Winter weather and holiday traffic jams aren’t the only things causing delays for air travelers. The current pilot shortage has hit regional airlines and their passengers particularly hard. What’s causing this shortage of qualified pilots? A few things:
Many pilots are reaching the mandatory retirement age (as many as 25% of the total pilot force are expected to retire within the next six years).
Fewer students are entering and completing pilot training programs.
Many airline industry experts worry that dwindling pilot numbers will hamper air travel. The airlines, particularly the smaller regional airlines where most new pilots start their careers, are finding it increasingly difficult to fill their first-officer vacancies. The low salaries for these entry-level positions also discourage newcomers.
Where the pilot shortage hurts most
Although the FAA ruling to increase first-officer qualification requirements was designed to combat the alarming trend of deadly crashes, seemingly caused by inexperienced pilots, the change is impacting the aviation industry at all levels. Because it can take a pilot several years to accumulate the required 1,500 flight hours, new pilots find it difficult to qualify for even a regional job.
Small airports, especially, are suffering from the pilot shortage, as they must service 10,000 passengers a year to qualify for FAA infrastructure funding.
Pilot-shortage solutions
The aviation industry is investigating possible solutions to the pilot shortage. For example, NASA is exploring the possibility of single-pilot commercial flights. This solution would employ a copilot to monitor the flight from the ground and remote-assist when necessary.
Other researchers are looking into ways to reduce crew size, including studying innovative ground support technology, increasing automation on board airliners, and improving crew resource management and physiological monitoring.
Still, the hurdles of overcoming public fear, persuading politicians, retraining pilots to fly solo, and reconfiguring jetliners are high. Aviation key players will need to collaborate to overcome these barriers and find ways to bring more new pilots into the industry.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.
National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) recently added four names to its prestigious roster of 225 men and women — each recognized as a pioneer in air and space technology. Since the Hall of Fame’s founding in 1962, it has honored the greatest contributors to U.S. aviation. The four new members are:
Robert N. Hartzell (deceased) — Hartzell, a neighbor of Orville Wright, began making wooden propellers for the Wright brothers in 1917. He supplied the propellers used on U.S. aircraft in both world wars. Postwar, his company created the lightweight, controllable propellers that spurred development in general aviation across the world.
Gen. Robert L. Cardenas, USAF (Ret) — Cardenas graduated from test pilot school in 1945 after flying World War II combat as a B-24 pilot in Europe. He played an instrumental role in the supersonic, record-breaking X-1 program and was chief pilot in the XB-49 flying wing program. He was commander of both the combat wing of F-105s in Southeast Asia and Air Force Special Operations Force.
Eugene “Gene” Kranz — Kranz was a fighter pilot in Korea and an Air Force flight-test engineer before joining NASA’s Space Flight Group in 1960. There, he rose through the ranks of flight operations with the progression of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. In his 37 years of service, he served as Flight Director during the Apollo 13 mission and as NASA Director of Mission Operations, with the responsibility of managing 6,000 employees and a $700 million budget.
Abe Silverstein (deceased) — Silverstein was a mechanical engineer and aerodynamicist whose work contributed to improvements in World War II and early supersonic aircraft. In 1958 he transitioned from the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to NASA, serving as the agency’s first Director of the Office of Space Flight Programs. Known as the Father of Apollo, and credited with architecting the space program, his vision led to human exploration of the moon and beyond.
Each of these individuals played a groundbreaking role in the advancement of air and/or space technology.
The NAHF announced its “class of 2015” on December 16, 2014 — the eve of the anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight over Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903.
Facts about the NAHF
NAHF started as a nonprofit organization in Dayton, Ohio — also the home of the Wright brothers and said to be the “birthplace of aviation.” After achieving national charter status by the 88th U.S. Congress and President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, the organization become a public foundation, reporting annually to Congress (a role it continues to serve today).
The purpose of the NAHF is to preserve and memorialize the accomplishments of its honored inductees. Air and space veterans such as Amelia Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, and Neil Armstrong are all NAHF members.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.
If you frequently fly private jets, your departing and landing experience may be limited to walking across the hangar and into a waiting car. However, an airport’s fixed-base operator (FBO) offers many useful ground-support services you might not know about — services that can make your flying experience safe and low-stress:
Ground equipment — Fuel is a primary source of income for FBOs and an important service for jet owners. After a long flight, the FBO staff will refuel your aircraft so that you’re ready for your next destination. And many FBOs offer fuel loyalty programs, allowing customers to accrue points that can be used toward future purchases. FBOs also have deicing trucks, tow bars, ground power units (GPUs), and other equipment to assist your landing and departure.
Maintenance — In case of an emergency, all FBOs can provide maintenance services; it’s even an airport requirement. In a worst-case scenario, it is a comfort to know that an FBO can provide the assistance you need to get you on your way.
Amenities — FBOs offer several services to keep you and your crew comfortable, such as concierge services, in-flight catering, hangar space, and sales of aircraft parts and supplies. Facilities such as a pilot lounge with computers and weather-reporting services, showers, Wi-Fi, and other amenities are typically available as well. Full-service FBOs strive to exceed customer expectations — they may have a hot cup of coffee ready for you upon arrival or even food ordered in from your preferred restaurant.
Some airports have as many as six FBOs. To locate an FBO at your destination airport, use an FBO directory such as the one available at GlobalAir.com.
FBOs are a key perk of flying a private aircraft. A dedicated FBO, such as Orion Jet Center in Miami, works to provide services that make clients’ travel experiences comfortable and enjoyable.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.
The surprising plunge in oil and fuel prices made news in late 2014 and has continued to make headlines into the new year. Prices for fuel, including jet fuel, have been on the decline and are anticipated to continue to drop in 2015. With crude oil prices dropping 40% since June — from more than $115 a barrel to less than $50 a barrel — the resulting reduction in jet fuel costs is good news for private jet owners and business aviation.
Older jets get a boost
Fuel prices can make up 30 to 40% of total operating costs. As a result, many businesses favor newer, more fuel-efficient (and more expensive) aircraft models during times of higher oil prices. Current fuel prices give owners of older jets more incentive to keep flying their aircraft longer, rather than replace their planes with newer fuel-efficient aircraft.
The decline of oil prices is also making used aircraft more attractive to buyers. In addition to their considerably lower cost, used jets can be delivered and put into service much more quickly than new models can — especially considering enormously backlogged orders for new jets.
A good time for pre-owned aircraft buyers
Aircraft buyers may find good deals on jets owned by oil industry execs whose net worth is falling in the wake of low oil prices. Such is the case particularly in Russia, where many private jet owners are motivated to sell their aircraft to pocket on-the-rise U.S. dollars.
And for first-time jet buyers in particular, the fuel-price decline makes private jet ownership more of a bargain than ever compared with the cost of commercial airlines for business travel. Lower fuel costs have not been reflected in the price of commercial flights. Some airlines are pocketing the profits rather than passing along cost savings to customers, either to avoid having to raise ticket prices again when fuel costs increase or because they have little incentive to cut ticket prices given the high demand for business travel. Other airlines are actually losing money as an unforeseen consequence of agreeing upon set jet fuel prices with suppliers before the cost of fuel dropped so significantly.
Although the lower fuel prices are having a mixed effect on the aviation market as a whole, as long as prices remain suppressed, owners of older jets or those in the market for a pre-owned plane will continue to reap the blessings of the worldwide oil glut.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.
Buying or selling a used aircraft can be confusing as you navigate the maze of tax laws, financing details, and assessing the aircraft’s condition. Assembling a team of experts to advise you during this process can help you to make a smart purchase and get the best possible value. To guide you through the aircraft-buying process, consider enlisting the help of the following professionals.
Broker
The internet makes it possible to gather more information than ever about a jet. However, in the same way you would trust a medical professional over a Web-based self-diagnosis, a jet broker’s informed opinion and expertise are invaluable when attempting to sift through the deluge of jet sales information. A reputable broker can assess an aircraft’s condition and valuation, help you determine a long-term operating budget, explain regulation changes, and ensure you are paying a fair price.
Aviation tax attorney
Aircraft operations planning is no easy task. It requires knowledge of FAA and DOT regulations, federal and state income and sales tax issues, and aircraft economics. An aviation tax attorney can assist you by designing a compliant operational structure, drafting purchase agreements, and maximizing your tax savings.
Lender
Financing your aircraft is an essential part of the buying process, so finding the right lender is crucial. Your lender can advise you on the many options available for financing your jet and offer you a loan with the best terms for the aircraft you’re looking to purchase.
Management provider
Some buyers choose an aircraft management company during the buying process; others handle this step post-sale. Either way, a management company can help you with the time-consuming job of managing and maintaining a multimillion-dollar aircraft. A management company provides essential services, such as locating and hiring a qualified pilot and crew, handling accounting, coordinating flights, and managing aircraft storage. Engaging a management company can reduce your ownership risk, lower operational costs, and maximize revenue. You can make sure you choose the right management company for your needs by asking the right questions.
Although you may need additional expertise to assist you in buying a jet, these four key team members will handle the essential parts of the process to ensure smooth sailing through such an exciting purchase.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.
Jet lag is an annoyance and even a health issue for anyone who flies across multiple time zones. For frequent flyers, such as on-the-go business executives, jet lag is more than a nuisance. It can have significant detrimental effects on well-being and productivity.
Three environmental features of an aircraft cabin aggravate jet lag: lighting, air pressure, and air quality, especially humidity. Fortunately, aircraft owners or buyers can make changes to the cabin’s interior that mitigate jet lag or look for aircraft with these specific features.
Lighting
Flying across multiple time zones can wreak havoc with the body’s internal clock. A traveler leaving Auckland, New Zealand, at 7 p.m. and arriving in Denver at 6:30 p.m. on the same day will have an internal clock that is far out of sync with the destination time zone. This is because cross-time zone travel disrupts the normal 24-hour light and dark cycle, as well as the fact that the traveler’s internal clock takes several days to sync with a new time zone.
Although you can’t eliminate time zone differences, you can modify cabin lighting to help reduce jet lag. One solution is to install an LED lighting system with a programmable zonal day-and-night mood-lighting capability. Make sure lighting complements the interior design and provides acceptable brightness, and that lighting transitions are gradual.
Air pressure
An aircraft’s environmental control system (ECS) regulates air quality and cabin pressure. A lower-pressure environment is typically more comfortable for passengers — for example, it increases their oxygen intake and can help avoid intestinal gas symptoms common in pressurized cabins.
Aircraft cabins are pressurized to a pressure that is lower than sea level — at their maximum altitude, aircraft are generally pressurized to 8,000 feet. However, a number of private jet models, such as the Gulfstream G500 and G650 and Boeing BBJ models, feature lower cabin pressurization, which in turn can mitigate jet lag symptoms by helping passengers breathe easier and feel more energized in flight.
Humidity
Dry eyes and throat are often an unpleasant part of travelers’ flying experience, but lower humidity also contributes to fatigue and lowered immune function, and can even be dangerous for passengers with respiratory concerns. Private jets tend to have the lowest humidity — typically less than 5% — because they have fewer passengers (the main contributor to cabin humidity). Dry cabin air also contributes to dehydration, aggravating jet lag.
The solution? Retrofit your aircraft cabin with a humidification system, such as CAIR Humidification from CTT Systems. This system boosts in-cabin relative humidity to 20%, helping to stave off the effects of dry filtered air.
Regular travelers frequently face jet lag, which threatens their well-being and productivity. Fortunately, the right cabin interior modifications can combat jet lag and help you arrive refreshed and ready for whatever your destination may bring.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.
Remember the rubber band-powered toy flying bird of your childhood? The original mechanical flying bird, called Tim, is a classic toy designed around a simple, ingenious concept. And thanks to Edwin Van Ruymbeke, descendant of Tim’s inventors, there’s a new “species” in the mechanical bird world: Bionic Bird.
Van Ruymbeke, an aeronautic engineer who worked for his family’s business, conceived the Bionic Bird concept years ago. Recent advances in technology, including electronics miniaturization, lightweight materials, and smartphones, finally made it possible for Van Ruymbeke to fabricate and produce Bionic Bird, which he launched in December 2015.
Bionic Bird includes three components: the bird itself; a standalone, egg-shaped charger; and the Flying App, a Bluetooth 4.0 app that remotely controls the bird. The app is currently available for the iPhone 4S and 5 and iPad mini; the company plans to release an Android version of the app as well.
Van Ruymbeke designed Bionic Bird to be lightweight enough to stay aloft and flap its wings like a real bird. Bionic Bird weighs only 10 grams — slightly more than one-third ounce. The device charges fully in 12 minutes, enough to power 10 eight-minute flights, the company states. Bionic Bird mimics a real bird so well, it can beguile cats and fly among actual birds.
Bionic Bird’s creator plans to enhance Bionic Bird to enable more precise control and stable flight and eventually outfit the bird with an HD video camera with live retransmission. At about $117, Bionic Bird isn’t as pricey as some gadgets — but for those who love flight, the entertainment it provides might well be priceless.
After years of sluggish performance and poor growth, the aviation industry is poised for a really good year in 2015. Analysts are barely hiding their glee, and jet owners and aviation pros are beyond ready for some good news and excitement. What’s spurring this particular renewal? Three big changes.
Declining oil prices
Fuel is the single biggest expense for airlines — taking as much as 45 to 58% of their total costs. The price per barrel declined in 2014 and is expected to continue its downward slide in 2015. The lower fuel price is a gift for an industry that has recently gone through hard times.
But don’t get too excited. These low prices we’re seeing at the start of 2015 may not last — fuel prices could rise as quickly as they plunged. Smart airline managers would do well to take advantage of the temporary price fluctuation and bank those profits for later.
New aircraft technology
What could be more fun than some exciting new aircraft technology? Several innovative products are set to emerge this year. After multiple delays, two new airplanes are due to enter service:
The Airbus A320NEO, aka the New Engine Option, and
The new engines are powered by the Pratt & Whitney Geared Turbo Fan (GTF) engine; the result of 20 years of research and development. The engine burns 16% less fuel and comes with 20% lower maintenance costs when compared to today’s engines.
Aerospace aficionados are also waiting breathlessly for the flight-testing of the Boeing KC-46A, a new aerial refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force.
Signs of growth in aviation
After struggling through many sluggish years, the business aviation industry is finally showing some signs of growth. Contributing factors include the slow improvements in the U.S. economy, increased demand for pre-owned aircraft, and growing demand for business jet flight. Pre-owned jet inventories are at their lowest levels since 2008, and interest rates are at an historic low. Together, these factors provide an optimum climate for an all-round rebound for aviation.
A sustaining factor in the bright outlook for 2015 is the high number of new jet models coming out in the near-term. In the next five years, 18 new business jets are predicted to enter the market — giving waiting consumers a great reason to buy.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.
This month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will implement an important change to the federal government approved Known Crew Member (KCM) program. Starting Jan. 13, the KCM program, which expedites airport security screening for flight crew members, will no longer require authorized crew members to be in uniform when passing through KCM access points.
The KCM program was created to verify the identity and employment status of authorized crew members. Since 2012, the program has become the security screening protocol for U.S. airlines in dozens of airports around the country.
KCM grants flight crew members access to alternative security screenings, with the aim of reducing security lines and potential delays for flight crew members, including pilots and flight attendants. However, the KCM program originally required crew members to be in uniform, a burden to many who are traveling in advance of their flights or are deadheading.
Aviation professionals welcome the rule change. For example, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO (AFA), Sara Nelson, praised the change, saying that the KCM policy update provides “a lift to crews’ quality of work-life [and] puts more non-uniformed trained responders — extra ‘eyes, ears and hands’ — past the gate.”
Although authorized crew members can now pass through a KCM security point in civilian clothes, they still must abide by these KCM rules:
They cannot transport TSA-prohibited items.
They cannot carry another person’s property through a KCM portal.
They may be subject to random screening.
The rule change will apply only to crew members employed by carriers that participate in the KCM program. Even so, when you fly this year, your next seatmate could be a pilot or flight attendant traveling incognito.
Contact L & L International if you need assistance in purchasing or selling a private jet.
You can reach our sales specialists today at sales@L-Lint.com, call us any time at +1.305.754.3313, or visit us online.
Winter weather and holiday traffic jams aren’t the only things causing delays for air travelers. The current pilot shortage has hit regional airlines and their passengers particularly hard. What’s causing this shortage of qualified pilots? A few things:
National Aviation Hall of Fame
If you frequently fly private jets, your departing and landing experience may be limited to walking across the hangar and into a waiting car. However, an airport’s fixed-base operator (FBO) offers many useful ground-support services you might not know about — services that can make your flying experience safe and low-stress:
The surprising plunge in oil and fuel prices made news in late 2014 and has continued to make headlines into the new year. Prices for fuel, including jet fuel, have been on the decline and are anticipated to continue to drop in 2015. With crude oil prices dropping 40% since June — from more than $115 a barrel to less than $50 a barrel — the resulting reduction in jet fuel costs is good news for private jet owners and business aviation.
Buying or selling a used aircraft can be confusing as you navigate the maze of tax laws, financing details, and assessing the aircraft’s condition. Assembling a team of experts to advise you during this process can help you to make a smart purchase and get the best possible value. To guide you through the aircraft-buying process, consider enlisting the help of the following professionals.
Jet lag is an annoyance and even a health issue for anyone who flies across multiple time zones. For frequent flyers, such as on-the-go business executives, jet lag is more than a nuisance. It can have significant detrimental effects on well-being and productivity.
After years of sluggish performance and poor growth, the aviation industry is poised for a really good year in 2015. Analysts are barely hiding their glee, and jet owners and aviation pros are beyond ready for some good news and excitement. What’s spurring this particular renewal? Three big changes.
This month, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will implement an important change to the federal government approved Known Crew Member (KCM) program. Starting Jan. 13, the KCM program, which expedites airport security screening for flight crew members, will no longer require authorized crew members to be in uniform when passing through KCM access points.