< PreviousBUSINESS AVIATIONIn the U.S., the Corporate Angel Network (CAN) arranges free transportation for cancer patients traveling to treatment centers by using the empty seats on business aircraft – CAN celebrated its 50,000th patient flight in April 2016. The trip entailed flying a one-year-old boy from the New York area, where he receives treatment for a rare eye cancer, to his Atlanta home. CAN flights began taking the patient on the trip regularly when his local treatment options were exhausted, and a specialist located in New York City was needed. Since CAN’s first flight in 1981, the organization has provided free air transportation to people whose best treatment options are often thousands of miles from home. Volunteers and a small staff based at Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, New York, coordinate the medical travel needs of patients with the scheduled flight activity of more than 500 participating companies, including half the Fortune 100, resulting in more than 200 patient flights per month. Business aviation plays a key logistics role in a variety of other humanitarian and charitable organizations, including the Red Cross, Honor Flight, Veterans Airlift Command, and the Special Olympics. Doctors Without Borders relies on general aviation aircraft to get its staff and supplies to remote towns that, in many cases, are otherwise inaccessible. “I was not aware of business aviation [as an industry], but I used to travel a lot on your planes,” said Bernard Kouchner, the co-founder of Doctors Without Borders and later the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, in an address at a European business aviation conference, adding that reaching people in humanitarian crises would be impossible without light aircraft. “Not only for medical reasons, but for all transportation,” said Kouchner, “These towns have no commercial line and rely on small planes, so the development of your industry is absolutely crucial.” PHOENIX AIR’S CONTAGIOUS PATIENT TRANSPORTSWorking with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to enable safe air transport of patients with highly contagious diseases, Phoenix Air developed the Aeromedical Biological Containment System (ABCS) – a customized, negative-air-pressure two-room chamber installed in a Gulfstream business aircraft. The ABCS isolates a contagious patient from the flight crew and medical professionals onboard.In August 2014, at the height of an Ebola epidemic in Western Africa, the U.S. Department of State turned to Phoenix Air for assistance. Two American aid workers in Monrovia, Liberia, had contracted Ebola and were near death. Cartersville, Georgia-based Phoenix Air deployed one of its ABCS-equipped aircraft and moved each patient to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where both air workers received specialized care and ultimately recovered from the deadly disease.Between August 2014 and May 2015, Phoenix Air operated more than 40 Ebola-related missions. The missions’ success led to follow-on flights, which led to technology advances in transporting highly contagious patients over long distances: a new Containerized Bio-Containment System (CBCS) can transport up to four patients and six medical attendants in a large unit carried in an all-cargo Boeing 747 or military transport.28 ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017THE ACCESS IMPERATIVEREGIONAL APPROACHESTo fulfill its function, business aviation needs access to large airports as well as small. To accomplish this, a greater understanding of business aviation benefits and needs is necessary among privatized airport authorities and public regulators.Air transport is essential to the economic development and lifeblood of cities, regions and communities. As an integral part of the international air transport system, business aviation complements airline networks and plays a key role in connecting local and regional economies. As a specialized travel solution and investment facilitator, business aviation enables people to meet face-to-face when time matters most. Business aviation also fills a need where other unique travel imperatives exist. Access problems for business aviation users at large airports tend to be related to capacity constraints and measures taken to deal with these constraints, such as congestion charges, schedule coordination and slot allocation. Regional airports, which could help alleviate these constraints, are either under-utilized due to infrastructure shortfalls, such as lack of satellite-based navigation capability, or face closure due to unfair regulatory burdens and state aid limitations.CRUNCH TIME IN EUROPEIn Europe, the continuous growth in air transport has increased pressure on the infrastructure available for aircraft movements at certain airports where demand for takeoff and landing slots exceeds often scarce capacity. According to Eurocontrol, by 2012 the top 15 airports in Europe were saturated for more than 12 hours a day, and this is forecast to rise to 16 hours per day by 2035. One of the ways regulators are addressing this crisis is through the overhaul of the Slot Regulation, with the intention of ensuring optimal utilization of airport capacity. But this has raised some legitimate concerns among stakeholders. There is no doubt some proposals could improve the functioning of the slot system and thus generate benefits for all airspace users. Indeed, initiatives to enhance the independence of slot coordinators and the transparency of slot mechanisms, as well as reducing abuse, are generally welcome. Unfortunately, the specific needs and benefits of the services provided by business aviation and the role in providing a service that complements airline services is not always clearly understood. As a consequence, business aviation risks being marginalized, if not effectively banned from operating at many primary airports throughout the continent in the near future. As a growing number of airports become coordinated – there are currently 93 fully slot-coordinated airports in the EU – this has a huge impact on the way business aviation can access these airports. In certain instances, it has led to a dramatic loss of grandfather rights to the point that access to self-funded facilities, including aprons and hangars, is no longer possible.REGIONAL RELIEFThe failure to grasp the specificities of non-scheduled and business aviation operators – that is, the ability to go anywhere at any time, could be detrimental to Europe’s connectivity and the EU’s regional development policy. At the same time, greater access to local and regional airports can alleviate some of the burden on the main airports, while also contributing to the economic development of these areas. This can be achieved by enhancing airfield access through the greater use of satellite-based navigation at regional airports, as well as the best use of existing regional airport capacity through revised state aid allocation rules. Business aviation is a key contributor to the accessibility of remote regions as it flies to a vast number of local destinations. In Europe, business aviation connects around 100,000 airport pairs – three times more than the airlines and 25,000 of which are not connected by any other direct means. This coverage could be further extended, but poor ground equipment at many smaller airports is a major impediment, and safe all-weather operations are therefore impossible.SATELLITE-BASED SOLUTIONSWith existing satellite-based navigation technology, access to and safety at all airports and heliports can be improved by providing precision approach capabilities in all weather conditions without the need for any additional airport-hosted infrastructure. ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017 29 BUSINESS AVIATIONBUSINESS AVIATION30 ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017Advanced Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) technologies are widely available on business aviation aircraft. When combined with EGNOS – (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) – or the North American counterpart, GPS – (Global Positioning System) based procedures at airports, additional landing locations can be opened to safe, all-weather operations, including at secondary and regional airports. It is no coincidence that in Europe today no less than 18 countries already boast airports with EGNOS-based procedures, covering close to 400 runways. Moreover, another 100 LPV (Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance) procedures are planned for implementation by 2020. This is encouraging, but it falls far short of the U.S., for example, which has already published LPV procedures for more than 3,000 runways. By relieving the pressure on major hubs and increasing European airport capacity and safety, these technologies will benefit all airspace users, from legacy carriers to regional, business, rotorcraft and general aviation.FUNDING FACILITATIONComplementary to this is the simplification of State aid measures for regional airports in Europe. The European Union should consider the number of regional airports as a strength and the question of how to boost their attractiveness must be seriously considered. In this respect, the European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to accommodate realities such as the business model of the airport, based on the type of movements other than scheduled flights. A facilitated allocation of State aid to existing regional airports will foster the full use of their capacity and hence alleviate the current pressure on major hubs. The Commission’s initiative corresponds to a de facto recognition of the important role that regional airports play in local communities and economies.SHARED PROSPERITYAircraft need access to airports. Simple. Business aircraft are no exception. While they can use local and regional airports, and in many cases this is preferred, the business aviation access imperative to major airports should be respected and accommodated.For business aviation to play its key role in the economy, reasonable and fair access to slots at major airports must be accommodated, while a sustainable regulatory and fiscal framework is a prerequisite if regional airports are to do their part in relieving capacity constraints. ACCESS IN AUSTRALIAWith its strong economic ties to Asia and continental geography, Australia is a good example of a market where business aviation plays a key role in connecting regions and businesses – and where fair and reasonable access to large airports and is essential. While there are plenty of regional airports and airfields suitable for business aviation, many of these do not have adequate runway lengths to accommodate larger business jets. This means that international business aviation users in particular require access to the primary airports near the centres of economic activity, including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin. The Australian Business Aviation Association (ABAA) has worked closely with privatized primary airports around the country over the past 10 years to ensure they do not overlook the importance of the sector. Business aviation is now generally welcome at these airports; however, it is still disadvantaged at Sydney, Perth and Brisbane during peak morning and evening periods due to slot schemes that favour airlines. Some business jet operators and most turboprop operators are happy to utilize secondary airports near the main cities. These include Bankstown in the western area of Sydney, Moorabbin in the southeastern area of Melbourne, Jandakot on the southern outskirts of Perth, Archerfield in the southwestern area of Brisbane, and Parafield in the northern sector of Adelaide. A standout example of an Australian airport that welcomes and truly recognizes the economic benefits of business aviation is Essendon, which until 1970 was the international airport for Melbourne. Essendon is the closest airport to downtown Melbourne – only 10 kilometres via motorway – and features modern infrastructure to accommodate business aviation, including two runways, instrument landing system (ILS), and a host of economic activity.“ By increasing European airport capacity and safety, precision approach technologies will benefit all airspace users.”BIZAV WELCOMES EU-ETS EXEMPTIONEuropean officials’ decision to continue exempting certain business aviation flights from the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU-ETS) correctly reflects the need for a global aircraft emissions proposal, currently being developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). That’s the opinion of major business aviation associations.The European Commission announced in February it would retain its policy of exempting non-EU operators from the EU-ETS for international flights to and from EU nations. Flights within the EU will still need to comply with the EU-ETS. The Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), agreed by the ICAO 39th Assembly in October 2016, has a goal of capping international aviation emissions at 2020 levels. Contained in that proposal is a provision, strongly supported by the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and other member organizations within the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), which limits applicability of ICAO’s plan to operators producing more than 10,000 tons of carbon emissions, while operating internationally between countries participating in the plan.“The small emitters exemption is an appropriate one, as it recognizes business aviation’s innovation and voluntary efforts to reduce aviation’s global carbon footprint,” said Ed Bolen, NBAA’s President and CEO. “We are early adopters of technology and practices that inherently reduce carbon emissions. Business aviation makes up only a small fraction of total aviation emissions.”NBAA has long opposed the EU-ETS, believing that, because aviation is global in nature, policies should be put forward by ICAO, the international aviation policymaking authority.The ICAO CORSIA resolution states that it “does not apply to low levels of international aviation activity with a view to avoiding administrative burden: aircraft operators emitting less than 10,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions from international aviation per year; aircraft with less than 5,700 kg [about 12,500 pounds] of maximum takeoff mass (MTOM); or humanitarian, medical and firefighting operations.”The exemptions remove all but a small number of business aircraft operators. Kurt Edwards, Director General of IBAC, estimates that a Gulfstream G650 would have to fly 2,000 hours internationally annually between participating States to reach 10,000 metric tons. The number goes up to 2,500 hours for a G550.Edwards welcomed the approach for a global standard. “The worldwide business aviation community welcomes the decision by governments at ICAO to establish a single, global carbon-offsetting scheme for international aviation,” he said. “The framework agreed at ICAO will help us meet our collective industry commitments while also taking into account the needs of small operators. Importantly, the global framework means we will avoid a patchwork of multiple measures around the world.” ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017 31 BUSINESS AVIATIONA Gulfstream G450 was the first business jet to cross the Atlantic Ocean using biofuel.THE NEXT TECHNOLOGICAL LEAP IN BUSINESS AVIATION?BUSINESS AVIATION32 ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017Traditionally, technology flows into aviation once it has matured in other sectors because the level of safety we expect and the time required to bring innovation to market in aviation require a rigorous and methodical approach to development, in addition to significant investment. Over the last decade, developments in micro-electronics, software and battery capacities have now also resulted in significant societal changes taking shape within the aviation domain. The business aviation industry can point with pride to a long record of improving the safety, reliability and efficiency of aircraft through incorporation of new technologies, materials and designs. Much technology in aviation has been tested, deployed and commercialized first in the general and business aviation segments. This was the case with the introduction of composite structures, winglets and glass cockpits, as examples. Today technology again promises to address a key challenge facing aviation: how do we continue to grow in a safe, sustainable manner? The answer to this is multi-faceted, requiring changes in infrastructure, operations, and the fuel that powers the industry, among others.INCREASED AUTOMATIONAviation has pioneered automation since the early days. The levels of information and technology in light general aviation and business jets (fly-by-wire, enhanced vision, synthetic vision) have grown tremendously in the last several decades. For the most part, however, these systems are supplementary and backed up by the pilot or flight crew. In most modern aircraft, takeoff and landing are nearly always flown manually while the climb, cruise and approach are typically flown by automation based on pilot management. We are seeing a trend toward equipment and systems which prevent crew errors in the area of loss of control, such as envelope protection systems which remind pilots to keep within the flight envelope when approaching the edges, much like a dutifully watching flight instructor. Technologies such as these are especially well-suited to general and business aviation, where single-pilot operation is more common.There is growing interest in more robust levels of automation which operate across more portions of the flight envelope (including takeoff and landing) and autonomous systems that continue to operate even during certain failures or out-of-the-ordinary conditions. In this manner, the pilot can continue to concentrate on managing the extraordinary condition. There is significant interest among aircraft manufacturers in “on demand mobility.” Conceptually, aircraft (both conventional takeoff and landing and vertical takeoff and landing) can become more integrated into day-to-day life as the reliability and simplified operation of increased automation takes hold. While technologically these are steps forward, realizing and integrating the full benefits for these technologies (in the form of lower training burden on pilots, simplified ratings and licencing, etc.) will require a bit of a leap and perhaps a culture change. Recognizing the growing importance of these trends, the general and business aviation industry has begun to organize itself to address regulatory issues and to ensure that safety remains the paramount consideration as these technologies are developed and brought to the marketplace. The General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) has taken on the task of identifying and addressing areas where increased automation will likely contribute to the safety and utility of aviation and to ensure that flight crew training and licencing can be appropriately adjusted and simplified.Airbus’ E-Fan technology is being considered for single-passenger, self-flying air taxis, four-seat general aviation aircraft, and 19-seat business aircraft.ELECTRIFYING CONCEPTSIn the larger segments of aviation (commercial airlines and business jets) the strong desire for more range and more efficient operations has pushed many traditionally mechanical or pneumatic systems to become electrified (electric environmental systems, electric anti-ice, electric actuation, etc.). As experience is gained with these systems and as battery energy densities continue to grow, this trend for increased electrification is speeding up. In most aviation design circles, concepts for hybrid and electric propulsion are the next obvious step. In the lighter segments of aviation, there are already all-electric aircraft flying, with second generation designs coming soon.The pressures and market forces moving the industry toward increased electrification will spur further development. The risks associated with new technologies will decrease and the safety and economic benefits will increase. Business aviation will continue to be a key testbed for and early adopter of innovative technologies. The U.S. Argonne National Laboratory has estimated that lithium ion battery energy density has increased by 3 per cent for each of the last 10 years. While reaching the energy density of liquid fuel may still be decades away, the efficiencies and design characteristics of electric propulsion already make sense for lighter aircraft today for some applications.And despite the enormous advances in aircraft fuel efficiency over recent decades, the aviation industry has committed to improve even further, including development and deployment of sustainable alternative jet fuel. ICAO is commendably encouraging further work. SUPERSONIC HORIZON One segment of aviation has retained a powerful allure: the development of a civilian supersonic airplane that would radically redefine travel and truly shrink the globe. More than a decade after the last flight of the iconic Concorde, several ambitious new companies and established manufacturers are moving aggressively forward with what they believe are innovative technological answers to some of the most vexing and longstanding regulatory and other obstacles to civilian supersonic flight. The general and business aviation sector will soon bring to market the first civil supersonic aircraft incorporating technology to make it environmentally acceptable and thus able to fly unhindered anywhere in the world. Technical experts from companies with competing visions and design philosophies are today working together within ICAO to come up with a coherent regulatory framework that will not only address the sensitive environmental questions of noise and emissions, but will also ensure a level playing field as competing designs move from the drawing boards to reality over the next decade. (The ICAO Council’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection – CAEP – is continuing discussions on sonic boom measurement schemes and technical flight test procedures for future supersonic aircraft.) WAY FORWARDGoing forward, it will be important to ensure a clear path for increased automation, electrification, supersonic and other emerging technologies across the range of aviation products. Progress in aviation has always meant increased safety, efficiency and sustainability. We are on the cusp of an era of perhaps unprecedented advances in technology. It is important that regulators, industry, and other stakeholders ensure that the focus remains on safety and there are no barriers to the development and commercialization of safety-enhancing technological advances in global aviation. ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017 33 BUSINESS AVIATIONSupersonic aircraft are poised for a comeback in commercial aviation, initially in the business aircraft sector.“ Concepts for hybrid and electric propulsion are the next obvious step.” BEYOND THE RULESVOLUNTARY PROGRAMMES DEFINE BUSINESS AVIATION’S PROFESSIONALISMBUSINESS AVIATION34 ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017Like all aspects of the aviation industry, business aviation’s standards are established by State-level regulators. Sets of rules – such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations and Europe’s European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) regulations – lay out the minimum standards for every important technical and operational facet of aviation. They dictate minimum and recurrent-training requirements for pilots, maintenance technicians, dispatchers, airport operations professionals and more. They also specify the essential elements of training programmes, maintenance manuals and organizational systems, such as Safety Management Systems (SMS). Simply put, the regulations are the base upon which every business aircraft operator’s standards, protocols and practices must rest. Although minimum aviation standards establish the foundation, numerous voluntary, industry-driven programmes add layers of enhanced safety and professionalism. These programmes both complement and build upon the regulations, creating safer, more efficient and professional operations. ORGANIZATIONAL PROFESSIONALISMOne of these industry-driven programmes is the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO). Launched in 2002 by the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC), a federation of business aviation organizations across the globe, IS-BAO promotes the use of best operating practices among business aircraft operators worldwide. Built upon and consistent with the standards and recommended practices of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), IS-BAO has been adopted by more than 700 operators in 35 countries, and is both flexible and constantly evolving. Stakeholders review the entire programme and make agreed-upon updates yearly to keep up with changes in the industry. The complexity of IS-BAO is driven partly by the complexity of each flight operation that chooses to adopt its standards. The simpler the operation, the simpler the process for IS-BAO registration. Small flight departments should have a programme that is different than that of multi-aircraft, large departments. But IS-BAO is no less important for single-aircraft flight departments because the standard provides needed structure. For example, small flight department officials say that the change-management process outlined in IS-BAO can be quite beneficial. As a parallel programme to IS-BAO, the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handlers (IS-BAH) is a set of global industry best practices for business aircraft ground handlers that features an SMS as its core. IS-BAH follows the structure of the IS-BAO programme, incorporates the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) “Safety 1st” ground audit programme, and is designed to meet ICAO’s coming SMS requirements for this segment of the industry. IS-BAO and IS-BAH have a common element – an emphasis on professionalism.In the United States, the Safety Committee of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has identified professionalism as the cornerstone of any SMS, which, even where not required by regulations, is generally considered vital to any aviation operation. The committee defines professionalism in aviation as "the pursuit of excellence through discipline, ethical behavior and continuous improvement,” leaving room for each organization to adapt the philosophy to its specific needs and environment. NBAA’s Safety Committee has identified six characteristics of organizational professionalism: ■■Character – including integrity, honesty, forthrightness, responsibility, diligence, ethics and consistency■■Culture – which encompasses service excellence, responsibility, accountability, determination, transparency, initiative, proactivity, collaboration and mentoring■■Business performance and industry engagement – including performance, improvement, evaluation, audit, feedback, participation and partnership■■Competency in vocational skills – skill, expertise, training, performance standards and communication■■Conduct and image – maturity, etiquette, loyalty, respect, discretion and excellence■■Continuous improvement – culture, management, education, debrief and resiliencyNBAA also offers its members a prototype Management Guide, which is a template for how to organize and run a professional flight department. The guide covers all essential information, including chapters on administration, flight operations, international operations and maintenance. One of the essential functions of flight department personnel is to ensure that all company personnel appreciate and understand the operation, capabilities and value of the flight departments. Since most flight departments are parts of larger organizations not involved in aviation, the NBAA Management Guide also is a useful primer for non-aviation personnel on accepted practices and norms of the business aviation community. INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONALISMThe business aviation community’s professional development efforts extend beyond the organizational level to the individuals involved. The industry understands that professional development is an integral part of attracting, retaining, and improving the value of quality personnel. One example of grassroots career development is the UK’s Trailblazer Apprenticeship programme. Launched in 2014 by the UK government, the programme’s goal is to empower industries to develop apprenticeships that adhere to a national occupational standard. A government guidance document on the programme explains: “By getting involved in developing the standards for occupations in your sector, you will have the opportunity to define the [knowledge, skills, and behavior] you require in your future workforce, and which training (supported by government) will help to deliver this. In turn, this will mean that apprenticeships more directly support your business to grow and prosper.” The UK aviation industry has created four apprenticeship standards so far: ■■Airside operator■■Aviation operations manager■■Aviation ground specialist■■Aviation ground operativeEach standard focuses on the skills needed for specific careers, ranging from a ground handling service technician to an air traffic controller. Each set of standards was created via a collaborative effort from industry organizations, including airports, aircraft operators and aviation service providers. In addition to building a highly professional workforce at the grassroots level, business aviation is dedicated to improving the professionalism of its existing workforce to help create tomorrow’s leaders. For example, NBAA’s Professional Development Programme (PDP) was launched in 1998 to prepare business aviation professionals for management roles within flight departments. Courses are offered in five focus areas: ■■Leadership■■Business management■■Human resources■■Operations■■Aircraft maintenance and facilities services Programmes are made available through a variety of venues and online, through educational institutions and in workshops held at NBAA's many industry events each year. More than 11,000 courses have been completed under the programme so far. “The success of programmes like PDP underscore the commitment to constant improvement that business aviation professionals have,” said Jad Donaldson, vice chairman of NBAA’s Business Aviation Management Committee and director of aviation for Harley-Davidson Motor Company. “NBAA and its committees work diligently on developing programmes, refining existing ones, and incorporating stakeholder input to ensure business aviation’s professional development needs are being addressed from every angle.”DEVELOPING TOMORROW’S PROFESSIONALSNumerous programmes also exist for ensuring the career-development pipeline remains full. One of the highlights of NBAA’s annual convention is the Careers in Business Aviation Day for high school and university students who want to learn about the industry. Students gain exposure to professionals who are making aviation their careers, and learn about the latest trends shaping global business aviation. NBAA also is working on additional programmes tailored to helping organizations boost recruitment and career-development efforts. One example is the recently released Internship and Career Guide. Available free on NBAA’s website, the guide provides instruction on how companies, collegiate aviation degree programmes, regional business aviation associations and government entities can work together to build a business aviation career programme to support the next generation of industry leaders. ICAO, recognizing the importance of developing future professional talent, launched Next Generation of Aviation Professionals (NGAP) initiatives in 2009 to both quantify the workforce development challenges and spearhead ways to address them. The first NGAP effort was a 29-member task force representing all industry stakeholders and tasked with several objectives, including:■■Gathering human resources planning data■■Identifying and supporting initiatives to reach out to the next generation■■Finding ways to harmonize training regulationsNow recognized as a full ICAO programme (which means its efforts are incorporated into ICAO’s business plan), NGAP held its eighth full-participant meeting in December 2016. The effort now has working groups that meet regularly to focus on implementation, outreach, and strategy and planning. Among the working group accomplishments thus far is the beginning of collaboration with stakeholders to create guidance material for programmes that will attract, train and retain qualified personnel. Dassault Falcon 5X BUSINESS AVIATION ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017 35BIZAV VALUE: FLEXIBILITY, EFFICIENCY36 ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017Flexibility sets business aviation apart from other forms of travel, making it the most efficient mode of transportation for some and enabling others to make trips that would not otherwise be feasible.A closer look at one company’s business aircraft usage underscores the value of business aviation. Honeywell International is a Fortune 100 company headquartered on the U.S. East Coast that employs nearly 130,000 people at 1,300 sites in 70 countries. It has a fleet of seven aircraft, six fixed-wing and one helicopter, split between two bases: one a dedicated general aviation facility outside New York City, the other in Arizona. The company also owns shares in a fractional ownership programme to supplement its fleet.The company’s helicopter gives its flight department an especially versatile tool for its East Coast operations, explains John Tuten, the company’s chief pilot. In many cases, personnel based at Honeywell’s headquarters can be shuttled to meetings in downtown New York or other nearby cities. In addition, it is not unusual for passengers from outside the region to be flown to the East Coast base aboard a company airplane, then switch to the helicopter for an expedited trip into Manhattan. “Using our aircraft in this way is very efficient,” Tuten says. “It wouldn’t be unusual for a traveler to start the day at headquarters, get flown into Manhattan for morning meetings, return to headquarters, then depart for Washington, D.C. for more meetings, and then to another city for another meeting, and then end the day on the West Coast."Single-day, multi-city trips are common, Tuten says. A business airplane’s speed, efficiency and ability to use a wider variety of airports – from close-in downtown airfields to rural general aviation-only facilities – makes it a versatile mode of transportation.A FLYING OFFICEConnectivity and other onboard amenities mean that passengers can work as if they are sitting at their desks, participating in conference calls using voice-over-IP connectivity, accessing email, or working away on a laptop. “The vast majority of the time, our passengers are working,” Tuten says. “With the exception of getting some rest on long flights, our passengers treat the aircraft as a mobile office, which helps boost their productivity. It really does make the aircraft an office away from home.”A prime example of using its business aviation fleet to maximize productivity is when Honeywell’s leaders gather for board or other high-level meetings. In these cases, “ The vast majority of the time, our passengers are working”– John Tuten, Chief Pilot, HoneywellBUSINESS AVIATIONmultiple aircraft will be dispatched to pick up people in different locations around the country. They will all end up at the destination city for the formal gathering. Such meetings can include a dozen or more people who come from thousands of miles away. Honeywell maximizes the use of its business aircraft fleet, aiming to have most of the company trips scheduled several months in advance. The fleet totals about 3,800 hours per year in the air – an amount that Tuten said balances the company’s travel needs with its aviation department resources. Fractional ownership shares are used for overflow requests as well as trips with circumstances that would tie up company assets in a less-than-optimal way – "where it makes sense, like a one-way trip where we’re going to save five to six hours of deadheading,” Tuten says.LAST-MINUTE CHANGES, NO PROBLEMWhile the company-owned airplanes are typically booked one to two months in advance, schedules usually aren’t locked in until two weeks to a month before trips take place. And there are times when last-minute trips are necessary. Having in-house assets and crews available makes these kinds of trips more feasible, Tuten says. Last-minute schedule adjustments, such as departing a few hours later due to a longer-than-expected meeting, are also easier to accommodate with company aircraft. "One of the biggest selling points of our operation is flexibility,” Tuten says. "We do get slides in departure times all the time – requests to leave an hour later or two hours earlier."While last-minute trips are rare, they are often needed in critical situations. "We don’t really have a lot of pop-up trips, but we do have the flexibility of having standby crews available,” Tuten says. "We’ve scrambled airplanes with as little as three hours’ notice."LATEST ONBOARD EQUIPMENTMost business aircraft have advanced avionics and equipment that maximize safety and efficiency. The systems on Honeywell’s aircraft range from advanced navigation systems that use satellite-based systems, such as Automated Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), and controller-pilot data link communications, which enables air traffic controllers and pilots to communicate without using often-overcrowded voice channels.Besides enabling the aircraft to use the maximum number of airports, the advanced equipment also enables the company’s aircraft to serve as flying demonstrators for customers. “We do a lot of customer demonstrations and media demonstrations related to Honeywell products and services,” Tuten says. ICAO JOURNAL – ISSUE 1 2017 37Next >