jetAVIVA Journey Blog

jetAVIVA Crew Trains in the Idaho Backcountry

2011-09-02T08:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, jetAVIVA vice president of Phenom Aircraft sales Greg Oswald and I took an adventure tour of the Idaho back country with Pilot Getaways co-founder and editor John Kounis. The purpose of the trip was an introduction to both back country airstrips and to get some flying time in John’s Cessna 185, a capable back country airplane and a style of flying far from the comfort of the Phenom 100.

The 668-nm flight to Idaho entailed six hours of flying over two days. The first leg to Battle Mountain, Nevada, crossed hundreds of miles of barren desert and required a dogleg around the restricted area around Area 51. We did dodge a couple of thunderstorms, but didn’t see any flying saucers.

From Battle Mountain, a slight detour east via Smiley Creek Airport gave us some excellent flight-seeing opportunities. The airport sits in a wide, forested valley, and long deep blue lakes are tucked into just about every glacially carved side canyon; all this scenery is set against the backdrop of the jagged granite peaks of the Sawtooth Mountains. After weaving among the peaks, blue-green alpine lakes, and secluded meadows of the Sawtooths, we left civilization behind and crossed an 8,000-foot pass to drop into the Loon Creek drainage, past Upper Loon Creek USFS airstrip.

When flying deep in the canyons, John explained, flying is not done on airways or even GPS-direct. For eons, the forces of nature have been carving natural flyways through the mountains: these natural flyways are river canyons. Bush pilots are always aware of what drainage they are flying in and especially whether they are flying upstream or downstream—if you’re flying upstream you can usually continue flying until reaching the ocean without ever needing to climb. We learned other tips like why you should fly on the downwind side of the canyon (updrafts and a tighter turning radius if you have to turn around) and the benefits of flying on the sunny side of mountain slopes (updrafts due to the warm air).

Our first back country approach landing was at Johnson Cr eek Airport, a 3,400-foot airstrip at the bottom of a half-mile wide valley at 4,933 feet elevation. To make the approach, you fly as close to the right side of the canyon on downwind as possible (just not so close as to scrape off the green nav light on tree branches), and then make a short, steep, 5-degree, turning descent between rocks and trees to the wide grass runway. Both Greg and I were impressed with the tightness of the approach—especially when we realized that Johnson Creek is one of Idaho’s easiest back country strips!

The back country “ bible" is Galen Hanselman’s book, Fly Idaho!; in the book, each airstrip is rated on a difficulty scale of 1–50. Johnson Creek is only a 14. During the course of the weekend, the most difficult airstrip where we landed was Wilson Bar U SFS Airport. The blind, twisting approach up a narrow river canyon along the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, the fact that you can’t see the airstrip until you’re less than 1/4 mile away, the lack of a go-around option from short final, and the 1,500-foot length result in a rating of 27 for this challenging airstrip.

We over-flew Fish Lake was a long grass strip in the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness beside a clear lake frequented by Moose. We looked for the moose that John promised would be there, but gave up after about 5 minutes since swarms of black flies, biting horse flies, and mosquitoes also had gathered in this idyllic setting for their own getaways.

Fourteen nautical miles away, Moose Creek was 3,000 feet lower and devoid of insects. There are never any moose there, but, unlike Fish Lake, Moose Creek is known for its good fishing. Since we didn’t have fishing gear, we just hiked the half-mile to the junction of the Selway River and Moose Creek, and dipped our toes into the water.

Other high points of the trip included a dinner at the Flying B Ranch, a remote back country lodge accessible only by boat or airplane. The driver who picked us up from the 2,000-foot grass airstrip told us that his pickup truck had been airlifted in by helicopter, and that the 2/3 mile of dirt road between the airstrip and the ranch was the only road in the area. The ranch is completely “off-the-grid”—so much so that they generate their own electricity with a hydroelectric generator on the nearby stream.

The departure out of the Flying B was the most stunning I have ever flown. Winds were out of the north, dictating a takeoff on Runway 34 (otherwise known as the “North Runway”). Since Impassable Canyon that extends for a mile or so north of the airstrip is too narrow to turn around in, we had to wind our way between vertical rock walls down the twisting river canyon for a couple of minutes until we could climb high enough to turn on course.

The weekend left us with an excellent understanding of back country flying and an appreciation of the beauty of the Idaho Rockies. To find out more about fun places to fly, read Pilot Getaways Magazine, which has featured many of these strips, including an article the Flying B Ranch in the last issue.

jetAVIVA raises nearly $100,000 for the Experimental Aircraft Association

2011-08-25T17:14:00.000-07:00

In total, jetAVIVA raised nearly $100,000 for the Experimental Aircraft Association this year and sponsored a week long celebration of fun and aviation at this years EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh. The jetAVIVA sponsored Gathering of Eagles after-party was a smashing success with some of aviation's greatest heroes in attendance.

See the photos from the event at jetaviva.com

jetAVIVA co-founder supports Angel Flight Network

2011-07-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Angel Flight is a charitable organization comprised of pilots who donate their time and airplanes to fly people in medical and financial need. My best friend and co-founder of jetAVIVA, Cyrus Sigari and I have been volunteers for Angel Flight for 15 years. I believe that the experience of helping these people in their times of need, through an expression of my passion for flight, has enriched my life even more than those passengers I've flown. Helping one's self by helping others is truly an uncompromising and limitless opportunity. We encourage all of our friends and clients to participate as Angel Flight pilots. Read more »

jetAVIVA Finds Opportunities in China

2011-07-08T16:24:00.001-07:00

I just returned from Beijing, China, where I attended the annual China General Aviation Forum. This year is of particular importance for general aviation in China because the Chinese 12 ^th 5 year national plan, published this year, specifically lists general aviation infrastructure development as a strategic objective of the country.
Additionally, the Civil Aviation Authority of China and the Chinese military have published a plan to make airspace below 3,000 meters (about 10,000 feet) available for VFR flying within the next five years. There appears to be genuine motivation on the part of the Chinese people and government to promote general aviation.

I had the opportunity to meet several aircraft manufacturer’s sales representatives, aircraft operators, and government officials. China is a very interesting place and it is very different from most of the countries that I’m used to visiting.

China is the world’s most populous country and is one of the oldest civilizations. In the 20^th century, the Chinese people have gone through incredible ups and downs; war with Japan, civil war, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, famine, terrorism, political upheaval, and now (over the last 20 years or so), a dramatic rise in wealth and power. I learned that this history brings with it an intricate culture, full of superstitions, and a manner of communication that even befuddles native Chinese speakers (in fact both what is said and how it is said have very little relevance to the message that’s actually being passed). This will prove to be a challenge for aviation companies from “developed” countries that try to do business in China.

There are presently just over 2,000 private pilots in China, despite the large number of wealthy Chinese that love expensive toys. If it weren’t for government restrictions on airspace, I would expect there to be at least 100,000 private pilots, if not more. With the lifting of airspace restrictions planned over the next five years, I expect demand for flight schools, FBOs, maintenance facilities, aircraft manufacturers, airports, and the other aviation infrastructure that we enjoy in the developed world to ramp up.

Many of the attendees to China General Aviation Forum were economic development representatives of various municipalities in China, all trying to create the “Wichita of China”. They are offering subsidies, tax incentives, land, and direct investment to people who wish to bring aviation experience and capabilities to their cities. As a result I enjoyed some fabulous aviation themed parties...

China recently purchased Cirrus Design and I’m sure that there will be more transactions like that soon. Embraer has been building some ERJs in China in partnership with a Chinese company for years, and it was recently announced that that facility would begin to build business jets as well. Also, the first Chinese-built Airbus recently made its first flight. An indigenous design called the COMAC C919, which will compete head-to-head with the next generation Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families, is slated for entry-into-service in 2016.

In addition to learning about general aviation in China, I also had a day or so to see the tourist sites including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.

I’m looking forward to the day that we get to deliver the first Phenom to a Chinese customer. Having recently completed our fifth delivery of a Phenom 100 to India, I’m sure demand from the Chinese is just around the corner.

- Ben Marcus

jetAVIVA Clients Fly with Capt. Sully Sullenberger

2011-05-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

jetAVIVA and the Experimental Aircraft Association put on a once-in-a-life-time opportunity for a few lucky clients at Van Nuys Airport. Guests got the opportunity to fly a B-17 Bomber accompanied by Capt. Sully Sullenberger, Experimental Aircraft Association President Rod Hightower, and jetAVIVA President Cyrus Sigari. Too much fun!

Phenom 300: Severe Weather Arrival

2011-05-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Ben shot this video with his iPhone during an evening descent into Charleston, SC while flying with a Phenom 300 owner/pilot. There were storms building around them including a large cell out of frame on the left side of the aircraft. The crew used XM Nexrad, XM Lightning, on-board weather radar, and Stormscope to safely avoid the severe weather and enjoyed a smooth ride through the build ups and into Charleston International Airport.

Good joojoo

2011-05-19T23:06:00.000-07:00

Nothing like good news at trade-shows to pump up the market. The heavy metal producers are looking at an encouraging future for business aviation... here's a synopsis from a report put out by Bombardier.

Bombardier: 24,000 Bizjets over Next 20 Years
A 20-year business aircraft market forecast released by Bombardier at EBACE yesterday predicts a return to sustained growth. According to the report, some 24,000 business jets, not including very light jets, worth approximately $626 billion will be delivered from 2011 to 2030. In the first half of the forecast period, 10,000 deliveries worth $260 billion are anticipated, and 14,000 deliveries worth $366 billion are expected from 2021 to 2030. “The business aircraft industry’s improving book-to-bill ratio is a positive signal that the market has turned the corner and is gaining momentum,” Bombardier said. “While industry deliveries are not expected to improve significantly in 2011, key indicators are showing an upward trend, and it is expected that business aircraft deliveries will continue to grow in 2012.” Thanks to a widening customer base for business aircraft, especially in high-growth economies, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer foresees that North America, Europe and China will be the three most active markets and will generate the most revenues over the next 20 years.

HondaJet Update

2011-05-18T00:43:00.000-07:00

Interesting news from our friends at Honda regarding the HondaJet progress. Exciting stuff. With Certification likely at the end of 2012, early 2013, it's likely that Honda will time their arrival perfectly with a rebounded light jet segment.

FAA-Conforming HondaJet Reaches Maximum Operating Altitude Of 43,000 Ft

Production Of The Aircraft Expected To Begin Next Year

Honda Aircraft Company announced Monday at EBACE that it has successfully completed additional milestone flight tests with its FAA-conforming HondaJet, including the achievement of a maximum operating altitude of 43,000 ft. This accomplishment follows soon after Honda's advanced light business jet recorded a maximum speed of 425KTAS during flight testing at the company's Greensboro, NC, world headquarters facility.

The 43,000 ft. mark - reached on April 27 - confirms the company's maximum-operating-altitude performance commitment to customers for the FAA-conforming HondaJet. In addition, the aircraft has achieved a climb rate of 3,990 ft./min., confirming another important performance parameter for the delivery aircraft.

"We are very encouraged by the achievement of these important performance milestones at this early phase of the HondaJet flight test program," said Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft Company President & CEO. "Our flight test data indicate that the aircraft is performing as expected, and our team continues to work hard to realize additional performance milestones as we move forward."

The first FAA-conforming HondaJet (F1), which first flew on December 20, 2010, will soon be joined by additional conforming aircraft to supplement the company's certification efforts. A second conforming aircraft (ST1) already has been completed and undergone extensive structural testing under various load conditions to ensure conformity with all certification requirements. Furthermore, Power-On testing has been completed successfully on a third conforming aircraft (F2) that will be used for flight testing. Honda is nearing completion of function testing on this aircraft, which is scheduled to join the flight test program this summer.

A fourth conforming aircraft (F3), to be used for additional flight testing, has progressed through the major assemblies consolidation phase and is now in the early stages of systems installation. A fifth conforming aircraft (ST2) also is planned to be completed in early 2012 to support additional stress and extensive fatigue testing. Concurrent with the assembly of conforming aircraft, Honda continues to conduct numerous component qualification tests for each aircraft system to support the certification program.

"In order to maximize the effectiveness of our flight test program and to support an accelerated certification process, we will add a sixth conforming aircraft (F4) to our certification fleet," said Fujino. "This test aircraft will take flight in spring 2012 and will support cabin systems testing, as well as functions and reliability testing. With a total of six aircraft planned to support the certification process, we believe we will have optimal resources to meet both our flight test program needs and our certification schedule.

As Honda progresses through the certification program, the company is focused simultaneously on the process of equipping and manning its new HondaJet production facility, which was recently completed on the company's Greensboro campus. Pre-production planning and preparations are in progress as equipment and personnel begin to move into the facility. Training of production staff will soon be underway to support the HondaJet production ramp-up beginning in 2012.

The 263,400 sq. ft. HondaJet production facility integrates under one roof all aspects of assembly, painting, completion, inspection and flight testing of delivery aircraft. This unique approach to production will provide Honda with a distinct advantage within the industry by allowing the company to create the highest quality aircraft possible within a totally integrated assembly and testing environment.

FMI: www.hondajet.com

New Embraer Phenom delivery video is in the works!

2011-05-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

Check out our latest reel of footage for the delivery of a brand new Embraer Phenom 100 from the factory in Brazil making its way to its new owner in India!

We will update the blog when the delivery is complete with the final video.

Enjoy ~

http://www.vimeo.com/23826916

Phenom Jet Association Conference - March 24-28, 2011 - San Antonio, TX

2011-04-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

We had a PHENOMENAL time at the Phenom Jet Association Conference in San Antonio, TX! We conducted our Companion Training Course with the wives and companions of several Phenom 100 & Phenom 300 owners who were in attendance. Our companion training course consisted of a two day ground school and in-flight simulated emergency landing. The ground school and in-flight simulated landing were administered by Ben Marcus and several of his associate flight instructors with all participants. All of the participants enrolled in the Companion Training Course enthusiastically studied very hard and were able to land all aircraft safely in the presence of their instructors. Quite the accomplishment!

In addition, we spent most of our time at the conference looking over the many vendor exhibits and sitting in on information sessions presented by Embraer, Pratt and Whitney, Radar Training International, Air Journey, and CAE SimuFlite to name a few!

Below you will find a few photos of some of the Companion Course participants after their successful landings with their instructors:

Citation Jet Pilots Owner Pilot Association - First Regional Event - Houston, TX

2011-04-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

It was such a pleasure to see everyone at the Citation Jet Pilots Owner Pilot Associations first regional event in Houston, TX at KEFD, March 11-13, 2011. The event was coordinated by Cyrus Sigari, CJP Regional Event Coordinator and jetAVIVA President. Cyrus also served as the Master of Ceremonies for the entire weekend. This event is the first of many regional events to come and was a huge success as it sold out with over 65 guests in attendance!

Touching down at KEFD and seeing the rows upon rows of Citation Jets owned by CJP members was a spectacular view! For those of you who don't know, KEFD was established by the Army Air Service on May 21, 1917, and was originally created as a training facility. Ellington Field is currently used by the military, NASA, commercial and general aviation sectors. The airport is one of the few airfields built for World War I training purposes still in operation today.

The first regional event at the historic Ellington Field was planned by jetAVIVA and was hosted by Citation Jet Pilots Owner Pilot Association founding member and CJ3 owner, Stuart Fred. Stuart opened up his expansive private hangar to every attending member and their guests for the entire weekend. Not only did he graciously host the entire weekend, he was also able to arrange a keynote presentation with NASA's Shuttle Commander, Charlie Precourt, a Safety Stand-down seminar with NASA's Safety Officer Solunac "Solo" Nebojsa, as well as private tours of the neighboring NASA facility and of the old war birds in Fighter Hangar One. Stuart and Charlie Precourt flew several attendees in Stuart's very own L-39 throughout the weekend as well!

The weekend was action packed but we still managed to settle in and enjoy our Texas Round-Up like the true cowboys we are. We indulged in Texan cuisine with a cigar and moonshine (Patron Spirits) to boot! Friday kicked off our Texas Round-up with a BBQ dinner with all the fixings sponsored by PNC Aviation Finance. Saturday afternoon our Tex-Mex lunch was sponsored by jetAVIVA and our cocktail Prime Rib dinner was sponsored by CAE SimuFlite. On Sunday, our final morning in Houston was spent at the Universal Weather & Aviation headquarters where we enjoyed a hosted breakfast and tour of their operations facility before blasting off!

Phenom Makeover!

2011-03-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

What a difference a few liters of paint make!

Before

After

One of our inspired and creative clients has added some paint to his Phenom 100, creating a truly stunning result. Isn't this beautiful?

Landing Sedona, AZ

2011-03-06T07:31:00.000-08:00

Sedona is a great destination to really remind us why we love to fly. The airport can be a bit tricky with high temperatures and funky winds. The runway 21/3 has a 2% grade which at 5000 ft doesn't make planning any easier. With calm winds or light tailwind landing 3 is the best and take off 21. They have a nice LNAV+V RNAV approach into 3 which really helps to get stabilized on final. Regardless of the day this airport is very rewarding, with a great fuel price if you land before 2 pm on a Saturday. Make sure you run the numbers very closely and then fly them just as close.

jetAVIVA Phenom Inventory Update!

2011-02-28T14:09:00.000-08:00

	2009 EMBRAER PHENOM 100 SN: 50000082 140 hours total time EEC Enhanced and ESP Gold Lite TCAS, Jepp Chart View, Premium Passenger Door, Embraer "Corporate Demo" Paint Scheme » More info
	2009 EMBRAER PHENOM 100 SN: 50000091 18 hours total time Delivery Hours Only, 2 Pilot Training Slots Included Lavatory Rigid Door, Inflight Entertainment System, Premium Passenger Door » More info
	2010 EMBRAER PHENOM 100 SN: 50000137 159 hours total time EEC Enhanced and ESP Gold TCAS, Jepp Chart View, Lavatory Rigid Door, Premium Passenger Door » More info
	2010 EMBRAER PHENOM 100 SN: 50000150 115 hours total time EEC Enhanced and ESP Gold TCAS, Jepp Chart View, Lavatory Rigid Door, Tourmaline Interior » More info
Call +1.310.907.5099 or email at contact@jetAVIVA.com.

About jetAVIVA

jetAVIVA is an authority on light jets, offering acquisition and sales services, backed with the experience of completing over 200 light jet transactions, as well as providing acceptance and training services in all production light jets. jetAVIVA is focused on providing Clients with comprehensive services to choose the right jet and operate it with maximum efficiency and safety. For More information, please visit www.jetAVIVA.com or call +1.310.907.5099.

Lessons Learned: What Boeing 747-400 Type Rating Training Can Teach a Single-Pilot Jet Operator

2011-02-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

“Boeing Five-oh-One Heavy, Kennedy Tower, Fly the Breezy Point Climb, Runway Three One Left, cleared for takeoff”. I push the four throttles up, press the autothrottle Takeoff/Go-Around (TOGA) button, the engines spool up, and the lumbering Boeing 747-400 begins accelerating down the 14,500 foot runway in New York. My first officer calls “80 knots”, “V1”, “Rotate”, and I begin to gently ease the 870,000 pound jumbo jet into the air. A childhood dream realized – To fly a 747. Well, sort of…

It sure felt real, but I was in a Level D simulator at Boeing’s Training Center in Renton, Washington, just outside Seattle. My training partner, Edwin Sahakian, a Cessna Citation Mustang owner-pilot who is a friend and client of mine, had wanted to train for a Boeing 747-400 type rating for quite some time. I was honored when he asked me to join him. It turns out that I’m not the only crazy pilot out there who has dreamt of flying a 747. We were able to find a couple of open weeks in our calendars that matched up and we scheduled the course.

After countless hours of studying the manuals, going through a web-based training course, and reading anything that we could get our hands on, we showed up at Boeing to start ground school. I now have just shy of 4,000 hours of flying time and I was one of the least experienced students in the gargantuan building. The biggest airplane that my training partner was type rated in was his Citation Mustang, which has a Maximum Ramp Weight of precisely 1% of that of the big Boeing. This was going to be quite a nut to crack for the two of us. Luckily, we had some of the best instructors in the world, including Mike Miller, who has 22 years of experience as an instructor at Boeing as well as previous military flying career, and Dominick Ruscitti, who was a Line Check Airman at United Airlines on the Boeing 747-400, among other types.

I may never fly a real 747, but in the course of my work helping people buying, selling, and learning to fly jets, I do fly single-pilot jets frequently, so as we went through the course, I took mental note of lessons that I was learning which could be applied to my regular flying. Here are some of the specific techniques and procedures that I intend to incorporate into my flying practices:

Checklist Execution

As we go through our flight training and flying careers, we all learn how important checklists are, but are we really using checklists in the most effective way? At most airlines, critical checklists like before takeoff and before landing are done by the “Challenge and Response” method. This means that one pilot reads a “Challenge”, or item to be checked, and the other pilot verifies that the item has been completed and says a “Response”.

Flying single-pilot, we don’t have the luxury of a second pilot, so we have to figure out a way to gain the same benefit working alone. Reading the checklist aloud is a good first step, but physically touching critical flight controls prior to reading the appropriate responses can force the brain to think in a way beyond just language and may help catch items not-yet-accomplished, similarly to what a copilot might do. For example, on the before landing checklist, if a challenge reads “Landing Gear”, touching the landing gear selector and pointing to the three green indication before saying the response “Down, 3 green”, will likely improve the chances of the item actually being checked.

Dealing with In-Flight Emergencies

When an abnormality is encountered in a two-pilot operation, the pilot flying usually takes over air traffic control communication, allowing the other pilot to focus on reading and accomplishing the appropriate abnormal or emergency checklist. In a single-pilot operation, we must use the autopilot effectively as our “pilot flying”, as we deal with the problem. In addition to engaging the autopilot initially, it is important to check the flight mode annunciator, attitude, airspeed, altitude, and direction of the airplane every few seconds. We must remember to always fly the airplane first.

I also learned the importance of going slowly to make sure that the correct checklist for the emergency is selected and flipped to after appropriate memory items are completed. Most Quick Reference Handbooks (QRHs) are bulky and complicated, so it can take some time to identify the correct checklist. These checklists should then be followed precisely, without the pilot second-guessing or trying to out-think the checklist.

It is also important to act quickly and land the airplane when the continued safety of the flight is in question. If completion of the appropriate checklist has not restored the safety of the aircraft, an immediate landing at the nearest suitable airport is critical to survival. We’ve all heard the adage “I’d rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air than be in the air wishing I was on the ground”. On the ground is the right place to investigate complicated problems, not in flight.

Rejected Takeoff and Emergency Landing

When rejecting a takeoff at a busy airport, after control of the aircraft is assured, a call on the radio should be initiated without delay. The radio call should include not only the fact that you aborted your takeoff, but also the runway that you aborted on and your present location on the runway. The control tower may know what runway you’re on, but the aircraft on final may not, and your call might help that pilot decide if he or she should immediately initiate a go-around. Especially at night or in poor visibility conditions, this action could be critical to your survival.

Also, whether rejecting a takeoff or making an emergency landing, if there is any possibility that you may need emergency vehicles to come to the aircraft, do not exit the runway. It is much easier for emergency vehicles to reach an aircraft on a wide runway than on a narrow taxiway.

I also learned the importance of practicing emergency evacuation procedures. If it has been a while since you practiced opening your emergency exit, donning your life vest, unlatching the fire extinguisher, and grabbing your flashlight, perhaps doing so before your next preflight might be a good idea.

One last very important lesson learned: If you’re going to learn to fly a Boeing, do it with a good pilot and friend, like my friend Edwin.

The course was a great learning experience and great fun, and in the end, both Edwin and I walked away with five new characters on our pilot certificates “B-747-4”; the Boeing 747-400 type rating.

2011-01-13T17:39:00.000-08:00

I’m in love with the Phenom 300.

On December 31, 2010 at about 8:00 AM, we departed Ft. Lauderdale for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After stopping in Bangor, Maine, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, France (which is a group of small islands near Newfoundland, Canada), we arrived for a night halt in Santa Maria, Azores, Portugal at 11:45 PM local, 15 minutes before they rang in the New Year on these islands about 700 miles west of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean. Over the next 10 days, we delivered the airplane to Saudi Arabia and made training flights to Morocco, Malta, Greece, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Dubai.

I can now really attest to the amazing capabilities of this very sexy jet. The world is very small at 450 knots. For example, Casablanca, Morocco to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is 2,880 nautical miles straight line, but with routings around relatively unfriendly airspace (like Libya and Israel), this quickly becomes a 3,100+ nautical mile flight. With only one stop, we made this trip in a total of eight hours (including refueling time), and it was very easy and comfortable.

The airplane climbs directly to FL450 with ease. Cruising at that altitude, you really can see the curvature of the Earth. Well above the all of the weather and in smooth air with a cabin altitude of only 6,600 feet, the flight is very comfortable. All of the amenities (useable lavatory, sink, cold drink drawer, hot water, etc.) make the passengers and crew very happy.

The airplane I flew was very well equipped. Some of the more important options for this kind of international flying include HF with SELCAL and Satphone. These "big airplane toys" options are very nicely integrated into the Phenom cockpit and make communication with air traffic control, handlers, etc. a breeze. I also got to make some calls back home to my fiance from 45,000 feet over the middle east, which means I can probably still marry her even though I was having all this fun without her.

It was a great adventure.

-Ben

Bart International features jetAVIVA's recent sale of Embraer Phenom 100 to Australia

2010-12-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

Check out this link to Bart International's feature from their Fast Track section in the October / November 2010 issue regarding our recent sale and delivery of Australia's first Embraer Phenom 100! ~

http://www.bartintl.com/content/jetaviva-sells-delivers-1st-embraer-phenom-100-australia

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2010-12-10T10:44:00.001-08:00

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First Phenom 100 Delivery to India ~

2010-12-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

November 21, 2010 marked our first Embraer Phenom 100 delivery to India. The jet was delivered to a premiere Jet Charter company, Invision Air. This was the first Phenom 100 delivered to India and we were so excited to be a part of it. In the early morning hours we embarked on this week-long journey; taking this bird from Brazil to Guyana, Guyana to the Dominican Republic, from the Dominican Republic to the United States, the United States to Canada, Canada to Greenland, Greenland to Iceland, Iceland to the U.K., the U.K. to Belgium, Belgium to Italy, Italy to Greece, Greece to Saudi Arabia, Saudi Arabia to Oman and finally, Oman to India.

Marcio Lucchese, our Manager of Embraer Phenom Delivery & Acceptance flew the first legs of the journey from its birthplace at the Embraer factory in Brazil to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. On-board the aircraft, Lucchese was accompanied by Capt. Ashish Katyal, a pilot for Invision Air, and Capt. Eloy Bayer, a pilot for Embraer. Once the aircraft reached Ft. Lauderdale, our own Ben Marcus, alongside Capt. Ashish Katyal, and Capt. Eloy Bayer, flew the aircraft for delivery to India. Not only did we get to see the world from 40,000 feet - while in-flight we were able to capture the vast landscapes beneath us, that we can now share with you. We have uploaded all the images we were able to take as we soared across the globe in this mission capable aircraft that has far exceeded our clients’ expectations.

In addition to this first Phenom 100 delivery to India, as I type, we have two additional Phenom 100s making their way to India. One is joining its sister aircraft at Invision Air, while the other is destined for a private operator. Every day holds the promise of a new venture and a new journey. We have been very blessed this year and are setting our sights higher as we continue to grow and make connections around the world.

Citation Mustang Delivery to Canada

2010-11-18T17:14:00.000-08:00

After a week of flying around beautiful sunny so cal, we headed north. Another very happy customer.

Air-to-Air Photoshoot with a CJ3!

2010-11-08T09:16:00.000-08:00

We're pretty lucky at jetAVIVA as every now and then we get to do some pretty cool stuff... the following video captures a bit of some of the fun we have when we went out to do a photo shoot in one of our Client's CJ3 over the Southern California coastline. In the right seat sat former Blue Angels pilot Len Anderson and in the left seat cycled Melanie Endsley, Marty Sprinzen, and jetAVIVA's president, Cyrus Sigari. The photoship was a Beechcraft Bonanza piloted by Ron Morhoff and the photography was completed by Jessica Ambats.

Air To Air Photo Flight from Ron Mohrhoff on Vimeo.

Enjoy!

Phenom 300 Training

2010-10-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Phenom 300 is an amazing airplane. For a single pilot jet, this Brazilian monster is big, sexy, advanced, fast, and flies high and far.

I just finished up the Phenom 100 to Phenom 300 “Upgrade Experience” course at Embraer CAE Training Services (ECTS) in Dallas, Texas. This five-day course is built to allow pilots already type rated in the Phenom 100 to transition to the Phenom 300. The normal initial type-rating course for the Phenom 300 is seventeen days.

I expected the differences between the two airplanes to be few but I discovered that they are many. It’s no wonder the authorities didn’t want the two airplanes to share a common type-rating.

The first day is all “ground school”. Well, it’s really all ground school because even the “flights” are made in a simulator. But day 1 was all in the classroom. Instructor Lowell spent the session comparing the similarities and differences of the Phenom 100 and the Phenom 300. We reviewed all limitations, memory items, procedures, and systems. For each of these, Lowell presented slides showing tables or photos contrasting the two types of aircraft.

The maximum takeoff weight of the Phenom 300 is 17,968 pounds, which compares to 10,472 pounds for the Phenom 100. With 3,380 pounds of thrust per side, the Phenom 300 has nearly double the thrust of the Phenom 100, giving it significantly better thrust-to-weight ratio. We were warned that the resultant acceleration would make it easy to exceed the relatively low maximum flap extended speed of 180 knots after takeoff. On my first sim session, I learned that it is necessary to pitch to approximately 18 degrees nose up after takeoff to prevent a flap overspeed.

One really nice optional feature of the Phenom 300, which is actually now an option on the Phenom 100 as well, is TCAS II. I have never before flown a G1000 airplane with TCAS II. The symbology is fantastic. With a Resolution Advisory (RA), you don’t only get a vertical speed target, you also get a pitch target. It looks very similar to a highway-in-the-sky box.

One of the many changes from the Phenom 100 to the 300 is the TEST panel. On the Phenom 100, the test panel is comprised of three buttons located to the left of the copilot control wheel. On the Phenom 300, additional test features such as the baggage smoke detector and ice detector, require more space, so the panel has been relocated to the lower left panel ahead of the electrical panel and is now a rotary knob.

The hydraulic system is significantly different. The 100 uses a single electric hydraulic powerpack to pressurize the hydraulic system. Hydraulic system users are the landing gear and brakes. On the 300, the hydraulic system is pressurized by an engine driven pump on each engine. The users include the landing gear and brakes, but also mutli-function spoilers (more on this later), the spring-loaded-rudder-booster system, and the stick pusher. On the 100, the stick pusher uses an electric motor.

The electrical system on the two types are nearly identical, except that the 300 has higher capacity starter-generators.

On the 300, upon activating the starter for the second engine start, the running engine automatically accelerates to 72% N2 to provide more current from that generator for the 2^nd engine start. Curiously, it does this whether or not a GPU is plugged in and supplying power to the aircraft (at least in the simulator).

The 300 has a pressure refueling system. The 100 is fueled over-wing only. The pressure refueling system, also known as a single-point refueling system, is smart. The pilot can pre-select the desired fuel quantity in pounds and the system automatically shuts off when the desired fuel quantity is reached.

The multi-function spoilers serve three purposes: speed brakes, ground spoilers, and roll spoilers. Speed brakes may be deployed at any speed and are very effective in slowing the airplane. They may not be used with flaps. When flaps are extended, the speed brakes automatically stow. Additionally, the speed brakes automatically stow if decelerating below 110 knots and if the thrust levers are advanced. The ground spoilers automatically deploy on landing and during rejected takeoffs. The ground spoilers automatically stow at 30 knots on rollout. The roll spoilers provide supplemental roll control in the low speed flight regime when the flaps are extended (in any position other than up/0).

Another difference between the aircraft is pitch trim control. The Phenom 100 uses trim tabs at the trailing edges of the elevators. The Phenom 300 has a horizontal stabilizer that moves to trim. Tabs at the trailing edges of the elevators are used to lighten control forces automatically.

The Phenom 300 has a ventral rudder under the tailcone that provides yaw damping automatically when the yaw damper control is switched off.

There are two flap panels on each wing of the Phenom 300, as opposed to one flap panel on each wing of the 100. The 300 uses a relatively conventional drive system to actual the flaps, with a single electric motor actuating all of the flap panels simultaneously through mechanical linkages. The Phenom 100 has sophisticated computerized position monitoring system to prevent asymmetric extension of the flaps. There is no mechanical interconnect.

The pneumatic deicer boots on the Phenom 100 are replaced by bleed-air heated leading edges on the wings and horizontal stabilizer of the Phenom 300. Owing to this more sophisticated deicing system, the bleed air system on the Phenom 300 is a bit more complex than that on the 100. Pilots now have manual control of not only the Pressure Regulating Shutoff Valves but also of the Flow Control Valves for pressurization. Under normal circumstances, these are all controlled automatically, however the pilot can manually close any of the valves.

The maneuver profiles of the 300 are a bit simpler than that of the 100. For example, the flap position for all approach and landing maneuvers is position 3. It doesn’t matter if you’re making a precision or non-precision approach, single engine or two engine, and even circling, in all cases you use Flaps 3. Full flaps should be available someday, and then this simplicity will change.

On the 2^nd day, our sim session was a cold, nasty day scenario out of New York’s JFK airport. We learned about how to operate the anti-icing systems, their limitations, and impact on flight procedures. The requirements for use of anti-icing systems on the 300 are identical to those of the 100; engine heat must be used in visible moisture with temperatures of 10C or below, all other anti-icing equipment must be used in visible moisture with temperatures of 5C or below. There are a couple of interesting differences, however. For example, when the wing and stabilizer anti-ice system is enabled on the ground, the surfaces do not begin to heat. Instead, an “ARMED” CAS message is displayed. Approximately at liftoff, the surfaces begin to heat up automatically. Another interesting difference is that the wing and horizontal stabilizer heat have an “anti-ice envelope”. For example, if you attempt to activate the system above 30C, the surfaces do not heat up and an “INHIBIT” CAS message is displayed. Like the 100, approach speeds are significantly higher with the anti-ice systems on.

Also on the 2^nd day, we got our first crack at various types of instrument approaches and the airwork that must be flown on any type rating checkride.

Day 3 was a hot and high scenario. On takeoff out of 6,159 foot elevation Cheyenne, Wyoming with a temperature of 25C, I lost an engine at V1. I was quite pleased with the single engine climb performance, reaching 1,000 feet AGL and cleaning up the flaps quickly. We then came around for an ILS with a single engine missed approach.

My perception is that the 300 requires more rudder force during single engine takeoffs and go-arounds than the 100 does. Although the 300 has a rudder boost system, it also has about double the thrust of the 100. Your legs will feel it. I’ll have to visit the gym a bit more before my next 300 recurrent training.

Also on the 3^rd day, we had the opportunity to practice TCAS II RA response and TAWS escapes, as well as an emergency descent. The emergency descent is made with gear down and speed brakes extended. 9,000+ FPM descent rates are expected.

My instructor got a bit mean toward the end of the sim session, giving me a right generator failure followed by a left engine failure. With a loss of both generators, the electrical system automatically configures to the “Electrical Emergency” mode, isolating the main DC busses and keeping the emergency and central busses powered. In Electrical Emergency mode on the 300, you lose ALL trims. This was a big shock to me. You don’t even have backup elevator trim. Changes in airspeed yield big changes in elevator force. It took quite a bit of strength and stamina to limp the airplane back to the runway on a single engine. With no flaps and no normal brakes, the landing roll was long. It was good to practice this worst-case scenario.

Day 4 was essentially a mock checkride. This session and the checkride are based out of JFK again. This checkride is like every other type rating checkride you might have already taken. The tasks that generally must be performed include steep turns, stalls, unusual attitude recoveries, two non-precision approaches, one of which must be hand-flown and one of which must have a course reversal, two single-engine ILS approaches, one of which must be hand-flown, a single-engine missed approach, a balked landing, a visual approach, and a no flap landing. There’s also a circle-to-land approach thrown in there somewhere.

Day 5 was the oral and practical test. On the oral, if you know the limitations, memory items, and basic systems functionality, you’re all set. There are no trick questions. The night before, I prepared by studying over dinner at Vito's Restaurant on the south edge of DFW airport. I highly recommend it.

I love this airplane. The design is very well thought out and the performance is breathtaking.

Companion Training at the 2010 CitationJetPilots owners conference

2010-09-29T19:06:00.000-07:00

At this year's CitationJetPilot's owners conference in Colorado Springs, the folks at jetAVIVA were pretty busy.

First off, the firm was tasked with putting together a flight training course for companions of single pilot jet owners. The course focused on what the companion would need to do to get the jet on the ground should their pilot ever get incapacitated. Here's a video of the training experience... it was a total blast!

2010 CJP jetAVIVA Companion Flight Training from jetAVIVA on Vimeo.

Additionally, jetAVIVA's Cyrus Sigari presented the state of the Citation pre-owned market to the owner base. jetAVIVA's Meghan Conley welcomed all guests who flew into the Colorado Jet Center at the Colorado Springs Airport.

Next year, the event will be held in Amelia Island, FL at the Ritz-Carlton hotel and resort. Should be good fun!

Ohio to Australia: Phenom 100 Ferry Flight

2010-09-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

It has been a few days since I returned home from one of the most amazing trips of my 9,000+ hour career. Every once in a while I have to “pinch myself” to believe that I had this opportunity of a lifetime.

I believe that most of us aviators chose to take that first flight lesson not thinking about a career in aviation or the flexibility that an aircraft can provide, but rather we did it for the adventure, the challenge, and the pleasure of flying.

This trip that I am about to describe was all about the adventure, the challenge, and the flying. It took Captain Edwin Sahakian and me 19 stops and about 10 days to fly an Embraer Phenom 100 from Ohio to Australia.

Our journey started weeks before the first takeoff. As one can probably imagine, 19 stops in 12 countries is not an easy task, and the amount of paperwork involved is overwhelming. After departing the US, every single landing requires some kind of permit, approval and/or previous arrangements. Most of these requirements are date-specific, meaning, for example, that our over flight permit for North Korea was good for the 12^th but unacceptable for the 13^th. Even though we were not in a hurry to get to our destination, we had to keep a very firm schedule to make sure that our permits were good for the trip.

Unfortunately, Murphy’s Law presented itself right on the very first leg. Upon our landing in Winipeg, Canada the hydraulic system gave up on us. After a pleasant ferry flight to Portland and excellent service coordinated by Embraer, we were quickly back in the skies.

From Portland all the way to Australia, our bird performed magnificently. There was not a single issue with the aircraft.

Our first stop after Portland was Juneau, Alaska. Unfortunately, we had to fly at night due to the fact that we were behind schedule. We couldn’t see much, but the scenery that we saw was beautiful. I can only imagine the beautiful scenery we would have seen had the flight been during the day.

After a quick turn in Juneau we proceed to Anchorage. Signature Flight Support has a great facility there. We chose to sleep in the crew room to save the time of getting to a hotel in order to get us back on the schedule with an early departure from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.

When we arrived in Nome, I started to realize what I got myself into. Canada, Portland, Anchorage were no big deal, just like any other flight, but when you look at the map and draw a line from Northern Alaska to Northeast Russia, it hits you. We were about to depart for one of the most remote areas on the planet. And for guys and gals like me that lived during the Cold War era, flying over and landing in Russia is just something that I never thought I would do. In the back of my mind I was always worrying about a MIG on my tail.

The MIG never came and we had a nice flight to Anadyr, in the Northeastern-most reaches of Siberia. Welcome to altitudes in meters and distances in kilometers. We received a fairly confusing clearance for an ILS approach, but we were able to perform a safe landing with almost 100 ft to spare before CAT I minimums. The runway in Anadyr hasn’t seen maintenance since Gorbachev was in charge but we managed to take it to the ramp with all tires inflated. As we turned off of the runway, a huge Antonov was revving up those Prattskis getting ready to go. We were in Russia all right!!

Here are the highlights of our trip:

Route: Dayton, OH - Winnipeg, Canada – Great Falls, MT – Portland, OR – Juneau, AK – Anchorage, AK – Nome, AK – Anadyr, Russia – Magadan, Russia – Yuzho, Russia – Seoul, South Korea – Taipei, Taiwan – Hong Kong – Danang, Vietnam – Koh Samui, Thailand – Singapore – Bali, Indonesia – Darwin, Australia – Mont Isa, Australia – Sydney, Australia

Incredible sightseeing: The glaciers in Alaska are absolutely beautiful, with different tones of white and blue, their strange shapes and massive size.

Russia: difficult to explain, but it looks like they are running 20 years behind, from the hotel to the airport vehicles, almost everything is outdated. It was great to see the Russian officials wearing their uniforms. It felt like I just stepped into a Cold War movie.

Korea: Just like Russia, it was a little “funny” to fly through North Korean airspace and talk to a North Korean at Pyongyang Center; I kept checking my “6” for a MIG that never came.

Seoul was great; I have lots of memories from Seoul from the time that I used to fly MD-11s there almost 12 years ago. If Russia is 20 years behind the US, South Korea is 20 years ahead.

Hong Kong: We were able to spend a couple days in HK. It was another “pinch me to believe this is real life” moment. Wow!!, we are landing at Hong Kong International Airport, with only 747s and 777s in sight everywhere and here we come with our MTOW of little more than 10.000lbs. We had beautiful weather, a beautiful approach, and finally a couple days to relax and enjoy. We were officially back on schedule.

Vietnam: I knew that was a MIG coming!!! We landed in Danang on our way to drop our passengers in Thailand. After the warm welcome from the local authorities we watched a pair of MIGs landing just a few minutes after us. I am not sure if it was a good idea for an American on an American registered aircraft to be taking pictures of military MIGs in Vietnam but I couldn’t resist… Great stop, great people, and great pictures.

Thailand: I dropped the passengers in Koh Samui, a beautiful island on the East Coast of Thailand. With this landing, I became the first pilot to fly around the World on a Phenom 100. On a previous trip I flew from Los Angeles to Bangkok on an Eastbound route. Celebration followed with Don Perignon and pictures.

Singapore: Setelar airport is under construction, closing everyday at 18:00 local. If you arrive there a minute late, you will not be authorized to land and must proceed to the international airport where the landing fees and headaches are 3x more than Setelar. From the time that we reached our cruise altitude until talking to Singapore Approach, every single controller asked me what my estimate to destination was. It was actually 17:56, a whole 4 minutes to spare. After a few weather deviations, vectors for traffic and a last minute runway change, touchdown was at exactly 18:00L. I got a nice “attaboy” from the controller.

Bali: I enjoyed clear weather all the way from Singapore to Bali. Although I enjoyed having Captain Sahakian along for the flight, he had to get off in HK, and the passengers got off in Thailand, so I was alone on this beautiful flight. There were islands and volcanoes for as far as the eye could see. Upon landing in Bali, the local military approached the aircraft requesting my landing permit. I replied explaining to the officer that all documents were taken care of by our handler. Unfortunately, our handler forgot to send the permit to the local authority so I found myself detained on the local military base due to lack of proper documentation. I asked the officer what would be the consequences of not having a landing permit and he gently explained to me that the aircraft would be impounded and I would be transferred for the local jailhouse. After about 1 hour and a couple phone calls, the proper documents arrived and I was on my way to more comfortable accommodations. I had half a day to enjoy the local beach, food, and beverage.

Australia: Not much excitement to report in Australia besides the personal feeling of accomplishment. If was great to land and say: “Mission Accomplished”. It was a shame that I arrived late at night and taxied into the darkest ramp I have ever seen. It was so dark that I had to use landing lights for taxi. No pictures and no champagne.

Final thoughts: For a trip of this magnitude, the keys to success are experience, research, and preparation. There are many things that can go wrong, especially in the paperwork area. You just need one little mistake to be delayed for a few days or even spend the night in a jailhouse. It is also important to research opportunities to make the trip cost effective. We had quotes from $500 to $3,000 for the exact same service. Prices can vary drastically from one location to another and from one vendor to another at the same location.

I know that most jet owner/operators are busy individuals running a successful business, but if you have a passion for flying and adventure you must plan to take some time off and fly a trip overseas. I can guarantee you, it will be the experience of a lifetime.

Marcio Lucchese

jetAVIVA Acceptance and Delivery Manager

2010-08-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

jetAVIVA completed two Phenom 100 deliveries last week. Marcio Lucchese, jetAVIVA’s Manager of Phenom Acceptance and Delivery flew a pre-owned Phenom from Ohio to Australia via Canada, Alaska, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. Look for a blog post soon from Marcio about this record-making flight.

Meanwhile, I joined friend and client Charlie Cope of Peak Aero Group to deliver their second new Phenom 100 from the factory in Brazil to the USA. Here is a picture of their airplane on the ramp at the Embraer delivery center in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil.

It was a great flight. We made an overnight stop in beautiful St. Maarten. Check out this video I shot of an airplane landing over the beach at Maho Bay.

Visit Peak Aero Group’s website at www.peakaero.com. We’re proud to have Peak Aero as a valued client.

Sean D. Tucker and jetAVIVA Team Up to Fight Loss of Control Accidents, Specifically for Light Jet Owner Pilots

2010-08-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest news from jetAVIVA... exciting stuff for our beloved friends and clients to participate in!

Sean D. Tucker and jetAVIVA Team Up to Fight Loss of Control Accidents, Specifically for Light Jet Owner Pilots

Sean D. Tucker's Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety, the leading aerobatic and upset recovery training school, in partnership with jetAVIVA, the premier light jet acquisition and sales firm, are launching their new Light Jet Upset Recovery Training course. Geared towards general aviation's light jet owner pilots, the course is specifically designed with the modern jet pilot in mind.

Following the FAA's recent announcement urging all commercial operators to begin incorporating "Enhanced Upset Recovery Training", jetAVIVA and the Tutima Academy are demonstrating their dedication to safety by expanding this recommendation to light jet operators. A recent NASA study demonstrated that Loss of Control (LOC) scenarios continue to outpace other factors as the leading cause of fatal accidents in the last 20 years.

To help combat LOC accidents, the course covers LOC scenarios and aerodynamics with a specific emphasis on LOC psychology. The three-day course utilizes the highly capable Extra 300L and Pitts S2B/C, giving pilots the ability to experience all flight attitudes and to test the edges of the aerodynamic envelope in a safe and structured environment under the guidance of some of the world's top aerobatic instructors.

This course is open to any pilot who flies a turbine-powered airplane or is considering the purchase of a turbine-powered airplane.

The team at Tutima Academy, including company principal and world-renowned airshow performer Sean D. Tucker, developed the curriculum in conjunction with jetAVIVA's jet instructor pilots. Says Sean D. Tucker,"Flying aerobatics is the greatest thrill I've ever experienced. Being able to share my experiences to help other pilots survive emergency situations is even more rewarding."

Since its inception, jetAVIVA has been dedicated to the development of its clients as owner pilots. Says jetAVIVA president Cyrus Sigari "Training for and flying in competition aerobatics has significantly helped increase my personal flying skills, potentially saving my life one day. As a result I have become a firm believer that upset recovery training is not just an educational option; it should be required training for all those operating turbine powered aircraft." jetAVIVA developed its first Jet Familiarization Training course several years ago and has helped hundreds of owner-pilots transition from propeller aircraft to jets.

Based in Los Angeles, jetAVIVA provides expertise in light jet sales, acquisition, acceptance and training for clients from around the world. The Tutima Academy of Aviation Safety is located in King City, CA. The Tutima Academy strives to provide high-precision flight training for pilots of all levels, building confidence during maneuvering, and a deeper understanding into the art of aviating. The goal of both jetAVIVA and the Tutima Academy is to increase safety in one of the fastest growing areas of general and business aviation: the owner-flown light jet arena.

For more information or to sign up for the course, contact jetAVIVA at +1.818.574.7770 or e-mail to contact@jetAVIVA.com.

A few days in the life of an airplane salesman.

2010-08-11T12:04:00.001-07:00

The last few days has been good fun. An exciting week in general at jetAVIVA as many of our team members are on all corners of the world, from Australia to Brazil.... As for me, while holding down the fort, I received a call Saturday from a Client who had decided to sell his Citation Mustang and wanted jetAVIVA to represent him in the sale of his plane. The plane as of this weeekend was to be in Orlando getting some maintenance done. As I was planning to be on the East Coast this week anyways, I figured why not jump on the red-eye to Orlando on Sunday night to have a look at the bird and do all of the standard stuff we do whenever we bring a new plane to market. Unfortunately, while checking in for my flight, I was advised that the flight was oversold by 15 people and I was pushed to a fight the next morning at 6 am. Oh joy... another reminder as to why we're in the business of taking people out of airliners.

The next morning, off I went to Orlando where I was to meet the Client at the Orlando Citation Service Center. We had a good time hanging out and reviewing the plane together... this should be a super easy plane to sell as it's low time and in mint condition.

After I gathered the information I needed, off I went to the Marriot in Orlando to get some rest. The next day, I headed up to Baltimore where I met Brad Harris, President of Dallas Jet International who is representing a buyer for Mustang SN 139 which we are selling. Brad and I drove to Harrisburg about 2 hours away for him to review the plane for his Client. Jamey Guise, the director of maintenance on SN 139 took Brad through all the log books and walked him through the plane from tip to tail. Not a scratch on it with 300 hours total time. Jamey did a great job!

Apparently the viewing went well as the next morning we had a contract signed and off to the pre-buy facility we went.

A fun 3.5 hour flight non-stop from Harrisburg, PA to Wichita, KS dodging a few big thunderstorms towering up to 55,000 feet. The plane will live in Wichita for the next week or so during the pre-buy inspection. Jamey flew out with us and will stay with the plane during the inspection... he is a bit sad to see it go...

But... his sadness is temporary as the the boss is buying a bigger, faster Citation CJ2+ to replace the Mustang.

Next week I'll hopefully come back to finish the closing with Brad and fly the plane with the new owners to Dallas where it will be based.

Back home to LA I go next... unfortunately this time my chariot will be a United airlines A320.

Blue skies,
cs

Oshkosh 2010 with a jetAVIVA client

2010-08-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

Great time flying out for the Oshkosh event. VIP treatment from the jetAVIVA crew.

JetAviva @ St Paul's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome... huh?

2010-08-06T01:20:00.000-07:00

This evening around 1 am, I awake from my slumber by some sounds coming from outside the house... something innocuous like a truck or equivalent driving by. I then have a hard time getting back to bed and decide to open up the trusty computer to see what the world has to say via email/the web. The first email I see is from one of our Client's, David Wihl...

David owns and flies this beautiful Mustang based out of Boston:

I open up the email and see the following words:

JetAviva @ St Paul's Basilica, Vatican City, Rome...

Between the late night email opening and not realizing there was a picture attached to the email, I said... "Huh?"

I then realized David had sent me the following picture of him wearing the unmistakable jetAVIVA baseball cap while standing in front of St. Paul Basilica in Vatican City.

Cool.

Oshkosh, the jetAVIVA way!

2010-08-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a week… The 2010 Experimental Aircraft Association’s (EAA) annual AirVenture extravaganza was something to remember!

550,000 people, 10,000 planes, and some of the greatest aviators in the world all arrived in the small Wisconsin town for a week of air shows, exhibitions, parties, and plane fun (pun intended).

This year jetAVIVA hosted a number of the firm’s clients, and due to jetAVIVA’s support of EAA's philanthropic missions, our guests were exposed to a truly first class VIP experience to help get them excited about what EAA is all about.

From the arrival to departure, our guests experienced Oshkosh in a way few people have. From access to the VIP arrival hangars, all access badges and credentials, rides on helicopters, the Goodyear blimp, and most memorable, and thanks to the generous support of Tracy Forrest and Rae Lovenbury, for a few lucky guests, a flight with the Aeroshell formation T-6 aerobatic team.

On Tuesday night, a number of our guests rode on a chartered bus into town to have dinner at the world famous Lombardi’s restaurant. Unfortunately, that evening Jack Roush crashed his Beechcraft Premier on landing at Oshksoh, which caused the airport to be shutdown until the next morning. With three of our guests on approach to Oshkosh that evening, all three had to divert to back up airports. Thankfully current reports indicate that no one was seriously hurt and Jack and his passenger are expected to recover fully.

On Wednesday night, jetAVIVA along with a good friend of the company, Tracy Forrest, principal of the Orlando Sanford South East ramp, put on a special party at the VIP flight line pavilion at the end of Wednesday night’s air show.

Many industry VIPs were in attendance including, the star of the air show, Sean D. Tucker… more about Sean D. Tucker and a new program we are putting on with him shortly.

Sean D. Tucker and Plane & Pilot Editor, Jessica Ambats

On Thursday night, a group of about 60 combined guests all went to the Young Eagles charity auction and dinner, aka Gathering of Eagles. EAA raised over $2,000,000 during the auction, with proceeds going towards the wonderful mission of getting more kids in the air.

On Friday night, all of our guests were invited to join in at the President’s Circle BBQ where EAA’s VIPs gathered to enjoy some good food and discussion.

And finally, on Saturday night, the first ever night air show and fireworks performance. By far the most entertaining air show I have ever seen at Oshkosh.

All of the major OEMs proudly showed off their flying machines, with limited large announcements by any of the light jet manufacturers. Cessna debuted their new High Sierra edition Mustang and Embraer for the first time at Oshkosh showed off their Phenom 300.

Unfortunately, it’s time to get back home and back to work. There are planes to be sold and new jet pilots to be built.

Until next time...

Blue skies,
cs

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 5 of 5 - FINAL EPISODE

2010-07-06T11:24:00.000-07:00

Below is the final episode of the 5 part video documentary of the Phenom 100 flight from Santa Monica to the Phlippines. Enjoy!

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 4 of 5

2010-07-06T11:22:00.001-07:00

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 3 of 5

2010-07-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 2 of 5

2010-07-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

Phenom to the Philippines... Part 1 of 6

2010-06-14T14:04:00.000-07:00

Join jetAVIVA's Phenom Acceptance and Delivery Manager, Marcio Luchesse as he and his crew fly a Phenom 100 from Santa Monica to the Philippines. In the next few weeks you will enjoy 6 episodes of his journey.

Here is episode 1 on youtube. Enjoy in HD.

First place!

2010-06-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

For the better part of last week I was up in Northern California preparing for and ultimately flying in the annual Paso Robles aerobatic contest. Paso Robles hosts the largest competition of the year for the west coast. On Wednesday morning I flew up to King City California where I worked with Ben Freelove at the Sean D. Tucker school of aviation safety to help me prepare a little bit before the contest. Ben is one of the schools head instructors and a member of the USA Advanced Aerobatic Team. He is an awesome stick.

I stayed the night in King City and had the pleasure of sleeping at the school, which is kind of like being at airplane camp for grown ups. I slept on a futon in the hangar surrounded by beautiful aerobatic airplanes. The next morning the whole group from the school got up, prepped the planes and headed south 40 miles to Paso Robles for the official contest practice day. With the number of competitors (60 overall) flying in the contest, I was only able to get 10 minutes of flying in the contest aerobatic box. Practicing in the contest box is always helpful as each venue has different sight cues that are used throughout one's routine to help orient properly during the contest flights.

On Friday morning, I got my first official contest turn in the box. I ended up having my best contest flight of my short aerobatic career, putting me solidly in first place. That evening, Ben Marcus from jetAVIVA showed up with his girl friend Jessica in a Phenom 100 to show support for my final two flights.

My second flight went OK... I got 2nd place, however, I still had first place overall due to the total points scored between the two flights.

Time finally came for my third and final flight. I felt like my third flight was not my best flight of the series, and it showed in my scores. I got 4th place on the the third flight. However, due to my very strong first flight and relative high placement on the second two flights(out of 20 competitors) combined with a little bit of luck, I managed to squeeze a first place overall finish with only a 2 point advantage over second place (out of a 4000 total points!).

The next contest I'll be competing at will be the USA Nationals Contest in Texas. The best aerobatic pilots in the country will be flying at the national contest and ultimately the champion for each category will be named after the completion of the contest.

Until next time...

Getting a Helicopter Rating

2010-06-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

I've been fortunate enough to be able to fly airplanes ranging from the Piper Cub (70 knots maximum) to the Gulfstream IV (480 knots maximum), fly aerobatics in the Pitts Special, fly gliders, the Goodyear blimp, and now a helicopter. There are so many awesome experiences to enjoy in the air. Each is very different and, for me, equally thrilling beyond words.

On Friday, I earned a helicopter rating. If you already have a pilot certificate with an airplane rating, you can get the helicopter add-on in as little as 30 hours, but you should probably plan on 35-40.

Week in the Life (Yes... it is fun)

2010-06-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Well actually, it was more like 10 days.

Wednesday May 26

LAX-IDP

David Chapman and I departed Los Angeles International Airport for the Cessna Citation Mustang factory in Independence, Kansas (IDP). We flew into Tulsa, Oklahoma and drove the rest of the way.

The nice folks at the Apple Tree Inn welcomed us.

Thursday May 27

IDP-DPA

We began the acceptance inspection on this beautiful new Mustang early in the morning. The owner, Dave, owned another Mustang previously, so he took the controls for takeoff and landing.

On the post-flight inspection, we noted a minor problem with the aileron system. It took quite some time to fix the issue and so we were not able to depart IDP until about 9:00 PM.

We had dinner in Independence while we waited for Cessna's maintenance team to do their thing.

Friday May 28

DPA-JAC-SAN

A beautiful day and a beautiful flight from DuPage Airport near Chicago to Jackson, Wyoming.

We stopped for fuel in a beautiful airport in Lexington, Nebraska. I will definitely stop here again. Nice scenery, nice people, and good fuel prices.

Take a look at those beautiful snow-covered Tetons on approach to Jackson.

And now have a look at the Teton's on the Garmin Synthetic Vision Technologies (SVT) display.

Upon arrival in Jackson, I boarded a flight to San Diego with a connection in Denver.

Sunday May 30

SAN-DAY

Delta Airlines - San Diego to Dayton, OH with a stop in beautiful Atlanta... oh yeah.

Monday May 31

DAY-FLL

I drove from the Dayton International Airport area to Wright Brothers Airport south of Dayton. This is where Phenom 100 serial number 29 is based. We are selling this aircraft and I had to take some photos and inspect it.

The pilot who flies this Phenom, Brett, pulled up in his highly modified Pitts S-2C after a short flight over from his home airport.

Then I jumped back on Delta down to Ft. Lauderdale, via Atlanta.

Tuesday June 1

FXE-VNY

One of the partners on Phenom 100 serial number 15 asked me to join him on a flight from Ft. Lauderdale Executive back to Van Nuys.

It was a nice flight with lots of thunderstorm dodging. Thanks to XM weather, we were able to complete the flight safely.

Wednesday June 2

VNY-CCB-VNY-SMO-MYF

My day started with flying with Tian, a client from China. He recently purchased a hangar at Cable Airport in Southern California. He wanted to try both the Phenom and the Mustang before making a final decision, so we took the Phenom to Cable. It's a rather small airport but the Phenom handled it well. In the end, Tian decided on a Mustang and shook my hand on a Mustang purchase over lunch.

Then it was off to San Diego's Montgomery Field in the Bonanza that we fly from time to time. the next day, I'd be flying with one of my client's pilots from San Diego to Sedona, Arizona to provide some mentoring in the Phenom.

Thursday June 3

MYF-SEZ-MYF-SEZ-MYF-SMO

I got to do some fun flying with Bill, who is a former airline pilot and naval aviator who recently got his Phenom 100 wings. Bill flies for a couple of partners based out of MYF with a Phenom 100.

Friday June 4

Phenom 300 Party at jetAVIVA Hangar

I was very pleasantly surprised that one of my clients came all the way from Mexico City to join us for the Phenom 300 reception. The next day, Saturday, we flew the 100 together. I also did another 100 familiarization flight with a client from San Antonio.

Good thing I like to fly, huh?

Phenom 300 Reception

2010-06-07T19:20:00.001-07:00

We had a nice evening Friday. Embraer brought over a Phenom 300 to the jetAVIVA hangar for our clients to check out. Check out some pictures and video from the event.

A beautiful new Phenom for an owner in Europe.

2010-06-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

Thanks for sharing the video, Marcio!

Santa Monica to Philippines... movie teaser

2010-06-04T09:23:00.001-07:00

jetAVIVA's Marcio Lucchese recently completed a ferry flight of a Phenom 100 from Santa Monica to China. The owner of the machine is a film producer and made this small teaser video as a preview of a larger production to be made of the flight:

EBACE 2010

2010-05-25T05:55:00.000-07:00

I got to spend some time earlier this month in Geneva, at EBACE- European Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition. While I have been to the NBAA convention in the US, this was my first exposure to the European scene.

The display halls and static displays were bustling and the event reported to be the best attended EBAC of all time. There seemed to be a lot of interest in the light jets in particular, with several Mustang and Phenom 100s on display and many people's first look at the CJ4 and Phenom 300.

Trip to Napa, CA

2010-05-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

Heading into summer it was kind of nice flying in a below ISA atmosphere. With the power reduced, we were still seeing a KTAS of 354 in the Mustang. We then enjoyed one of the most memorable tours and tastings of Napa, CA at the Rubicon Vineyard.

Helicopter First Solo... for the 2nd time

2010-05-05T20:50:00.000-07:00

In August 2008, I soloed a helicopter. Immediately thereafter, work got really busy and I had to stop.

I've resumed my training and have set some goals to gobble up a bunch of helicopter ratings. Today I got to solo again. Here are some pictures that my instructor took.

After my instructor got out, I did some hovering, pedal turns, pick ups and set downs, and then some pattern work with normal and steep approaches.

My instructor picked up a rock for me from the river bed as a memento. I have one from my first first solo, too. :) Now I have two pet rocks. :)

Fun week of fun aviation fun stuff

2010-05-05T10:34:00.001-07:00

From last Thursday thru this upcoming Saturday, I've had nothing but awesome aviation related stuff on my plate. It all started off on last Thursday morning where I had to figure out a way to safely get to Apple Valley airport to compete in the Los Angeles Gold Cup aerobatic contest. The winds were absolutely terrible. Landing a Pitts in calm winds is difficult enough, 35 knots gusting beyond that makes life pretty challenging. Ontop of the challenge of getting the plane on the ground safely, I had my hands full during practice day (Thursday) as the winds were blowing 90 degrees across the aerobatic box (a 1000m x 1000m x 1000m cube in the sky) which you have to stay in when you are flying a contest.

Thankfully, the winds calmed down the following day when the contest actually began. I had one of my better contest performances placing first in the first of two flights, and second in the last flight, which gave me my first first place overall finish. Which was cool.

Arriving back in the office on Monday, we had a great day working with Casey on the CJ market... followed by a fun acro flight with Casey. I hope he doesn't get an acro plane as I don't think I'd like to compete with him as he's an awesome stick.

I'm currently onboard a Virgin America airbus using onboard Wifi headed to Washington DC for an event with the Experimental Aircraft Association's President's Circle. It's a group of the EAA's top donors that get together and have fun doing cool aviation related activities. We're getting a private tour of the FAA and the pentagon as well will have dinner with two congressmen, the FAA administrator, and the secretary of transportation. Should be a fun experience!

Flight of the Meridian

2010-05-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to ride along with my friend Brian on a training flight in his new Piper Meridian today.

Brian has a few less than 500 hours and decided that jumping from Cirrus to single pilot jet was bit too big of a leap for him at this point, so he's going to build some turbine time in the Meridian first and then move up to a jet.

We met at Gillespie Field near San Diego. Brian's instructor in the Meridian, Bill, is a very experienced in Meridians and is also an A&P mechanic. He had lots of great experiences to share.

The flight plan took was to take us to the mountainous Big Bear, California, but as we approached the ridge, the winds aloft on the G1000 PFD read about 65 knots at 12,000 feet, so Brian wisely chose to divert from Big Bear to another excellent training airport in Thermal, California, near Palm Springs. As we began the turn away from the mountains, we pretty much got pummeled by moderate to severe turbulence. Had we gone any farther, it would have not been fun.

I found the Meridian to be quite a nice little turboprop. Although I didn't get a chance to fly it, it appeared that the airplane's operation is quite simple and that it's easy to fly.

We have quite a number of jetAVIVA clients who have transitioned from single-engine turboprops like the Meridian to single-pilot jets, and many more asking us about trading-in their single-engine turboprops for single-pilot jets all the time. I plan to get checked out in the Meridian pretty soon so that I can be of better service to these clients.

Pretty View of Catalina

2010-05-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

On Friday, a client and I were able to overfly Catalina during a Phenom 100 familiarization flight. The weather was perfect and the island and airport just looked absolutely beautiful. It's been awhile since I last landed at the Catalina Airport. I can't wait to go back. Check out these pictures.

Mustang Mentoring

2010-04-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

This video marks the beginning of jetAVIVA's relationship with Gerald. Cyrus had just spend several days helping Gerald acquire serial number 510-230 and they came to Medford, OR to pick me up. My job was simple, have fun and start showing Gerald the jet life! Our first mission, figure out how to fit a SR-22 and a C510 into one hangar, then off to visit "the General."

We flew to Fresno to pick up Gerald's daughter and then landed KUDD, Palm Desert. "The General" was the real deal. Highly decorated Ken Miles. We had a great evening and then flew back home. Many more memories to come.

Getting ready for the new office!

2010-04-28T20:19:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 years, jetAVIVA has been happily based at Castle and Cooke Aviation at Van Nuys airport. Unfortunately/Fortunately, we've grown out of our space and are moving to a new office located at the Santa Monica airport. The new space is going to be awesome. We just finished up our planning with the interior decorators and furniture people getting ready to make our new digs awesome! Check out the floor plans:

Good practice flight

2010-04-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Had a good practice flight today in the Pitts getting ready for the Apple Valley aerobatic contest. Had to contest with a broken layer of clouds over the box which made doing vertical up lines fun! Had a close call with a P-3 orion going into Pt. Magu when I was setting up for a base entry into the box.

After getting back to the office, Ben was getting ready for his night helicopter lesson. Good times!

Ron, Benji, and Benji in the Pitts

2010-04-27T20:21:00.001-07:00

(Not all at the same time, or course).

Ron has been a good friend and business mentor for quite some time. Knowing that he loves racing cars and other high-speed adventures, I figured he might enjoy a ride in the Pitts.

He and his son Benji pulled up in their Dodge Viper. Out of the sportscar on the ground and into the sportscar of the air.

Needless to say... Benji earned his Young Eagles First Flight Certificate that Sunday.

Going to space...

2010-04-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Yup... I'm going to space. Just secured a seat onboard Richard Branson's Virign Galactic, the world's first commercial space line... the technology was proven back in 2005 with the Scaled Composite space ship one. The first passenger carrying flight is scheduled next year. Richard and company will have to significantly improve upon the current safety record of 1/20 people not returning from space since the inception of human space flight.

Giddy up.

Blimpin'!

2010-04-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

"All right everyone, don't worry, I'm going to stand up now and let Ben fly this beast." The other five passengers in Goodyear Blimp N10A took a deep gasp as Captain Nathan Brooks left the sole pilot station of the blimp and let me take the controls. Nobody else aboard, except for my girlfriend, knew that I was a pilot (albeit with zero hours of blimp time). You should have seen the look in their eyes.

In the 30 seconds or so that it took for us to swap seats, the blimp, cruising along at less than 30 knots, didn't budge but 10 feet from its cruising altitude of 1,500 feet.

The pilot station looks more like a wheelchair than a flight deck seat. There is no yoke; only rudder pedals and a giant wood wheel on the right of the seat that controls the elevator. Rolling it a few revolutions might, if you're lucky, make the blimp change its pitch attitude a degree or so.

After making all of the other passengers sick, Nathan took over and brought us back to the base in Carson, California, near Los Angeles, for a beautiful landing. It was certainly one of those flying adventures that I'll never forget.

Journey across the great pond

2010-04-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

A little video montage of a recent Mustang delivery flight we did from Wichita to England with one of our newest clients, John George. Good fun!

Let's rock... CJ4 gets certified, first delivery in the bag.

2010-04-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

The CJ4 has arrived... the most recent and anticipated of the CitationJet series of jets from Cessna. Since the early 90's, Cessna has been improving upon their original CitationJet design through a series of design improvements carried out through the release of the CJ1, CJ2, CJ3, CJ2+, CJ1+, and now the CJ4.

The CJ4 represents the culmination of technological and operational lessons learned from across the entire Citation product line. Significantly improved cockpit ergonomics, system reliability, performance bump, door design, etc has led way to what is to be the most drastic change to the 525 brand since it's inception.

Though it is likely that Cessna has taken more orders on speculation on the CJ4 than the manufacturer would hope, the CJ4 stands to provide a lifeline for the boys in Wichita, breathing life into a segment of the market that has stood at a proverbial standstill since the beginning of the financial meltdown.

Cessna is likely to deliver just under 20 Cj4's this year, and we expect that number will improve to around 30-35 next year... At $9M a pop, and a customer base that is still hurting from the degradation of value associated with their current holdings (likely other Citation's that have lost significant value since purchase)... the market is there, but it is limited.