CRAIG SINCOCK CEO AND PRESIDENT AVFUEL
Nasim Raja CHAIR Max Raja
& CEO
Anthony Harrington
Barton
Baker
Smith
Stanbury
As the saying goes “Make hay while the sun shines”! This is exactly what our industry has been doing over the last few years with everyone learning, growing and supporting each other in the boom that followed the shock of 2020.
We have all enjoyed the significant growth in business aviation use and the related revenues and profits! Given the tenacity of our industry to cope when times have been hard, it is not surprising to learn that when times have been good, the professionals in our industry have used this unexpected boost to further strengthen their operations. Many have also laid the groundwork to prepare for anything that the world may throw at them moving forward.
Normality is returning to the world after almost 3 years of spectacular energy within the business aviation market and it looks like most organisations are better prepared than ever to utilise this unexpected boost to further strengthen their foundations and stabilise their place in the market.
It is always exciting to see the business aviation community once again packing its collective suitcases and heading for Vegas and the greatest show on Earth! Will this be the best show and conference so far? We’ll know the statistics once the doors close on this year’s NBAA but the interest is already palpable.
BAM will, of course, once again be holding our famous NBAA Networking Event. This go around it will be on Wednesday 18th October at the iconic Hard Rock Café, Las Vegas Blvd S, from 8 till late.
The event, as usual, is by invitation only, with priority given to our sponsors, advertisers and good friends. If you haven’t yet got your invite, please get in touch with either Max or Roger ASAP!
As everyone knows, with 2024 just around the corner, we are about to head into a US Presidential Election Year. As always, with perhaps a special twist in 2024, the Presidential race looks to be potentially even more challenging than usual.
Nevertheless, the signs and omens continue to look positive for business aviation. The overwhelming majority of the senior executives and CEOs interviewed in the present edition of BAM are confident that 2023 will end on a high. The general consensus is that the huge boost the sector experienced over the last two years, with so many new charter customers choosing to fly private rather than commercial, is now drifting back towards normality.
Many businesses will see their 2023 results outperforming their prepandemic figures, and will head into 2024 in good shape. However, readers would do well to ponder the points made by John Matthews, founder and CEO of AirX, in his interview. To sum up John’s view in just a few words, real profits matter and debt needs to be carefully managed. It is all too easy to get over-leveraged when times are good. One forgets business cycles at one’s peril.
That said, there is still a great air of confidence out there, and many senior executives expect 2024 to deliver growth opportunities for their operations. Enjoy the show, everyone, and a hearty thanks to all who have supported us so well through 2023.
ANTHONY HARRINGTON
16 Fueling 50 Years of Aviation Innovation
Craig Sincock, President, CEO and owner of Avfuel, reflects on the company’s 50 year history
26 Fresh and Dynamic
Emily Mavros, Director at Skylink Services, along with Alkman Granitsas, communications consultant at Kyklos Associates, and George Chatzidakis, Head of Pixelworks Design Studio, discuss Skylink’s rebranding exercise
32 Simplifying transactions
Thomas Wieser, Managing Director of Vienna Jets, on what makes for successful jet transactions
38 Design different
Sarah Mespelt Larranaga, Freestream’s Chief Design Officer, on why design matters
42 Hiring the best
Neil Boyle, SVP and General Manager of Citadel Completions, on attracting top talent to meet the company’s ambitious goals
48 Bigger and better
Harrods Aviation Managing Director, Paul Norton, and Commercial Director, Will Holroyd, discuss Harrods Aviation’s new enlarged footprint at Stansted
54 Future-proofed
Ryan Johnson, a professional pilot, talks to BAM about Gogo’s AVANCE L5 system
Futureproofed Hiring
60 Best of the best
James Krumbholz, Senior Program Manager, CMS Cabin Management Solutions, and David Feuerhak, VP of sales, on CMS’s complete cabin and Inflight entertainment systems
66 Return to Genuine Profi ts
John Matthews, founder and CEO of AirX, on the crisis he sees facing business aviation, and his ambitious plans for AirX
74 Reputation for Excellence
Brian Allen, Co-Founder and President of Aviation Maintenance Professionals, on what sets his company apart
78 Making a difference
Kevin Kucel, Director, Aircraft Sales at Townsend Leather, and his eldest son, AJ, Aviation Sales Manager, discuss the company’s history and its impact in the OEM, completions and refurbishment sectors
84 Fabricating perfection
Hayden Lowe, Vice President of Avfab, on opening up opportunities in interior refurbishments
88 Light transformation
Louis Verdu, sales manager at Bigorre Aerospace Corporation, a sister company of S.E.L.A. Lighting, on enhancing business jet interiors with LED lighting systems
92 Tasty and Healthy in-flight snacks
Rich Shaffer, talks about his new company, Original Legacy Foods, targeting business aviation companies
96 Shaping the future
Jane Stanbury explores innovative materials design with F/LIST CEO Katharina List-Nagl
Freestream has established itself as a premier destination for discerning aviation clients who value best-in-class service and materials and customized design and culminating with white
Skylink Services Ltd is part of the Skylink Group of Companies. The company is well-established and provides ground handling services for General Aviation Aircraft in Cyprus. We began operations in 1992, filling the gap in the Executive Aircraft ground handling market, at both international airports of Cyprus, Larnaca and Pafos.
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T: +(357) 24 84 09 00 • F: +(357) 24 66 58 05
E: flightops@skylink.com.cy
T: +(357) 24 64 33 34
F: +(357) 24 64 35 99
25 years designing and building aircraft interiors has earned the team at Design Q a solid reputation for generating ground-breaking concepts and developing them with engineering precision into some of the world’s most exquisitely refined products
Devonport 2001
Ferrari 2006
Virgin 2002
Cathay Pacific 2007
Challenger 2012
Private Client 2017
Global 2008
Global 2013
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Craig Sincock, esteemed president, CEO and owner of aviation’s foremost privately-held fuel enterprise, shares his reflections on a remarkable half-century journey characterised by sustained expansion and unwavering resilience within an ever-evolving market
AH: Considering the dynamic landscape over the past five decades, marked by the departure of numerous reputable suppliers, could you shed light on the key factors that contributed to Avfuel's sustained growth?
CS: Fuel is a necessary commodity. We like to joke at Avfuel that our fuel is better than anyone else’s—it’s magic! But the
truth is, fuel is fuel. While it’s our core product, the product itself was never going to be our differentiator. I knew from the beginning, to be great, to be the leading independent fuel supplier, we had to be a people-first company, rather than a product-first company. That meant—and still means— listening to our customers, taking the human approach to
“ I knew from the beginning, to be great, to be the leading independent fuel supplier, we had to be a people-first company.”
business, and letting their needs drive our business plan.
After flying to just about every FBO and talking with them directly, it became clear we needed to surround the fuel with the products and services they needed to conduct business efficiently, effectively and safely. We needed to be the most reliable fuel provider, the easiest and most likeable to work with, and a one-stop shop for their business needs. It’s the only way we could have gone toe-to-toe with the major oil companies who, at the time, were supplying fuel directly to airports and FBOs.
Was it the best business plan to try and compete with the majors? Well, no—but we were young, bold and, ultimately, it worked! I couldn’t have known the major oil companies would eventually leave the business, but I knew they didn’t desire to provide FBOs with the back-end solutions they needed. Aviation was simply too small a percentage of their business. I saw our opening to compete. Avfuel, by being 100% dedicated to aviation, was willing to put resources into those needs and effectively became the first ever comprehensive supplier of aviation fuel and services.
I don’t need to tell you a number of companies followed suit. As a result, today, the aviation fuel supply business looks entirely different than it did in the 80s and Avfuel is as committed as ever to driving innovation.
So, from our very inception as a supplier, we consistently demonstrated a commitment to adaptation and innovation by listening to needs and developing solutions, thereby thriving amid a highly competitive landscape.
Our journey has been marked by strategic expansions in product and service offerings, an accelerated global footprint, a pioneering role in sustainability, substantial investments in next-gen fuel
technology, unwavering dedication to exemplary customer support, and strategic growth through partnerships.
While we have always grown the Avfuel Network one customer at a time, we knew that significant gains to establish a leadership position in the market would require expedient expansion through the form of acquisitions. With this strategy in mind, we pursued acquisitions of both publicly- and privately-held companies to diversify our business lines and vastly expand our geographic scope. This helped to strengthen the brand, and make it a more recognizable and attractive option as a business partner for every segment of aviation.
AH: Could you expand upon the strategic initiatives and considerations that led to the diversification of your service portfolio?
CS: To consistently surpass expectations and foster sustainable business growth over the years, Avfuel has proactively expanded its product and service portfolio to align with the ever-evolving needs of the aviation industry. This happened through a mix of strategic acquisitions and homegrown solutions. These solutions have served to differentiate Avfuel as a leading partner for its customers. For instance:
With Avfuel Contract Fuel, Avfuel revolutionized highvolume fuel procurement. Before our program, contracted fuel agreements were only available to commercial operators. We expanded this cost-saving opportunity to flight operators and built a global network around it. That network now includes 3,500+ fueling locations around the globe. It serves more than 6,000 customers representing 32,500 turbine aircraft. This makes the program valuable for fueling locations and pilots alike.
With AVTRIP, we revolutionized aviation’s first fuel loyalty rewards program—Pride Bucks, which we took over with Avfuel’s acquisition of Pride Aviation. As the earliest provider of
“ With AVTRIP, we revolutionized fuel loyalty rewards programs.”
an aviation loyalty program, we demonstrated our commitment to rewarding our loyal customers. Now, nearly every fuel supplier offers a loyalty rewards program. But AVTRIP remains the industry’s most popular program. It features more than 65,000 members, 500+ participating locations, unique ways to earn more points, tiered membership to boost awards, and automatic, digital cash payouts every year.
With Avsurance, Avfuel provides insurance and risk management solutions. Avfuel ventured into aviation insurance through its acquisition of Underwood Insurance Company. This in-house division now provides invaluable coverage to our customers.
With Avtank, our in-house team offers unparalleled expertise in building, engineering and designing refueling equipment. We’re the only fuel supplier with an in-house OEM and have the largest fleet of any fuel supplier with more than 975 refueler trucks.
With Avfuel Technology Initiatives Corporation, we've expanded our fuel offerings to include cleaner and more sustainable options—such as sustainable aviation fuel, carbon offsetting and unleaded avgas—aligning with the industry's growing focus on environmental responsibility.
With an experienced team, we are a dependable resource for customers. We have real people on hand 24/7/365—not automated machines. Many of our team members have been with the company for decades and are industry-recognized experts in their field.
I could go on—flight planning and trip support, credit card programs, price risk management, front counter support, tax assistance, etc.—but these business lines are representative of our dedication to surround the fuel with a variety of services while diversifying our portfolio. That’s “Fuel … and so much more” at work.
AH: In addition to portfolio diversification internally, Avfuel seems to have infiltrated every corner of business aviation. Could you provide some insight into how the company has managed to do so?
CS: By remaining 100% dedicated to aviation, we’re able to pool all of our resources into providing comprehensive
services for our customers and the industry at large. It may look like “just aviation,” but as you’ve already seen, there are so many subsets at play. We haven’t even gotten into the various segments of aviation Avfuel serves—yes, FBOs and airports and corporate flight departments, but also helicopters, commercial airlines, cargo and freight haulers, and government operations. We’re not only in it all, but leading it all, which is only possible by remaining focused.
In business aviation specifically, this dedication has enabled us to focus on global expansion and technological advancements.
In terms of global expansion, Avfuel has accelerated its presence through branding programs, redundant supply relationships with refineries and terminals worldwide, and strong distribution networks in key global markets. In the last year, Avfuel conducted business in 149 countries. We’re always looking for opportunities to strategically expand globally and strengthen our supply network; for instance, we recently acquired a company that granted us greater product pipeline access for heightened distribution efficiency and supply reliability.
This is in addition to a dedication to technological investments. From the beginning, Avfuel has consistently invested in cutting-edge technology, from processing and sales software, to online fuel safety training products and advanced fueling systems. Our commitment to innovation extends beyond traditional fuel supply, with investments in pioneering nextgeneration fuel technology companies, like VerdeGo Aero, which is focused on hybrid-electric power solutions; Air Company, which is focused on power to liquid SAF solutions; Alder Fuels, which is developing industrially aggregated waste feedstocks for SAF; Gevo, Inc., which is working to increase production of SAF via an alcohol to jet pathway; and Neste, which grants the Avfuel Network consistent SAF supply for a today solution to carbon emissions reductions.
Fourteen of our Avfuel Network FBOs now have consistent supply of Neste MY Sustainable Aviation FuelTM, which we also supply to numerous OEMs and corporate flight departments directly.
I have to give C.R. Sincock, our executive vice president, credit here. He shoulders leadership responsibilities across Avfuel's multifaceted business, spanning the domains of procurement, hedging, and st rategic investments in the
“
From the beginning, Avfuel has consistently invested in cutting-edge technology, from processing and sales software, to online fuel safety training products and advanced fueling systems.”
At Citadel Completions, we pride ourselves on providing our customers an unparalleled experience in designing and installing a unique, customized interior solution. Whether it’s a new or , narrow or wide-body aircraft, Citadel Completions will deliver a luxurious, comfortable space for long-haul travel.
Renderings Courtesy of Massari Design
cutting-edge technologies I mentioned. He has encouraged Avfuel’s research and investment in this next generation of aviation and power sources.
He’ll be the first to tell you Avfuel isn’t just a fuel company, it’s an energy company. What that looks like in 50 years will likely be vastly different than in the last 50. His multifaceted contributions radiate across our operations, illuminating his significant role in shaping Avfuel's strategic direction and propelling our journey into more groundbreaking advancements.
AH: Few companies can boast leadership consistency like Avfuel can. What does it take to really run a successful business?
CS: It takes the right people. Good people attract good people, which is why we’ve always focused on acquiring and nurturing top talent.
I think my team members will tell you I’m a hands-on leader. Sure, I have an executive office, but I certainly don’t sit still. You’ll often see me walking up and down the halls, connecting with my colleagues. I enjoy collaborating with my team to dig into problems, assess them from all angles and think through what opportunities there are to change those problems into solutions. This open exchange of ideas has resulted in our most remarkable achievements.
While our leadership team is incredibly consistent, I’m a different CEO, a different president, every day. I have to be in order to evolve with the company and the industry—to be what they need me to be. I credit my professional and personal
development to the simple act of listening. I listen to Avfuel’s team members. I truly hear what they need and adapt. In this way, I’m not only a mentor to them, but also a willing student.
Most importantly, I trust my people. I let them manage. I’ve found that when you hire the best, you get the best outcome. At Avfuel, we have some of the industry’s most dedicated, respected professionals; many have been with the company for decades, as you’ve alluded to, and are well-known by our industry comrades. They’re leaders like Joel Hirst, senior VP of sales; Mark Haynes, VP of sales; Marci Ammerman, VP of marketing; Jon Boyle, VP of contract fuel; Tracie Yergin, VP of fuel supply; Jim Korcek, VP of commercial sales; Mike Kormos, director of sales for the eastern U.S.; Randy Harrison, quality assurance manager; C.R.; and so many more.
By surrounding myself with an impressive group of leading aviation professionals, I’m able to step back and keep my eye on the big picture. I can maintain a strategic vantage point that transcends the conventional landscape. In this way, my focus is oriented toward finding unconventional ways of enhancing our market presence, fostering team growth, and advancing the company's position. It allows me to steer the company and envision what it will be in 5, 10, 15 years—to take a macro approach to leadership.
Avfuel’s leadership team knows how to inspire its colleagues; we also know how to have fun! It makes a difference in the experience of Avfuel team members on a daily basis and in the care its customers receive. When team members choose to stay for 10, 20, 30+ years, you know you have something special; something unique.
AH: 50 years is a long time to be in business and the way you talk about Avfuel’s growth and success with such exuberance makes it sound easy. Has it always been smooth sailing?
CS: Absolutely not. Look at the last 50 years for society and the economy in general: we’ve been through a pandemic, a years-long recession, 9/11 and more. These were incredibly difficult times for people and businesses alike.
Diversifying our business lines beyond fuel supply helped us to mitigate market-related risks. While the main driving force is supporting our customers, this diversification has the added benefit of keeping our business balanced at times of market volatility.
We also always operate with the mentality that business could be down by about 20% from the previous year if something unforeseen were to happen. We make smart decisions—smart for the company, for its customers and for its team members. Our business strategy ensures Avfuel not only survives the tough times, but thrives through them.
I feel a deep responsibility to our customers and our team members to keep Avfuel as healthy as possible in order to support them. With smart strategies, quick decisions and a proactive approach to business, I’m proud to say Avfuel has been fiscally healthy all 50 of its years; it has survived times others could not. It continues to support its wide customer base, 1,000+ staff members and keeps fueling global connections.
So yes, there have been hard times, which required hard decisions. But when I reflect on the last 50 years, I’m filled with joy and pride. Aviation is my passion. Some may already know this, but I’m not just a CEO with an aviation company. I am an aviator. I am an ATP and frequently fly the company’s aircraft, including a Dassault Falcon 2000LXS and Cessna Citation XLS+. My wife, Sue, also has her pilot’s license. C.R. grew up flying from one FBO to the next on my business trips. The Sincock family is honored to serve and shape the aviation industry.
We understand like all aviators that aviation transcends the realm of fuel and aircraft, becoming a powerful medium for
linking people, cultures, businesses, governments and the world at large. What could be more exciting than that? By bridging geographical divides, it facilitates the exchange of ideas, cultures and commerce, catalyzing collaboration on a global scale.
When I sit back and take a macro approach of the industry and Avfuel’s role within it … it’s humbling. It’s also inspiring as we look ahead to the next generation of aviation. We share that excitement with Avfuel’s team members because it’s going to take all of them to help usher in the next chapter.
The Avfuel journey has always been a product of the entire team. Avfuel's endurance, evolution and growth is a testament to the collective dedication and commitment of its hardworking team members. It's a story of collaboration, shared vision and unwavering effort, where each member plays an integral role in shaping the company's trajectory. From the leaders who steer the ship with foresight to the frontline staff members who ensure seamless operations, every individual at Avfuel contributes to the organization's triumph and looks forward to doing so well into the next 50 years.
|BAM Craig and Sue Sincock“ The Sincock family is honored to serve and shape the aviation industry.”
Emily Mavros, Director at Skylink Services, along with Alkman Granitsas, communications consultant at Kyklos Associates, and George Chatzidakis, Head of Pixelworks Design Studio, discuss Skylink’s rebranding exercise
In July this year, Skylink Services, the privately owned FBO in Cyprus and the leading ground handler in the region, announced the completion of a major rebranding exercise.
After serving the executive aircraft industry in Cyprus for over 25 years as the preferred ground handler in the region, Skylink Services decided to modernise its image.
Skylink’s history goes back to the 1990s with a great achievement being made in 2010 when Skylink Services opened the only FBO at Larnaca International Airport. This accommodates a 2,500 sqm VIP lounge facility, while Skylink also undertook the management and operation of the Heads of State Lounge for the Republic of Cyprus. The company has achieved an impressive presence in the industry with unparalleled service and standards.
Emily MavrosAlkman GranitsasGeorge Chatzidakis
Q: Emily, what prompted the rebranding exercise?
EM: In 2022 we decided that we needed to update our logo and digital image with a fresh new design. At the time, George Mavros, Skylink’s Managing Director decided that the logo should be brought into line with the rest of the company’s high and modern standards.
The brief we gave to the design team who undertook the branding for us, was that the new logo and look should retain
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The brief we gave to the design team who undertook the branding for us, was that the new logo and look should retain a similar design and adhere to the colours of the previous logo while being fresh and dynamic.”
Emily Mavrosa similar design and adhere to the colours of the previous logo while being fresh and dynamic.
Q: Alkman, how did you and your agency, plus George over at Pixelworks, come to be involved in the rebranding initiative?
AG: We were approached by George Chatzidakis via the fact that we both work for the Greek National Investment Agency. We do all the English language work for the Greek
State, along with exports into and from Greece. We have also worked together with George on a couple of other business aviation projects.
So, we went to see George and Emily Mavros. My role is very much as a storyteller. I sit with the client and listen to what they want from the project and what their expectations are. I focus on what makes the message unique and how the company is positioned with respect to the industry it is in.
It became clear that there were two themes that would drive the redesign. First, the company has been around for more than 30 years. Their existing design dates from the 1990s, and of course, what was current then does not look so current now. Skylink has grown and grown. The company hosted the Pope on a recent visit, for example, so they needed a logo and a narrative that showed what they are today, not what they were yesterday.
Similarly, business aviation itself is going through a new phase, post the Covid pandemic. In this new wave of growth, the importance of Cyprus as the focal point between
three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe, has also grown commensurately. We focused on positioning Skylink and Cyprus as the place where you could do business and be worry-free in a growing market. This was the brief we communicated to George Chatzidakis and Pixelworks.
Q: What were your thoughts on the brief, George?
GC: When we’re approached for a new logo design we want to understand fully what it is that the client company does, how they see themselves and their market, and what makes for success or failure in their industry.
How deeply we go into this as well as the creative process itself tends to be budget-limited. A tight budget may not allow for a lengthy process. Having said that, we always do work on the basis that the studio’s signature is on everything we do, and of course we want to be proud of the results. We always strive for the best possible outcome and there have been several projects where we overdelivered – especially for existing clients. With George and Emily, the proposed course of action, budget and quotation were accepted, thus we had all the creative freedom we needed for this project. It is all
LONDON LUTON - LONDON STANSTED
about doing good work; the satisfaction comes from seeing the client’s pleasure in the final result and all the positive comments received.
For Skylink, I did some initial work on the basic shapes and colours of the original logo, looking to ensure continuity.
The final result, I believe, achieves this while being many steps on from the original starting point. The logo has many applications in real life, so it needs to look good in print, in single colour, in two colours and in multi-colours. The font we chose and customised for this logo finds a good middle ground between being too playful or too serious.
You are usually working with three items with logos: typeface, symbol/shapes, and white space in or around the logo. It sounds simple and the finished product might sometimes look effortless, but it takes a lot of creative thought, and several iterations or even rejections to achieve it. At the end, what the client gets is not just a symbol with a piece of text,
but the background work and processes that the final logo is derived from. What you end up with is not only why this logo is the correct choice but also why others aren’t.
We are very pleased with the result we have come up with for Skylink. The logo has now been applied to their signage and business cards, and we’re looking forward to further enhancing Skylink’s creative assets.
Q: Emily, how do you see things going forward?
EM: At Skylink we continue to offer a complete and outstanding ground handling service in Cyprus both at Larnaca and Paphos International Airport. This remains our focus.
We maintain a large fleet of vehicles for crew and passenger transport. The FBO accommodates both security and immigration facilities and our experienced staff work hard to ensure that whether you are arriving or departing from Cyprus, your experience is seamless and comfortable from arrival to departure. |BAM
Q: Thomas, you have been buying and selling aircraft for a number of years. How did you get started?
TW: We started Vienna Jets in 2015, in Vienna, Austria. The airport here sees around 25 million passengers a year, the vast majority of which are flying commercial, but there is a significant business aviation presence in the entire region.
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One of the things that has really helped us is that I have a great relationship with a number of brokers and dealers.”
“ We are preparing to enter the heavy jet market soon, beginning with the Bombardier Global.”
So, we started off as a pure-play broker for aircraft sales and acquisitions as well as consultancy. That has worked very well for us. To succeed in this market, you need a very good sense of the market and a great network.
One of the things that has really helped us is that I have a great relationship with a number of brokers and dealers. We treat each other respectfully, and that has generated growth for all of us.
Q: How much business are you seeing in a year?
TW: Last year we sold 14 aircraft. We mainly transact jets and turboprops. Next to straight brokerage on either the buyer or seller side, one of our core business is to refer“project aircraft“. We have buyers at hand who are looking to buy aircraft that need upgrades, new paint & interior and sometimes a lot of overdue maintenance rectified. We are preparing to enter the heavy jet market soon, beginning with the Bombardier Global.
I have a team of three working for me in marketing and market research, plus some administrative staff.
Q: What is business like this year?
TW: We get a lot of enquiries across our desk, and, with experience, you learn to how to sift through them fairly quickly. It is part of our job being a reputable broker to only forward serious buyers to our selling clients. When working on the purchaser side we need to filter aircraft that are in fact available to our buying clients.
We put a lot of time and research into serious customer enquiries, be it on the sales or purchase side. We also strive to answer serious enquiries as quickly as possible. People tell us that we are great to work with because of this, and it is why we often sell the same aircraft multiple times to different buyers. People who use us once, like to use us again. They are happy with the seamless and almost nonstop service that we provide, if necessary 24/7.
Q: How did things pick up for you after the pandemic?
TW: I believe we all saw the market pick up sharply and then peak after we came out of the pandemic. What we are now seeing is something of a retreat back to a more normal state of affairs. Some markets have been hit harder than others as a result of this pullback. Personally, I have seen something of a slowdown apart from the fact that, more recently, we continue to see high demand on certain aircraft types such as the newer King Airs.
As to where we are right now? It is very hard to predict exactly how things will develop from here. However, my expectation is that we will see a slow but steady decline in prices from the over-cooked levels that materialised during the peak that followed the pandemic. For me, this decline is not a problem, it is just a return to normality.
Q: How broad is the demand for aircraft that you are witnessing?
TW: We are seeing a very broad demand from potential buyers. There is a lot of interest in CJs, XLSs, Pilatus PC12s and so on. The majority of what we currently trade are jets of the CJ series, along with Citation XLSs, King Airs and the Pilatus. These are all aircraft that have some years on them but I have to say that the younger King Airs sell very well.
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The market is strong for small to medium-sized aircraft in Europe because our market is so well suited to the range that these aircraft have. Turbo-props also do very well. The average age would be in the range of 5 – 10 years. We recently did two CJ1s for a client and both were aircraft that debuted in 2001. However, we also recently did a Pilatus that was new out of the factory in 2022, so demand is right across the board. There is so much variety, and we do them all.
Q: There are so many pitfalls in aircraft transactions. What is your view?
TW: It is very true that there is a great deal to be careful about when buying or selling an aircraft. Experience counts for so much, and this is why our clients value what we do for them. It is so important for someone who wants to buy or sell an aircraft to work with a broker who has a deep understanding and experience of this business.
The key point here is that the broker needs to be experienced in the specific aircraft type that the client is interested in. As the broker, you are working for and protecting your client. We do that very well and so, we have a good, successful business. My personal background of aeronautical engineering and
being a professional pilot myself clearly helps to establish the credibility of Vienna Jets. Customers know they can rely on our vast knowledge and experience.
Q: For you, being an European company, do you work with US escrow firms?
TW: Since AIC Global Solutions opened in London, UK, our transactions are way easier and more transparent to handle. We almost exclusively work with AIC Global Solutions, and we also really like to work with AIC Title Service. AIC Global Solutions are available in our time zone and they react quickly. That helps a lot. My relationship, that I really appreciate, is with both Eric Lewin, who is based in London, and with Clay Healey. Together, Clay and Eric have developed a fantastic tool for business people.
Their online virtual closing tool is a new state-of-theart platform to track transactions in a whole-life format. My customers as well as myself appreciate that form of transparency and the accountability that it brings: we know who is involved in our transactions, what they have to do, and whether they have done it. Especially, my EU customers who do transactions over here in Europe, appreciate not having to send funds ‘across the pond’. |BAM
Since AIC Global Solutions opened in London, UK, our transactions are way easier and more transparent to handle. We almost exclusively work with AIC Global Solutions.”
Q: Sarah, how did you rst get into design?
SML: I began my aviation and design path at Gulfstream Aerospace after obtaining interior design and engineering degrees at Savannah College of Art and Design and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
My interests then took me into working on bespoke business jet interiors. In this I focused on innovative avionics, structures and lightweight composites. I have been representing clients for some 16 years now in the fields of aviation design and project completion.
In the process, I have collaborated with many high-end designers and worked with clients all over the world, on aircraft ranging from G650’s to Boeing 777s.
Q: What are your goals when you take on a new project?
SML: I am very focused on ensuring that the investment that owners make in their aircraft will bring them tremendous satisfaction while extending the useful life of the aircraft. In the process, I and whoever I am collaborating with, ensure that our core values of premier quality, innovation and sustainability are followed. I pay meticulous attention to detail to achieve the highest quality on my interior and exterior design completions.
Clearly, when you see a top quality, bespoke aircraft interior that has been meticulously achieved, it is the ultimate in luxury. What we do is customized and designed to fit each client’s unique taste and usage.
As an aviation designer and structural engineer, I strive to bring that expertise to each project whether it’s a BBJ, G700 oversight and delivery, or a unique design for a new Global 7500.
For me, the most important elements in creating luxury for each of my clients are:
• Quality Materials & carefully crafted, custom-made furniture that combines comfort and style.
• Attention to Detail, combining precision and meticulous craftsmanship in every aspect, from furniture to decorative elements.
• Elegant Color Palettes: A sophisticated and cohesive color scheme that exudes opulence, often using rich, muted tones and bold accents.
• Functional Integration: A well-designed product or project should seamlessly integrate into its intended function within the environment.
• Lightweight Materials: Each aircraft interior is designed using a significant amount of lightweight composite materials, including carbon fiber-reinforced composites. This reduces the aircraft’s weight, making it more fuelefficient and environmentally friendly.
• Texture and Layering: Mixing different textures and layering elements creating visual interest.
• Innovative avionics, incorporating the latest and greatest systems to ensure owners enjoy their aircraft to the fullest extent possible
• Personalization & Spatial Layout: Tailoring the design to the owner’s preferences and lifestyle to create a truly unique and luxurious space.
I aim to provide a distinctive and exclusive service by pairing design with quality and schedule supervision, along with our proven ability to do detailed technical inspections.
Q: How much does your role go beyond design to encompass control of the whole project?
SML: You always have an eye on managing the whole project. If as a customer representative you can bring aesthetic harmony and functional integration to a project it is going to be a success.
With over 60 transactions a year involving aircraft sales, maintenance review, aircraft delivery, and interior and exterior design, you cannot wear just one hat. You have to be able to provide creative design, but you must also not be afraid to get your hands a little dirty. Specializing in state of the art, medium through ultra-long range corporate jet aircraft, I fully understand the importance of attending to all details as required by clients.
Right now I am working on a green Global 7500, plus the refurbishment of a Falcon 7X and a Challenger 300. |BAM
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If as a customer representative you can bring aesthetic harmony and functional integration to a project it is going to be a success.”
Q: Neil, we spoke with Citadel recently on the state of the market for skilled technicians. How is the hiring process going, and can you tell us a bit about the arrangements you have for skilling up staff internally?
NB: Citadel is currently in full hiring mode, actively seeking qualified candidates to join our team. We understand that finding skilled technicians in the market can be challenging, and this seems to be an industry-wide issue. We have been utilising job posting sites and recruiting efforts to maximise our exposure to potential Citadel team members. It’s worth noting that this challenge is not limited to a specific region, but is, rather, a global concern.
Despite these hurdles, we have made significant progress in our hiring efforts. We are proud to announce that we have successfully onboarded several new hires, not only in technical roles but also in management, sales, engineering, and support functions. We believe in taking our time and finding the right person, with the right qualifications, talent
“ We are proud to announce that we have successfully onboarded several new hires, not only in technical roles but also in management, sales, engineering, and support functions.”
and fit for the overall team, and can get the job done and add the value our clients demand. If we are not happy, we keep searching. This approach has worked very well for us, and we have capitalised on hiring some of the best in the business with this approach.
Q: Let’s talk a bit about some of your recent order successes on the refurbishment and interior completions side.
NB: Certainly, the word is out that we are here for our customers. We’re thrilled to share some exciting updates on our recent order successes in refurbishment and interior completions. Since our last discussion, we’ve been making significant strides in meeting our customers’ needs.
First and foremost, we’re proud to report a very positive sales backlog, indicating strong demand for our services. This is a testament to our commitment to delivering exceptional quality and exceeding customer expectations.
Furthermore, we have successfully completed several high-profile minor cabin updates, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal and comfort of aircraft interiors. These updates demonstrate our attention to detail and dedication
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Once the interior concept is refined, employing 3D modelling or mockups becomes essential to verify the floorplan’s feasibility and functionality. This step provides a visual representation, ensuring that every aspect aligns with the intended vision.”
to providing top-notch services. Lastly, we have undertaken major maintenance events, ensuring that the aircraft entrusted to us are in optimal condition and meet the highest standards of safety and performance.
Q: Taking a step back, what is entailed in formulating a new interior for a wide-body aircraft? Can you take us through the process?
NB: Times have changed over the past few years; cabin outfitting has evolved in new and advanced techniques. To ensure a successful project, and I cannot stress this enough:it is imperative to prioritise preplanning before making any aircraft decisions or arriving at a centre. Investing time in an advanced design proposal allows for refining the interior to
meet specific requirements and determine the most suitable aircraft for the customer’s needs.
Once the interior concept is refined, employing 3D modelling or mockups becomes essential to verify the floorplan’s feasibility and functionality. This step provides a visual representation, ensuring that every aspect aligns with the intended vision.
Then, the expertise of engineering takes over and plays a crucial role in bringing the design to life. They diligently complete the majority of technical aspects, integrating systems and components seamlessly into the aircraft. By prioritising this phase, downtime is minimised, allowing for an efficient process and timely delivery. Upon completion of the engineering work, the aircraft arrives at the centre for the final stages of cabin preparation. Customised furnishings, high-quality finishes, and cutting-edge technologies are installed, resulting in an exceptional finished product. This approach reduces downtime to an absolute minimum, ensuring efficient timeliness and turnaround to deliver the final article promptly to the client.
Q: How are things going on the ACJ front now that you are an approved ACJ service centre?
NB: Our ACJ service centre relationship is going well. We had a very productive meeting with the ACJ team on July 5th – 6th 2023. We are actively looking to increase the ACJ
backlog in the facility here at Lake Charles. Look for some partnerships with ACJ services in the near future.
Q: What are the plans going forward?
NB: Moving forward, our plans involve a multi-faceted approach to ensure growth and excellence in our services. One of our key objectives is to continue building the backlog by leveraging variations of VIP work. This includes expanding our large cabin maintenance and refurbishment projects, including both wide and narrow-body aircraft currently at our facility, as well as upcoming projects.
Maintaining a strong customer-centric focus remains paramount to our success. We pride ourselves on being available round the clock, 24/7, to cater to the needs of our
esteemed clients. Our commitment to flexibility enables us to meet the diverse requirements of private customers.
At Citadel Completions, our dedicated team is driven by a relentless focus on excellence. We are proud to report that the feedback from our valued customers has been nothing short of outstanding for both ongoing and completed projects.
We are particularly excited to announce a significant milestone achieved through our collaboration with Cabin Management Solutions (“CMS” www.cms-aero.com) on a recent B737-700 refurbishment project. The project involved implementing a next-generation cabin control and entertainment solution that has received its STC certification. This achievement showcases our expertise and dedication to delivering top-notch solutions and highlights the hard work and commitment of our team members and key partners.
We take great pride in providing exceptional services that meet the highest industry standards. As we continue to push boundaries and redefine luxury aircraft interiors, we eagerly look forward to taking on new projects and exceeding customer expectations. Our goal is to deliver unparalleled craftsmanship and attention to detail in every endeavour we undertake. |
BAM
“ Our goal is to deliver unparalleled craftsmanship and attention to detail in every endeavour we undertake.”
Stay Healthy, keeping immune system intact, minimize jetlag and arrive alert
HUMIDIFICATION SYSTEM AVAILABILITY:
Harrods Aviation Managing Director, Paul Norton, and Commercial Director, Will Holroyd, talk to Anthony Harrington about Harrods Aviation’s new enlarged footprint at Stansted
AH: Paul, can you take us through the benefits to Harrods Aviation and your customers that flow from your January 2023 acquisition of the neighbouring FBO at Stansted?
PN: We are delighted with the launch of The Brompton, formerly a competitor FBO, which is now very much part of the Harrods Aviation brand. We are running the two locations on the same airfield as joint entities.
We are nearing the end of the process of transitioning and training the excellent staff who are now part of Harrods Aviation in our unique approach to client service. What is critical though, is that clients of the former FBO will continue to see familiar personnel and will enjoy the investment we are putting into upgraded, shared facilities. This will create a real step-change in the services and facilities that clients enjoy.
Paul Norton
Will Holroyd
Expect to be continuously connected while in the air, for a change. With SmartSky you can count on flight time to finish and upload a big presentation, join meetings, relax and watch videos or online game. SmartSky provides an unprecedented connectivity experience for everyone on the aircraft. Arrive at your destination caught up, in touch and ready for what’s next. Land happy. Now that’s SMART.
The Harrods Aviation brand and uniform, which The Brompton clients now enjoy, really counts for something. It creates the expectation that clients will receive service of the highest quality. Our approach is to deliver a ‘high touch’ customer service model. We don’t expect passengers to carry their own bags. We ensure that when the steps of the aircraft go down, they are greeted by people who are familiar with them and their requirements. At Harrods Aviation, we pride ourselves on taking care of our clients’ every need.
AH: Your expansion at Stansted comes as business aviation is well into the post-COVID era. How do you see the timing working for you?
PN: The launch of The Brompton comes at the perfect time for private aviation in general and for flights into Stansted in particular. We saw an upsurge of interest in private charter flights through the pandemic. And 2022 saw a marked increase in private jet movements globally. This was particularly marked with respect to Harrods Aviation clients flying into Luton and Stansted.
We are very optimistic that this trend will continue. Senior executives need to visit their offices, factories, suppliers and clients around the world. They also need to explore business opportunities in a hands-on way. So we see a very strong future for business aviation, with considerable potential for growth.
We are also able to expand our offering to the Royal families from the Middle East who are frequent and loyal customers of ours.
AH: Will, as Commercial Director, have you noticed an uptick in business since the acquisition?
WH: We are very pleased with the way we have been able to grow the business since January. The fact that we now have the ability to offer so much more has gone down very well with existing clients of The Brompton, and has been very attractive to new clients. A particular draw is the fact that we can accommodate any size of aircraft, including two Boeing 747s simultaneously. We continue to specialise in large aircraft handling at The Brompton and this is greatly appreciated by our clients.
“ We can accommodate any size of aircraft, including two Boeing 747s simultaneously. We continue to specialise in large aircraft handling at The Brompton and this is greatly appreciated by our clients.”
AH: I believe you were particularly busy over the Coronation of King Charles III?
WH: The weekend of the Coronation was an incredible occasion for us. We are accustomed to handling large numbers of aircraft movements, and, of course, we routinely deal with Head of State aircraft. However, that weekend was particularly special, with many Head of State aircraft flying into our facilities. We were busier than any other FBO in the UK on that weekend.
Interestingly, just a month or so later we had the arrival of President Biden. That was a real hectic event (as it always is), with Secret Service aircraft flying in ahead of the President to handle security. Of course, we have specialised in Heads of State visits at Stansted for many years. It is very often the FBO of choice for them.
AH: What does being part of the Air Elite network mean for you?
WH: We have been with World Fuel Services for a number of years. We started out with them a decade ago. I am a former
Chairman of the Air Elite Board, and Paul is their current Vice Chair. We are both heavily involved with Air Elite and know the organisation very well. The great thing about Air Elite is that their member FBOs are primarily independent FBOs, with their own characters.
What it means is that despite our globally recognised brand name, as Harrods Aviation, we are all more like family businesses than an FBO chain with a chain mentality. It means that we sit alongside some 70-plus like-minded businesses. We share information and best practices, so it is like being part of a big family, and we all benefit. It also gives us the ability to have a much more global presence, through the Air Elite network, which is tremendous. |
BAM
“ The weekend of the Coronation was an incredible occasion for us. We are accustomed to handling large numbers of aircraft movements, and, of course, we routinely deal with Head of State aircraft.”
JETFLITE is proud to announce a chain of ground handling services at the Lapland airports.
For this winter season full services are now available at:
On top of our everyday VIP class service, we will have dedicated DE-ICING TRUCKS for business jets. No more waiting at the end of the line!
Ryan Johnson, a professional pilot, has been using Gogo’s L5 system for some five years now. As a professional corporate pilot, Ryan flies all around the world for the owners of the aircraft Ryan talks to BAM about his experience with Gogo’s system.
Q: Ryan, how long have you been using Gogo’s AVANCE L5 system?
RJ: Well, this began about five years ago, when the owners wanted to add broadband connectivity to their
Falcon 900 EX. As you know, the Falcon is a three-engine aircraft with a big range. We regularly fly coast to coast in the US, as well as making non-stop trips to cities such as London, Vienna, and the Islands.
We go all over the world from time to time, with lots of London trips over the years. However, far and away the majority of our flying is to the many homes that our owners have all over the US. They are a big family, and the owners, who retired some 12 years ago, have over 30 grandchildren. So, there are lots of trips around the US to visit the various families.
I’ve been flying for them for the last eight years or so and I have to say that it has been a different experience since we got the L5 system on board. I’d say that the connectivity to the aircraft is split roughly 50-50 between the passengers and the pilots.
Our owners are huge sports fans. They love live-streaming golf and other sporting events. They can view the events on their own devices in the cabin or watch on the big screens.
They can call and text people and do everything without having to think about it any differently than they would in their home. The connectivity they have is just as good and their phones auto-connect when they are on the aircraft.
One really good improvement that we have seen is that Gogo’s L5 full bandwidth connectivity used to become available when the aircraft reached 10,000 feet. A couple years ago, Gogo made a change to its policy and now the phones and
“ We had Air-to-Ground with Gogo using an ATG 5000 on a previous aircraft and at the time, I was glad to have any connectivity at all. But the AVANCE L5 was a different level of connectivity altogether.”
devices auto-connect at 3,000 feet. That update was done automatically, we didn’t have to touch the system or do anything for that to take affect. We get there pretty quickly so folks have barely settled down when they are online.
We have a SwiftBroadband system on the aircraft too that provides basic connectivity immediately after take-off until we reach the 3,000-foot mark. It’s good enough for texts and emails but of course, you can’t live stream with it, but that connection lasts a very short time before Gogo’s network becomes available.
Q: Sounds good. How does L5 benefit you as a pilot, apart from keeping the passengers happy?
RJ: It is huge for us. We use it for everything. We can keep in touch with staff and with the personal assistants who are arranging hotels, FBOs and other concierge details. If the owners need to change their destination in mid-flight it is just so much easier for us to get new flight plans sorted and to make all the new arrangements that the change requires.
At the same time, we have a full-time maintenance staff and if there are any issues, or we get a yellow light, we can send a message off directly to them. With FBOs, we can update them in the air as to where we are and how we are doing as far as our ETA is concerned. Our tail number is blocked most of the time, so they can’t see us coming, but with L5 we keep them updated.
We use iPads with all sorts of apps on them. One of the best is ForeFlight. It does real-time weather updates while we are in the air, as well as handling flight planning. We can also see other aircraft in our vicinity. We use Rockwell Collins for our flight planning, and we can update it en route.
If, for example, we get a re-route over the Atlantic that would have been a big deal in the past. You have to recalculate your fuel burns and so on. Now we send a quick email to our flight planner and we have new flight plans in less than a minute.
Another point is that it can be hard to communicate effectively over RTF. Sometimes hearing what is being said is tricky. Now we can communicate so much more clearly. If our schedule changes, we can update our airline tickets and hotels with no problem. The list of how it helps us goes on and on.
Q: Connectivity in the air keeps advancing. How do you find things with Gogo?
RJ: We had Air-to-Ground with Gogo using an ATG 5000 on a previous aircraft and at the time, I was glad to have any connectivity at all. But the AVANCE L5 was a different level of connectivity altogether. I mentioned the number of grandchildren our owners have. At home with my kids, if they lose connectivity they are at the end of their rope so fast it makes your head spin.
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“ We have two big screens up and plenty of iPads. Fortunately, with L5 we can set up two different networks, one for the cabin and one for the pilots. The router takes care of all this for us.”
So you can imagine. Our typical passenger complement when our owners fly would be between six and nine people, but sometimes, once a month or so, we’re flying with 15, including children. So, we have two big screens up and plenty of iPads. Fortunately, with L5 we can set up two different networks, one for the cabin and one for the pilots. The router takes care of all this for us.
The last thing we need to worry about when we are flying is what’s happening to the comms system in the cabin. We just want a system that is reliable and works, and that we do not have to switch on or off. The L5 works as soon as we fire up the aircraft. It just works and that’s excellent.
Q: So, looking back on everything, what difference has L5 made?
RJ: It has made a huge difference in terms of speed and bandwidth. That is the whole point of comms to the aircraft.
What has been particularly good is that upgrades are much easier. Instead of requiring a new installation, as the technology grows, the system grows with it. Owners do not appreciate having to have aircraft downtime and the more you can avoid that, the better.
Another really helpful thing is Medair when you are flying elderly owners. We have an EKJ cardiovascular and glucose monitor. If we had a cardiac emergency on the aircraft, we can simply hook the patient up and send all the data to the medical centre in real time.
On a more upbeat note, we have Gogo Vision on board which stores hundreds of blockbuster movies and TV programs in the onboard server. This is updated wirelessly when the aircraft is in the hangar. So the old days, where I’d be tasked with going around town picking up a bunch of specific DVDs for a flight are now history. Everything is on board. It’s great. |BAM
AH: When was CMS founded?
DF: We have come a long way in a short period of time. We opened in March 2019 specifically to focus on CMS, along with in-cabin entertainment and moving maps. We came into being from the fact that the CMS system in our owner’s Falcon 900 aircraft developed some serious issues. The choice was to live with the broken system, select from the same old legacy systems on the market today or do something that the industry had never seen before.
Our owner is an ex-navy pilot and mechanical engineer, so naturally his love of engineering, and propensity for high quality engineered products was the basis for starting CMS. The first request on the board was “why can’t I get the same audio/visual experience on my plane, like my home”.
So, with a group of aviation industry experts as our core and industry veterans from the high-end Audio/Video industry, CMS was formed and went to work designing a new complete Cabin management system from the ground up. This included HD and 4K monitors, high resolution speakers, switch panels, entertainment audio amplifiers
with PA capability, and a patented 4K/8K video distribution system and true 4K60 moving map for business aviation and VVIP aircraft.
JK: We all had done numerous CMS installations, so we knew in advance where all the pain points are when you install current legacy
IFE and cabin management systems. Basically, you want to do as little damage to the existing interior as possible. We conveyed those ideas and designed the CMS systems that are now available today.
We were able to come up with a better, much more technologically advanced solution that still fits inside an attractive price point, and that is not problematic to install. It conforms with the tech you find in your home and luxury cars of today but is fully DO-160 tested, including flammability and FAA PMA certificated.
AH: Is the system now ready to take to the wider market?
DF: We have been very methodical about how we go to
James Krumbholz David Feuerhakmarket with our CMS system. The last thing we wanted to do was rush something to market. We wanted to be absolutely confident that the system was 100 percent right and would do what we say it will do.
Right now, we are gearing up for the 2024 intake. Since certification, we have been very selective about who we quote to and sell to. We had to make sure that it fit our business case, and that it is a project that made sense for CMS.
To date, the overall response from the market has been excellent. We’ll be in full production late in Q4 this year.
AH: CMS offerings include monitors, audio system, 4k video distribution system etc. Do you do everything or do you specialise in some areas?
JK: CMS received lots of feedback from the industry when we flew our Falcon 900ex equipped with our first Cabin Management System to 9 different MRO’s from coast to coast
for critique and suggestions for improvement. From those responses and recommendations we quickly realised that having multiple companies involved, one making a map box and another company making monitors, was not the way forward.
For example, if the video is not displaying properly or there are other faults, all the suppliers end up pointing the finger at each other. Ultimately that creates issues for both the MRO and the end customer.
Our approach, to do everything under one roof as far as providing an IFE and cabin management solution was clearly spot on even working by integrating legacy equipment. However, we realised that we were well placed to add cutting edge technologies to our product offering. This would allow customers to have a choice as to what level of upgrade would best fit their budget. Out of that came our Empire 4K60 audiovisual system which does not compromise when it comes to audio and video distribution.
Empire offers the latest Bluetooth technology for superior audio, USB-C video/charging and ultra-fast video/audio switching. This last is one of our patented products.
Similar to our other product lines, our Elevate series is a modular system of audio amplifiers which allows the MRO to purchase exactly what they need for the project. Our amplifier has industry leading power capabilities. Each card has a capability of 200 watts for bass applications and 85 watts for stereo applications. The amp has a capacity of 5 cards (10 channels) and modular AC or DC power supply cards that slide into our docking station, depending on the aircraft configuration.
The mid-range speakers are ultra-thin and use an inverted four-inch aluminium cone driver that is just an inch thick. The tweeter itself is an air motion tweeter, which is found in some of the world’s best speaker systems on the market today. This technology is perfect for aviation, as air motion tweeters squeeze the molecules in the air to reproduce the highs you hear and are impervious to vibrations and harmonic distortions. The result is a sound that is crisp and precise.
AH: You mentioned that you do a moving map?
DF: Yes, our map system is called Explore. It takes the same composite input as other moving maps while a software turn-on key allows it to be upgraded to HD resolution (1920 x 1080p) or true 4k60 for high end applications.
Our Explore map is unique in that it is a drop-in replacement for most legacy map systems installed currently in aviation. It is a true next-generation moving map that allows for upgrade as the rest of the cabin gets upgraded in the years to come.
AH: You must have put together a really skilled engineering team to do all this.
JK: Our three PCB engineers have probably around 80 years of combined experience in PCB schematics and layout. Add that to the expertise of our other technicians and engineers and we have one of the best teams around in high-end audio-visual systems.
Our two chief mechanical engineers came to us from a highprofile IFE company in their day, specializing in VVIP. With the years of expertise in VVIP and business aviation, CMS is well positioned to offer solutions that meet the needs of the industry as a whole.
Because of this experience, CMS has developed a wireless, modular solution that takes advantage of 3D printing to quickly make brackets that adapt to the existing removed switch hole cut outs. Ultimately, this means a much shorter downtime for the aircraft which saves time and money for the owner.
DF: We just completed a BBJ that will be displayed at NBAA this year, complete with Empire, Evolve, Elevate and Explore. The culmination of this project demonstrates all of our product offerings and is a huge milestone for the company.
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Our Explore map is unique in that it is a drop-in replacement for most legacy map systems installed currently in aviation. It is a true next-generation moving map that allows for upgrade as the rest of the cabin gets upgraded.”
The team took great pride in this project and it is something that represents the full capabilities of what CMS has done and what we are capable of accomplishing in the future on any business aviation or VVIP aircraft wanting to move from the legacy systems on the market today. |BAM
John Matthews, founder and CEO of AirX, talks to Anthony Harrington about the crisis he sees facing business aviation and his ambitious plans for AirX
Introduction
In 2011, John Matthews bought a failing executive jet airline. In 2012, with a €250k loan from William Callanan, a seasoned Hedge Fund veteran, John Matthews and Callanan became partners, as they are today.
Over time, Investec Bank supported John with personal loans to buy additional company shares, leaving him the majority shareholder today in what is possibly Europe’s most successful business aviation airline.
Matthews has assembled a team that has increased AirX’s charter sales from €8 million to €150 million by 2022. With sales growth completed, he turned his attention to the next line item, transforming a negative EBITDA into a solid €25m EBITDA, surpassing €20m in August of this year, and achieving double-digit growth on a year-to-date basis in 2022.
Post the pandemic, Matthews has partnered with Zeus Capital to raise either “Pre-IPO” or find a partner in the Private Equity field to build and design a larger exit after a consolidation play, one he has been planning for over a decade. Meticulously.
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Ready for our inaugural equity raise, we’re set to amplify our already impressive $100m fleet with another circa $200m for 20+ heavy jets.”
Matthews’ firm vision is to consolidate Europe’s fragmented Private Aviation market.
From its humble beginnings with a €250k deposit, AirX now boasts over $100m in aircraft mortgages and operational leases.
“Ready for our inaugural equity raise, we’re set to amplify our already impressive $100m fleet with another circa $200m for 20+ heavy jets. We could easily deploy extra acquisition capital; we’re searching for the ideal equity partner to dominate this sector. Having self-financed our rise, we proudly stand as Europe’s third-largest operator—likely the sole one turning a net profit.”
AH: John, what was your route into business aviation?
JM: My stepfather worked as an engineer on Concorde and 747s, so I was exposed to aviation at a young age. I began in aviation at the age of 19, planning donor organ and stretcher flights, and stayed in the industry until 2011, when I purchased AirX, a (then) bankrupt executive jet airline. It had a lot of debt and a repossession notice on all three aircraft. We relocated the company to Malta in order to turn it around.
Malta is an excellent Registry for us. For starters, we could interact with the authorities in English because my German was and still is non-existent, and we began to rebuild the airline on solid ethical foundations and principles that we still adhere to today.
AH: John, you’ve had some harsh words to say about the way some of business aviation’s largest companies are run. How do you see things panning out over the next few years?
JM: Well, if we go back to the AirX acquisition in 2011, what I noticed then, and it is even more true today, is that in order to be successful in this business in the long run, you must be cash-profitable. Forget about inflated or adjusted EBITDA figures that mask genuine losses; cash is everything.
I saw banks pour money into enormous, losing operations. Our goal was to turn the debt-ridden company we had acquired into a sustainable one, despite competition from
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companies that seemed unconcerned about losing tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, per year.
When one examined the cashflow statements, it was clear that the lenders were building a crash, because the artificial finance support lines were enormous, growing creditors, taxes and overdrafts. Short-term loans, structured and unstructured loans were increasing each year, and cash to hand always remained in the same area in all major loss making operations (LMO’s). So, I realised it was time to prepare for the crash and be ready.
The challenge we encountered in the interim was that the more the charter industry’s loss-making operators became desperate for cash, owing mostly to their own self-inflicted issues, the more they gave away flights below their previous (already loss-making) year’s rate! We’ve always had to adapt in order to stay ahead. It’s been both tough and exhilarating, as we’ve demonstrated a solid business plan.
Those who fly charter are used to paying a particular amount, rather than the incorrect image of “top dollar”. They know what they will part cash for when it comes to a given charter and service. The challenge then becomes, can you run a business to provide a level of service that exceeds the passengers’ expectations, at a price that makes a profit (real cash, not adjusted non-cash line items). Most operators, especially those with brand new aircraft, can’t, so most operators are into management (smart and risk-free business for the most part). We are dedicated to charter and can do it, while actually make cash. We “bootstrapped” the company to where it is now.
AH: Do you think that what so many in the sector saw as a boom time in the charter and aircraft transaction businesses, has fuelled some weaknesses out there?
JM: Yes, absolutely. When individuals were nervous about travelling commercial and dealing with all of the hassles that come with crowded airports and commercial flights, the charter industry exploded. It was all too simple to pick a few erroneous data points from that time period and assume that
business aviation had forever altered. During that time, the industry borrowed (not made) billions, but things are now correcting themselves. The used aircraft inventory is nearly on par with pre covid entry numbers, yet that has little to no coverage. The Covid “boom” is well and truly over.
Now, inventories are climbing back up again as we reset and return to reality. We are already back in the trendlines we saw in 2008 that had already begun slowly correcting, albeit at a glacial pace.
As we prepare, we have had preliminary discussions with a number of equity firms on a warming up chat only. What thrills me the most is that they have fully abandoned “EBITDA” or “user” figures, whether adjusted or not!
They now understand that rumours about business aviation becoming a per-seat subscription service or a controlled, without-human-interaction-driven Uber of the skies, are nonsense. What’s actually going on is that we’re running an airline, and if an airline doesn’t make money in the current investment cycle in our sector, you’re in huge danger.
Consider this: the major loss-making carriers owe their customers at least $2 billion in pre-paid hours. Surprisingly, this is not currently considered “debt”, but the money is spent, gone. The operator must still make those pre-paid hours available on demand. How does it do so without borrowing much more to cover its ongoing operating expenses? When does that cycle ever end if profits are impossible?
This is not a long-term business model. If pre-paid aircraft hours were classified other than debt, these businesses would likely go as insolvent as Lehman Brothers in 2008. They are truly on the last phase of debt negotiations. A lot of equity and debt has been raised in the sector on the basis of erroneous estimates. There are simply too many lenders generating money right now, rather than good business execs focused on doing what is best for their companies, employees, and customers. The present landscape can’t last.
“
Lenders are already becoming much stricter in their lending practices. There will be fewer and fewer “SPACs”, and it will be considerably more difficult to get credit for aircraft agreements if it is not supported by a cash-generating business case.”
Lenders are already becoming much stricter in their lending practices. There will be fewer and fewer “SPACs”, and it will be considerably more difficult to get credit for aircraft agreements if it is not supported by a cash-generating business case. Going forward, it is going to be tough. However, I believe that is good for us all.
Jet purchases are typically made on a loan-to-value basis. I feel a major reset is not far away. If a considerable proportion of those aircraft are resold, current values will collapse. As a result, one loss-maker’s catastrophic failure, which returns 100 or so jets to the market, could create an unprecedented situation in this industry similar to the one that occurred in 2008.
AH: What are the key things, apart from an intense focus on the customer experience, that put AirX in such a good position vis-à-vis some of your competitors?
JM: In a nutshell? A much more solid company approach that focuses on true profit. Consider some of our competitors’ pronouncements about investing hundreds of millions, if not billions, on new jets for their fleets. That looks great and gets them a week’s worth of headlines, but it’s a lot of debt to take on. There is a difference on building a legacy, versus relying on “too big to fail”.
We buy used aircraft and have them refurbished. They appear as good as new when they leave the renovation shop and cost a fraction of the new price. We also benefit because we are not paying high interest or lease fees.
Our entire fleet is less than the cost of two new large aircraft. As a result, we’ve been able to build a net cash-generating business with a solid foundation for future growth. An impressive amount of new money (equity) goes to the bottom line, that’s unheard of in our sector.
Business aviation welcomes honest positive news but despises honest bad news.
As for us, we are preparing ourselves to capitalise on chances that arise as a result of market corrections. We want to build a vertically integrated organisation, owning companies that bring value and make money, with everything from an app, the metal, and the operations. We want to be able to purchase financially distressed aircraft from bankrupt corporations or firesale events. The outlook for the future appears bright for us along with everyone who values profit that is measured in cash! |BAM
“ We believe our focus on treating each aircraft as if it were our own differentiates us from others.”
company apart
Q: Brian can you give us some background on how Aviation Maintenance Professionals got started?
BA: We founded Aviation Maintenance Professionals in 2008 after selling our charter company. The idea was to provide maintenance on other people’s aircraft in the manner we expected our aircraft to be maintained. Over the years, we’ve developed a reputation for excellence by combining our passion for aviation with a deep commitment to safety and quality. Our team’s collective experience and dedication positioned us as a trusted partner in the industry.
Q: What do you think distinguishes Aviation Maintenance Professionals by comparison with the competition?
BA: We believe our focus on treating each aircraft as if it were our own differentiates us from others. We strive to build lasting relationships with our clients, understand their unique needs and deliver tailored solutions that exceed expectations. This focus ensures we provide a seamless experience for our clients. Just as importantly, our technicians are not only highly skilled but also deeply passionate about aviation, and each possesses a firm dedication to quality and safety.
info@aircabin.com
Q: Could you share some examples of the range of services that Aviation Maintenance Professionals offers to its clients?
BA: We offer a comprehensive suite of services including AOG troubleshooting, routine and heavy airframe maintenance, avionics installations and interior refurbishments. People do not buy aeroplanes to sit on the ground undergoing maintenance. By providing a one-stop solution for our clients’ needs, we reduce their workload and increase their satisfaction during such events.
Q: Safety is paramount in aviation. How does Aviation Maintenance Professionals prioritise and ensure safety in all its maintenance and repair operations?
BA: You will hear many companies say that “safety is our top priority” and, hopefully, that is a given in our industry. Treating the aircraft as our own is at the core of everything we do – that automatically brings safety to the forefront. To that end, we adhere to rigorous industry standards and regularly invest in training to ensure that our technicians are up to date with the latest safety protocols. Additionally, our comprehensive quality control processes and thorough inspections guarantee that each aircraft leaving our facility is in impeccable condition and ready for flight. We would happily fly on any aircraft we release for service.
Q: The aviation industry is rapidly evolving. How does Aviation Maintenance Professionals stay up to date with the latest technologies and best practices?
BA: We recognise the importance of staying at the
forefront of industry advancements. We invest in continuous training for our team to keep them abreast of technological advancements. We also engage with industry associations, attend conferences and collaborate with leading aviation experts. This proactive approach ensures that we can integrate the latest technologies into our services.
Q: Employee expertise and satisfaction often reflect a company’s culture. How does Aviation Maintenance Professionals attract top talent and maintain a positive workplace environment?
BA: Our company culture revolves around respect, growth, and teamwork. We provide ongoing training opportunities, encouraging our employees to continually enhance their skills. Our open-door policy fosters open communication, and we recognise and reward exceptional performance. This positive environment attracts top talent and ensures our team is motivated and engaged.
Q: What message would you like to convey to potential clients who are considering Aviation Maintenance Professionals for their maintenance and repair needs?
BA: To potential clients, I would like to emphasise that Aviation Maintenance Professionals is more than just a repair station – we are a dedicated partner invested in the success of your aircraft. Our team’s expertise, commitment to safety, and personalised approach ensure that your aircraft will receive the utmost care and attention and we look forward to demonstrating the value we can bring to your aviation journey. |BAM
Brian Allen President Dennis Moore CEO
Kevin Kucel, Director, Aircraft Sales at Townsend Leather, and his eldest son, AJ, Aviation Sales Manager, on the company’s history and its impact in the OEM, completions and refurbishment sectors
AH: Kevin, you have 40 years heading up Townsend Leather. What can you tell us about the leather-making heritage and history that gave birth to the company?
KK: This whole community in this part of the world, in Johnstown, has a rich heritage in leather making. When my Dad started this business he’d already spent 20 years working for another leather tannery. He wanted to start a small business for my two older brothers. I would have been around six years old at the time.
The company grew quickly and was soon employing around 230 people. The initial focus was on garment leather manufacturing. This was the era where leather jackets and
leather coats were seen as the height of fashion. We did some small leather goods and gloves. In fact, Johnstown’s sister town, Gloversville, was at one point the glove capital of the world.
At that time, it seemed like every corner had a tannery. Things have really changed since then and now there are only a handful of tanneries left. However, as markets changed and evolved, we changed with it. We adapted and changed our machinery to address the upholstery market.
This was a big change for us. The upholstery sector deals in whole hides, whereas the garment industry uses half hides or smaller hides, like deerskin, lamb, goatskin and so on.
That changed the business a lot. Back in the mid-1980s, our competitors were simply selling leather off the shelf. They did not have the ability to respond to custom orders, so they’d come to us to fulfil those orders. My brother saw the trend and decided to start marketing our own products.
“ Back in the mid-1980s, our competitors were simply selling leather off the shelf. They did not have the ability to respond to custom orders, so they’d come to us to fulfil those orders. My brother saw the trend and decided to start marketing our own products.”
AH: Was this the beginning of your entry into the business aviation market?
KK: Indeed, we got introduced to some very significant Head of State refits or green aircraft fit-outs. A really big project came to us because the supplier who was dealing with
the completions house involved ran into problems. We got a phone call to see if we could pick up the pieces. This was around 1989.
That contract opened a lot of doors for us. We started supplying directly to many of the OEMs that we are still supplying today, including Bombardier, Cessna and Gulfstream.
AH: AJ, you have responsibility for the refurbishment market. How is that going?
AJ: I’ve focused on building relationships with many of the refurbishment shops. This is a different market from the completions houses and the OEMs. Many of the MRO houses take on refurbishment projects when aircraft come into them for major checks or upgrades.
“
Time is of the essence in the refurbishment market. The leather they need has to be there yesterday. We can respond to this because we have deliberately chosen to carry a very large selection in stock. We’ve had to really invest in our inventory.”
What sets us apart is that as the manufacturer we are able to respond at short notice. Time is of the essence in the refurbishment market. The leather they need has to be there yesterday. We can respond to this because we have deliberately chosen to carry a very large selection in stock. We’ve had to really invest in our inventory.
KK: Many of the leather suppliers that are around today rely on selling large volumes. The idea of producing a custom design or embossing just one or two hides, or custom matching just a few hides to a particular colour, is just not part of their business model.
Most of them will demand orders of 50 to 100 hides, minimum or you will pay a huge premium. The difference with us is that we can do the large orders and we can do single hides. We will do a custom embossing plate for a customer for just one or a couple of hides. That sets us apart.
AH: What is your view of the market as we head towards 2024?
KK: We have seen a bounce-back from Covid, but we
are still seeing some OEM customers struggling with supply chain issues. If they are struggling to get what they need to build aircraft, that clearly has a knock-on effect. But in general, we are happy with the way things are going now.
AJ: One of the great benefits of being here in what was the leather-making capital of the world is that we have tremendously experienced employees in our team. Some of them have been with us for even longer than my Dad, with his 40 years in the firm. Their kids and grandkids are working here. So there is a lot of knowledge and history getting passed on from generation to generation.
We expect strong demand in the coming years. As a third generation family Partner at Townsend myself, I am excited at the continued possibilities the aviation market brings Townsend, and future potential employees of Townsend to come, as we strive to carry the business onto the next generation.
We are a small family-owned business, but our product is globally-respected for its quality. It reaches high-end interiors throughout the world. I have to say that it is exciting for my generation to continue growing our collaborations and relationships with aviation companies and seeing what else can be achieved with our leather as a design tool.
AH: Sustainability is a big thing now right across the aviation industry. How does it feature for you?
KK: The leather industry can’t pretend to have always been at the forefront of sustainability. However, you have to remember that leather is a by-product of the meat industry. Without companies like ours turning raw hides into great products, all those hides would be going to landfill.
Properly worked leather lasts four times longer than fabric, which makes it inherently more sustainable. Plus we are not introducing new materials into the waste stream.
Many of our new product lines feature embossings, which we feel is an easy, sustainable choice. Embossings enable us to upgrade hides, that otherwise might be deemed unacceptable, due to natural characteristics. These products also will have an improved cutting yield with less waste.
All that said, we live in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains and we truly do our part with the environment in mind. All our finishings are water-based and all our products are low VOC. We are the only leather manufacturer in the USA with an AS9100 certification.
Our manufacturing is highly-regulated by the EPA and many other agencies and we exceed all regulations. We are a very open company and encourage our customers to come visit our facility where we will take them through the entire process from start to finish and be absolutely transparent in answering any question or concerns they may have. All of this now resonates very strongly with customers. |BAM
CONTACT RICH SHAFFER FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE BEST QUALITY SNACKS FOR NBAA MEMBERS
45 years ago, on a warm summer night in Olathe, Kansas, the wind began to blow quite hard, even by Kansas standards. Though strong, most of Olathe was unphased by the winds that night, but that was not the case for Johnson County Executive Airport. When the sun rose the next morning, a 1959 Cessna 172A was upside down and damaged quite badly.
A few months later, some 90 miles away in Clinton, Missouri, a postcard mailer from an insurance company advertising the auction of that now salvaged 1959 Cessna 172A was sent to GR Lowe. GR and his son Jeff, just 15 at the time, were immediately interested. GR, a second-generation pilot and instructor was passionate about aviation and passed that on to his son, Jeff, who would become a pilot himself in the next 2 years becoming the third generation Lowe pilot. GR and Jeff soon acquired what would be the first of many salvaged airplanes.
Hayden Lowe
Jeff Lowe
GR Lowe
In 1981 GR and Jeff committed to making their small salvage business a permanent reality. At the time, the two spent nights and weekends working as Jeff was in college and GR was working full time at Lowe Oil Company
(now Champion brands). Together they built the foundation of the company now known as Aviation Fabricators. Though they’ve long since moved on from parting salvaged airplanes, their passion for aviation is as strong as ever.
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AH: Hayden, you’ve provided us with a tremendous insight into how Jeff and the Lowe family got into business aviation. How did things go on from there?
HL: One thing led to another, and the father/son team saw that there was unrealized potential in aviation interior parts. Nobody seemed to want to mess with them. Admittedly they were a pain, but it was the very fact that they were a pain that kept most people away and opened the door to opportunity. In 1990, the business went exclusively into interior parts.
Right around the same time, Aviation Fabricators moved into the manufacturing world. Their first product was a King Air 3-place divan. Chances are you can’t remember seeing one, and that’s because you almost certainly haven’t. They’ve sold less than 5 in total. That was not a great start, but they believed in the direction of the company and kept plugging along. By the mid-1990s, they were producing Citation 500 and 501 divans, and were beginning to realize their commitment to interior parts was the right call.
“ We don’t want clients to suffer through the outdated interior that the airplane left Wichita with, in an era when shag carpet and wood paneling was in style. AvFab has developed the Monarch Interior Upgrade Package to give the customer’s interior the look and feel of a brand-new factory 260/360.”
AH: How do things stand now?
HL: Today, Aviation Fabricators has over 150 unique STCs. They also have a 4th generation Lowe pilot, me, working in the family business alongside GR and Jeff. We’ve come a long way from that original parting out of that salvaged 1959 Cessna 172A in Olathe, Kansas, but we’ve never stopped trying to provide solutions to the aviation community.
Though we continue to offer products and repairs for a multitude of aircraft models, the King Air has become AvFab’s bread and butter. For those familiar with the airplane, you’ll know that the King Air has been around for quite some time now. 60 years to be exact. With more than 7,000 produced since 1964, it’s the most popular turboprop of all time. Textron continues to produce them today with the need for their services being as strong as ever. Comfortable, efficient, utilitarian, the King Air is a heck of a bird.
During those 60 years of production, the factory interior has changed quite significantly as you might expect. The 2023 King Air 260 and 360 interiors share little more than cabin dimensions with earlier models. Despite the fact that a 40-year-old King Air is still a $2 million airplane, its age is immediately apparent when you step inside the cabin. No matter how many times it’s been re-upholstered, it still shows its age. A pig with lipstick is still just a pig.
That’s where Aviation Fabricators shines. We don’t want clients to suffer through the outdated interior that the airplane left Wichita with, in an era when shag carpet and wood paneling was in style. AvFab has developed the Monarch Interior Upgrade Package to give the customer’s interior the look and feel of a brand-new factory 260/360.
With a new headliner (complete with downwash lighting), window shades, side ledges and tables for the 300 series, and a new window line panel, window shades, side ledges and tables for the 200 series, passengers won’t be able to tell whether the King Air they are flying in is brand new, or older than they are – thanks to the Monarch Interior Upgrade System. The exterior of the King Air is as iconic today as ever, and it deserves an interior to match no matter how old it is.
|BAMEnjoy this premium fully programmed Falcon 2000LX that is one of the most beautiful business jets in the world with new Paint and Interior in 2021. Engines are enrolled on ESP Platinum, and enjoy SATCOM Connectivity while you fly.
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Louis Verdu, sales manager at Bigorre Aerospace Corporation, a sister company of S.E.L.A. Lighting, on enhancing business jet interiors with LED lighting systems
Q: Louis, Bigorre is a sister company of S.E.L.A. Lighting. Tell us a bit about the relationship between the two companies.
LV: S.E.L.A. is headquartered in France and we are based in Florida since 1987. We are the North American exclusive representative/manufacturer for all S.E.L.A’s products and we are FAR21, FAR145, EASA145 & AS9100D certified. This year S.E.L.A. will be 103 years old. It invented the double filament fluorescent tube and has been a leader in the lighting field ever since.
S.E.L.A. works for companies and OEMs across the aerospace industry, providing both lighting and power systems. They began providing these systems to military and commercial aircraft and now provide lighting and all the electrical systems required, to VVIP and Head of State aircraft. Everything is produced in-house.
Q: What is demand like at present?
LV: Demand today is very focused on LED-based RGBW lighting. RGBW stands for Red, Green, Blue and White, and you can generate some 16 million shades and colours from RGBW lighting. What we are seeing today in aircraft interiors, especially VIP interiors is a lot of curved spaces that need to be illuminated.
You still see rigid tube lighting used for upwash and downwash illumination but the demand we see is all for fully flexible lighting in a variety of voltages. We see a lot of demand to retrofit older cabins, pulling out all the old fluorescent tube lighting and replacing them with flexible LED lighting.
We have a PMA approved direct replacement plug & play LED retrofit solution that allows aircraft owners to quickly update
their old cabin systems with LEDS. They can keep the same cabin system controllers. The retrofit can be done in a couple of hours. It really is not that complicated. If the customer is on a tight budget, they can have half the replacement kit
installed on one occasion and complete it at another time, say, when they bring the aircraft in for a C-check. We have also noticed a growing demand for custom light fixtures that we can help design, manufacture and certify in-house.
Q: How quickly does the technology evolve in the lighting field?
LV: We are always innovating and looking for new technologies and solutions. Our job as lighting suppliers and designers is to enhance the aircraft’s interior. Our goal is to create lighting solutions that are reliable and that can get as close as possible to the colour palette that the interior designer has envisaged for the aircraft.
The aim, always, is to get artificial light inside the cabin to be as close as possible to sunlight, which is what we humans have evolved to be most comfortable with. This is so important. The colours that you see depend very much on the lighting in the cabin. If the aircraft designer, for example, has gone to a lot of trouble to pick a particular shade for the leather or upholstery, all their efforts come to nothing if the lighting is wrong. This is because it is the cabin lighting that will determine what colour your eyes see when you look at that leather interior.
Q: What are some examples of the latest lighting technologies?
LV: We have a luminous panel that can be curved and shaped in various ways, and cut to various sizes. You can see it to very good effect in Comlux’s design for their A220Neo program. It looks particularly good on the ceilings or on side panels, where it can look just like a window.
S.E.L.A. has had worldwide success within the industry with the CLEMATIS® lighting system that can literally introduce more than a billion colour shades and choices to the interior scenarios in an aircraft cabin.
CLEMATIS® is fully compatible with any existing CMS and can control all on-board equipment. You can also synchronise the lighting system with whatever music the owner or passengers want to experience in the cabin. |BAM
Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport (LFLL/LYS) based, SPACE Executive Handling specialty includes : corporate, VIP, government and ambulance flights. We fulfill any requirement quickly and reliably.
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Rich Shaffer, talks about his new company, Original Legacy Foods, targeting business aviation companies
Rich Shaffer is well known across the business aviation community for his inventive, high-quality confectionery, which has pride of place on many Head of State and VVIP business jets. After 20 years with Torn Ranch, which was bought by an M&A firm in 2021, Rich exited the business and founded a new company, Original Legacy Foods.
Q: Rich, how did you get started in this industry?
RS: Actually, I began my career at a considerable distance from the food and drinks industry. My first job was with United States Steel, where I became the youngest member of headquarters management on the West Coast.
When the firm wanted to transfer me to the East Coast I resigned and took my first giant step into the confectionary sector. I became the lead sales manager at Herman Goelitz (now world-famous under the Jelly Belly brand).
Fortunately, when the opportunity arose to invest in the company’s second location in Illinois, which specialised in creams, jellybeans, chocolate nuts and mixes and other confectionery products, I grabbed it. Later, I sold my interest in that location and founded Marich Confections as the principal investor.
Q: What was your focus with that company?
RS: We were the first company to chocolate-coated
“ The natural foods market, speciality grocers, and the NBAA membership are our main areas of concentration, with the NBAA group being our fastest growing market. So, these are exciting times!”
dried fruits for retail. We specialised in coating cherries, blueberries, apricots and cranberries, which went very well. I also became a limited partner in DeBas Chocolate.
I then formed a partnership with Torn Ranch which involved creating a whole new confectionary line, Splendid Specialties, manufacturing chocolates. I rolled my interest into Torn Ranch and became their employee for twenty years.
While there, we created seven separate manufacturing facilities under one roof and were the only speciality confectionary maker of that type in the USA.
Our product line included:
• roasted nutmeats
• trail mixes
• a bakery that produces natural cookies and biscotti’s
• chocolate manufacturing truffles, wine-filled, and other moulded products and bars
• chocolate panning (coated nutmeats & fruits), enrobing of crackers, and hand-dipped fruits
• natural fruit pectin jells
• chocolate English butter toffee line.
• a corporate gifting division (utilising 100% of products made in-house)
Q: What happened with the M&A acquisition of Torn Ranch?
RS: I had a very nice exit from Torn Ranch, but of course, I had to decide on my next move. I had a one-year ‘’no
compete’ clause, so I spent the year going around the food shows, getting a good feel for what was hot and what was not.
What I saw was that the health and well-being market was growing at a double-digit pace, and had been doing so for the last few years. That looked like a very good place to be so we decided to jump in. The idea was to create products that are not only good for you, but healthy as well.
Accordingly, I founded a company called Original Legacy Foods, in Novato, California.
e natural foods market, speciality grocers, and the NBAA membership are our main areas of concentration, with the NBAA group being our fastest growing market. So, these are exciting times!
Our latest high protein, high organic line of chips, in particular, is proving a firm favourite with the business aviation market. They are good for diabetics and they taste really good. I am now past my one-year anniversary since I left Torn Ranch and things are going really well.
We now have a staff of six in my new company and we are interviewing for additional staff right now. We’ve already got 20 products on the market and we have another six in the incubator stage. We’re talking to all the big business aviation companies and things are going exceptionally well.
|BAM
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F/LIST is known for its innovative thinking and commitment to quality. With the launch of the F/LIST Shapeshifter, the Austria-headquartered business is adding space to the cabin with incredible new thinking. Jane Stanbury finds out more in conversation with F/LIST CEO
Katharina List-Nagl
JS: What is F/LIST focusing on right now?
KLN: We’ve had an incredibly busy year following the launch of our F/LAB bio-based materials and F/LIST Shapeshifter concept at NBAA in 2022. The industry has shown strong interest in the opportunities the ideas bring, so our focus has been on showcasing examples of applications. The overwhelmingly positive response has motivated us to extend the footprint of our in-house future lab, which we call F/LAB. Completed this summer, F/LAB sits at the heart of all we do, serving as a dynamic think tank from which fabulous new technologies are developed.
It is a cross-company initiative designed to encourage alternative thinking throughout our business, and supports reimagining the future of interiors. F/LAB is also a think tank for sustainability, exploring eco-friendly alternatives and strategies that will protect the longevity of our planet through intelligent application of nature. F/LAB implements circular economy products, energy-efficient systems, and eco-conscious manufacturing processes.
JS: What makes F/LAB unique?
KLN: We think of it as a place of positive disruption where we visualize our customers’ worlds, anticipate what they will need in tomorrow’s world and, through collaboration and experimentation, develop pioneering new concepts. Our multidisciplinary team combines creative thinking with sustainable natural resources and cutting-edge technology. Yet it still adheres to the highest quality and standards. As we reconsider the value of space and explore how we can enhance it, we are creating and producing unprecedented concepts for the future cabin. It is where we believe tomorrow’s interiors are being crafted today. It has become the central nervous system for our rethink of spatial concepts.
JS: Tell me more about the F/LIST Shapeshifter concept – why is it essential for the industry?
KLN: Our ambition with the F/LIST Shapeshifter concept is to maximize space in the cabin by modifying it, creating space where it didn’t exist or making it multi-purpose. This
“ Our multidisciplinary team combines creative thinking with sustainable natural resources and cutting-edge technology. Yet it still adheres to the highest quality and standards.”
informed the creative process, which took ingenious ideas and made the impossible possible. It required the in-house development of intricate but small electronic components, the deconstructing and reconstructing of exclusive materials, and the vision and passion to inspire designers as the technology brings the cabin to life.
Traditional notions about dimensional limitations are challenged as individual cabin monuments morph from one shape to another. This extraordinary capability delivers multiple functions and intelligently responds to passenger interaction to optimize limited cabin space.
JS: This elevates the cabin space; how do you explain this to designers, OEMs, and other potential clients?
KLN: We have already developed prototypes to showcase the concept, and we’ve been fearless about showcasing the incredible new opportunities. Our credenza is a perfect example of what can be achieved. The prototype sideboard is simultaneously a regular storage cabinet and a workspace. The wooden doors glide around corners, and the credenza morphs from a low-level surface into a lateral Z shape to create a work desk. In addition, we’re showcasing a surface that depresses the moment a digital device is placed on it. This securely cradles the unit while it charges. Combining the advantages of composite, wood veneers and unconstrained thinking, we have made wood bend and behave in new and exciting
ways. The idea is to reduce weight, optimize functionality and productivity, and enable OEMs and designers to think laterally to enhance the passenger experience.
JS: So, who makes the materials and technology needed for F/LIST Shapeshifter?
KLN: We had to develop materials to support the F/LAB Shapeshifter requirements. When we started exploring the new concepts, it became quickly apparent that the materials we needed just didn’t exist. We required flexibility, durability, and functionality combined with beauty and elegance. So, we harnessed the natural creativity within our team, and the results are unprecedented products that are also sustainably produced, environmentally friendly and can be recycled at the end of their useful life.
We wanted to continue using natural materials such as wood, leather, and stone, yet this needed some reengineering to facilitate organic, dynamic movement where it did not exist before. This is the genesis of F/LAB Aenigma, Linfinium and Whisper Leather, which are all customizable, multifunctional materials.
JS: What’s next for F/LIST?
KLN: Our strategy is to keep looking to the future and aligning our business to meet market needs. We’re pleased to see the continued growth of the aerospace sector and recognize that our client requests are widening in size and remit. In response, we’re significantly expanding our Thomasberg headquarters production facility. The existing plant consists of two buildings where the F/LAB, production and in-house training all take place. With our third building, we’ll add another 4,000 m2 to our existing footprint, bringing the site to 27,000 m2. We are already one of the largest employers in the region, and the new building will add new jobs, increase production capacity, and enable our ambitions within the commercial aviation sector.
The groundbreaking was in early June; completion is expected in Spring of 2024. The development also supports our commitment to sustainability. F/LIST is already home to one of the largest photovoltaic sites in Austria. When Plant 3 is finalized, it will add further energy to ensure that our sustainable energy system will generate one-quarter of our average annual electricity demand. |BAM
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