Plane Conversations

Many of us who work in business aviation wonder if people would be willing to share their travel plans, share a flight together, let others know what they are up to, so they can meet up on trips, share rides from the airport to the hotel and so forth.

In other words, will business aviation travel go social?

One of the terms used for the aircraft we operate is “private” which does not exactly line up with “social” in a public sense.  We fly “private jets.” Private sounds like I don’t want the public to know what I am doing, where I am going and I most likely do not want to share my private ride.

Sharing is already happening in the world of airline travel and the events that drive travel; maybe to ease the pain inflicted on travelers by the airline system.

As I have looked around on the internet for social media platforms related to travel some really interesting ones have started showing up.

• Planely (www.planely.com) allows airline travelers to share their flight itinerary with the hope of connecting with others on the same flight. If this builds critical mass it could become a valuable tool.
• IMGuest (www.imguest.com) allows travelers to share their hotel location and plans in order to meet up face to face with others at the same or close by hotels, and expand their network.
• Plancast (www.plancast.com) is a site that is really done well, allowing people to post their plans for attending conventions, local events, music events, etc. and easily see who else is attending. A great way to make connections both locally and at away events.
• TripIt (www.tripit.com), which just announced its acquisition by Concur (Nasdaq: CNQR), was one of the first travel sites allowing travelers to share their itineraries that gained a mass adoption. Concur is a leading provider of integrated travel and expense management solutions and apparently thinks TripIt is on to something based on the acquisition price.

These sites allow you to sign up and use them for free, and in some cases check in through your Facebook or Twitter accounts. The Facebook check-in creates an instant profile for fellow travelers to see plus it gives the site access to your Facebook information.

So the question asked again: Are travelers willing to share their travel plans in the hope of making the experience more social? The answer seems to be yes, as travelers are signing up to these social technology platforms in droves.

What about personal and business travel in private chartered aircraft?

What is the value in sharing travel plans with others you don’t know too well? Is it too risky?  Most of these sites tout the value proposition of networking and meeting up with people you would not otherwise meet.

The value of each of us knowing where others are going can go beyond just networking.

If you and I find out we are going to the same places, we can get together and come up with new solutions for getting there more efficiently by sharing costs and buying travel collaboratively. Eventually we may even be able to drive the market to offer better solutions that fit our needs, versus what suppliers of air mass transportation offer us today.

It would great if we could go when and where we really want to go in the most efficient manner as opposed to being pushed and shoved through a system that is not designed to really meet our intentions.

When that happens can the private aircraft, and the industry that supports it, be a possible solution?

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I was just reading through some of my past blogs, and realized that I have gone through an enormity of ups and downs in my journey to becoming a pilot.

A PILOT!  I’m a PILOT!  It’s still seems surreal at this point.  Probably because the elation has not yet worn off.  But I did it.  I realized a dream.  And it’s a wonderful feeling.

It was a long time coming.  One year, and 19 days.  There were some obstacles which were unavoidable, like weather of course, but also the fact that I had to switch from the Cessna 152 after 10 hours of flying, to the Katana DA20 (with 7 months of no flying in between) because of an engine issue.  But looking back, switching to the DA20 was the best thing that could have happened to me.  It has a GPS!  And is a joy to fly.

The weeks leading up to my final test (check ride and oral) were the hardest I’ve had to endure in a long time.  The stress was building, knowing I would have to sit with my examiner while he asked me questions which, at the time, I was not sure I would be able to answer.  Why would anyone voluntarily submit themselves to this much pressure, I wondered.  My fear was that I would not retain all of the information that I was forcing into my head.  But my instructor went above and beyond and spent hours going over what he thought were my weak spots.  This helped enormously, and built my confidence to a point which allowed me to push on.  It’s amazing how a glimpse of success motivates you to push through the tough times.  Looking back, it’s moments like those which make me proud of the tenacity I showed.

I’m not sure how it all came together, but it just did.  I have to give thanks to my Instructor Kirk, who spent hours teaching me to aviate, navigate, and communicate.  I said it in the beginning and I will say it again, choosing a good instructor is invaluable.

So if your instructor signs you off as ready for your check ride, then you probably are.  Have faith in that.

These are some things which I found extremely useful in the lead up to my check ride:

-          Work on your weak areas – of theory, and in the airplane.

-          Fly as often as you can in the week before your check ride to be completely comfortable.  Leaving a week in between shouldn’t matter too much, but I was glad to have gotten in a few good mock check rides before the big one.

-          Nice segway:  Do mock check rides with your instructor.  This will allow you to feel comfortable with the process and to see the order of how things will likely go along.

-          If you can, do a mock check ride with a different instructor – sometimes something that they do differently may help you in your learning process if something is not sticking.

-          Know your aircraft – where everything is, and how it works.  And how it flies best (e.g trim, speeds, etc)

-          You won’t know the answers to all of the questions the examiner will ask you, but know where to find them.  Tab your books if you have to.

-          Know the area – if you can find your first few points on your mock check rides, this will take the pressure off a little so you can ensure you will not miss them.

So I did all of these things, but still, everything did not go perfectly.  But I’m happy to say I wasn’t a complete bumbling fool in the oral.  Somehow, I was able to dig the answers out of my brain.  I guess they did stick!

And just like clockwork – the weather came down after my oral.  So we deferred the flying portion to a better day.  Four days later, weather and I had coincided.

Right before my Examiner arrived in the FBO on the day of my checkride, I was sitting, looking for the millionth time at my flight navigation log, nauseous from anxiety.  Within ten seconds of Reece arriving, he had put me at ease.  I gulped and just decided to do what I had done many times before.

I went through my navigation log and my first leg to Chattanooga, explaining my check points, my heading, my altitude, the weather.  This was nowhere near as scary as I thought it would be.  Feeling ok with my paperwork he said “Let’s go terrorize the skies”.  Ok, lets!

I flew well, but they were definitely not the best take-offs or landings I’ve done.  But they were to standard.  My steep turns were great, my power on and power off stalls were pretty darn good, and I even used the VOR without messing up.  The entire check ride turned out to be fun, which was very unexpected.

It was an unbelievable experience which I will never forget.  Taxiing in along Alpha and Juliet to the ramp I could see Reece signing “S” in the columns to the right.  I can only assume “S” was for satisfactory, which would mean I had passed.  When I turned off the engine he smiled at me and said “you did it”.  Nothing could have made me happier than hearing those words.

I did it.  I am a private pilot.

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Over the last year, I have frequently been asked how it is going in our business. To be honest, it has been a rough ride for most of us in aviation.  These sincere questions that I get about our business and the industry we work in come from vendors, customers, friends and family.

My answer is usually something like “it feels like treading water with concrete filled boots …. but we are still above water.” Most of our peers in business aviation and many in other industries say the same things. Never have we worked so hard just to stay even or dig out of the hole.  

Two years into the toughest economic conditions I have seen in business aviation, the media reports that we are no longer in a recession.  That may be true, but progress seems to be measured in inches rather than in nautical miles.

Flight activity reports from Avinode and industry trade associations are optimistic, showing slight increases. Fortunately, businesses and individuals have not stopped flying in business and private aircraft; so, our part of the world seems to be picking up nicely in the third quarter of this year.

But when I speak with friends who are out there selling new aircraft, peers in the charter and aircraft management business, and vendors who supply our industry with fuel, aircraft, parts and support services I get different feelings about recovery. While we may be seeing an uptick in charter, ask the aircraft manufacturers in Wichita if the recession is over.  If not for government related aviation spending and international demand for new aircraft, the aircraft manufacturers would be hurting even worse than they are.

It seems that not too many businesses are buying new aircraft in the US, and the reversal of this trend could be years in the making. There is a huge inventory of used aircraft right now and the prices are lower than at any other time in the last 30 years, at least in relation to the price of new aircraft. Manufacturers are discounting new aircraft off of list price, something that was practically unheard of in this industry even as recently as three years ago.

So what is the solution, short of accepting that we will just be here in the trenches for the next few years and will have to slug our way out of the aviation recession?

I don’t know the answer, but the question is certainly worth considering by those of us who don’t want to accept that the current situation is what must be.

It seems that in the history of the United States, game changing innovation has spurred major growth. The railroads connected the country, opening up new markets.  Mass production and the automobile opened and connected the country even further, creating millions of good jobs.  And in the last few decades, technology innovation created a whole new economy.

The barrier to growth in business and private air travel seems to be price. To surmount that barrier, either more people need to attain the financial ability to take advantage of private aviation or the price has to come down. Either solution works just as well for growth in business aviation..

We can’t do much to affect the affluence of the overall population; but, we can innovatively lower the price of private aircraft travel to bring in a bigger audience.  Three decades ago, Southwest did this in the airline industry and changed the demographics of airline travelers. I don’t know that private aviation can do exactly what what Southwest did; however,  there must be a combination of solutions that, in aggregate, will change the pricing of business aviation to bring in a larger customer base. 

One thing I feel certain of is that the growth and restart of this economy, in general, and of the business aviation economy, in particular, will not come from any government program.

So, let’s not wait on the politicians for the answer. Let’s create our own recovery!

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Photograph by: Chris Ware, Getty

Bloomberg and Associated Press report that June 2010 airline traffic rose 2.3% over June last year with US airlines carrying 65 million passengers. Annualized that comes to 780 million passengers. DOT projections say we will hit the 1 billion annual passenger level in the US in about 10 years.   

In spite of low customer satisfaction with airline service, people keep coming back for more. If you listen to all the grumbling you would think that, surely, travelers have had enough.  

The need or desire to travel must outweigh the pain of going to the airport and flying by airline.

People don’t like to fly the airlines but they keep doing it and the numbers are growing.

People love to fly in their own aircraft, ride in the back of a business jet or even a prop aircraft on their own schedule, and without the hassle of airline system,  but our industry languishes in this economy.

What is wrong with this picture?

It seems that price outweighs most considerations for the masses when it comes to travel.

Wouldn’t we all rather ride in a private jet if we could do so for the price of a Southwest Airline ticket?

How do we move a very small percentage of the market of travelers over to our side of the game?

It would only take a very small percentage of those 780 million annual passengers to radically change the fortunes of business and private aviation from manufacturers to service providers to the operators of the aircraft.

Move a few percent of the market share of travel to business and general aviation and, suddenly, the world looks a lot brighter for those of us in this industry.

I see a lot of effort being put forth; but, mostly, the efforts are in their own silos. I don’t see a lot of effort as an industry working together to solve the problem. There seems to be a general acceptance that it is what it is and that the situation on a macro level is not going to change quickly anytime soon.

It is worth thinking about to see if we can come up with solutions, isn’t it?

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I haven’t written a blog in some time, and that really goes to show I’ve been busily trying to finish up my private pilot.  A few weeks ago I was studying fanatically for my written test.  Not being one who likes to “have my head in the books” (I learn better by doing), I pushed myself to put in the time to study. It paid off, because I easily passed, which was a huge relief to me.  It seemed at the time just before the test that it would be the biggest step in my path to becoming a pilot.  (I understand that would not be the case for everyone, but for me, takings tests is nerve-wrecking and makes me entirely anxious.)  But now that it’s done, I realize it wasn’t the hardest step. 

Now I’m of the opinion that my solo cross country is going to be the big one.  But wait a minute!  Wasn’t my first solo supposed to be the big one?  What I’m getting at here is that I’ve discovered that the path of becoming a pilot has challenges the entire journey – once I got over the hump of my solo, I then had the written test hump.  Now that I’ve done the written test, I’ve got the solo cross-country.  So, I can now see that once I’ve done the solo-cross country, it will then be the check ride and oral that will likely give me a few sleepless nights.  And after that, well, after that I have my license to get out there and REALLY learn how to fly!  I just need to relax and enjoy the feeling of achieving my goals.

So in a few weeks, I’m hoping to be ready for my check ride.  This is what’s left:

              
DUAL NIGHT X-COUNTRY      
          
LOCAL SOLO TIME 4 HOURS 
                  
SOLO 50 MILE X-COUNTRY 
                
SOLO 2 STOP 150 MILE TOTAL X-COUNTRY

CHECK RIDE PREP 3 HOURS

Am I still anxious about any of this?  Yeah, but my past accomplishments help me every day.   There really is no better feeling than that of accomplishment.  It is a motivator and a confidence builder, and with the highs and lows of learning to fly, it is as satisfying as clear blue skies.

 One more noteworthy comment:  having a great instructor helps.  Kirk has been invaluable in my progress.  He has pushed me when I’ve needed to be pushed, been patient when I’ve stumbled on the radio, praised me when I’ve done a great landing, and slapped my hand when I’ve taxied too fast!  Thanks Kirk.  I promise to slow down for my check ride!

www.wingsmqy.com

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure , the process is its own reward. “ Amelia Earhart

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After 23,000 flight hours, I’ve just added my 7th type rating. 300 of those hours are in the Phenom 100.

The math reflects my propensity to stick  to an airplane when I find a good one and the Phenom 100 is a great airplane that does everything asked of it. My affinity hasn’t waned; so, what, then, would lure me away?  The siren song of the Phenom 300; Embraer’s latest Executive Jet offering.

I mentally questioned the ability of Embraer to improve upon the value proposition of the 100, and I was somewhat skeptical that the engineers from Brazil could score two home runs in a row. Duh!  Now I wonder what the gang in Wichita must be thinking. (Option 1: Look for a new job, or Option 2: add more sand to bury their heads deeper?)  I intend to keep flying the 100: but, to anyone out there with a 300 – you go guys!

Flight training is evolutionary. 

You go the first time to initial training and then you go back every year for recurrent training.  You don’t expect to add much because they are just getting you through the paces; but, maybe you learn something new in year two because there is something going on with the development of the aircraft. 

Last summer, I attended Phenom 100 initial training at Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS), a joint venture between Embraer, a world-class aircraft manufacturer and CAE, a world-leading provider of aviation training.  In spite of the impressive pedigree, the venture experienced quite a few teething problems with the rollout of the first Phenom and I experienced them first-hand.  When I returned to the facility, my expectation was that my second experience would be much the same as my first one.
I was totally surprised when I arrived at CAE Simuflite in Dallas for Phenom 300 transition training.  Arriving on a Monday morning, my colleagues and I were greeted in the front lobby by no fewer than nine bright-eyed and effusively cheery CAE employees. Just after checking in, one of the greeters asked me if I needed directions to my classroom.  Since the schedule handed to me had been printed on a handy, pocket-sized card that wouldn’t get lost in the paperwork shuffle, I replied that I couldn’t miss it. I introduced myself to one of the greeters, Walter Slazyk, and in the course of conversation found that Walter was the CAE Center Leader. 

Different?   I’ll Show You Different! 
Aircraft transition courses typically focus on differences between the “old” airplane and the “new” one. The object of the training program is to prepare you for your check ride, rather than to just impart knowledge to you.  After all, this is a business.  My course was scheduled for one day of ground school followed by three days of simulator instruction and a check ride. I expected a mundane recitation of facts and figures, which I would have to regurgitate during my Friday oral exam. Instead, I was met by Steve Ford and Steve Simpson who both plowed into the whys and wherefores of aircraft systems and flight characteristics – so much more useful than the dry facts and figures.
During my Phenom 100 training process, delays in the certification of the simulator necessitated that my training be accomplished in the airplane.  Times have changed, though.  The new Phenom 300 sim has excellent fidelity and clearly mimics the feel and performance of the airplane. (Turning on the radar and taxiing over runway centerline lights are two great examples.)  On the whole, my expectations were exceeded, by a long-shot.
Both the Phenom 100 and the 300 are single pilot certified and are designed to be flown by professional pilots, as well as owner pilots. The latter present a challenge as they are generally a group with little or no pure turbojet time.  All of these pilots go through ECTS and get the best training the company has to offer.  The training is great, but how do these pilots get the experience they need to form sound judgment?  Join us tomorrow as we discuss the importance of good mentoring programs.

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As I write this I am returning from a two day trip to the Caribbean.

Our company works with small airlines leasing aircraft, providing maintenance support services, parts support and training. We do much of our business outside of the US.  

I had the opportunity to catch a ride on one of our leased aircraft going to Tortola, BVI to swap out for another aircraft coming back to Tennessee for scheduled maintenance.

The aircraft we flew down and back were Jetstream 32 – 19 passenger turboprops, one type in a group of regional airline aircraft that will continue to work for small airlines around the world for years to come.  

BVI Airways  started a few months ago providing point to point service between Tortola  and St. Maarten and Antigua. They also do charter flights to the other islands. The airline was started by three US pilots who have worked in the regional airline and air charter industry for most of their aviation careers. They saw an opportunity to fill an unmet demand for travel between Islands and took the leap of faith to start a small airline far from home. If you are going to start an airline it may as well be in a nice place like Tortola.

BVI Airways has an excellent business plan that allows them to be flexible with their routes as travel needs change with seasonality and times of the year when the islands have special events like carnival and homecomings.

After a short 14 hour visit to Tortola we flew up to San Juan PR and met with a startup airline, Lebar Air, that will be providing both scheduled and on demand charter service out of San Juan to the Dominican Republic and other islands within a 250 mile radius of San Juan. They share a similar business plan as BVI Airways but serve a different niche market of travelers.  

As I think about these two operations and other operators we have gotten to know in the Caribbean, including operators in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, I see a group of small airlines that are meeting demand for point to point intra-island and inter- island travel which the major airlines and their commuter feeders don’t meet.These airlines are a cross between a scheduled airline and on demand charter operator with a nimble flexibility the big airlines cannot match. When you ride on these small airlines, the feel is much more like a charter flight where the pilots are talking to you and helping you with your luggage before you board. Islanders are used to this type of service and take small aircraft flights as a routine way of life.   

 From the perspective of the operators we work with, the economic outlook for Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands is good. Like the US, they have waded through the recession, but the allure of the islands continues to spur development of new hotels and resorts and all the support businesses that go with it. With new resort development and tourism growth come jobs and economic growth for the entire region. As more travelers come to the Caribbean from Europe, North America and South America the demand for inter-island air travel will grow.

These small airlines that meet the market demand are poised to prosper as they provide a very critical transportation component to the regions economic development.

I am a little jealous of these operators because they have a captive audience of travelers. You can’t just get in your car and drive from Tortola to Antigua like you could from Nashville to Atlanta.

The only complaint about the trip south was the lack of time to enjoy the white beaches and blue water. I think I could easily get used to the speed of island living.

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I like the idea of the taxi cab. When visiting large or unfamiliar cities, the taxi cab is my point-to-point machine of choice.  They are quick and convenient.  And besides that, they’ve provided some of the  most exhilarating rides I have taken - taxis in Abuja, Nigeria, and in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, come to mind specifically. You haven’t lived until you’ve ridden in a taxi in Abuja, and on a trip to Philly a few years ago, like a true NASCAR racer, our taxi driver locked in behind an ambulance with flashing lights and sirens, drafting to get us downtown from the airport like he was on the track at the Pocono 500. 

When most people think of business aviation, they visualize a nice eight to twelve passenger business jet with a luxurious interior of leather and fine wood.  They think of galleys stocked with prepared gourmet meals and good wine.  And, that is part of the industry, to be sure; but, it’s not all of the industry.

What about the 212 mph taxi cab?

Cirrus Design and their new generation aircraft – the SR-22 – has created a new market in business travel.  Research on the Air Charter Guide shows over 40 charter operators across the United States operating Cirrus aircraft in charter service.

Why does the single-engine aircraft work in air taxi service today when it did not work prior to Cirrus?  Perception and Reality.

Perception: Single-engine aircraft are (were) not safe because they only have one engine. What happens if the engine quits?

Reality: Cirrus overcame the perception with the reality of an on board parachute system as a last resort means to deal with engine failures and other emergencies. It has been tested, and it works.  

Perception: Charter service on single-engine aircraft is unreliable since the planes can fly only in clear weather during daylight hours.

Reality: Prior to Cirrus, the single engine piston engine powered aircraft was only certified to fly under Visual Flight Rules (VFR – clear weather) and in the day time. With advances in technology and redundancy in electrical systems, Cirrus was able to certify the aircraft with the FAA to fly charter flights in Instrument Flight Rules (IFR – in the clouds) conditions, and to fly at night. This allowed a reliability of scheduling the air taxi ride in advance, with less worry about what the weather was going to be like on the day of the trip. This was the major game changer!

The innovation of single-engine air taxi in both aircraft design and service offering is part of the new productive and efficient way to do business travel. It may not be as glamorous and comfy as the business jet, but it is very cost-efficient.

So, welcome to the age of the 212 mph taxi ride! It may not be as flashy as the jet, but it beats waiting for gate announcements.  Besides, it is a whole lot more fun and in no way scary like the taxi rides in Philly or Abuja.

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In a previous post titled “Do Business travelers Share, Would they Share” I asked the question would business travelers share a ride on a private jet if the price was right, and it saved them time ,and they got the experience of private aviation travel. Those travelers already paying the full price of flying private aircraft may not be willing to share a flight. Price might not be the controlling factor in the decision for current users of private jet travel but what about the 550 million plus passengers who will fly on US airlines this year?

When I fly on the airlines, and end up next to another person who is traveling on business, occasionally we strike up a conversation about what we do.  When I tell people I am in the aviation business, and we fly people on private jets, the business people often tell of times they have flown on their company aircraft or a vendors aircraft, and they recount the experience and how nice it was.  Others out of curiousity want to know what it is like. Most people have an idea of how nice it would be even if they have never experienced that form of travel. Everyone guesses that it is expensive and maybe only for the CEO of the big company or the music or movie celebrities. Not one single person I have ever spoken to says they would rather not try out flying on a “small jet”.

Have you ever started planning a trip for business where there are three people in your company that need to go to see a customer and you think “how nice would it be to travel on a private jet and do this in a day”,  and then you call and get a price for a Learjet from the local charter company and it is twice (or more) what the price is on the airlines?  You only need three seats but you have to buy the whole aircraft for the day. So you give up on the idea and end up booking the airline, hotel for the overnight and the rental car to drive to your ultimate destination because the airline only gets you within 70 miles of where you want to go. Thus begins the misery of everyday business travel that millions of people go through every month.

Unfortunately our flight coordinators, who answer the calls from people wanting to charter aircraft, get that scenario all too often, and we can’t find the solution for those two or three travelers who need to go somewhere becasue the whole aircraft price is just too high. As disappointed as the potential customer is, we are equally disappointed when we lose a trip because of price. We can’t run below cost and stay in business, so we shrug it off and keep going.   

Is there a way to overcome this barrier that stops so many people from using what we know to be a great means of air travel? There are a lot of empty seats, empty flight legs and underutilized aircraft sitting so there must be a solution.

What do you think?

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