Sustainable Aviation is Topic of Spring Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association Quarterly Lunch Presentation

By Carmelo Turdo

The Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association (GSLBAA) held their quarterly lunch April 16 at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. This first lunch event of the year was a great opportunity to gather with our aviation community as the turbulent spring weather settles into the area. Along with the update on sustainable aviation and delicious food, several local aviation businesses provided informative exhibits. 

GSLBAA President, Tom Buffington, welcomed the attendees to the luncheon. He invited everyone to load up their plates before settling in for the presentation. 

The guest speaker for the lunch was Kennedy Ricci, President of 4 Air, a Cleveland, Ohio-based consulting firm that assists the business aviation industry in reducing their climate impact by achieving compliance with voluntary standards or those mandated by international agreements. A pilot himself, Ricci founded 4 Air to help aviation service providers employ a realistic program to ensure sustainable air operations into the foreseeable future.

 

4 Air works with business aviation flight departments to establish voluntary sustainability programs, navigate international regulatory compliance and seek out options like sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) where available.

"It was clear that there wasn't really any understanding of how we, as an operator, try to be more sustainable," Ricci said in his introduction of 4 Air. "We do want to keep flying. We want to decouple our impact from the growth of the industry. So how do we actually do that? We launched 4 Air to develop those solutions."

So, what is sustainability? First, it is environmental impact. U.S. and International transportation growth has created rising emissions that lead to negative public perception. It is as much an image issue as it is a real, measurable effect. This has created a voluntary versus forced compliance situation, resulting in the need to change the reputation of the aviation industry. 

"When we think about what this impact does to our industry, it starts to emerge around people's view of the industry as being not sustainable," Ricci continued. "That's what we're trying to go up against here. We're trying to educate that there is an opportunity to be sustainable and continue flying. We want the choice to be whether you fly sustainably or fly not sustainably. We don't want the choice to be whether we fly or don't fly." 

Ricci mentioned that the average business aircraft emits 20lbs of Carbon dioxide per gallon of jet fuel burned, resulting in 1,000 - 2,000 metric tons emitted per year compared to 20 metric tons per individual. Nitrous oxide from persistent contrails blankets the atmosphere, especially in high humidity areas.  

So, what are the solutions? Decarbonizing is difficult if not impossible. Electrification of aircraft powerplants is not practical beyond local training flights. Some more feasible options are increasing the use of sustainable aviation fuels, using carbon offsets, improving fuel efficiency, employing technology developments and applying better use of the airspace for contrail mitigation.

Sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) are a practical step in the right direction. Current offerings include Jet A/A-1 ASTM specification 30/70 blended SAF. Jet fuel is currently fossil carbon based, while SAF uses another source of carbon already in the biosphere like animal fat and cooking oil from friers. Accounting for all other production and logistical factors, the 75-80% improvement in carbon emissions results in a 25% net lifecycle benefit. While more abundant in Europe, there are now 114 locations worldwide offering blended SAF. SAF will remain more expensive per gallon than non-SAF fuel until additional demand/regulation increases its production and distribution levels.

Action Steps? Ricci advises that the business aviation community stay informed on sustainability issues, understand your operation, create a carbon footprint calculation, create a budget for offsets and use SAFs where available. Contact 4 Air for more information on how they can help your flight department integrate sustainability into your air operations. 

Leading Safety Management Systems Consultant Gives Briefing at Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association Luncheon

By Carmelo Turdo

The Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association (GSLBAA) held their quarterly luncheon Friday at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. This last event of the year was a great opportunity to gather before the holiday season gets into full swing. Along with an essential professional development message and delicious food, local aviation businesses provided informative exhibits on their newest products and services. 

GSLBAA President, Tom Buffington, welcomed the attendees to the luncheon. He invited everyone to load up their plates at the buffet and check out the industry exhibitors before settling in for the guest speaker's presentation. 

Aerospace Services And Products (ASAP)

Travers & Associates Aviation Insurance Agency

Ideal Aviation Flight Training, KCPS

Garmin St. Louis Data Team

Wings of Hope Humanitarian Aviation Nonprofit

Plane Clean Aviation Detailing Services

The guest speaker for this quarterly luncheon was Rick Malczynski, Founder and President of Business Aviation Safety Consortium (BASC) based in Fort Worth, TX. For the past eight years, BASC has provided consulting services assisting corporate flight departments in developing and maintaining safety management systems (SMS) exceeding the industry standard. He brings a wealth of experience to his profession, having been ranked as the top International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO) Auditor for three consecutive years. While he sees the value of the IS-BAO auditing process, which does not provide for specific feedback from each audit discrepancy, he began independent consulting as a more comprehensive way of promoting a corporate aviation safety culture. 

One-hundred and fifty BASC corporate clients receive counseling services for developing and improving their SMS, adding value to their own flight department safety program. 

Malczynski and his staff promote a collaborative environment of open communication and progressive evaluation of the SMS, revisiting the process over a one-to-three-year period if necessary to accomplish the incomplete portions of the program.

"We call our Auditors, Facilitator-Auditors," Malczynski said during his presentation, "with the thought being you and your department know way more if something would be better for you than we would know just having read your books and come in and spend a day and a half with you. What a good Facilitator-Auditor does is facilitate discussion among that group to figure out what's the best way to do something...What could we do that we're already doing, and what can we do that brings more value to our organization."

The BASC style includes flexibility and collaboration throughout the process, while still meeting the high standards and operational requirements of the flight department. Reasonableness and commonsense are guiding factors in providing excellent customer service and desired product outcomes for each client. 

More information on their services and other resources can be found on the BASC website, and a free demo of services is also available. The Aero Experience thanks GSLBAA, BASC, the industry exhibitors and all who attended the quarterly luncheon for making it both enjoyable and educational. Check the GSLBAA website for upcoming events. 

Improving Communication In Aviation Is Topic at GSLBAA Quarterly Luncheon

By Carmelo Turdo

The Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association (GSLBAA) held their quarterly luncheon today at Aero Charter, Spirit of St. Louis Airport. The event was a great way to visit with members and learn about new products and services from the industry exhibitors and the featured expert guest speaker. The food was also an excellent reason to attend!

The keynote speaker was Mark Bingamon, Professional Development Training Manager at CAE working out of Springfield, IL. CAE is a global technology company with over 13,000 employees providing simulation and mission support solutions for civil and military customers in over 40 countries. After setting the tone by using some simple communication exercises with the audience, Bingamon focused on the cooperative problem-solving skills needed by flight crews and maintenance technicians for safe and efficient aircraft operations. 

The relationship between pilots and maintenance personnel should develop into one of mutual respect over time, Bingamon stressed, and communication beyond sending clear facts and documentation should be made face-to-face in person or through video chat. A post-flight debriefing between flight crews and maintenance staff can clarify any current mechanical issues with the aircraft while increasing mutual understanding of the aircraft systems and their operation. A small amount of extra effort at first will result in the establishment of standard operating procedures that will continue to improve aviation safety with each flight.

Following his presentation, Bingamon received the traditional GSLBAA appreciation gift from GSLBAA President Tom Buffington and later joined CAE Maintenance Training Sales Account Manager Gabriel Martinez for a photo.

Local and regional aviation businesses provided informational exhibits available during the breaks in the program:

The Aero Experience thanks GSLBAA, CAE, the exhibitors and attendees for making this quarterly luncheon a great event. Check the GSLBAA website for future events and membership information.  

Onboard Safety and Survival Equipment Demonstration Is Focus of GSLBAA Quarterly Lunch Program

By Carmelo Turdo

The Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association (GSLBAA) held their quarterly luncheon October 27 at the Centene Corporation hangar, St. Louis-Lambert International Airport. The quarterly luncheon is a great opportunity to visit with association members and learn about new products and services from industry exhibitors and guest speakers. Of course there is food, so that is also a great reason to attend!

During the luncheon, recognition was given to the GSLBAA Education Foundation Scholarship winners and the two organizations, GSLBAA Education Foundation and Wings of Hope, who received funds from the GSLBAA Memorial Open Golf Tournament held in May. 

The guest speaker for the luncheon was Bob Benton, assisted by Bob Elliott from Aerospace Services and Products (ASAP), both of whom are experienced aerospace product and service managers who teamed up for the Onboard Safety and Survival Equipment demo featuring the Winslow 9-person life raft. Winslow has been a leading producer of aviation and marine life raft and safety equipment since the start of World War II. Since then, advances in technology have been significant, with modern life rafts providing quick inflation and sturdy construction while remaining light enough for placement in today's weight-conscious aircraft. Winslow life rafts are inspected and overhauled every 3-5 years, depending on the model, by authorized service centers such as ASAP.

Here we show one of the scholarship winners unwinding the cord and initiating the inflation sequence of this non-certified demonstration raft..

The raft includes the convertible canopy that acts as a shelter and high-visibility panel for aerial detection. A wide range of survival equipment is provided, including GPS signaling device, flashlight, extra cord/cutter, signal mirror and laser, and even the federally-mandated pyrotechnic flare that is for all intents and purposes obsolete. Here bob Benton explains another item in the survival kit - the clamp used for repairing tears in the raft. 

The Aero Experience thanks the Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association, the guest speakers, exhibitors and everyone who contributed to the quarterly luncheon program.