsilencer interior fitted which, althoughlighter in weight than previous vipinteriors, has far superior soundproofing. Our cabins do not requireheadsets for passengers to talk withone another.”

VIP transportation and corporatecharter is the main role of the 76s thatAir Harrods owns and operates.

Tierney says: “We have our ownhighly experienced engineer and amaintenance contract with HALwhich is Part 145 approved for the S76and S92. We have no need to lookelsewhere. We have an excellentdispatch rate and having new aircrafthelps with reduced maintenance costsand also spares acquisition. We enjoy

excellent support from Sikorsky’s HSI.”The latest and most advanced

model, the S-76DTM, is scheduled toenter production in 2010.

PremiAir’s helicopters range in sizefrom AS355 Twin Squirrel to SikorskyS-92, with four Sikorsky S-76s amongcompany aircraft are based close toLondon. David McRobert says: “AllPremiAir’s fleet are IFR aircraft, flownby highly experienced instrumentrated pilots.”

He says: “The recession has notbeen easy for business aviation but I’mglad PremiAir took the opportunity inthe past to diversify its operations intomany areas of executive helicopterand business jet services, so helping toprotect our overall business from thesignificant swings certain marketshave witnessed.”

PremiAir’s maintenance business iscentred on Blackbushe airport nearFarnborough. “For over 25 years we’vebeen well known as Sikorsky S-76 andBell 222/430 specialists, but now weoffer a full range of services on manydifferent helicopter types,” says BarryStone, PremiAir’s engineering director.

“Our focus is on providing high qualitymaintenance and FBO services for allexecutive helicopter owners andoperators. Over the last five years wehave seen our maintenance businessgrow to include the AS365 and EC155,A109 and Grand and during the lastyear the Sikorsky S92.”

PremiAir Global, PremiAir’s aircraftsales and acquisition business, hasseen very tough market conditionsover the last year. But Tim Blockley,PremiAir Global’s md, believes that themost difficult trading conditions “arenow behind us.”

Erlend Folstad, commercialmanager of Norway’s Airlift, says: “Wehave operated the Super Puma since1996 and we are very satisfied with thehelicopter type.”

Airlift has two Super Pumas, one anAwsar AS 332 L1 which is a SARhelicopter on Spitsbergen. “Thishelicopter is maybe operating in oneof the hardest environments in theworld,” says Folstad. “It is fully de-icedand has NVIS.”

The other, an AS332C, is a heavylifter. “With this we performed thelongest helicopter rescue everperformed. It involved flying 600 nmfrom Spitsbergen to North Greenlandincluding 400 nm over open seacrossing from Spitsbergen toGreenland and and then back again inone flight.” The rescue operationsaved the life of a scientist.

As well as roles ranging from windfarm maintenance to vip charter, twin-engined helicopters are vital in theoffshore industry. Bristow Helicopters,which has won a new contract tosupply shuttle services between theSafe Caledonia flotel and the Franklinplatform in the central North Sea, isoperating morning and eveningshuttles using an offshore-basedAS332L for Total E&P UK Ltd. Bristowalso operates the S-92 which competesin a market sector where the SuperPuma is also prominent.

Excel Charter puts Twin Squirrels to a variety of uses..

and digital downlink as well as infraredimaging equipment on railway andelectricity lines.”

He concludes: “All in all I don’t thinkthere is another aircraft that wouldallow our business to be so diverse,which in the current economy allowsus to be so successful.”

Interjet SA reports it is satisfiedwith the maintenance support,dispatch reliability, operatingcapability and value of its twoAS355Ns and its AS355F2. But ThierrySoumagne of Heli Service Belgium NVis unhappy with the maintenancesupport for the AS355 F1 and F2. He is,however, very satisfied with thedispatch reliability and operatingcapability and satisfied with the value.“The best aspects are the pace, powerand space but the worst things are theelectricity problems and oil leaks.”

Roy Knaus of Heli Austria GmbHsays he is satisfied with themaintenance support and dispatchreliability and very satisfied with theoperating capability and value. “Thebest aspect is the good multi-missionplatform and the worst the electricalsystem,” he says. “The most desirableupgrade would be C20R engines.”

Variety proves to be the spice of life for rotary operators

Bristow: new contract.

Bristow: operates S92s.

Wyndham London, Chelsea Harbour, London SW10 0XG

Tel : 08701 909 321info@greysoflondon.com • www.greysoflondon.com

Greysof London Ltd

Chauffeur Services

reliable to date and we have no issueswith spares.”

EHAA says the MD 902 Explorer’sstrengths include its large cabin areaand 6,500 lb MTW. “It is quiet in itsclass and is a particularly safe aircraftfor landing in congested areas.” ButEHAA would like to see NVIS on newaircraft as standard and a reduction inscheduled service intervals.

Heli Austria’s Roy Knaus is satisfiedwith the maintenance support andvalue of the MD 900. He is also verysatisfied with the dispatch reliabilityand operating capability. “The bestaspects are the low noise factor andthe spacious cabin but the worst thing is that costs for parts haveincreased substantially over the pastfew years and there is no power by the hour for the airframe componentsavailable. The most desirable upgradewould be 207E engines (as used on the MD 902).”

The UK’s Specialist AviationServices, parent company to publicservice air support firms PoliceAviation Services (PAS) and MedicalAviation Services (MAS), claims the MD 902 Explorer outperforms its competitors.

Nigel Lemon, director sales andmarketing, says: “Our companyprovides comprehensive 24-7 UK-wide maintenance for the MD 902Explorer as well as approved thirdparty engineer and pilot rating/

conversion training courses. Ourpolice and air ambulance end users allvery satisfied with the dispatchreliability. It is very close to the 100%mark taking into account weather andother factors such as scheduledmaintenance which sometimes getincluded and skew the figures.”

He says the company owns six MD902s with three more on order. “Intotal, we operate and support over 20MD 902s in the UK in the airambulance and police role, plus acouple of the aircraft operated on aprivate or corporate basis. A couple arethe older MD 900 model but themajority are the MD 902.”

Lemon says he is very satisfied withthe operating capability. “The aircraftoutperforms its competitors includingthe EC135 in payload, safety anduseable cabin space. It is alsosignificantly quieter.”

He adds: “It is similar in both

capital cost and DOCs to its rivals sothe superior performance makes itgood value for money. The MD 902’sbest aspect is its operating capability.Its payload capability and transit-vancabin space make it ideal for policeand air ambulance work. Low noisemakes it environmentally friendly andinternally, low noise and vibrationminimises crew fatigue.”

Lemon says many of the MD 902’s newer features have beenincorporated as standard since 2008,such as increased MAUW to 6,500 lbs,air conditioning and auxiliary tank.“The next thing is possibly aninstrument upgrade, but the currentfit is perfectly acceptable as it wasdesigned with a semi-glass cockpit inthe first place.”

Since 2000, the SAS group has beenowned by Elite Helicopters HoldingNV (previously RDM Aerospace BV), aDutch industrial concern that alsoowns a significant interest in MDHelicopters Inc. MDHI manufacturesthe MD 902 Explorer. The group hasbeen based at Gloucestershire airportsince 1991. It has recently expanded tonew, purpose-built facilities almost3,000 square metres in area.

Peter Moeller reports favourably onthe 900 and 902. He says he is satisfiedwith the value and maintenancesupport and very satisfied with thedispatch reliability and operatingcapability. “The best aspects includethe NOTAR system, big cabin, lowvibration level, small outsidedimensions and greater power. Theworst thing is the non-availability of afull flight simulator for pilot training.There is still no full flight simulatoravailable to support the training and recurrent training of pilots on the900 series.”

Moeller says the aircraft could dowith an upgrade kit to convert 900 into902 to fully comply with PCrequirements of JAR-OPS 3.

10 SEPTEMBER 2009 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

ME & MY AIRCRAFT

The MD 900/902 is in service in Austria, Belgium, Germany,Luxembourg, Switzerland and the UK,with German and UK police andambulance operators accounting forthe majority.

Most UK police forces tend tofavour the MD 902 Explorer or theEC135, according to respondents tothe EBAN survey. Mick Dunn,executive officer with the GreaterManchester Police (GMP) helicopterunit, says: “The MD 902 Explorerprovides an excellent platform forusing equipment to carry out policingroles. Power is important but it isn’tjust about power, it is about the wholepackage and the framework for theservices, maintenance and enginesupport is excellent for the MD 902.”

GMP is using its second Explorerfor missions that total around 1,200flying hours a year. Its first, whichcarried out 8,000 hours airborne workin seven years for the force, is now inservice with Essex and Herts AirAmbulance.

Dunn says: “The support packagewe have for the MD 902 is such that weare very happy with the maintenanceand availability of spare parts. Theoperating capability is good: we work the MD 902 pretty hard. The all-round visibility from the aircraft is alsovery good.”

The MD 902 is equipped with thelatest technology including FLIRthermal imaging systems.

Essex and Herts Air Ambulance(EHAA) brought the aircraft intoservice in November 2008 and isaiming to carry out about 300 flyinghours in the first year. EHAA says: “It isoperational five days a week currentlyand we aim to increase that to sevendays next year providing charitableincome allows. It is maintained byMedical Aviation Services, Staverton.We are very happy with engineeringresponse, the aircraft has been very

The MD 902 provides ‘excellent platform’ forEuropean policing and air ambulance roles

Essex and Herts Air Ambulance is delighted with the MD 902.

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Expanding Horizons

GMP’s police crew at the ready.

The Agusta A109 is highly popular, asyou might expect, in its home countryof Italy, but has achieved its greatestacceptance in the UK, where dozenshave found a home in corporateservice, as well as for ambulance andair charter operations. No fewer than23 countries from Ukraine toPortugal, Norway to Turkey, haveresident A109s. Most of these areoperated singly or as a pair, but thelargest individual fleets include thoseof Helicopteros del Sureste in Spain,Proteus Helicopters in France, ElilarioItalia in Italy, Swiss Air Ambulanceand the UK’s Castle Air Charters.

Philip Louis Amadeus, whorecently filmed the 608 nautical mile2009 Rolex Fastnet Race from the air,is well-qualified to compare themerits of the Grand and Powerhelicopters. His Redhill, UK-basedRotorMotion has operated a fleet ofA109s for 13 years. “We now have twoolder ‘classic’ 109s and one Power towhich we’ve added a brand newGrand collected from the factory andwe have hopes of bringing anothernearly new Grand into operation.”

The fleet’s strength in depth helpsin ensuring aircraft availability forevents including the Cowes toPlymouth race via the Fastnet Rockoff southwest Ireland which attracted300 entries from around the world.Amadeus says: “The Fastnet coveragewas for TWI, producing film and stillsto cover the race. We have done it

every two years for 12 years now. A strange aspect of this is that despite JAR and now EASA, we haveto apply to the Irish CAA for atemporary AOC, as, although we canfly charter in Eire, the agreementdoesn’t cover aerial work.”

He adds: “We can almostguarantee aircraft availability even inthe busy summer months and we arejust an eight minute flight time fromLondon’s Battersea heliport where wehave established the top end of vipIFR helicopter charter as our niche.”

Amadeus says that, for the pilot,the advantages of the Grand over thePower is that it is 10 knots faster andMTOW and avionics are superior.“There is also a bigger door windowfor taller pilots,” he adds. “For pass-engers there is more legroom, the tripis smoother and quieter and there is abetter view out of two big windows.”

The drawbacks, Amadeus pointsout, are that the Grand has less sparepower in hand at MTOW, a smallerboot as it has to incorporate the

battery, and problems with slidingdoor track wheels. “There is also anannoying speed warning over 160knots before VNE 168.”

Amadeus says: “With reference toour Power, the Nav fit of the Trimble2101 is terrible. Compared to theGarmin 430 530 option that we havein the Grand it is stone age. The wayyou have to enter information withlots of pushing and twisting of knobsis very clunky. Also it can only store200 User Waypoints, so we constantlyhave to delete useful old ones. It haslimited knowledge of smallerairfields, so we have to save Redhill,Elstree aerodrome etc into the UserWaypoint list. When you do a simpleGoTo, neither the destination nor atrack line appears on the KMD 550, soin remote areas all you see on themoving map might be a lot of green.Lastly and more scarily, our Powerhad the wrong co-ax cable fitted tothe GPS antennae, so it struggled toget reception.

“Instead of the GPS going off, it

AGUSTA GRAND AND A109

Deliveries of the original A109A helicopter began in 1976, later acquiring a choice ofPratt & Whitney or Turbomeca engines in 1995 in the form of the A109E Power. Aspecial edition with improved soundproofing and interior was produced as the PowerElite. The maximum cruise speed is 154 kts and standard range 521 nm.

The most recent development has been the A109S Grand, which has a largercabin and the option of a luxury interior. The first two Grands were delivered tocustomers in the UK in 2005. It can carry eight people including crew, or have afive/six place club seating arrangement in executive configuration.

Grand is a real step up from the Power but ‘could do with more MTOW reserve’Egypt’s ministry of defence has

signed a contract for three AW109Power light twins. They will beoperated by the Egyptian Air Forceto perform emergency medicalservice (EMS) duties on behalf ofthe ministry of health.

The government says thespacious patient/medical staffcabin of the AW109 is completelyseparate from the cockpit allowingtwo or three attendants full accessto the two longitudinally placedlitters without disruption to thecockpit. The co-pilot seat isreversible for an additionalmedical attendant.

“Both single and dual litterconfigurations are available,” thegovernment adds. “Internal as wellas baggage bay storage areprovided while dedicatedequipment and patient loading isfacilitated through large cabindoors on either side of thefuselage.

“The internal layout includesprovision for the installation of allnecessary medical equipment totreat patients while in transit.Standard oxygen and power supplyunits are positioned on both thecabin rear bulkhead and upperside panels.”

Egyptian EMS chooses three Powers

that we service has 80 wind turbinesin a 5x5 kilometre area and we dopassenger transport to a transformerinstallation in a park being built now.”

Uni Fly also specialises in air taxiflights and power, oil and gas lineinspections. Its aerial photographyand filming uses a 360 degree camerainstallation. The company alsocarries out sling operations, ice patrolfrom supply ships in Greenland, fieldoperations for mineral exploration in Greenland and special missionswith its EC135s complemented by a Schweizer 269C and two EC120 Colibris.

Denmark’s DanCopter is happywith the with EC155’s maintenanceand availability of spare parts. Headof training Jan Petersen says: “Wehave evaluated this aircraft during the last six years and it has alwaysshown a very high dispatch rate. Our maintenance programme useszone inspection which more or less always delivers an aircraft on the line whenever our customers askfor a flight.”

DanCopter plans to add to its

SEPTEMBER 2009 11EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

ME & MY AIRCRAFT

The EC135 is operated in 21 countriesaround Europe, with the largestpopulations to be found in Germany,the UK, France and Austria. Policeand medical operators account for byfar the majority, although there arealso examples in corporate andpassenger charter service. The largest fleets are in the hands of theGerman police force, followed byGerman and Austrian emergencymedical services. Bond Offshore alsohas a substantial fleet.

The EC145 is rather less prolific,but still found in a dozen countries.This model is favoured by the Frenchpolice and Swiss air ambulance.

The EC155 has a growing followingfor passenger service in the UK, withfleets in operation by Starspeed andBristow, as well as by Dancopter inDenmark and Offshore Helicopters in Norway.

Operators of the EC135, widelyused among police and ambulance

services, and the long-rangemedium-lift EC155, are generallyhappy with the aircraft.

In the North Sea Uni Fly A/S hasflown around 18,000 maintenanceoperations on 80 wind turbines sinceits first EC135 was delivered in 2002.Helicopter maintenance managerFrank Petersen says: “This helicopteronly flies in bad weather because,when the sea is calm, the technicianscan be transported by boat.”

The EC135 lowers two techniciansthree or four metres to a specificallydesigned platform on the windturbine more than 80 metres abovethe sea, Petersen says. “The EC135has a large cabin and provides highlevels of safety for hoistingoperations. It is able to withstand thewind, which allows it to remainstable; and the right conditions aremaintained in which the hoisting canbe completed if one of the enginesshould fail. The aircraft’s dispatchrate and value are good but oursecond EC135, being delivered inSeptember, will have IFR which is adesirable upgrade to advance

operational capability.”Petersen says that Uni Fly,

launched in 1970, is happy with themaintenance and availability of spareparts. “The EC135 is on EurocopterPBH (power by the hour) wherebymaintenance costs are fixed andhelicopter downtime is minimised.The service covers all D levelscheduled and unscheduled repairsand overhauls for dynamiccomponents – blades and basicequipment are included. At the endof their service life, all parts arereplaced by new Eurocopterguaranteed parts,” he adds.

Petersen says there is a risingdemand for transport to offshoretransformer installations. “The field

The EC135 lowers technicians to a specially designed platform.

IFR advances EC135’s operational capability on Uni Fly’s expanding North Sea operationsDesigned as the successor to the

BO105 (and originally dubbed theBO108), the EC135 was firstcertified and delivered in 1998. Itcomes with a choice of Turbomeca orPratt & Whitney engines, and hasseating for seven including twopilots, or six in vip configuration.Maximum cruising speed is 138 kts,and standard range 335 nm. Thelatest variant is the EC135P2+/T2+, built in Germany andSpain, and there is now an executivevariant known as the EC135 Hermeswith calf leather seats and leathertrimmed controls, cabin enclosed inHermès canvas and complete withbinoculars for the passengers.

The technology from the EC135has also been incorporated into asuccessor to the BK117, the EC145,which features Turbomeca enginesand first entered service in 2002.Maximum cruising speed 138 kts,typical range up to 380 nm. It isslightly more spacious than theBK117 because of the removal ofcentre post and door supports.

The larger EC155 was also adevelopment of a previous model,namely the Dauphin 2. It wascertificated in 1998 and featurestwo Turbomeca engines. Cruisingspeed 144 kts, and range withstandard tanks 424 nm. Variantsrange from high density one pilot/14passenger configuration to vip fourto eight passengers plus pilot.

THE CURRENT EUROCOPTER FAMILY

DanCopter: versatile roles.

Unusual choiceOperators that responded to theEBAN survey mainly usetraditional types but one of themore unusual helicoptersoperated was the PZL W-3 Sokol.Jablonski Wojciech reported thathe was satisfied with themaintenance support: and valueand very satisfied with thedispatch reliability and operatingcapability.

“The best aspect,” he reports,“is the good relationship betweenthe costs of the overhaul and theoperating requirements.” Butoperation of the main rotor bladescould be improved and he wouldlike to see increase maintenanceoverhaul intervals. However, hesays: “It is the best helicoptersknown to me for doing hard workin difficult operating conditions.”

EC155 fleet. The company broughtEurocopter’s one hundredth EC155B1 into operation. It was alreadyoperating five EC155s in the NorthSea oil and gas market and is one ofthe launch customers of the EC175with two on order.

From its main base in Esbjerg,DanCopter started offshoreoperations in support of the oil andgas industry in 2003, introducedsuccessfully the first EC155 B1helicopters in the North Sea, and nowprovides service to oil companiessuch as HESS and DONG Energy.

Nils Skeby, ceo, says: “We haveexpanded our activities fromDenmark and the Netherlands intoIreland and Norway servicing Shell,Statoil, Gaz de France, Chevron,Wintershall, Det Norske and MaerskOil.” Skeby points out that the 12-passenger and two-pilot EC155 is atwin-engine, long range helicopterwith the very latest technologicalinnovation making it one of the mostreliable helicopters on the market. Italso has a fast cruising speed of 143knots and a wide roomy cabin. “Itsadvanced Fenestron tail rotor andfive-blade rotor means it is also thequietest rotorcraft in its category andensures superior manoeuvrability,performance, and reliability” he adds.

Capt Keith Sturgess of WesternCounties AOU, which operates anEC135T2, is satisfied with themaintenance, dispatch reliability andvalue and very satisfied with theoperating capability. He says: “Thebest thing is the reliability. We work itvery hard in police operations. Themost desirable upgrade would be anincrease of AUW although we are notimplementing due to cost.”

Peter Dahm of Avinco SAM reports that he is satisfied with theEC155B’s maintenance support,dispatch reliability, operatingcapability and value.

went into a subtle DR DeadReckoning mode. The position on theKMD 550 looked sort of OK, but afterthe odd turn or change of speed, thedisplayed position was some miles offthe helicopter’s actual position. Thiscould be distracting at best.”

In July Amadeus and Capt PeterBarnes ferried a brand new A109SGrand from Agusta’s Milan factory toRotorMotion’s base near London.“This superb machine complementsthe current AOC fleet of a 2006 threetonne Power and a A109 Mk II Plus,”he says. “We also have on call threefurther Agusta 109s. The Grand is areal step up from the Power. It is 10knots faster with a cruise speed of160. Max endurance is 2.5 hours andamazingly with six passengers it canstill fly Performance A for one hour 40minutes. This is convenient as Paris isonly just over an hour from London.The stretched cabin gives excellentlegroom for up to five adults.”

There are concerns among someoperators about Agusta’s mainten-ance and spare parts service. OneEuropean operator, which asked toremain anonymous, says that it isvery unhappy with the maintenancesupport for the A109, stating thatAOG parts delivery from the

manufacturer may take more thantwo months. However, the operatorwas very satisfied with the dispatchreliability and satisfied with theoperating capability and value. “Thebest aspect is the performance andcruising speed and the worst thingthe uncorrectable vibrations. It needsa better anti-vibration system,” theoperator added.

Another operator disagrees. It saysthe standard of maintenance servicefor its A109E Power EMS can vary. Butit was generally satisfied with the

maintenance support, dispatchreliability, operating capability andperformance. “The best aspects arethe speed and low vibrations. One ofthe most difficult aspects is changingthe documentation each time tomatch the different individual clientrequirements.” The most desirablyupgrade, it says, would bring incomposite tail rotor blades. Theoperator explains: “Sometimessupport is excellent but sometimes itis very heavy although the problemsare not with standard components

maintenance or repair. The numberof maintenance facilities are small.”

Ersan Buyukakcam says Uray AirAS is very satisfied with themaintenance support, dispatchreliability, operating capability andvalue of the company’s Agusta 109A.Francesco Za reports he is verysatisfied with the maintenancesupport and operating capability ofthe A109E Elite and satisfied with thedispatch reliability and value. “Thebest aspects are the comfort andperformance and the most desirableupgrade would bring ice protection,”he adds.

Manufacturer’s comment:AgustaWestland says it has beeninvesting heavily in its customersupport activities in recent years andcontinues to do so, increasing sparesstocks, reducing lead times andoverhaul times, increasing thenumber of authorised service centresand the range of training services. “Asan example we have recently doubledthe size of our new logistics centre atLonate Pozzolo in Italy,” the companysays. “We are making significantimprovements across the boardalthough we appreciate there is roomfor further improvement.”

Philip Louis Amadeus with Capt Peter Barnes who has been flying Grands since theyfirst came into service and has about 9,000 hours.

Uni Fly: Fleet has bad weather role.

project in Morocco required certaincapabilities and the load factor is animportant requirement whendeciding the deployment. The Bell 205gives us added load capability as it canmove up to 1,700 kilos but the B3 cantake 1,350 kilos, the B2s about 1,100kilos and the B1 around 900 kilos.”

However, sometimes evenOsterman’s heavy lift capability has tobe supplemented and, in one projectthe company used Aircrane Inc’s S-64 Skycrane.

Topographical surveys are anothersource of business enquiries. “We alsoget contacted by the police for SARmissions particularly where incidentshappen in the remote mountains.However, there is more of arequirement for the installation ofpower lines and the maintenance ofinfrastructure. We also have BambiBuckets which are very effective in firefighting so our fleet is extremelyadaptable to the differentrequirements of clients in varioussectors,” Lindahl adds.

“We are happy with our fleet and therefore do not plan anyadditional aircraft at present. Thereare new projects coming up,including one involving another verylarge power line, and, althoughnothing has been decided, thecompany is very confident in itsability to maintain work levels despitethe global recession.”

Örebro Aviation uses its two Pipertwins for both passenger and freightand has followed a steady businessstrategy since it set up over 15 yearsago. The company is based at Örebroairport. “We have our own hangarwith office, crew room and ‘in check’for our passengers and we have goodsupport from the airport to carry outour operations. However, we alwayshave been treated well at otherairports we visit,” says operationsmanager Monica Pöhner.

She says the company has noproblems finding pilots if, afterqualifying and gaining experience onthe Pipers, they decide it is time forthem to move on to bigger aircraft.

“Unfortunately, due to the globalrecession’s effects on peoples’business there has been a fall indemand for air taxi and privatecharter flights but we are nowbeginning to see an increase indemand for flights.”

Norrlandsflyg AB believes it standsto continue to benefit after itsdecision to focus exclusively ongovernment-contracted missions.The company’s Anders Annerfalkexplains: “Since all general andbusiness charter operations wereterminated in 2002 in order to focuson public contracts for HEMS andSAR, the company has grownsubstantially. With a new owner andnew management on-board fromearly 2008, a firm foundation forcontinued expansion has been laid.”

Norrlandsflyg, he adds, operates allSwedish SAR-helicopters on behalf ofthe Swedish National MaritimeAdministration, with five basesaround the vast coastline on a

survey work is fairly constant and wedon’t see much change in that sectorbecause we have long-term contractsbut there have obviously been lessrequests for charter.”

There is a major focus on mappingwhere demand is high for up-to-datephotographs and information forurban planning, infrastructuremonitoring, geophysical develop-ment and mining and forestryupdates.

Oberg says: “The Commanders arevery good aircraft for surveys. Theyare flexible, reliable, stable and fuelefficient and meet our requirementsto film at both low and high levels. Wehave the latest equipment and theaircraft are obviously speciallyadapted for the work.”

Oberg says the company made abig investment in aircraft two-and-a-half years ago and does not anticipatethe need to reinvest for a while. “Wehave enough capacity to meet currentdemand and cope with a pick-up inair charter business,” he says.

Anders Jivegaard, president ofJivair, confirms that charter work forits Piper Navajo and the Citation 500,configured for six or seven seats, isdown although he says there are signsof recovery. The Citation also enjoysair ambulance and medevac demand.

“It can be converted within one hour,”Jivegaard says.

Golden Air Flyg, which operatesfrom Helsingborg and Trollhattan-Vanersborg, expects to resume ad hoccharter as demand picks up, perhapsin the autumn. The company, whoseaircraft include an SF340 and a Saab2000, focuses on freight, includinghazardous freight, as well aspassenger services. “There was moredemand for scheduled flights so wetook a commercial decision to stopprivate charter but we may reinstatethose services later in the year,” sayschief of operations Tollef Dale.

Stockholms Helikoptertjanst,which operates two MD500s and twoLlamas, confirms that aerial works isamong the more stable businesssectors in Sweden. Owner RichardZiverts launched the company in2001, and it concentrates on long linesling load operations installinginfrastructure such as masts.

Sweden’s Osterman Helicopter,one of the biggest and longest-established helicopter companies inSweden, is involved in a huge powerline project spanning 800 kilometresinto the north which is likely to takearound 18 months to complete.

Its varied 12-strong fleet is indemand for aerial works in countriessuch as Morocco as well asthroughout Scandinavia, and workson a diverse mix of business rangingfrom house building to fire fighting.

The company’s Merlyn Lindahlsays: “There are islands, particularlyoff the west coast of Sweden, wherepeople use our helicopters totransport material. On some islandsno cars or lorries are allowed so thehelicopter is the only vehicle that canbe used. There is also steady demandfor cell phone masts and we have an excellent reputation for firefighting expertise.”

Osterman Helicopter, which haskept its name despite changes inownership over the years, operates aBell 212 and a Bell 205 which hasbenefited from the strengthenedairframe giving it the advantages ofthe 214 Huey Plus. These aircraftcomplement three Bell 206s and fiveAS350s – one B1, three B2s and a B3.There are also two EC120s.

Almost all can be used in aerialworks, fire fighting, freight, passenger,photography and film, sightseeingand leisure, vip charter and surveyand surveillance. “We provide thehelicopter that is best for the client,”says Lindahl. “The aerial works

12 SEPTEMBER 2009 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

SWEDISHREGIONALREVIEW

Sweden, like all other countries inEurope, has suffered from a downturnin private charter demand. But thebeauty and natural resources ofregions such as Swedish Lapland, andthe development of infrastructureincluding power lines in the north, isproviding welcome and relativelystable and profitable business.Operators, some of whom focus onambulance work and SAR, also reportsigns that charter demand is pickingup with bookings increasing over thelast few months. The rise in privatecharter is welcome although someoperators are also diversified into themapping and environmental andresources research sectors which do not depend on corporate andleisure budgets.

Wermlandsflyg has seen itsinvestment in four turbineCommander twins pay off with longterm contracts providing steadybusiness levels. Wermlandsflyg, whichoperates from Gardermoen, Gavleand Torsby/Fryklanda, also has twotwin piston aircraft, a ShrikeCommander and a Piper Chieftainand, although it focuses largely onphotography and aerial survey work, it also provides freight and

passenger services.Operations manager Anders Oberg

says: “The photographic and aerial

Wermlandsflyg: major focus on mapping.

Sweden’s versatility helps operators combatdifficulties caused by global recession

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

Comprehensive Swedish online data

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Anders Oberg, operations manager, and Lena Oberg, md, of Wermlandsflyg have placed a major focus on mapping operations.

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constant 15 minute alert. “In addition,two HEMs-bases are operated onregional hospital administrationcontracts, one in Gothenburg,covering the Swedish west coast andone in Gällivare in the far north,covering the Polar region.”

CFO Andreas Bestelid predicts thatthe new business focus of thecompany, launched in 1961, willenable it to grow.

The company’s headquarters and technical base with main repair, overhaul and maintenancefacilities were moved last autumn to a new base in Gothenburg. “Thistook it geographically much closer tothe majority of the SAR bases,”according to Ralf Zander, managerflight operations.

Technical manager Rolf Öhlundsays a new S-76 is expected to comeinto operation later this year. “One of the advantages of the S-76 for thekind of work we do is that it has asturdy well-proven platform.” Thecompany’s 12-strong fleet includesfour S-76C+s.

Chief pilot Tommy Sarwien saysthat Norrlandsflyg AB benefits fromthe advantages of a fleet that has a focus on operating a single type of aircraft.

Fredrik Skanselid, who became mdin January 2008, says the companymainly recruits staff through itswebsite. He adds: “Even if we have nomajor vacancies today, we are alwaysinterested in meeting ambitious, welltrained and experienced future staff members.”

Fly Logic reports that clients arevery appreciative of its new facilitiesat Malmö airport which were officiallyopened recently. Accountablemanager Willy Lilje Heden says: “Thefacilities are much more convenientfor the clients as it is a short walk fromparking and facilities to the aircraft.We are responsible for our ownsecurity and can give an extremelyeffective service.”

Fly Logic says the strategic locationof the new facilities enhances itsprompt response to flight requests.The company operates three PA-31s,two Navajos and one Chieftain, and aMetroliner II.

Lilje Heden says: “Our corepassenger charter business isaccommodating the needs ofbusinessmen who perhaps wish totravel, spend a night away, and comeback promptly. Sweden, likeeverywhere else, has suffered in theglobal recession but we havemanaged quite well. Many businesseswho used to use jets have transferredto our cost effective alternatives and,recently, overall business activityseems to have picked up.”

WaltAir Europe has redeployed itsCitation XLS in the French Riviera andreports high business levels from Côted’Azur seaside resorts such as Cannes,Antibes and Saint-Tropez.

“It has proved to be a soundbusiness move,” says marketingdirector Lars Nordin. “The XLS isconfigured for nine passengers buttypical charters are for four to six andit is an extremely comfortable aircraftfor those kind of numbers. The XLS is

popular and flying almost every daybecause it is very good value: the cost is not much more than of a light jet but the comfort is that of amidsize jet with its stand-up cabinheight and APU.”

WaltAir also has a refurbishedSuper King Air 300 and a 350 at itsmain base in Norrköping and a CJ1which operates out of Malmoe Sturupairport in the south of Sweden, whereWaltAir has a hangar, lounge andoffice space. Nordin says MalmoeSturup is a great strategic locationnear to Denmark, Poland andGermany. Leisure demand in Europehas proved a welcome boost in theeconomic downturn, he reports.

WaltAir, founded in 1996 with aBeech Baron 55, is also developing its ad hoc flights for hospitals. Thework involves patients scheduled for transplant, doctors carrying outthe operations, and the organs.WaltAir also transports babiessuffering from lung or heart diseaseusing an Extracorporeal MembraneOxygenation (ECMO) machine that keeps oxygen supply at the right levels.

The CJ1, Nordin reports, is usedextensively but the King Airs and theXLS have more availability for charter.“WaltAir has a good base for Europeanoperations and is well-placed to takeadvantage of the business upturnwhen it comes,” he adds.

Kallax Flyg AB has built up astrong business basis for its fleet of 11helicopters with tourism dominant inthe summer and aerial worksproviding the lion’s share of work inthe winter.

The company, founded in 1998 bythe brother and sister team of SvenStenvall, Folke Stenvall and AnnaFlink, is now a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of Stenvalls Trä AB, an AAAcredit-rated company with profitablesawmill activities.

“Kallax Flyg AB is able to offerstrong economic security to itscustomers. The aircraft are owned bythe parent company, Stenvalls Trä AB,which in turn hires them out to KallaxFlyg AB,” the company says.

The company has grownorganically and through acquisitionacquiring the Part 145 aircraftmaintenance company Helimek AB and Polar Helikopter of Kiruna in 2004 and incorporating Helimek ABin 2007.

“Swedish charter demand is notimmune from the lower demandexperienced in 2009 throughoutEurope but Kallax Flyg AB has amodern leadership philosophy and

SEPTEMBER 2009 13EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

Tenders invited for Manx air ambulanceThe Isle of Man has invitedexpressions of interest in providingthe island’s air ambulance service,currently operated by WoodgateExecutive Air Charter. The currentservice is delivered by a modifiedfixed-wing aircraft at RonaldswayAirport and undertakes up to 240 airambulance transfers each year,almost all of these being between theIsle of Man and Liverpool JohnLennon Airport. Approximately 95%of these transfers are non-urgent andare carried out during normalworking hours between Monday andFriday. The current contract runsuntil January and is being reviewedin order to ensure “good governanceand best value for money”.

Gulfstream speeds fromAruba to SpainA Gulfstream G450 has established acity-pair speed record betweenQueen Beatrix International Airportin Oranjestad, Aruba, and BarcelonaInternational Airport in Spain. Theaircraft flew 4,374 nautical miles in 8 hours, 56 minutes, at an averagespeed of Mach 0.80 with noheadwinds. It landed with 3,900pounds of fuel remaining.

Falcon 7X approved forsteep approachesDassault Falcon has receivedapproval from the FAA to performsteep approaches with slopes up to 6˚ for the Falcon 7X. Thisapproval allows US-based Falcon 7X operators to fly directlyinto London City Airport (LCY),Lugano, Switzerland (LUG) andother airports requiring steepapproach landings.

Helicopter training offeredfor ‘inadvertent IMC”FlightSafety International is toexpand its Surviving Inadvertent IMCtraining programme. The training willnow be available in Fort Worth, Texas;Tucson, Arizona; Lafayette, Louisianaand West Palm Beach, Florida.

It demonstrates proventechniques and procedures designedto assist helicopter pilots whenoperating in an environment thatcould lead to entering InadvertentInstrument MeteorologicalConditions and to respond safelyshould this occur, and is non-aircraftspecific.

Phenom 300 heads for certificationWith the first flight of the fifthaircraft, the Phenom 300 is on targetfor certification before the end ofthe year. The current fleet of fourprototypes has accumulated over850 test flight hours.

Phenom owners givenhotline to EmbraerEmbraer has introduced a customersupport contact centre dedicated toexecutive jets, offering assistance foroperational, technical andmaintenance needs. The initiativehas been operating for NorthAmerican Phenom 100 customerssince December 2008, and has nowbeen expanded to offer worldwidesupport for all Embraer executive jet models.

Pembrey bids for golfing businessPembrey, a privately-ownedcommercial airport in west Wales,reports that Techniques d’AvantGarde, which owns and operatesboth Farnborough Airport and AirCharter Co Ltd, has selected Pembreyto provide landing, refuelling, hardstanding and other facilities to morethan a dozen executive jets carryinggolf’s elite to the Ryder Cup 2010.

And it’s likely that internationalracing professionals and fans will bemaking a beeline to Pembrey in 2009.That’s when nearby FfosLas, the UK’sfirst new National Hunt racecourse in80 years, opens its doors for the firsttime.

More than £3.5 million hasalready been invested at Pembrey,and md Captain Winston Thomas isnow seeking investors for Phase 2 ofits development. The airport hasaccess to over 5,000 acres/2,000hectares of level development landavailable immediately, plus thesupport of local authorities forfurther development.

Online cateringmanagement is enhancedPrivate Flight Global has added asearch option and enhancedreporting to its online system forinflight catering management.Customers are now able to obtain agreater level of detail for analysis ofcatering expenditure. Real-timereports can be downloaded, andcategorised by flight, trips, aircraft,cuisine provider, or by personnel.

Execujet appoints FBO directorThe Execujet Aviation Group hasappointed Mark Abbott as groupFBO director with immediate effect.He will be based in Cape Town.

Citation service expands in BremenAtlas Air Service has opened one ofEurope’s largest Citation ServiceCenters at Bremen Airport. MichaelLaux, managing director at Atlas,said: “Given the rapid growth ofEurope’s Citation fleet, this facility isthree times larger than our formerBremen service centre. We can nowaccommodate up to 16 Citationssimultaneously.”

Atlas Air Service delivered over 50Citations to European customers in2007 and 2008, and also operatesservice centers at Paderborn andGanderkesee.

Premier II timing under reviewHawker Beechcraft reports progresson its Premier II programme with thefirst test flight of the aircraft’s newengines on a modified Premier IAand the entry of the first Premier IIfuselage on the assembly line. Thefirst prototype flight is on schedule totake place in December 2009, but thecompany now expects deliveries tobegin in late 2012 or early 2013 –timed to coincide with an anticipatedrebound in the business aviationmarketplace.

The new light business jet evolvesfrom the highly successful Premier IAand will feature higher cruise speeds,20 percent longer range with fourpassengers and increased payload.

Citation X grows wingletsThe first Citation X to be fitted withelliptical winglets has been delivered.Cessna and Winglet Technology, LLC,collaborated to develop the latter’spatented elliptical winglet for retrofit.Its shape ensures the lift distributionclosely matches optimum liftdistribution along the span of thewing, which reduces the induceddrag of the aircraft. The resultingdrag reduction enhances operationalperformance for the Citation Xincluding decreased fuelconsumption, increased speed andincreased range.

The retrofit kit also includes thereplacement of the existing anti-collision and position light systemwith LED versions. Plans are underway to offer installation of thewinglets at all nine Cessna ServiceCenters throughout the US and inEurope.

BACA still sprightly at sixtyThe Baltic Air Charter Associationwill be celebrating its 60thanniversary with an awardsceremony at London’s Guildhall inOctober. The association, formed topromote the highest standards in aircharter brokerage, has membersfrom across both the passenger andfreight commercial aviation industry.

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

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SAR is important for Norrlandsflyg AB.

Grafair has a catchment area of 25,000islands.

Phenom owners get dedicated service.

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Continued on page 14

14 SEPTEMBER 2009 EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

strong financial basis, and itsassignments are constantly beingrefined and improved,” the companysays. “All the staff are committed andexperienced, look at the big pictureand take their share of responsibilityto generate quality that benefits thecustomers.” Kallax Flyg AB continuesto benefit from repeat businessoperating according to JAR-OPS 1-3and EU-OPS 1 requirements.

The company operates EC120Bs,AS350s and Schweizers which, it says,provide a good range of choice forparties interested in hunting,shooting and fishing holidays as wellas aerial work assignments. KallaxFlyg AB renews the fleet throughjudicious buying and selling. Thecompany says: “Helicopterassignments include aerialphotography, game inventories,reindeer herding, power cableinspection and fault localisation andflights for the Swedish Armed Forces.Our helicopters are in demand for all types of lifting assignments and fire fighting.”

But Kallax Flyg AB has a strongfocus on eco-friendly angling tripsand hunting and adventure holidaysin the unspoilt wilderness of Kiruna.The company has year-round bases inand around Kiruna and at Kurravaaraproviding offices, accommodation,storage and maintenance hangars.There is also a year-round base atPiteå/Långnäs airport with amaintenance hangar, and a hiredfacility with a base in Arvidsjaur plusseasonal bases in Nikkaluokta, Abisko

and Alta, Norway.The company says: “Despite the

recession, tourism in general, andenvironmentally adapted tourism in

particular, is among the fastestgrowing business in the world. Thenatural resources in Swedish Laplandare magnificent, but must beprotected and preserved. Our goal isto create sustainable tourism inLapland and that includes giving allstaff environmental training.”

The Municipality of Kiruna hassome of the world’s best areas forgrayling, a freshwater fish of thesalmon family. Areas includeSandåslandet, the collective name forland framed by Tavvaätno andPirtimysjokk in the south; theKorvejávri and Kiepanjávri lakes inthe west; Rostuätno in the east andKummaätno in the north. “Thelandscape is characterised by lowmountains, airy heaths, lovely sandridges and almost endless swampsand is very popular with anglers,” thecompany says. “There are other primefishing areas and a vast mountain areain the municipalities of Kiruna andGällivare offers almost unlimitedopportunities for grouse hunting.With Kallax Flyg’s many andstrategically located air bases, we canreach most places quickly and costeffectively. Many guest grouse hunterschoose to fly out and hunt on theirown with hunting friends. Many ofthese hunters have good friends wholive locally in Kiruna or Gällivare and,with their help and company on thehunt, they are able to find places notalways located by guests on their ownin the area. Kallax Flyg works withhunting guide companies andtogether they can offer uniquepackages with comfortableaccommodation, good food andexperienced guides who will take thehunter to the places with the bestgrouse hunting conditions at the time,both in terms of stocks and weather.”

It adds: “The quickest and easiestway to reach the municipality ofKiruna’s westernmost mountainregion by the Norwegian border is tostart out from Kallax Flyg’s helicopterbase in Nikkaluokta, which is flankedby Visttasvagge and Laddjuvagge, atthe foot of the KG-Tjåkka Mountain,just 19 km from Kebnekaise mountainstation. “The region offers fairly easy

hiking with many good grousebiotopes along lakes, swamps and thestreams on the mountain plateauxand, particularly, in the valleys alongthe lakes.”

HeliNord has invested in a Bell206L LongRanger to deploy fortourists indulging in the popular sportof heli ski-ing. Norje Marklund, md,says that the demand for heli skiservices in Kittelfjäll and Riksgränsenis rising. Riksgränsen, sited 300kilometres north of the Arctic Circle inSweden’s Lapland, has a heli ski areaof some 60,000 square kilometres withmore than 100 peaks. Helicopters areused to lift skiers to where the bestsnow is often found in tandem with acertified mountain guide.

Marklund says: “Our newhelicopter is being delivered in verygood time for the heli ski seasonwhich begins in earnest in March andnormally lasts until June.”

He adds: “The mountains in theclose area provide 700 to 1,000 metresof vertical height but if you fly in to themore remote areas of Mårma andKebnekaise you get up to 1,500mvertical.” HeliNord also operates three SA316/8/9.

Bengt Graffstrom, owner and ceoof Grafair says that the company’saircraft ownership structure hashelped protect it from the worsteffects of the economic downturn.Although it owns two of its fiveCitation IIs the rest are in fractionalownership. “Our latest Citation II is anS2 which offers longer range andgreater fuel efficiency,” he adds.

Grafair’s seaplane operation hasbeen in business since 1999 and is

currently looking at acquiring a nine-passenger Cessna 208 Caravan toaugment its Cessna 206 and 208. “Wehave a catchment area of some 25,000islands,” Graffstrom explains. “Thereis year-round demand with, perhapstypically, in the region of 300 to 400people living on many of the islands.People might be visiting their summerhouse or travelling to the mainland. Ifclients are flying to London we canpick them up in a seaplane, bringthem to the airport and transportthem to the UK on one of our jets.”Sweden, he points out, has over200,000 lakes.

Grafair also does ambulance workflying hospital missions. “Our broadbase of business and our aircraftownership structure has stood us ingood stead,” Graffstrom adds.

Andersson Business Jet,established in 1992, is amongoperators servicing corporatemissions worldwide and operatesthree Falcon 100s and a Falcon 900EX. “The 900 is in demand forflights around the world – the US,Africa, South America, Middle East, Australia and New Zealand,”says the company’s president CaptBertil Andersson.

The Swedish private aviationindustry’s diversity has been a benefitduring the global economic downturnand now there is cautious optimismthat the charter side will pick up.

Petter Solberg Aviation (PSAviation) provides a typical insightinto the tentative signs of an upturn.Per Inge Walfridson, md, says: “Theprivate charter market is moving inthe right direction. I hope it willcontinue to increase in the next fewmonths.”

PS Aviation, which now operates aCitation Encore and a Citation Ultra,is owned by World Championshiprally driver Petter Solberg, nicknamedHollywood because of hisentertaining driving style. Thecompany was launched in mid-2005when Solberg decided that usingprivate aircraft was the best way tomeet his WRC commitments andacquired a Citation II (EBAN June2007).

Norrlandsflyg AB: government contracts.Photo Norrlandsflyg/Anders Annerfalk

Continued from page 13

Swedish entrepreneur JanSynnersten spent four years studyingthe market before launchingQuickNet Air during the height of theglobal economic downturn – and theresearch has paid off.

The charter company, whichoperates a Cessna Citation II, hasdeveloped a reputation for meeting the budgets andrequirements of rock stars as well as

time-pressed businessmen.Synnersten, who holds a private

pilot’s licence, has built businesses insectors including plastics but saysthe private charter industry is one ofthe most challenging and interestingthat he has become involved in.

“I know from my experience thatit pays to develop business slowlyand carefully,” Synnersten says. “Iput a great deal of care and work into

the project for around four yearsbefore acquiring the Citation II fromManchester in England andobtaining an AOC last December.”

He adds: “It is often a good time toset up in an economic downturnbecause a business can be builtcarefully and systematically avoidingthe temptation to overstretch and gotoo fast too quickly. This isparticularly true of the private

charter market which is complexand demanding. I am not sure thatwe are suffering a recession in thetrue sense of the word as it has beenapplied and understood in the past. Ithink that the traditional models of large businesses are beingchallenged by new circumstances.The companies that will thrive arefirms that identify a need and abudget and target those in tandemwith a service. It may not alwaysmake sense to try and adapt an out-of-date approach to changingcircumstances.”

Synnersten, who set up his firstbusiness more than 15 years ago,says that businessmen and rock starswill hire private aircraft at the rightprice and availability and thatcharter operators have to workwithin their clients’ budgets.

“This approach is working forQuickNet Air. Every month we are gaining new customers. Onceyou build up a good reputationbusiness starts to come in byrecommendation.”

He predicts: “Every airline andprivate charter operator will have tooffer something unique to expandand prosper and QuickNet Air isalready doing that.”

QuickNet Air, which also operatesan R44, and is based in Västerås inSweden, is taking its owner’s patientapproach. “We are still working tofinalise our business model for theR44 and will not deploy that aircraftuntil it is ready,” says Synnersten.

Swedish entrepreneur enjoys private charter challengeSWEDISHREGIONALREVIEW

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Jan Synnersten’s QuickNet Air operates a Cessna Citation II which meets the budgets and requirements of rock stars as well astime-pressed businessmen.

SEPTEMBER 2009 15EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

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BUSINESS AIR NEWS

E U R O P E A N

Squirrel hops betweenGreek islands

Page 4Geneva managers add604 to roster

Page 6PC12 fractional schemegrows apace

Page 8Venerable helicopteroperator clocks upthree million

Page 10German broker offersCheyenne II for sale

Page 14Plus our full Danish review

Page 16 - 18

ISSUE 108 SEPTEMBER 2001

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

www.bizjet.com/eban

More than two and a half years have

elapsed since Muk Air started putting

a VFW-614 aircraft on the Danish

register. With TCAS recently installed,

the aircraft is now available for freight

and passenger charter but says owner

Ruben Werjefeldt, he’d never have

tried in the first place if he’d known

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

somewhat political fight. Early on,

problems which we had to overcome

included both support and

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

convince Airbus to cooperate but

since then, over the last year and a

half, they have been very supportive.

“During the certification process,

an educated crew went elsewhere and

the loss of revenue went into seven-

digit numbers. If I’d known it was

going to take this long, I’d never have

tried to do it. There are more

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

configured to accommodate 18 or 44

passengers or for the purposes of

freight. It is the latter which Muk Air

hopes to pursue the most. Said

Werjefeldt: “There’s less trouble in

freight. If you’re delayed, you don’t

have to book hotel rooms for 44

passengers; if it is a little bumpy, no

one vomits; and if you fly in a

turboprop, no one wants a refund.”

With regard to the vip market,

Werjefeld says one of the aircraft’s

main strengths lies in its ability to

land on short runways. He told EBAN:

“In an 18-seat configuration fully

loaded, I can land at any airport that a

Citation II can land at. We can get

down as short as 800 metres if we are

light – which is unheard of for a

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

614, says Werjefeld, does not end

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

he said. Helmut Kohl preferred the

614 a lot more before the Challengers.

“You have a big first class seat, you

have a hot oven, refrigerators, large

stand-up toilet and big mahogany

tables where you could play roulette if

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

people who want the extra space. It’s

more than you have in a Dornier 328

JET, it’s larger than the Gulfstream

and if you consider the square area of

the plane, it’s only beaten by the BBJ

and ACJ.”Asked whether potential charter

customers may fret over the safety of

an old aircraft, Werjefeld said: "The

aircraft has been maintained in the

same way as the British Queen’s

Flight; everything has been half-

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

confident that for the right customer,

the 614 could present a huge saving.

Werjefeld explained: “If you compare

it with business aircraft which offer

similar capability and space, and you

want to go somewhere where the size

of the runway might be an issue, then

the price is half what others would

ask. A Global Express, Gulfstream or

Falcon 900 would all have a challenge

getting down on La Maule in St

Tropez. I don’t have any problem and

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

an international trip, we couldn’t

compare with any of these

three aircraft. With 1,300 nautical

miles, we’re way too short

for intercontinental range but

for intra-European trips, we’d be

very competitive.”Muk Air has another 614 which has

been on a US register for two

years and will soon be added to the

Danish register.

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

Leeds awaitsUK’s first BBJ2

Adamantis has purchased a Falcon

900, which is currently managed

by charter and sales broker

Air Entreprise. Vice president Arnaud Poisson

said: “The owner chose the 900

because he wanted a long range

aircraft with a large cabin. We were

also keen to have such an aircraft

available in our charter fleet, as many

of our customers were asking to

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

have included Africa, the West Indies

and the US. Air Entreprise also manages a

Falcon 50 and owns a twin jet

Aerospatiale Corvette. Poisson

added: “The Falcon 900 is very good

for our image. We have a mixture of

private individuals, company

presidents and show business stars,

so obviously such an aircraft will

attract a great deal of interest.” The

aircraft is an addition to the

existing fleet.Air Entreprise has a large

hangar and a private terminal at

its Le Bourget, Paris base,

combined with handling and

maintenance departments. Poisson said: ”We are currently

working on expansion plans, but have

yet to decide what level of investment

to put in. “The French charter market is

strong and not particularly affected

by economic variables, so we don’t

feel that the investment will be

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

market has remained stable, Poisson

explained: “The private jet market is

very special, as it only concerns a

small number of people world wide.

Consequently it’s difficult to

introduce new ideas onto the market,

although fractional ownership

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

market to be relatively buoyant also,

and believes it will continue to grow.

“The price of aircraft is currently

being pushed down by the deflated

US market, which has knocked onto

Europe and increased demand,”

he said.

Air Entrepriseoffers long haulflights with itsFalcon 900

Air Taxi has purchased a King Air 200

from Regourd Aviation. Ground

operations manager Jean Pierre

Florent said: “The company chose the

King Air because it suits our needs

perfectly. The range of the aircraft is

around 1,500 nautical miles and the

cabin holds between seven and nine

passengers, depending upon our

configuration.”Air Taxi is based in Tours, France

and operates as a charter company

concentrating solely on a French

client base. The company has already

made a number of domestic and

international flights, particularly

cross-channel, including: Oxford,

Inverness and Farnborough.

Customers are generally vips, ranging

from corporate executives to private

individuals and celebrities. “The

French charter market is not very

strong at the moment. I don’t really

know what has led to the present

climate but it is possibly the influence

of the US market,” explained Florent.

When asked why the company had

chosen a particularly slow time to

purchase an aircraft, Florent replied:

“If a company cannot offer a

sufficient number of aircraft for

charter then customers will look

elsewhere. We bought the aircraft

despite market conditions, because

we are hoping and expecting for a rise

in demand in the foreseeable future.”

Air Taxi startsfleet build-upwith King Air 200

An example of the VFW-614, now offered

by MukAir for charter.

Leeds awaitsUK’s first BBJ2

HANDbook of

business aviation

in Europe

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

0809

HANDbook of

business aviation

in Europe

EUROPEAN BUSINESS AIR NEWS

0809

BUSINESS AIR NEWS

E U R O P E A N

Pilatus makescomplaint to JAAPage 4

Swedes launch websitefor air charter

Page 5Portuguese delightedwith Citation X addition

Page 9Plus: Where and who tocharter in Ireland

Pages 12-13

ISSUE 117 July 2002

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

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

www.ebanmagazine.com

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

developers has placed an order

with Embraer for a Legacy aircraft.

Spain’s Fadesa made the announce-

ment at this year’s EBACE, adding

that the aircraft would replace the

company’s existing Hawker 700 in

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

Coruña, where the company has its

headquarters, and will carry out

corporate missions to Spain,

Portugal, Romania and Morocco,

where Fadesa is currently active.

“We were looking for a larger

aircraft,” said Jose Luis Macia, Fadesa

financial director. “Our main criteria

were reliability, cabin volume and

value. The Legacy very quickly

became the best, that is to say the

only choice.”Speaking to EBAN's Richard Evans

at the show, Embraer vice chairman

Sam Hill said: “Most of Fadesa's

missions will fall in the category of

2,000nm or under although they will

occasionally need to fly 3,000nm.

They’ve already got several trips

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

and see it as a real breakthrough for

us to start selling and delivering

airplanes in Europe. We’re also

delivering our first airplane into

Europe next month and although

we’re unable to disclose the

customer’s name, the operator will be

GV Executive of Zurich.”

Embraer is now waiting for JAA

certification, which Hill says he

expects next month. While the Fadesa

order brings the total order book for

the Legacy to 74 firm orders and 94

options, we asked Hill about the

Legacy’s popularity specifically in

Europe. He said: “We’ve just started

making inroads into the European

marketplace. We’re delivering two

airplanes into Europe this year which

may not seem like much but for us,

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

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

the largest market, followed by South

America, where we’ve had some

sales in Brazil.” An extra incentive for operators

in Europe to buy Legacy aircraft is

the announcement of the Total

Legacy Care (TLC) maintenance

programme. The programme covers

scheduled and unscheduled airframe

maintenance during the five-year

period after the delivery of a

customer’s aircraft. When selecting the TLC program,

the customer or operator of a Legacy

pays a fixed hourly rate for the

airframe maintenance based on the

hours flown and operational

parameters. Said a spokesman: “This

covers virtually all the airframe line,

base and heavy maintenance

operations leaving the customer free

to concentrate on the best utilisation

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

Spanish developer ready todeploy Europe’s second Legacy

TAG Aviation used this year’s EBACE

to showcase its new handling and

office facilities at Geneva Airport.

The FBO moved just ten metres from

its old premises, which was

considered too small to handle the

increase in traffic passing through.

The company moved into the 300-

metres-squared handling facility and

1,500-metres-squared European

administrative headquarters in April,

a month after completion. Handling supervisor John

Christian said: “We moved because

it’s important to have brand new

facilities in Geneva. PrivatAir and Jet

Aviation were also going to move

here, so it was important to be in this

business centre.” The facilities

include a quick departure lounge and

a larger private lounge with DVD,

refrigerator, coffee machines and

internet access. Along with this is

another spacious lounge with the

same equipment, which can

accommodate a group of twenty. The

crew lounge has a direct view of the

passengers arrival in order to

maximise time efficiency. “We are

TAG reacts to competition at Geneva

Sloane Helicopters has added a Bell

206B helicopter to its AOC in the UK

after what operational services

director Paul Forster described as a

“very long, laborious and painful re-

registration.” The company first spotted the

potential addition in Greece 12

months ago. “We were over there

on a trip and noticed a charter

company had started to cannibalise

two aircraft to keep one of their fleet

flying. We then put a silly bid in for

both machines and they took us up

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

out of the parts was initially

designated for any spare-time that

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

it was decided that a couple of

workers should be dedicated to

the completion. “From the builders’

point of view it went very

smoothly, particularly as there wasn’t

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

finished around four months ago

that it became a nightmare due to

Greek bureacracy regarding the

documentation. In fact we eventually

thought it wouldn’t happen, but then

miraculously it came through,”

explained Forster.The Bell will mainly be used for

flight training and charter. “It just

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

only done some self-fly hire with

some of the members down here but

they’ve all reacted positively to it,”

said Forster. The company didn’t start to

promote the aircraft until the paper

work was completed, so now was the

time to start: “It’s a nice machine –

there’s a brand new interior and it’s

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

fills the niche for those wanting to go

down to the races (Ascot, Epson), the

Grand Prix and an advantage of

having floats is that it can also go to

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

complements its range of Agusta

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

Squirrel on the fleet (which I know I

could find some good business for)

and also an EC-120,” said Forster.

Sloane proves thatone Bell beatstwo halves

Continued on page 10

JAA certification is expected imminently

for Embraer’s Legacy.

Continued on page 16

Expressions of Interest are sought for the provision of an Air Ambulance Service

The Department seeks Expressions of Interest from suitably qualified and

experienced organisations for the provision of an Air Ambulance Service

from January 2010 for a period of up to five years.

Organisations wishing to be considered for inclusion on a select tendering

list for this contract must submit their interest in writing including information

about their organisation and the services they currently provide before

12 noon Friday 25th September 2009. This information should be sent

by post in an envelope marked “Confidential” to the address below.

Mr M J Morrison, Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Security,

Health Services Division, Crookall House, Demesne Road, Douglas, Isle of

Man IM1 3QA. Tel. (01624) 685987 e-mail michael.morrison@gov.im

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY

Marketing & SalesRepresentative (Aviation)

If you would like to find out more or apply for this position please go towww.textron.com/careers and click the “find a job” link.

Search for requisition id number 26500

Bell Helicopter, a division of Textron Inc, has a vacancy for a Marketing & SalesRepresentative at their UK office.

This is an entry level role supporting andassisting the Regional Managers andExecutive Director of Marketing & Sales.

The successful candidate will be able toadvance into roles of increasing customerinterface and sales responsibility.Position requirements:• Aviation industry experience (technical or business)• A Bachelor’s degree in Business,Engineering or related field

Tenders

PLUS A ROUND-UP OF CARGO, PASSENGER AND BUSINESS AIR CHARTER NEWS

AirPartnerplayscardscleverly in

Dubai

ISSUE 2 AUGUST 2009

747 facesnew freightchallenger

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

cent? Sixty per cent, or more?

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

This magazine is for them.

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

Contact Pauline Watkins+44 (0) 1279 714508pauline@charterbroker.aeroOr visitwww.charterbroker.aerofor more information

The

air ambulance

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eature

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in Octo

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