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DFW NEWSFLASH - December 2014
December 2014
Thunderbirds Return: Airshow Breaks Attendance Records
Skyball XII
Stars Come Out for Gala
Building Business Opportunities: Texas/Morocco MOU
True Value of Wealth A Discussion with Peter Buffet
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Cover story.... On the Cover: The ShockWave Jet Truck, a specially designed diesel truck sporting three Pratt & Whitney J34-48 jet engines, thrills the crowd by filling the runway with flames and plumes of smoke behind a parked Thunderbird F-16. / Photo by John Starkey The entire contents of this newspaper are the sole property of The Irving Rambler, Inc., with all rights reserved. Reproduction or use, without permission, of editorial or graphic content in any manner is prohibited. If you have an upcoming event, game scores, a press release, or interesting story, please let us know. DFW NewsFlash encourages submission of articles, facts, and photographs pertaining to the people, life, business, and entertainment of the DFW Airport and the surrounding area. DFW NewsFlash is published weekly by Irving Rambler, Inc. and is distributed throughout the DFW Airport in businesses and public areas. Deadline for the submission of articles and advertising is noon Friday, a week prior to the publication date. All submitted articles are subject to editing. Opinions expressed in submitted advertisements, articles, editorial, or commentary are those of the writer, and not necessarily those of DFW NewsFlash, the publisher, editor, or any staff member. All articles, press releases, photographs and other materials submitted become the property of Irving Rambler, Inc. The Publication of columnists’ views, as well as advertising, does not constitute endorsement. The Irving Rambler reserves the right to reject or edit any advertising. DFW NewsFlash, its publisher, and editor are not responsible for errors in advertising. Mailed subscriptions of DFW NewsFlash are $45 per year. Postage prices paid at Irving, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Irving Rambler, P.O. Box 177731, Irving, TX 75017. Publisher John Starkey Managing Editor Stacey Starkey 972-870-1992 Advertising sales@dfwnewsflash.com 972870-1992. Newsroom news@dfwnewsflash.com DFW NewsFlash is Copyrighted 2014
All eyes turn skyward for Alliance Air Show By Jess Paniszczyn Beautiful blue skies provided a perfect backdrop for para-commandos leaping from helicopters, solo acrobatic pilots defying gravity and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds flying in formation. Good weather and great family enter-tainment combined to make the 2014 Bell Helicopter Fort Worth Alliance Air Show, presented at Fort Worth Alliance Airport Oct. 25 – 26, one of the best ever. Last year, there was no military participation in air shows in the United States because of sequestration. As the Thunderbirds F-16 Demonstration Team returned to the Alliance Air Show, Major Caroline Jensen, Air Force Active Guard Reserve, was flying right, wing three. The show represented one of team’s final missions as members of the Thunderbirds. “It’s normally a two-year tour. We did three years because sequestration had us grounded last year. “This is our third year
Flying in perfect formation, Thunderbird number 5 flies inverted over Thunderbird number 6 in a Calypso pass. Thunderbird 5 is always the inverted plane in the Calypso pass, so the number ‘5’ is painted upside down, so it appears rightside up in this and other inverted maneuvers. /Photo by John Starkey of a two year tour. It’s bittersweet,” Jensen said. “Veteran’s day weekend is our last show at Nellis Air Force Base. “The Thunderbirds really inspired me to want to be in the Air Force. I never necessarily had the goal to want to become a Thunderbird one day. But I was really excited that I got a chance to become part of the team. It has been a really great, humbling experience. There are about 700,000 people who served in the Air Force, and we get to go out and represent them in communities that may or may not have a base and may or may not have access to airmen and people in the military. So it is really great for us to get
to go out there and interact with the community. “My favorite thing about being a Thunderbird is meeting the kids. I see a lot of myself in them, and when they get that little glimmer in their eyes and that spark, and they hope someday they will get to do something, a dream that they have, and maybe I can be a part of creating that,” Jensen said. “Meeting the people and especially the kids is one of the best parts about flying, “Flying, being in the air itself, is really exciting. We get to practice a lot, so we are very proficient at what we do. It is really a great work on a team. The demonstration this year is six people flying See ALLIANCE, Page 8
Burning up the tarmac, the ShockWave Jet Truck approaches speeds of up to 300 mph as it challenges solo pilots to truck/ plane races. /Photo by John Starkey
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Opportunities abound for young pilots By Jess Paniszczyn The future for up and coming pilots seems to be a bright one. If you are not a pilot or do not work directly with pilots, you may not have noticed the encroaching pilot shortage. It is not the sort of labor scarcity that will affect large companies like American Airlines and FedEx. Regional airlines like Envoy Air and Mesa Airlines are the type of companies feeling the brunt of the lack of qualified industry pilots and projections are that the shortage will become worse before it improves. Perhaps, nowhere is the dearth of experienced and knowledgeable pilots more immediately evident than at pilot recruiting events like those coordinated by Louis Smith, president of Future & Active Pilot Advisors (FAPA.) “Five years ago a job fair was like an emergency room. The participants were all laid off and in distress,” Smith said. “Now it’s like you are cosmetic surgeon. Now the participants are just trying to get a better job and look better. It’s a totally different environment.” A number of factors have come together to create this “perfect storm” for the industry. Over the past several years, airlines have phased out the three pilot airplanes, and they have made themselves as lean and mean as possible to deal with the great recession. “For a long time, the airline industry was subsidized by the military. Almost 80 percent of the people being hired as pilots by the airlines were provided by Uncle Sam: prescreened, prequalified, highly-trained. The Air Force spends $1 million in training, so the airlines had easy pickings. That has all changed,” Smith said. “Pilot training in the Air Force used to be four years, now it is 10
years. You almost spend half a career as a commitment, so people are staying in longer. The military also extended the pay, benefits and bonuses to keep people.” Many military pilots are now choosing to fly for the airlines as a second career after completing a military career. Airline hiring restrictions in the 1970s prevented this career path as the airlines once refused to hire pilots over the age of 30. On Dec. 12, 2007, the airlines changed the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65. Many of the pilots who under the old guidelines would have retired five years ago are now preparing for retirement. “In the next 10 years, almost all the major airlines will hire between 30,000 and 40,000 pilots. Most of the hiring is the result of the attrition of senior captains and not growth,” Smith said. On Feb. 12, 2009, Colgan Air Flight 3407 crashed near Buffalo, New York killing 50 people. As a result of this incident, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) increased the minimum number of hours required to receive a commercial pilot’s license from 250 to 1,500. “The FAA felt like a lot of captains were being instructors at the same time they were supposed to be in charge of an airplane,” Smith said about the increase in hours. “They have made some exemptions for aviation universities. If you attend a certified two-year school, you need 1,250 hours. If you attend a certified fouryear school, you need 1,000 hours. If you have a military background, you need 750. “The regional airlines were accustomed to finding people with low time. The number of qualified and willing people has shrunk. All the
Ready to welcome new pilots into their ranks, Envoy employees meet and greet potential employees at job fairs. /Photo by John Starkey regional airlines are hurting to find people to staff the cockpits.” For young people who want to become pilots without going through the military, the choice may not make mathematical sense. “If you want a college degree and get all your flight ratings, you are going to spend anywhere from $115,000$260,000 for a four year degree and the flight training. It varies by school,” Smith said. “Salaries at these regional airlines start between $20,000 and $30,000 per year. If you are commuting to New York and have crash pad, you will spend it all. It is not enough. “Right now there are about 17,000 pilots flying for regional airlines. Within five years, half will be gone to the majors, because of the amount of hiring they are doing. “If you want to become a pilot, if you have a friend, roommate, offspring or relative who wants to be a pilot,
you can’t look in the rearview mirror. Everything has changed. “The last 10 years were awful; the next 10 years will be the best we’ve ever seen. Airlines must replace these old guys who are retiring. Things will be great until they go to one man cockpits or unmanned. “Eventually, planes may be flown by droid technology - maybe in 50 to 100 years. I am not sure the passenger airlines would accept it that soon. Cargo Airlines would be the first group that might convert to droid technology. Elevators used to have operators; now you push your own buttons. At 500 miles an hour, it might be a little different,” Smith said. “Airlines are not in business to create pilot jobs. They are in business to make money by moving people and goods. But you would probably still end up with one pilot. If your computer ends up with the blue screen, what are you going to do?”
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U.S. military members and veterans honored as stars at Sky Ball XII By Jess Paniszczyn American Airlines Sky Ball XII, an annual black-tie gala honoring U.S. military members, veterans and their families, included a special tribute to those who have served in Korea, as well as, a branch-of-service salute to the United States Navy. The event was presented at American’s Hangar 5 at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Oct 25. The evening’s activities featured a kaleidoscope of roughly 30 speakers, live musical performances, static aircraft displays, and the “grog bowl” ceremony, as well as, military tributes to wounded warriors and the fallen. More than 2,300 people attended the Ball including a number of military officers, civic and business leaders, wounded warriors and esteemed guests. Perhaps the most distinguished guests of the evening were 17 of the nation’s Medal of Honor recipients. “It is important to recognize the families of our military and our veterans, because without their unwavering support our service members would not be able to do what they do,” John Garrison, Bell Helicopters’ president and chief executive officer, said. “To the wounded warriors here and across the nation, your sacrifices do not go unnoticed. It’s awe-inspiring to see your drive, dedication, commitment despite the challenges you face every single day. For those who have given their lives to the defense of our nation for freedom, we are forever indebted to you. “We are truly blessed to have a special group of true American heroes. For those who have received the Med-
In the finest tradition of the Grog, Gary Sinise adds his personal flare by dropping in a gallon of ice cream and a bedpan. /Photo by John Starkey al of Honor, we salute you and thank you for your service to our nation.” Today, Rocky Sickmann is the director of military sales for Anheuser-Busch. In 1979, as a young Marine stationed at the American Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Sickmann was taken hostage in one of the most harrowing episodes in our nation’s recent history. “For 444 days not knowing whether each day would be our last, myself, my 51 fellow Americans know firsthand the preciousness of freedom,” Sickmann said. “For only when it is taken away you understand its value. Ladies and gentlemen, it is priceless. I often think about my eight fellow American servicemen who bravely gave their lives during Operation Eagle Claw in an effort to liberate us from our captivity. “Since the Revolutionary war, our nation has honored
our military service members who have been willing to give their lives for our freedom. I would like to direct your attention to the small table set for one in a place of honor this evening. This table is our way of acknowledging those members of the proud profession of arms missing from our midst. They are those killed in action, prisoners of war, and those who are listed
as missing in action. We call them brothers and sisters. They are unable to be here with us this evening, so we remember them through the many symbols at this table.” Highlights of the evening included performances by Christopher Cross; “America’s Tenor”, Steve Amerson; and Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band, a four-course dinner prepared by Chef Robert Irvine and the donation of an exoskeleton walking device to the Dallas VA Medical Center. “Tonight marks my seventh Sky Ball,” Gary Sinise said. “I must tell you there is simply no military support event like this in the world. I attend many military related events throughout the year, and nothing compares to the size and scope of this magnificent gala - nothing. “I think the presence of 17 of our nation’s 79 living recipients of the Medals of Honor speaks volumes about Sky Ball. I had a very good fortune of teaming up with American Airlines veterans’ initiatives back in 2007, and it has been a blessing. “For me, one who has never served, I felt it was my obligation as an American
A variety of silent auction items help Sky Ball XII set a phenomenal fundraising record of $1.9 million. Proceeds from the event will allow the Airpower Foundation to assist organizations such as Snowball Express and Carrick Brain Centers. /Photo by John Starkey
www.dfwnewsflash.com who benefits from the freedom provided by our nation’s defenders to do all I can to support them and their families and to say ‘thank you’ whenever possible. Raising awareness and supporting men and women who serve has been a great privilege. “It’s the Vietnam veterans on my wife’s side of the family who helped to shape my thinking the most back when I was a young man in the late 70s and early 80s. Hearing their stories and coming to a realization about how they had been neglected or ignored or treated badly when they returned from the war opened my eyes. We must do all we can to never let that happen again to the men and women who serve our country.” Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower was represented in spirit during the event by his granddaughter Mary Eisenhower. “I know my granddad would be so proud to know that people have stepped up to honor and appreciate the men and women who serve. And tonight we received those who served in a war which is often referred to as forgotten,” Mary Eisenhower said. “I’m proud that this evening includes a salute to the United States Navy. For more than 37 years, the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Eisenhower has answered the call with her crews. “The men and women who volunteer for our armed forces at a time when our nation is involved in conflicts epitomize the value of the selfless service that is the cornerstone of volunteerism. Those who volunteer to join the armed services do so knowing that their choice to serve comes at a great personal risk to themselves. “The armistice to end hostilities in Korea was signed on July 1953, an armistice that is still in effect today. Although hostilities ended, the United States
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has continued to have a women of the U.S. Navy,” them then, but I know better major military presence in Phillips said. “Something now. Thank God, they are on Korea defending South Ko- happened five years ago our side. rea against any threat from that I was involved in, and I “The U.S. Navy and the the North. Over the last 60 was not with a good group U.S. Navy SEALs saved my years, South Korea has of guys. They were not my life with no consideration of evolved into one of the lead- friends. Conversation was their own. This is what they ing economies in the world poor, food and conditions do willingly, intentionally. in stark contrast to the situa- weren’t very good, and it When the smartest thing to tion in the North where near- even made a sailor like me do is run away, they run toly 30,000 U.S. service per- wish to be on a ship. ward the problem. They sonnel are serving in Korea “I happened to meet a saved my life. To this day all today.” group of Navy personnel that I can say is ‘thank you.’ When Captain Rich- helped me out. They took me “The Navy SEALs are ard Phillips found himself a to a better place. What they great bunch of guys. I enjoy hostage of Somali pirates in did was truly near impossi- being with them, but I really April 2009, it was the skilled ble. I would have bet against See SKY BALL, Page 11 men and women of the U.S. Navy who rescued him. He had an opportunity at Sky Ball to speak about his practical experience with the Navy. “I get to attend this gala with our heroes, our patriots, our men and Joining America’s Navy, a group of young people make one of the greatest decisions of their lives by
taking the oath of enlistment during Sky Ball. /Photo by John Starkey
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Texans get a taste of Moroccan investment opportunities By Jess Paniszczyn A quiet but significant international event took place between the Kingdom of Morocco and Texas in Dallas on Oct. 16. Tucked away in the Fairmont Dallas Hotel, American and Moroccan officials, as well as, representatives from more than 80 businesses gathered for the 2014 Morocco Trade & Investment Forum. The forum introduced several Texas businesses to the possibility of working with a country that offers them duty free access to markets with more than a billion consumers in 56 nations. James Falk, Honorary Consul to the Kingdom of Morocco for Texas, served as the event’s master of ceremonies “This the first time that a conference of this nature has been held outside of either one of our country’s capitals, Rabat or Washington, D.C. It is really a commitment of all of us to believe that sometimes it is best for businesses to talk with each other sometimes outside of the respective beltways,” Falk said. For more than a century, Morocco and the United States have continued favorable political and business relationships. “Bilateral trade is one of the hallmarks of this longlasting relationship we have with Morocco, which dates back to 1777; as Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States of America,” Dwight Bush, Sr., United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco, said. “There is a doing business culture in Morocco that I think all of you will find to be compelling.” “Following the vision of
His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has moved to become a gateway to the emerging markets in Africa. It offers investors a hub for launching new projects in telecommunications, energy, finance, textiles, aerospace and agriculture. I could go on and on about the commitments the Morocco is making to ensure that it is a place for companies like yours to consider making investments. Simply put, business with Morocco is smart business. “They have skilled workforce, modern infrastructure and growing standards of compliance. Morocco is not just a trading partner; rather it is a total destination for doing business from logistics to production to sales. But there is still much more we can accomplish together through our respective economies to build an even stronger strategic partnership,” he said. Given their many free trade agreements with countries around the globe and free zones designed to encourage investment, Morocco is the perfect place for businesses to expand and grow, according to His Excellency Mamoune Bouhdoud, the Kingdom of Morocco’s Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises. “Both countries share the same belief in free enterprise and free trade within a liberal economy. The United States is our third largest trading partner, and today we have more than 300 U.S. companies present in Morocco,” Bouhdoud said. “We are also proud that Morocco is the only African country to have free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States. This FTA eliminates tariffs
Bringing the world together through a memorandum of understanding, Sean Donohue and Zouhair Mohammed El Aoufir agree to share the best practices of their respective airports. Perhaps their friendship and cooperation will inspire an airline to consider direct routes between DFW International Airport and Casablanca or Rabat. /Photo by John Starkey on more than 95 percent of traded goods. It is also provides business to communities from both countries whether on the trade side or on the investment side. “Morocco has one of the most diversified economies in Africa. With traditional sectors as agribusiness, fishery, tourism, fertilizers and also new emerging sectors as mobility, informational technology and communication, also outsourcing and finance. “The Morocco aerospace cluster is becoming among the most competitive emerging manufacturing base in the world,” Bouhdoud said. “Companies such as Boeing, Alcoa, also General Electric have chosen Morocco as a manufacturing platform. Bombardier Aerospace is now building a new manufacturing plant. This investment represents more than $200 million.
“The mobility industry is also a new growth driver of our economy. Given its double-digit annual growth over the past decade this sector has deadlocked on both the suppliers and manufacturers side, employing more than 55,000 highly qualified employees. Leading American companies such as Delphi and Lear Corporation are already in Morocco with large production units located in dedicated industrial free zones. The railroad plant in Tangiers has the capacity of 400,000 cars, 90 percent of each is exported to Europe and Africa.” On the energy side, Morocco imports over 95 percent of its energy needs, which makes it a perfect place to test, develop and market renewable energy. “We would like for more than 42 percent of our enerSee MOROCCAN Page 9
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The sky’s the limit for unique wedding By Jess Paniszczyn
reward points. They approached the company with the idea of an in flight wedding. As they exited the plane in Love Field, the couple was greeted by Southwest
employees and well-wishers waving pompoms and taking photos. “We both travel for living. We’re both gone five days out of the week,” Keith, the newly married groom, said.
Love was certainly in the air when the music started at 35,000 feet and Dottie Coven danced down the aisle to marry Keith Stewart in the presence of 50 of their closest friends. Other than the altitude and the loca“The best part of tion - Southwest WKH ÀLJKW ZDV Flight 4058, the company’s first NLVVLQJ KHU ´ ever Nashville .HLWK 6WHZDUW to Dallas nonstop flight - the rest of the wed³$QG GDQFLQJ ding was rela'DQFLQJ GRZQ WKH tively traditional. DLVOH ZDV IXQ ´ The couple 'RWW\ 6WHZDUW had a peanut girl who distributed packages of peanuts to all of the guest and other fellow flyers prior to the Nov. 2 ceremony. “I think it is absolutely appropriate that they are getting married on an airplane. They met as road warriors, and they are getting married is road warriors. I love it. It’s perfect,” Debbie Crimmins said as she waited at Love Married as ‘road warriors,’ Keith Stewart and his lovely new bride, Dotty, step off Field for the couple to arrive. a Southwest Airlines flight after being the first couple united in holy matrimony “It is totally Dotty. It is out in air on one of the company’s planes. /Photo by John Starkey there, good spirited, and everything that she would want it to be about. It’s all about fun. She really wanted everybody to have a great time and really remember and enjoy what it is supposed to be about; and that is why she wanted everybody to be on this flight together. “I just wish them so much happiness. She has such a great heart. This is the perfect way for them to start life together. I am thrilled for her.” The couple, who both hail from Louisville, Ky., travel weekly for their jobs. They each fly exclusively on Southwest Airlines and, between the two, had accumulated over a million rapid
“We thought why not get married in an airplane? We are in an airplane most of our time. And we wanted to do something nobody else had done. “We couldn’t have done it without Southwest, because they are the best airline. Their customer service is awesome.” What’s the best part of being married on an airplane? “The best part of the flight was kissing her,” he answered. “And dancing. Dancing down the aisle was fun,” Dotty said. “Everybody loved it,” Keith agreed beaming. “They had their phones out. There will be lots of videos from different people.” Have they started the latest wedding trend? “We’re not really a trending couple. We are more of a geeky couple. We just kind of do things that we think are fun,” Keith replied. Immediately after they left the gate, the happy couple held their reception at the Cool River Café located in the Love Field Airport.
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Air Show continued from page 2 airplanes; that represents 60 people who do everything from computer specialists, to finance, to the maintainers, and then the pilots that fly the aircraft. It is a really a great huge metaphor for all the Air Force does every day on a small scale. “The most exciting, challenging thing for me as position number three is the trail maneuvers, where we are all stacked up one, two, three and four. You have two flying off one, the boss is a nice stable platform. Two is moving around a little bit to make sure he is perfect, so I’m moving around a little bit. If something kind of crazy happens in front of me, I can’t really get away because I have four behind me. So four is flying off of me, who is flying off of someone, who is flying off of someone, so is probably a little bit trickier, but four also has a little bit more ability to lower himself into formation position. Those maneuvers are a little bit tricky. In the high show, we have three different trail maneuvers that we do. “We’re actually flying close enough together that the boundary layer, the air over the air packet is interfering with the aircraft on either side of you. So we kind of get pushed around a little bit. “My dad was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. I always really looked up to him. I thought a lot about his service to the country and flying airplanes was something that was really intriguing. “From a young age I knew I wanted to serve my country, and I knew I had a passion for flying even though I didn’t have a
Even as solo pilots continue to perform, the 2014 Bell Helicopter Fort Worth Alliance Air Show offers a variety of family friendly activities and static aircraft displays. /Photo by John Starkey chance to do it until I got to college. I saw the Thunderbirds fly when I was 13 years old, and I knew then that I wanted to be a fighter pilot. I am pretty lucky that I got to do that,” Jensen said. The youngest pilot dazzling the air show crowds was Kevin Coleman. Flying his green and white Extra 300SHP, Coleman is well on his way to becoming an acrobatic superstar. “My dad flew air shows as a hobby when I was a kid. I grew up going to air shows my entire life. This has been my dream since I was about three years old. I’m really lucky to live my dream every single day,” Coleman said. “I’ve kind of taken it to whole other level - doing it as a complete profession now. I don’t think my dad ever envisioned that I would be this deep into it. “I’m 24 years old. This is my fifth year flying air shows. I’m one of the youngest, if not the youngest performer in the entire world. I soloed airplanes on my 16th birthday. I got my pilot’s license on my 17th birthday, and my
commercial license on my 18th birthday. So I did everything as fast as you can do it, because I was so ready to do this. “Luckily for me, I grew up in an aviation family. My dad had airplanes, and I flew as a kid. I grew up at the controls, and I started taking lessons when I was 10. “Other kids grow up, and they want to be professional baseball players or basketball players. I grew up going to these shows. It was always my dream to put a fire suit on every morning, put a helmet on, put a parachute on and go to work. I’m lucky to do that.” Acrobatic flying for a living may be slightly more stressful for the pilots than it might seems from the grandstands. “My routine is about 10 minutes. I am sustaining 11 Gs on every pull, so 11 times my body weight is pulling me down into my seat. Then I’m also doing six to seven negative Gs, so gravity is pulling me out of my seat,” Coleman said. “When we’re sitting on the ground, we are
under gravity, which is one G. If you weigh 100 pounds and you go out there and pull 10 Gs, now you weigh 1000 pounds. “We do exercises in the airplane as we are flying to keep the blood moving to our heads. If all the blood comes out of your brain, you pass out. All the Gs are trying to pull the blood out of your brain. We flex our calves, abs and arm muscles just like we would flex them showing off to somebody. That tightens the veins and keeps all the blood from flowing to your feet. It is a pretty physically demanding 10 minutes. It’s also very hot. There is no air conditioner in the plane. The engine is right in front of me, and I have a fire suit on. It is easily 140° inside the airplane. The highest I fly is about 1500 feet. So it’s two degrees cooler up there than it is on the ground right now. Many people interested in aviation do not grow up in aviation families and are See AIR SHOW, Page 9
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Moroccan continued from page 6 gy in 2020 to come from renewable energy,” Bouhdoud said. “We are now building a 2000 MW solar generation capacity facility for the investment of $9 billion. We are also increasing the wind installation capacity to 2000 MW’s. “The ongoing changes in the world’s economy offer significant opportunity for emerging countries like Morocco. The world free trade organization was born in Marrakesh 20 years ago. Since then, the Kingdom has developed a network of international agreements within 63 lateral investment protection agreements and 59 agreements avoiding double taxation between our two countries. “Thanks to a wide set of
free trade agreements including the United States, the European Union, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia and Jordan; Morocco offers you today free duty access to a market of 56 countries which represent more than one billion customers in more than 60 percent of the world’s GDP.” One of the forum’s focal points was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport and the Moroccan Airports Authority. “We’re genuinely excited about this new partnership with the Moroccan Airports Authority,” said Sean Donohue, CEO of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. “We have several of these
partnerships with airports throughout the world. We look forward to the partnership between two airports driving more economic value, business connectivity, and we look forward to a long and successful partnership. “The Moroccan Airports Authority has a great global reputation. We are doing some good things the DFW airport, and I think sharing that would be fantastic. “Hopefully it will lead to some flight connectivity. We are obviously working on that side as well to see if we can get anything done there.” “Dallas airport is a reference worldwide,” said His Excellency Zouhair Mohammed El Aoufir, CEO of the
Air Show continued from page 8 not planning on becoming military pilots. Coleman suggests these folks might look into any of a number of quality aviation schools including his family’s, Tubreaux Aviation, located in Shreveport, La. “My job is to show the young people that you don’t have to be in the military and you don’t have to be older to learn to fly. You can do that when you’re young,” he said. “My goal is to show younger people this is possible. All you have to do is work for it. “There are a lot of great schools civilians can go to and get a pilot’s license. I have an aerobatic flight school that I do myself. When I’m in Shreveport, we give aerobatic instruction in a two-seater airplane.” The Coleman family has established an annual $4,000 scholarship in the memory of Marion Cole to help 16 to 25 year olds with
expenses related to learning to fly. “Marion was literally one of the most famous pilots in American history. He took me from the time I was 10 years old to where I am now. So this is my way of giving back to the aviation community just like he did. Tom Harris, President of Alliance Air and Aviation Services, has seen every one of the 23 air shows presented by Alliance Airport. “I don’t know that the air show ever gets old. It’s a great tribute to our military. We do this show every year in support of our military and particularly in support of the USO, so we write a pretty big check to the USO at the end of every year depending on what our proceeds are.” “Having the jet teams here every year is very meaningful,” Harris said. “We’ve been very fortunate either to have the US Air Force Thun-
derbirds or U.S. Navy Blue Angels every other year. I still get chills up my spine when I watch those guys perform. It’s a great event in our community. We are very blessed and honored to be able to put it on. “Although I was not in the military growing up, I have family members who were. I have a brother who spent 20 years in the Army, he’s a retired Army Col. My sister was in the executive branch of the CIA for 25 years. My father was a World War II Navy veteran. He was kind of a hero. He saved a bunch of British sailors’ lives during the war, which he was recognized for. “To be able to honor and pay tribute to our nation’s military, so guys like us can do the kinds of things in this country that we sometimes take for granted this very meaningful, because we can’t forget that we live in
Moroccan National Airports Authority, said. “It is one of the best airports I have seen. I’m impressed, because I have visited it for the second time, and I see that this very good conception was made in 1972. The airport was really initiated on the right path. “We want to make our main hub, which is Casablanca, which carries half of our traffic, benefit from this partnership. We also want to learn about the best practices that exist today at the Dallas airport. So we’re really excited about this memorandum, and we want to make it effective. “Of course, the important thing is that at the end we have a direct link between Casablanca and Dallas. We hope that this will be the first step towards that.”
Born to fly, Kevin Coleman inspects his Extra 300SHP between shows. /Photo by John Starkey
a very special place and a great country.” Fort Worth Alliance Air Show announced the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will be the featured performers at next year’s show. The Blue Angels last performed at the air show in 2011. For more information on the Marion Cole Memorial Scholarship, visit www.icasfoundation.org .
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True wealth and privilege come from security, acceptance, love By Jess Paniszczyn Peter Buffett is an Emmy Award-winning musician, composer, philanthropist and author. He, his brother and sister grew up in Omaha, Neb. as the children of the richest man in the world, Warren Buffett. Unfortunately, all of these little bits of information tell you about as much about who Peter Buffett is as a person as the color of his shirt – grey. “I grew up and I went through my life as a musician, and nobody really knew who my dad was or what he did,” Peter said. “About 10 years ago, he became much more of a household name. People would meet me and say, ‘Wow, you’re Warren Buffett’s son, you are so normal.’ “I thought that was a great complement, but I also thought it was kind of sad, because I knew how I grew up. I knew what real values were in my house. I thought maybe by talking about those things and telling my own story it might help redefine what wealth and privilege really are. “People have these projections around who I am and how I must’ve grown up. I went to public school, and I tell the story of a very different life than I think people imagine.” As instruments were being tuned on stage, Peter took time to speak about his life and, the Novo Foundation, the charitable foundation he and his wife, Jennifer, started and co-chair. He carried these themes on stage with him as he performed his concert series, “Life is What You Make It: A Concert & Conversation with Peter Buffett”, as part of the bigBANG! Conference at Paul
wife says, to be safe, seen and celebrated. If you’re safe, you think anything is possible, because you’re safe. To be seen, to know that you have someone who sees you as a person and thinks you’re wonderful and who celebrates your accomplishments. When I was a kid On stage and in concert, Peter Buffett answers and I did somequestions from the audience about his life and thing, my parents philosophy. /Photo by John Starkey were there or my grandparents were there to Quinn College on Oct. 30. say, ‘good for you.’ It is the The concert was an interacmost valuable thing there tive mixture of music, video, audience questions and Pe- is. No amount of money can ter’s personal anecdotes. buy what a loving parent can The bigBANG! Conference give you. “The unsung heroes of brought together leaders in various fields to discuss all of our lives are often our strategies and innovations mothers. My dad gets all needed to raise area families the attention, because he and children out of poverty. has reached some phenomDallas has the highest pov- enal metric that society puts erty rate in the nation for chil- on value. But it’s the mothdren living in a city of more ers, it’s the teachers, it’s the caregivers, it’s the people than one million people. “The privilege was grow- and they are almost always ing up in this loving, nurtur- female doing the real nurturing, supportive household ing, and caregiving, and lovwhere we felt like we could ing in the family in a way that do anything. And it wasn’t only mothers can.” A dramatic if not all because my dad was rich, together practical way of we didn’t know that. He learning how exactly another wasn’t buying houses and cars and boats and all these person truly thinks about the things. He was just happy, world is to give them a billion because he loved what he dollars to spend on others. did,” Peter said. “We saw In June 2006, Warren Buffet the male in the family com- gave each of his children $1 ing home and being super billion to use toward philanconsistent. You could count thropy. Later, he gave them another $1 billion. on him. “It’s funny when you get “My mom was super a $1 billion foundation. Your loving and nurturing a very jokes are funnier. You are supportive of my music. better looking. You are inMy teachers knew me. I felt vited everywhere. It’s magiloved. “Nothing is more impor- cal. It took some adjustment, tant for child than, as my frankly. It’s an extraordinary
responsibility. “Late June 2006 is what I call the ‘Big Bang,’ because that is when my dad decided to give all his money away. A lot of people early on said, ‘You must be so disappointed. You didn’t get any money.’ “I can’t remember ever sitting down and talking about it, but I never expected my father’s wealth. That was his thing. That’s what he did. I wanted my own,” Peter said. “I feel very strongly that self-respect comes from earning your own reward. If my dad had written checks for me my whole life or when I fell down and couldn’t get up or something, I would never know if I could do it. I have my life, and I have all these experiences [my parents] give me the opportunity to say ‘I know what is mine, and what is yours is yours.’ “I think it’s incredibly important to remember that the only metric for you is going to be yours. What is in your heart, what is in your gut, what matters to you. You should surround yourself with people who reflect that back to you. Yes, you may want to work a lot harder to get to where you want to go, but it’s not because someone else is defining you. “We always knew my dad was going to give his money away, but we didn’t know when or how,” he said. “We certainly didn’t realize that we would be such a big part of it. “My wife, Jennifer, and I have taken our philanthropic dollars and learned a lot about the world we never would’ve seen. We’ve See TRUE WEALTH, Page 13
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Sky Ball XII continued from page 5 don’t want to see them again when they are working.” One of the great things about Sky Ball is meeting new people, according to Medal of Honor recipient James Taylor. “This is my fifth Sky Ball, and I love it. What American Airlines does for all the veterans across this great country is wonderful,” Taylor said. “American Airlines is one of the finest airlines in the country. “I wear the great Medal of Honor for all the men and women who serve this great country of ours. The values embodied in the Medal of Honor are courage, sacrifice, selflessness, responsible citizenship, patriotism and integrity. All men and women today serving this great country are in that category.” The event’s outstanding support of the nation’s troops and their family’s impressed George Garriott, Sgt. First Class U.S. Army retired. “Sky Ball is awesome. It’s wonderful what they are doing for the troops, the veterans, the families and the money they have raise for the children,” Garriott said. “It’s outstanding. “From my point of view, this is the biggest event in the state. Everyone needs to know about all of these companies and organizations coming together and what they’re doing for the troops. I would like to thank everybody for being here making it possible.” More than 1,500 volunteers, many of them American Airlines employees and DFW Airport Ambassadors worked to make Sky Ball XII a success. Proceeds from the event will enable the Airpower Foundation to support to nonprofit organizations and military families throughout the United States.
“The Airpower Foundation is extremely grateful to American Airlines for its support of Sky Ball XII,” said Roman Palomares, chairman of the Airpower Foundation. “Over the past four years, the American Airlines Sky Ball has raised more than $5.1 million to benefit many deserving military charitable organizations. As the title sponsor of Sky Ball, American and its more than 1,000 employee volunteers have
truly made the difference in our ability to support our nation’s service members and their families.” The Saturday night gala was the culmination of a series of events over three days that included a veteran-focused career expo and professional-development seminar, educational outreach programs, a Salute to Citizen Heroes concert featuring The Randy Rogers Band and Lee Greenwood,
The grand traditions of the Navy are passed on to a new generation as three newly sworn, young sailors add liquor to the Grog under the watchful gaze of veterans standing with the aid of exoskeletons. /Photo by John Starkey
and the world premiere of the PBS documentary “Navy SEALs - Their Untold Story.” Sky Ball XII set a fundraising record of $1.9 million. Proceeds from this year’s event will allow the Airpower Foundation to assist organizations such as Snowball Express, an annual gathering of nearly 2,000 children and spouses of fallen military members, and Carrick Brain Centers, which treats service members impacted by post-traumatic stress and significant brain injuries. American Airlines has a long history of supporting U.S. service members, veterans and their families. Military and veterans programs are a strong priority for American and its employees, reflecting the airline’s commitment to honor the bravery and dedication of those who serve our country. More than 60 percent of American’s pilots and 10 percent of all the airline’s employees are active service members or veterans.
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Commemorative Center honors:
‘Welcome Home a Hero’ By Nick Kammerer Dozens of volunteers, contractors and DFW International Airport executives joined area citizens for the ceremonial ribbon cutting of the new Commemorative Center at Founders Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 25. The beautiful center provides an opportunity to reflect on the legacy of DFW Airport’s “Welcome Home a Hero” program. “As many of you know, the Welcome Home a Hero volunteers made it their collective mission to extend a warm welcome to our military troops coming home through DFW. By the time the [rest and relaxation] greeting program ended in 2012, volunteers had greeted nearly half a million inbound soldiers coming through DFW, with more than 10,000 individual volunteers taking part in this great effort,” said Sean Donohue, CEO of DFW Airport. “These volunteers have continued their mission to serve our nation’s men and women in uniform that still travel through DFW in large numbers.” One of the displays at the Commemorative Center is a working sculpture of the Shower Of Affection welcome. For approximately seven years, the DFW Airport greeted all incoming aircraft containing military passengers with a water cannon salute. As a part of the tribute, two fire engines would spray a large arch of water over the airplane as a sign of respect. The scaled down model allows attendees to press a button and jettison water from the sculpture’s fire trucks onto a plane in a water cannon salute. “A Texas sized water arch
went over the airplanes. We all know what a salute is; it is a gesture of respect, and we’re just happy to be able to construct this and respect our military throughout the world,” said Karl Joeris, a contractor with Balfour Beatty Construction. “As we walk around the Shower of Affection and you press the activation to shoot off the water cannon, just remember it’s a show of respect for our military. “We were honored to participate in the construction of the Shower of Affection. Balfour Beatty is known for giving back to the communities in which we work and we live. It’s us being able to give back to the men and women in uniform throughout the country that support us and sacrifice everyday to protect our rights and freedoms.” Bob Owen with Manhattan Company, a contractor that assisted in the construction of the center, explained the importance of honoring our military. “We are of one heart gathered here today either of service – service men, women and veterans – or of honoring their service. That is our common thread today that binds us all together. We talk a lot about what a hero is, and really I don’t think you can have the word ‘hero’ without the word ‘honor,’” Owen said. “We honor the work that U.S. service men and women do for us around the world and here in our community, preserving our freedom and liberty and the pursuit of happiness that we enjoy.” The Welcome Home a Hero program was created as a joint effort between the North Texas Commission, the Colleyville Chamber of Council, the USO, the U.S.
Army Transportation Command and DFW International Airport. For seven years and nine months, citizen volunteers greeted military personnel as they arrived home for R&R and also provided an appropriate send-off as the troops returned to their assignments overseas, according to the organization. “We had a lot of people who partnered on this effort. It wasn’t just the airport, or any particular organization, or any single person that made this work so magnificently,” said Donohue. “It was truly the spirit of the community and the selflessness of giving that led to the success of this program, and that’s what we pay tribute to today.” “It’s very important that we recognize the [contractors] who donated the time and
effort to make this wonderful plaza and dedication an honor for all of those who served. The overall mission continues as we pledge to support these men and woman in uniform in new ways with family help, job placement and medical assistance. Even though most of you today welcomed home a hero, in our minds, you here today are also our heroes,” he said. Families and friends of service members who wish to honor their loved ones can purchase an engraved commemorative brick to be installed at the entrance of the center or around the Shower of Affection display. For more information about the Welcome Home a Hero organization, visit www.dfwwelcomehomeahero.org.
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True Wealth learned about what’s going on in developing countries and what’s going on right here at home. “There is a surprising similarity between what happens in a poverty-stricken area in this country and in a developing country: specifically around supporting girls and women and the structures that allow people to live happy fulfilled joyful lives. There are a lot of not joyful people in the world right now. Why is that? What are the structures that are keeping people from living
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a full life? It usually comes down to poverty and economic constructs that are really hurting a lot of people. We’re trying to find ways to shift that as best we can. “It is so easy going to a silo of a problem like poverty, education, health and the environment. Jennifer and I see a world that is much more out of balance, and that is really in this domination, exploitation, controlling, objectification: all these things are kind of top-down and controlling. To us, that is very, in the worst sense of
the word, ‘masculine’,” Peter said. “It doesn’t mean that men are all bad. It means there is a certain type of behavior that runs from fear and is very controlling. “We think that if we support specifically adolescent girls, and girls in general … that we will end up with a more balanced world and a better world. The first stop is to support girls, women, education, and also social, emotional learning. Instead of teaching to the test and it’s all about math and science, it’s really all about rela-
tionships. To get young kids, boys and girls, who start to see themselves in each other and to start to relate in different ways so everyone including the teachers, bus drivers, administrators and all these people start to act like human beings instead of people going through a machine to make sure the test scores are good. If you can shift school climate, it will go a long ways to shifting how we behave towards each other: the younger, the better. See TRUE WEALTH, Page 15
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Dallas Airmotive builds state of art facilities By Jess Paniszczyn Dallas Airmotive, a BBA Aviation company providing global MRO service and support for business aircraft turbine engines, broke ground on its new, six-cell, state-of-the-art test center Oct. 20 and announced that its new rotorcraft center of excellence will be built at the same location. Both facilities will be situated on a 20-acre site on the south end of DFW airport. “These new facilities represent the future of our company in a major way,” Doug Meador, Dallas Airmotive’s president, said. “This location, as the site of our state-of-the-art test facility and our rotorcraft center of excellence, represents the future of Dallas Airmotive. Here, we will have the capacity and flexibility to provide world class repair, overhaul and test services to our rotorcraft and fixed-wing customers.” Dallas Airmotive has consolidated portions of its turbine engine repair and overhaul (ERO) activities
to streamline its business and become more efficient. It has also recognized the need to grow its capabilities and service offerings for new customers and new markets. “Our transformation has really been an evolution of our company and the way we do business,” Meador explained. “We have known for some time that we need to expand our focus and pursue opportunities in different markets. That’s why our new rotorcraft center of excellence and six-cell test facility are so important.” Earlier this year, Dallas Airmotive was awarded new authorizations from Pratt & Whitney Canada, which invigorated its business focus on the rotorcraft market. “This new venture is a natural evolution, but also a fundamental step change in the growth of our business, and where we are taking that business,” Peg Billson, chief executive officer, BBA aviation aftermarket services, said. “Earlier this year, we announced we had won a significant amount of
Representatives from DFW Airport and Irving join Dallas Airmotive executives in breaking ground on the company’s new state-of-the-art test center which will be built on a 20-acre site on the south end of the airport. /Photo by John Starkey new business specifically around rotorcraft engine support. This new capability will enable us to support over 20,000 engines. We think about 75 percent of the world’s global engine market. When we won this new business … the decision was ultimately made to combine all of our helicopter capability right here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. “We started this business in 1932 not very far from here. That business has
grown to 900 people worldwide. Eight-five percent of our business comes into the state of Texas from outside of Texas - 25 percent of that worldwide. “We will have, on this very ground, the newest rotorcraft engine repair and overhaul capability that exists globally, and a state-ofthe-art test facility with the capability to test all of our engines – not just our heliSee DALLAS AIRMOTIVE, Page 15
&KDUWHU FRPSDQ\ EXLOGV LQWHUVWDWH ÀLJKWV By Jess Paniszczyn Texas Sky, in partnership with Public Charters, Inc., recently began nonstop service between Victoria, Austin, and Dallas under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Alternate Essential Air Service Program. Public Charters operates the route six times a week out of DFW’s Terminal D using 19seat BAe Jetstream 32 turboprop aircraft. Public Charters’ passengers and representatives met DFW Airport representatives for a ceremonial ribbon cutting welcoming the new intrastate flights on Nov. 5. “Texas Sky offers affordable
flights with a great on-time performance,” Jim Gallagher, President and CEO of Public Charters said. “We have a high quality of service. “We have large corporations based in Victoria, Texas that have no way to get to Dallas with either a one-stop or a nonstop flight. We are offering a one-stop service through Austin, so we can not only connect Victoria to Dallas-Fort Worth, but Austin to Dallas-Fort Worth, which is one of the largest markets within Dallas. “We’re focusing on the smaller cities that have lost quality, affordable air service
to main hubs like Dallas-Fort Worth. We will soon add more cities. We’re looking at places like Beaumont, Del Rio. You name it, we want to fly it interstate Texas. We want to be your Texas carrier to feed your smaller airports into the larger hubs. The economic impact is significant, because it allows businesses to fly affordably, quickly so they can create commerce and economic development throughout the cities they are traveling to.” For years, the residents and business people of Victoria have looked to Jason Milewski, Director of Victoria Regional Airport, to help fa-
cilitate commercial flights to the Dallas/Ft. Worth region. “We are ecstatic about this new service. We have been seeking a proper air carrier to meet the needs of our public, to be able to have efficient, reliable, pressurized service on twin-turbine aircraft to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for many, many years. We are very happy to have engaged with Texas Sky and Public Charters in order to make this happen. “We have done many market studies; the Dallas-Fort Worth area is our largest market, by far, for origin and destination traffic, as well as, transfers,” Mailewski said.
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True Wealth continued from page 13 A world based on financial transactions, seems to be at the heart of all unhappiness, according to Peter’s philosophy. In other words, worries about bills and debt simply serve to keep many people down. His solution is a reality based upon relationships rather than transactions. Friendship, conversation and love are all joyful qualities, but how many of us could live our daily lives based upon them. Daily mass numbers of people around the country hand cashiers a previously agreed upon amounts of money for their morning coffees, pastries and newspapers, then leave the sales establishment as quickly and anonymously as possible to pursue whatever they wish to do. Often people don’t even feel slighted if said cashiers forget to produce the receipt or drop the obligatory, ‘Thank you for shopping with us.’ If in order to purchase their beloved coffees, pastries and newspapers, each
buyer were forced to engage in conversation with the cashiers, discuss why the cashiers have chosen their profession, explain why they as coffee drinkers use sugar or artificial sweetener, discuss their plans for the day and the probable routes for any truckers standing in line, how many people would choose to forgo purchasing their morning items? What would the overall impact be to the country if every financial transaction required a relationship component to be valid? Some relationships are fleeting and easily forgotten, others are to be treasured for a lifetime. Living, working and dying in a world that moves at the speed of email, our transactions far outnumber our relationships. Is the modern world really a place where Peter’s vision of life based on relationships rather than transactions even possible? Perhaps not, but if we fail to teach our children to learn to relate to each other and the value of those
Dallas Airmotive continued from page 14 copter engines,” she said. The test cell complex will include six test cells: three for turbo shaft engines and three for turbo fan engines. The facility was designed to have the capability to handle most of Dallas Airmotive’s current authorizations plus the capacity to accommodate the engines and authorizations in the company’s future growth strategy. These will include both helicopters and large cabin business aircraft. “We plan to grow and offer the capabilities that our customers require. Helicopters are now an obvious part, but our test facility will have an upper limit capacity
of 25,000 lbs thrust,” Meador said. Dallas Airmotive also recently announced it has transformed its former Regional Turbine Center (RTC), located on Dallas-Love Field airport, into a state-of-theart facility dedicated to the repair and overhaul of PT6A engines. Meador explained this is part of the same evolution. “Our company is evolving to address changes in the industry and to adapt to our customer’s needs. As we make these changes, we are becoming better at what we do and our goal is to offer the best service and support on the planet.”
relationships, then what exactly is the value of all those transactions? “We were looking at what we were hoping were root causes. One thing we realized is that, first of all, only a girl will be the mother of every child. Nobody can argue with that,” Peter said. “We are running in what feels like a masculine frame. This is not beating down on men. It happens to be a quality that comes from the masculine side of the ledger, which can be dominating, exploitative and these things that are controlling if they are running on fear. “The feminine side I consider nurturing, collaboration, partnership and letting things grow organically. Many women have both
these qualities. These are in all of us. In this world the feminine side needs to be balanced out. “This characteristic will get us through when there is an economic crisis, and environmental crisis, health crisis, poverty, all these things. If we have strong women, we’re going to be okay. “We don’t want our foundation to last. The idea is that we are going to spend it down. The problems are here and now. We don’t want to build the institution. The legacy we want to build is that no 13-year-old is ever sold for sex, that no woman is ever violated. That is the legacy we will be proud of. We don’t need anything with our name on it.”
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