International Aviation HQ | International Aviation HQ

23Mar

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Analysis

What is a Fixed-Base Operator (FBO)?

Fixed-base operators, also known as FBOs, are the backbone of most airports' operations. Yet most of us - including seasoned fliers and avgeeks alike - what they do exactly is something of a mystery. Indeed, it's one of those terms that's used a lot within the industry, but is somewhat unknown by most outsiders or casual enthusiasts. A fixed-base operator is an organization (typically a for-profit company) rights to provide a v What is an FBO? What do Fixed-Base Operators Do? A History of FBOs How Many Fixed-Base Operators Are There? At present, there are an estimated 5,000 FBO airports located across the world, 3,000 of which are located in the United States alone. This number is expected to grow to 6,000 by 2030 and as high as 7,500 by 2050 according to ...

19Mar

By Christopher Harrow1 Comment

Aircraft Compare

B-52 vs Tu-95: The Best Old Bomber

Designed around the same time, for the same purpose, by countries on opposing sides of the Cold War, both the B-52 Stratofortress and Tu-95 Bear are some of oldest aircraft still in use with their original operators. And whilst other aircraft have come and gone out of service with the US Air Force and Soviet Air Forces (later Russian Aerospace Forces), the versatility of these two aircraft have seen them continue to be used, even as the nature of their roles have changed considerably. So which of these old bombers is the best? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); B-52 vs Tu-95: The Basics Before we can begin comparing the two bombers to one another, we must first understand the background that led to their development, and the basics of the two ...

Inside The Interesting World of Aircraft Dealers

16Mar

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Analysis

Inside The Interesting World of Aircraft Dealers

Like many avgeeks, I have spent countless hours scrolling the internet looking at aircraft for sale. Whilst many of these ads were placed by brokers or aircraft owners, a large minority were placed by so-called aircraft dealers. Unlike used car dealerships, whose role is remarkably similar albeit it with cars rather than aircraft, aircraft dealers are not as universally hated, with many in the aviation industry seeing them as vital to the industry. Just not in the way they like to think... (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); What Are Aircraft Dealers? An old joke in the industry is that aircraft dealers are kind of like a mixture of used car dealers and real estate agents, in the sense that they are unregulated (like car dealers) and are high ma...

How Jettly Has Transformed Private Jet Charter

12Mar

By Gareth SeagullNo Comments

Executive, Aircraft Digest

How Jettly Has Transformed Private Jet Charter

The private jet charter industry is the last part of the aviation industry to not be truly digitized. Expedia-style flight aggregator Jettly hopes to be the company to truly bring the industry into the digital age. Through its user friendly website and app, Jettly allow customers to input their destinations and see quotes in real time, before a service representative reaches out to them to confirm the exact pricing based on their needs. Jettly's hope is that their site will circumvent the need for brokers whose large fees have deterred many from flying private before. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); A Problem Before the rise of the internet, you had two options when chartering a private jet, both of which had their drawbacks. The firs...

Cessna Citation Family: Evolution of The “Slowtation”

9Mar

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Executive

Cessna Citation Family: Evolution of The “Slowtation”

The most popular family of private jets ever built, the Cessna Citation family stands as a testament to how good engineering can turn the laughing stock of the aviation community into a staple of almost every airport! With over 8,000 delivers and 41 million flight hours logged to date, it may surprise you to learn that initial reviews of the family's earliest variants were highly critical, with many calling it the "Slowtation" due to its low cruising speeds. In time, however, many of these critics came to not only respect the Cessna Citation family but even come to love it... Background Founded in 1927 by Clyde Cessna and his business partner Victor Roos, the Cessna-Roos Aircraft Company (later the Cessna Aircraft Company after Roos' departure only a month in) initially...

2Mar

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Executive

Cessna Citation X+: Too Fast?

Playfully known as the "Lamborghini of the Skies" the Cessna Citation X+ was not only meant to be the world's fastest business jet in the skies, but also capture the same popularity its predecessor, the Citation X, had. But that wasn't the case. Instead of selling well over 300 times and having a 20 year-long production run like the Citation X did, the Citation X+ sold only 29 times over a period of just four years (2014-2018)! Background At the 1990 NBAA in New Orleans, Cessna unveiled what it called the Cessna 750, later marketed as the Cessna Citation X, a development of the popular Citation III jet. Intended to replace the company's existing lineup of Citation jets, including the Citation III, VI and VII, Cessna promised that the Citation X would be the fastest civ...

26Feb

By Christopher HarrowNo Comments

Airlines

All 9 Types of Airlines Explained

Legacy Carriers The heavyweights of the airline industry, legacy carriers are often among the largest airlines in the world in terms of revenue, fleet size and number of employees (among others). Unlike other types of airlines, there is no set definition for a legacy carrier, though is generally used to mean any airline with a transcontinental presence and revenues exceeding $1 billion USD. Traditionally, legacy carriers are the largest airline and flag carriers of their home country (though not always, as in is the case in the US who refuses to have one) and dominate traffic at their country's largest airport. As a general rule, legacy carriers not only have a presence in neighboring countries, but on different continents too, where they compete with rival flag c...

16Feb

By Charles YongzhengNo Comments

Airlines

Why Did Pan Am Fail?

At its height, Pan American World Airways, more commonly known as simply Pan Am, was called "America's unofficial flag carrier" thanks to its position as the largest of the Big Four airlines and the only one with a major international presence. Yet by the early 1990's Pan Am was not just a shadow of its former self but gone all together, having entered bankruptcy on January 8 1991 and ceased operations on December 4 1991. So where exactly did it all go so wrong? (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background Pan American World Airways was formed on June 23 1928 as the result of a merger between Pan Am Airways, Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean Airways and the Aviation Corporation of the Americas (ACA). The airline soon distinguished itself by estab...

Cessna Citation II: The Most Popular Business Jet Ever Built!

12Feb

By Alya KulikovaNo Comments

Executive

Cessna Citation II: The Most Popular Business Jet Ever Built!

Produced between 1978 and 2006, the Cessna Citation II is not only one of the longest-produced business jets, but also the most popular ever built. Indeed, nearly 1,200 were built in its 28 year long production run. A favorite of corporations, high net worth individuals, militaries and even a few airlines, the Cessna Citation II thrust the Citation family into the limelight and turned Cessna into a giant of business aviation! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Background Founded in 1927, Cessna had a long history of producing business aircraft even before the advent of modern business jets. Aircraft such as the Cessna 120, 140 and 190 had long been used by corporations as VIP transports. But the mid-to-late 1960's saw a marked shift in consum...

Remembering The Interesting Life of Serge Dassault: So Much More Than His Father’s Heir!

9Feb

By Salomón MarcoNo Comments

History

Remembering The Interesting Life of Serge Dassault: So Much More Than His Father’s Heir!

A man with controversial politics, Serge Dassault was nothing short of a genius. Inheriting his father's company at the age of 61, Serge has transformed the company into one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world. Working as his father's right-hand for decades before his death, Serge was instrumental in expanding the company into civil aviation, fostering it until it comprised of over 70% of the company's revenue. He also served as a politician, media magnate, and returned the Dassault Group back into the family's control. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Early Life Serge Dassault was born on April 4 1925 in the French capital of Paris. Born with the name Serge Paul André Bloch, he was the second son of aircraft designer-turned ...