Travel Season & the TSA!!!

With the holiday travel season for 2011 in full swing I thought it fitting to revisit our beloved Transportation Security Administration.

    This holiday season the TSA is helping all travelers feel all warm and fuzzy by warning them to leave their presents unwrapped. If you wrap your gifts before you travel TSA's little helpers (airport screeners) will tear them open, surely putting the kibosh on any holiday cheer you may have had prior to trying to board a flight. Of course this advice seems like a no-brainer for some (whom have one), however others thought it wise to attempt passing a gift wrapped package at Los Angeles International Airport and screeners found 35 pounds of marijuana. Can you say hand cuffs???

Just in time for the holidays Detroit and three other airports are testing a new program the TSA calls "pre-check." The "pre-check" will allow about 280,000 passengers to cruise through checkpoints at Miami, Dallas, Detroit and Atlanta airports. However this program is not for everyone, you have to meet certain TSA guidelines to be invited. The passengers who are invited are verified through a TSA screening process. Approved People who are currently using the system were asked what they thought about it commented that they felt guilty about the dirty looks they got from other people standing in the standard security line. 

The TSA is testing another program in Detroit, based on watching behavior. Passengers at one gate are asked some questions as the TSA checks boarding passes and IDs. Some are calling the interviews "chat downs." The "Chat Down" is close but not as intense a behavioral system being used by Israeli airport security and has led to arrest at Detroit Metro. TSA agents are specially trained to recognize certain behavioral ticks that an individual gives that raise the attention of security.

Some more actual good news about the TSA, complaints are down 59 percent from May 2004! In September they dipped to 1,418, the lowest since record-keeping began seven years ago. This article states that "Complaints are probably down because the agency finally gets that a targeted, intelligence-based approach is best". Hopefully for holiday travelers, this will be a trend through the new year, and the statistics will remain flat. We can only hope.

Another subject worth discussing is the potential health effects of full body scanners. TSA chief John Pistole has changed his mind about having an outside study conducted on scanners used to screen passengers. His new perspective comes from a draft from the Inspector General of Homeland Security that confirms the scanners are safe for all passengers. The scanners also known as back-scatters have been banned in the European Union because they may be linked to cancer. Tough to know what to believe anymore. My thoughts are to proceed at you own risk. I wonder who is doing more damage to the airline industry, the possibility of another terror attack or the TSA???

Craig Fuller

Click Picture for the Forbes bio of Craig Fuller

For General Aviation, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is like a big brother protecting the rights of its members. With a vast amount of products and services all intended to help everyday pilots stay safe and informed. At the helm of this association is a man whom is only the fourth person to hold this position since AOPA was founded in 1939 his name is Craig Fuller. Fuller became the President and CEO of AOPA on January 1, 2009. If you are a pilot, being a member of AOPA will enhance your investment in flying and in aviation.

AOPA is the largest General Aviation membership organization in the world with more than 416,000 individual members. AOPA publishes the largest General Aviation magazine, operates the largest General Aviation insurance company and utilizes the internet with the largest General Aviation electronic publications and interactive courses for members to keep up on aviation skill and knowledge.

Although his roll as the president is to lead the organization, it is clear that his interest in aviation has made performing the duties of his position seem like a passion rather than an occupation. His drive to  educate the general public about aviation, dismay the negative image that the recent economic downturn has painted, and to keep General Aviation accessible and affordable are accomplishments all pilots are gaining an advantage from.  

Fuller has been instrumental in abolishing user fees in the past and is fully engaged in the fight again. With his background in politics as the assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs (1981-85) and chief of staff to Vice President Bush (1985-89) Fuller has the knowledge and experience to represent his members in the fight in the political arena. Recently Senator Ben Nelson and Senator Mark Begich spoke about the harm user fees will cause in this video. Fuller's influence in putting a stop to the current user fee battle I believe will be recognized as a powerful factor.

Another landmark fight that Fuller is engaged in is to stop Lightsquared from launching a system that will interfere with GPS accuracy and render some GPS units unusable. In this video Mr. Fuller shows how his experience in a political setting testifying in front of Congress, his knowledge of aviation and of the subject at hand is why he is a great choice to have in General Aviation's corner. 

Craig Fuller is in my opinion a great advocate for General Aviation, and his ability to write and deliver messages in a fashion that gets the attention of the people who are decision makers in the industry is formidable. It is for this reason that Fuller is an influential member of the aviation industry.

China's Airline Frontier

China's 2010 growth predictions have come up short in 2011. The downturn on air travel and cargo has been affected by reduced global and domestic demand. The 8% growth in both domestic and international air travel were lower than the 13% growth predicted by the Chinese news. The slowdown in demand for international and domestic passenger and cargo flights sets the stage for reduced demand for aircraft manufacturers. This slowdown will be felt by more than just the manufacturers, suppliers from all over the globe will also feel the slowdown from reduced orders for new aircraft. "State-run carrier China Eastern Airlines said this week that it had foregone an order for 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in favour of 45 737 planes, following delays in delivery of the ultra-modern Dreamliners". This news is obviously not good for China as it had hopes to continue the aviation boom it had over the last year. 

In this article Airbus Chief Operating Officer John Leahy said that by the year 2030 in the aviation market China will be the second largest in the world only after the United States. Also as stated by John Leahy that new competition is good for the industry and is welcome. It is note worthy that China will be affecting the global aviation industry and should not be underestimated by competitors, and although China is currently experiencing a slump in the aviation sector the future looks promising. 

The aviation industry in China will continue to grow and will eventually be giving the US a run for their money. According to officials at Boeing China's air fleet will triple by the year 2030, siting a value of around $600 billion US dollars in potential new aircraft sales, and creating the demand for 70,000 pilots. All this news points to strong career potential for aviation professionals in China and across the globe for the years to come. 

Pentastar Aviation

Pentastar Aviation has been in operation for over 45 years providing corporate air travel services and managing fleets of corporate aircraft and helicopters. Pentastar Aviation was established in 1964 as Chrysler Air Transportation for the Chrysler Corporation based at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Throughout the years Pentastar expanded their business to include a wide range of products and services, including aircraft management, maintenance and avionics services, air medical transport services, aircraft brokerage services and charter services. Pentastar is based at two U.S. locations, one at Oakland County
International Airport (KPTK) in Michigan and one at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) in California.

Pentastar Aviation operates many different aircraft to meet a wide range of customer needs. Currently Pentastar Aviation operates the following:

• Beech 400A
• Citation Ultra, Bravo, XL,XLS, X, Sovereign,
• Hawker 400XP, 800/800XP
• Learjet 35, 45, 55/60
• F-50
• Challenger 600-400
• Falcon 2000
• Gulfstream G550, G450/400, G200, GIV, GIV, SP, GV
• Bombardier Global Express
• Beechcraft King Air
• SAAB 340

Pentastar has many flight options, service levels, and destinations, from as close as Chicago or Mackinac Island to Paris or Cabo.
All aircraft provided for charter are operated by Pentastar Aviation Charter, Inc., a U.S. FAR Part 135 on-demand air carrier, or by other U.S. FAR Part 135 certificated on-demand air carriers arranged by Pentastar Aviation, LLC.  Pentastar also operates under part 91, and 125 which is less restrictive than part 121.

At the time of writing this post Pentastar has a Pilot position flying a SAAB 340 in Chicago posted on their career page. Pilot's interested in this position must have the following

• ATP certificate with at least one jet type rating
• Minimum of 4,000 hours Total Flight Time
• Minimum of 100 hours in at least one of the following aircraft preferred:
• Gulfstream IV, V
• Falcon 2000
• Lear 45 or 60 series
• Challenger 601 or 604
• Sovereign CE-680
• Cessna Encore 560
• Bachelor's degree preferred
• International experience preferred
• Ability to manage a changing work schedule
• Applicants must be able to obtain and maintain FAA First Class Medical certification

A Pilot for Pentastar Aviation can expect to fly about 500 hours per year with extensive international travel and can expect to average about 100 overnights each year.

Pentastar Aviation has a long list of management solutions for businesses. These services include Aircraft Management, Charter Management, Flight Operations, Maintenance, and Medical Transport,  There are several positions posted that fall under management ranging from sales to maintenance. The skills required for a management sales position are:

• BA/BS in Business or a related field
• Demonstrated understanding of the aircraft management industry
• 4 or more years of experience in aircraft management & charter management sales
• Demonstrated success in building, maintaining & developing an established territory and client base in the jet aircraft management sector
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills

Position responsibility overview,

"This candidate will expand Pentastar’s Aircraft Management Services business through proactive lead generation selling techniques by managing customer databases, contact lists and sales campaign processes to create business opportunities. This person will also participate in industry activities to professionally represent Pentastar to obtain market intelligence. The successful candidate will maintain & develop industry contacts, influencers and decision makers to enhance the Pentastar image and improve sales. He /she will have comprehensive knowledge of the service offerings available through Pentastar and how these service offerings can be exercised on behalf of the customer. He/she will ensure timely delivery of proposals and the effective use of senior executive’s in the sales process. He/she should possess excellent communication skills (both written and verbal), strong interpersonal skills, computer proficiency (Word, Excel, and others), a solid business aviation knowledge, persuasive negotiating skills, business acumen and patience. In addition to obtaining new management services customers, the AMS will also identify potential charter customers to be referred to Charter Services, and will expand general market awareness of Pentastar product offerings in his/her designated territory".

 

Pentastar employees can expect great benefits, competitive pay, and a team oriented work environment. A list of benefits include:

• Medical, Dental and Vision coverage
• Short and Long-term Disability
• Employee and Dependent Life Insurance
• Medical and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401(k) plan with employer match
• Paid holidays
• Paid time off

Pentastar employs approximately 200 people at the Oakland County International Airport location.

After speaking to a representative at Pentastar I learned that a lot of their revenue is generated through their maintenance department. After speaking to the operations department there was no way for him to give me a total number of aircraft owned by Pentastar only that what is posted on the web are available. this person was gracious with his time and information however he also said that he could not answer all the questions I had to ask. Also at least one EMU grad is currently employed at Pentastar. The optimistic outlook about Pentastar's future was good, stating that overall production has increased over the past 6 months, and that current production is greater compared to last year during this period. This news about Pentastar indicates strong growth possibility for future employment opportunities in all departments.