WINGS www.wingsmagazine.com
THE GREEN FACTOR Canadian aviation grows its environmental scope
Maintaining a progressive force
The RCMP marks 75 years of aviation
The tenacity of a Viking
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JULY AUG 2012 CANAdA’S NATIoNAl AVIATIoN MAGAzINe
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JULY/AUGUST 2012
UpFRONT 5 Leading edge
Commitment to change
8 On the fly
News and opinion
12 Waypoint
Exploring new frontiers
14 Alternate approach
Changing Canada’s NAS
16 At the gate
Providing a little hope
18 Legal eagle
An SOS over OAS
20 Glidepath
Rentech’s technology is a second-generation gasification/F-T conversion process technology that involves cellulosic feedstock, derived from woody biomass. This is the Rentech plant in Commerce City, Colo. P. 23
Soaring with the stars
bACk 49 Marketplace 54 On final
Turning over a new leaf
FEATURES 22 FiNdiNG AN ALTERNATE AppROACH
Biofuels are in vogue, but are they the ultimate green solution? By BRIAN duNN
From top: Continuing to scope new frontiers P. 12 Maintaining a progressive force P. 38
27 WiNNiNG THE EMiSSiONS GAME
Federal government takes steps to reduce Canada’s aviation footprint By dAVId CARR
30 THE biG GREEN LEEd
Reducing greenhouse emissions a top priority at Winnipeg, Edmonton airports By CARRoll MCCoRMICk
34 THE TENACiTY OF A VikiNG
Building on its early success has helped Viking Air flourish for 40-plus years By PAul dIxoN
38 MAiNTAiNiNG A pROGRESSiVE FORCE
The RCMP marks 75 years of aircraft on patrol By jAMeS MARASA
COVER PHOTO: IsTOCk
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July/August 2012 | wIngs
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LEADING
EDGE
| By Matt Nicholls
Commitment to change
Leading Canadian firms are embracing a green approach
A
PHOTO: wInnIPEg aIRPORT auTHORITy
s editor of Wings magazine, I am privy to an endless array of information that helps chronicle every major event in the aviation industry. Much of this material highlights key industry trends – issues that are highly relevant and worthy of further exploration. One of the hottest issues affecting the industry currently is a renewed commitment to green aviation. I have received a deluge of news items from airlines, aerospace companies and aviation businesses outlining the importance of environmental responsibility; at Wings, it’s a topic we take very seriously. As the content in our third annual green aviation special issue reveals, Canadian firms are actively trumpeting their role in reducing their carbon footprint. The latest Environment Canada report on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) shows air transport accounted for 8.5 million metric tonnes in 2008. And while that was only five per cent of the 734 million metric tonnes of GHG emissions created that year, it was still an enormous total – and amounts produced annually since need to be similarly curtailed. Fortunately, Canadian firms are taking innovative steps that will not only make the planet healthier but possibly open up new revenue growth opportunities. Biofuel development and implementation are key elements in the green aviation game and there have been recent examples of innovation on both the commercial and military fronts. On April 17, one of Porter Airlines’ efficient Q400 turboprop aircraft lifted into the sky at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport en route to Ottawa using a 50/50 blend of biofuel and Jet A1 in one if its engines. When the plane landed at MacDonaldCartier Airport, it marked the successful conclusion of a test program launched two
5
years earlier by Porter, Bombardier, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Targeted Growth and the Green Aviation Research and Development Network (GARDN). Additional support was provided by Ottawa’s Agrisoma Biosciences Inc., which grew the carinata and produced the carinata bio-oil; Sustainable Oils, which crushed the camelina to make the camelina bio-oil; Honeywell UOP, which converted the biooils into the bio-derived jet fuel to meet the D7566 standard; and SkyNRG who were responsible for logistics and blending meeting the D1655 specification. Not to be outdone, on May 23, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) successfully flew a CC-130H Hercules aircraft using a semi-synthetic jet fuel, blended with plantsourced oil, for the first time at 8 Wing Trenton, Ont. The demonstration flight-tested the efficacy of a blended jet fuel with 50 per cent F-34 and 50 per cent fuel derived from the camelina plant. (For more on biofuel developments, see “Finding an alternate approach,” pg. 22).
TOp dATA bURSTS… in this issue
1. $280 million: Rent paid by Canadian airports to the federal government in 2012 (pg. 14). 2.: Hope air has provided low-income Canadians with more than 68,000 flights. (pg. 16). 3. The abbotsford International air show is 50 years old (pg. 20). 4. 8.5 million: The amount, in metric tonnes, of greenhouse gas emissions pumped into the atmosphere in 2008 (pg. 27). 5. The winnipeg terminal boasts 10,000 square metres of floor-to-ceiling glass on the groundside (pg. 30).
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Technological advancements go beyond the realm of biofuel implementation and innovation. In the hopes of reducing fuel burn and GHG emissions, NAV CANADA is actively seeking improved capabilities in air traffic management and has greatly reduced emissions over the past four years. (see, “Winning the emissions game,” pg. 27). Airports in Winnipeg and Edmonton have also carefully designed expansions with green elements in mind, creating energy-efficient “planetfriendly” green spaces while cutting costs in the process (see, “The big green LEED,” pg. 30). Key industry associations including the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC), the Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC), Canadian Airports Council (CAC), the Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) and the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC) are also working together with the federal government to implement change. Canada has committed to a two per cent per year reduction in GHG emissions followed by neutral growth after 2020 and partnerships such as these are invaluable to making that goal a reality. Wings applauds GARDN and its partners, NAV CANADA, industry associations, the RCAF and other Canadian firms in their efforts to continue to reduce Canada’s environmental footprint both here and abroad. Commitment and leadership from all industry partners is paramount in ensuring Canadian aviation and aerospace companies are at the forefront of environmental responsibility today and for generations to come.| W
Leadership from all industry partners is paramount in ensuring aviation companies stay on top of the green game.
Your feedback is always welcome. Please contact me at mnicholls@annexweb.com. July/August 2012 | wIngs
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WINGS
JULY AUG 2012 CANAdA’S NATIoNAl AVIATIoN MAGAzINe
www.wingsmagazine.com
Vol. 53, issue 4 EdiTOR
Matt nicholls mnicholls@annexweb.com 416-725-5637
THE GREEN FACTOR Canadian aviation grows its environmental scope
MEdiA dESiGNER
Maintaining a progressive force
Brooke shaw
The RCMP marks 75 years of aviation
FLiGHT dECk
The tenacity of a Viking
Ray Canon, David Carr, Paul Dixon, Brian Dunn, Frederick k. larkin, neil MacDonald, neil MacDougall, James Marasa, Carroll McCormick, David Olsen, Rob seaman
B.C.'s Viking Air builds on its success
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iNdUSTRY NEWS GREEN AViATiON TRAiNiNG pEOpLE
iNdUSTRY NEWS
NETJETS pUTS ‘SiGNATURE’ ON MASSiVE ORdER Bombardier and Cessna are sharing what is expected to be the largest aircraft order in private aviation history. NetJets, the world’s largest private jet operator, has placed orders and options for up to 425 Bombardier Challenger and Cessna Citation Latitude aircraft. If all options are exercised, the order is valued at $9.6 billion based on list prices. The order will be the centrepiece of the fractional ownership operator’s Signature Series brand. Signature Series airplanes are the first aircraft NetJets helped design from start to finish. The aircraft are intended to be bigger, faster and quieter, and offer longer range than similar aircraft of the previous generation. “Beyond the size of this order, what make the new NetJets Signature Series special are the latest in aircraft technology and in-cabin comfort features we will deliver for our owners,” said Jordan Hansell, NetJets chairman and CEO. “By increasing the range and endurance of our fleet, we will allow our owners to get to even more destinations worldwide.” Owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, Ohio-based NetJets has a
continuous renewal plan for its fleet of approximately 740 aircraft. In the past two years, the operator has placed orders for Embraer Phenom 100 and 300s and 120 Bombardier Globals, signalling renewed strength in the fractional industry as NetJets sets its sights on China. The Global deal was the previous high water mark both for private jet orders and Bombardier’s order book. “We are very impressed with Bombardier’s aircraft product portfolio,” Hansell said. “The Challenger Series 300 and Challenger Series 605 will be an excellent complement to our existing mid-cabin capabilities.” The Bombardier purchase is valued at $7.3 billion and includes 75 firm orders and 125 options for the Challenger 300, and 25 firm orders and 50 options for the Challenger 605. The deal also involves an aftermarket agreement, including scheduled and unscheduled line and heavy maintenance support, valued between $820 million and $2.3 billion, depending on usage projections over 15 years for all firm and optioned airplanes. The order for Cessna Citation Latitudes is valued at $2.3 billion and includes 25 firm and 125 options. “The Latitude is a game-changer, not only for the Cessna line,” said Scott Ernest, Cessna president/CEO. “It will provide sophistication, modern technology and a whole new level of cabin comfort and style.” NetJets will start to take deliveries of the Challenger 300s in 2014, followed by the Challenger 605 in 2015 and Latitudes in 2016.
RIGHT: Netjets’ order for the Cessna Citation latitudes is valued at $2.3 billion and includes 25 firm and 125 options.
Netjets chairman/Ceo jordan Hansell says: “We are very impressed with Bombardier’s aircraft product portfolio.” 8
wIngs | July/August 2012
The RCAF/Seneca partnership will blend the academic requirements for Seneca’s Aviation Technology degree with the training mandate for an RCAF pilot.
WiN-WiN FOR FUTURE RCAF piLOTS Toronto-based Seneca College has teamed up with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) to offer future pilots the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Aviation Technology degree along with their military wings certification. Larger flight schools in Canada are already associated with colleges to give students a more well-rounded education and a better shot at being recruited. This agreement is the first of its kind between a Canadian college and the Canadian Forces. “For more than 40 years, Seneca has been a leader in the education and training of professional pilots,” said David Agnew, Seneca president. “This partnership will provide future RCAF pilots with a high-quality degree education.” This partnership will blend the academic requirements for Seneca’s Aviation Technology degree with the training mandate for an RCAF pilot. Candidates who are accepted into the combined program will receive a completely subsidized Bachelor of Aviation Technology education in conjunction with RCAF pilot training. “Canadian Forces pilots are required to have a bachelor’s degree, and this initiative will produce RCAF pilots with this academic qualification faster than can be done with other Canadian enrolment plans,” said LieutenantGeneral André Deschamps, RCAF Commander. As part of the partnership, recruits will be enrolled in the Canadian Forces and undergo basic military officer qualification training, followed by the RCAF www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
:PHOTOs: BOMBaRDIER (BOTTOM); CEssna (InsET); MaTT nICHOlls (TOP)
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Phase 1 pilot training at CFB Portage la Prairie in Manitoba. Successful recruits will be transferred to Seneca and begin academic studies towards their bachelor’s degree. Students will then transfer seamlessly back and forth between Seneca and the RCAF according to a mapped out curriculum. Completion of the dual program will take four calendar years. Graduates will immediately gain job experience flying helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft or fighter jets as part of the RCAF.
bOMbARdiER CELEbRATES 20 YEARS iN ONTARiO Bombardier is celebrating its 20-year an- darcy Morgan, vice-president of business development and integration at Calgary-based enerjet, calls the Boeing 737 series 700 “among the most reliable aircraft available.” niversary in Ontario. In 1992, the Montreal-based airframer acquired de HavilAs a result, we exceeded 99 per cent reliland Canada Aerospace in Toronto, along and has just wrapped up a five-leg “Get ability in the past year. For our customers, with other assets in rail manufacturing. More” global tour, which has included this is paramount. Their projects can’t afBombardier’s Ontario operation is instops in key markets in Africa, Russia ford unnecessary transportation delays.” volved in a variety of aircraft programs, and China. Enerjet has also signed an agreement including the Q400 NextGen turboprop, with Husky Energy to provide air charter the Global 5000, Global 6000 and soon services for the Sunrise Energy Project, to be Global 7000 and Global 8000 busi60 kilometres northeast of Fort McMurness jets, the Bombardier 415 amphibiray. Oil is expected to begin flowing from ous aircraft, the wing for the LearJet Sunrise in 2014. The multi-year agree45XR and key components of the CSeries Calgary-based charter operator Enerjet commercial aircraft, expected to make its has added a second Boeing 737 series 700 ment secures the air transportation of to its fleet. In addition to leisure charters, personnel to and from the site. Services maiden test flight later this year. Enerjet provides a full range of aviation include air transport by small, medium After struggling to gain traction and large aircraft, and aviation ground against European rival ATR for orders in services for workforce transportation, inservices in Calgary and Edmonton. Assistthe expanding market for turboprop air- cluding the busy Alberta energy and construction sectors. “We analyzed various ing Enerjet with delivery of services will liners, Bombardier received a welcome be Air Partners Corp, Central Mountain boost in May with an order from WestJet aircraft types and chose the Boeing,” said Darcy Morgan, vice-president of business Air, Executive Flight Centres and Knight for 20 Q400s, with options for a further development and integration. “They are Aviation. 25 aircraft. Bombardier has become more aggressive in promoting the Q400, among the most reliable aircraft available.
CHARTER AGREEMENT HELpS FUEL GROWTH AT ENERJET
GREEN AViATiON
Bombardier has become more aggressive in promoting the Q400, and has just wrapped up a five-leg “Get More” global tour. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
The U.S. Department of Defense bought 450,000 gallons of biofuels for fighter jets and other aircraft, making it a major player in alternative aviation fuels and renewable energy markets. The switch is not cheap and raises questions about whether the consumption of fuel alternatives is sustainable with the military facing budget cuts. For example, the Navy paid $26 per gallon for drop-in biofuels in December, while jet fuel costs were approximately $4 per gallon. U.S. Senator Mark Udall addressed the higher cost on Platts Energy Week, an July/August 2012 | wIngs
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PHOTOs: BOMBaRDIER (BOTTOM); EnERJET (TOP)
U.S. MiLiTARY bECOMiNG biOFUEL LEAdER
ON THE
over conventional jet fuel by 2020 according to one Pentagon report. Even so, the Navy intends biofuels and other alternatives to meet half its energy needs by that time. “The Pentagon should continue to invest in biofuels. In the long run it will be cheaper,” Udall added. “The forces we have to deploy overseas to project oil supply lines can be reduced, and as fossil fuel prices increase – and they will – having a competitor in the essence of biofuels will be important.”
TRAiNiNG
Fuels distribution Systems operator david Riggs, from Fleet logistic Center Puget Sound Manchester Fuel department, secures a fuelling hose during a biofuels transfer to the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler uSNS Henry j. kaiser.
all-energy news and talk show. “Those numbers should not be ignored. But if you look at history and look at trends, those numbers are going to go down and we will be well served in the long run
by making these investments. I’m convinced that over time the price of these biofuels is going to drop dramatically.” The Navy expects the cost of biofuels will carry a $5.40 per gallon premium
CAE AddS OxFORd AViATiON TO TRAiNiNG pORTFOLiO CAE continues to position itself to quench a growing thirst for new pilots by acquiring the U.K.’s Oxford Aviation Academy (OAA), a leader in ab-initio pilot training and crew sourcing services. The $314 million acquisition
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PHOTO: Mass COMMunICaTIOns sPECIalIsT sEaMan CHRIs BROwn, u.s. naVy
FLY
aviation.” OAA has been in business for 50 years. CAE-operated flight schools will now be branded CAE Oxford Aviation Academy.
pEOpLE
NEW CEO FOR COMOx VALLEY AiRpORT The Comox Valley Airport Commission (CVAC) has appointed Fred Bigelow, a former Canadian Forces Base Commander for 19 Wing Comox, CEO of the Comox Valley Airport. “Fred is a well-known and respected member of the community,” said CVAC board chair Linda Oprica. “He has the skills needed to succeed in the position of CEO of the Comox Valley Airport. We are very optimistic about the future under Fred’s direction and leadership.” Over the past three years, the airport has completed a new strategic plan, developed an incentive program for new air service and implemented a
Former RCAF commander Fred Bigelow will head up the Comox Valley Airport.
global, award-winning brand strategy. Passenger numbers were up 13 per cent in the first quarter. “The Comox Valley is a place that is close to my heart and I am committed to playing a positive role in building upon the [airport’s] well established reputation for excellence,” Bigelow said.
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extends CAE’s global reach in civil aviation training, which now includes 42 type-rating centres worldwide, 211 fullflight simulators and 12 flight schools that produce up to 1,500 new pilots a year. “We are very excited about this acquisition as it enables us to offer our customers more locations and additional training capacity as well as a new service for pilot and maintenance crew sourcing,” said Marc Parent, CAE’s president/CEO. Sourcing activities will come from OAA’s Dublin, Ireland-based Parc Aviation, a global leader in pilot and maintenance crew sourcing, with personnel under contract with over 50 airlines and leasing companies around the world. “Civil aerospace market fundamentals are strong and we are increasing our position at an opportune time,” Parent added. “With this acquisition, CAE responds to market demand with an increased footprint and a complete end-to-end solution for commercial
WAYPOINT By Rob Seaman |
Continuing to explore new frontiers Celebrating Canadians who have made their mark in space
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12 wIngs | July/August 2012
mission control, and then
Hopefully, in its new home as part of was credited with the design of NASA’s Mission Control the Smithsonian, the shuttle will Center in Houston. Owen be appreciated and immortalized. Maynard was chief of systems through NASA. Accordingly in 1962, Alouette 1 took flight, followed, in 1965, by Alouette 2. Additional satellite designs and launches followed and it wasn’t until 1981 that the first operational use of Canadarm occurred in space flight. Thus came an age where Canadian astronauts and technology would work in unison above our little blue planet – a process that continues to this day. Canada’s contribution to space exploration also has a far less public history. When the Avro Arrow supersonic fighter jet was cancelled in 1959, some of the greatest and most talented engineers ever assembled were suddenly out of work. These talented people – some 25 engineers from the Arrow program – were “borrowed” by NASA to work on the development of Project Mercury. At the time, the expectation was they would return to work at Avro; but when the company ultimately failed, their “loan” to NASA became permanent. Some of the standout names from the Canadian group include Jim Chamberlain, who led the team in the development of the Mercury Project. John Hodge was named flight director on the Mercury team, then Gemini and Apollo spacecraft. Fred Matthews earned a role as a backup flight director. Tec Roberts was in charge of the trajectory group in
engineering division on the Apollo program and played a big part in the development of Lunar Module “Eagle” – the craft that put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon. Outside of NASA – but still an important part of the program – there was Robert Lindley, chief engineer at Avro at the time of the cancellation. He jumped to McDonald Aviation and was in charge of its work on the Gemini spacecraft. Lindley later moved to NASA to work on the shuttle program. Mario Pesando, who was chief of project research for the Arrow, moved to RCA headquarters in Massachusetts to work on the Saturn 5 project that launched astronauts to the moon. Carl Lindo, a project manager on the Arrow, went to Boeing to become a project engineer on Saturn rocket proposals. While the names and contributions of these Canadians are not common knowledge in mainstream media, their efforts were certainly critical in putting Canadians on the space exploration map – and they deserve top recognition, even though their efforts were galvanized south of the border.| W Rob Seaman is a Wings writer and columnist. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: nasa
am an addict of anything that involves space, real or fictional. I remember sitting on the living room floor, watching black-and-white grainy TV – with rabbit ears for the antenna and only three stations to choose from – and seeing John Glenn on his history-setting orbit of the Earth. As a youngster, I watched every launch and landing (or splashdown as it was then) that NASA broadcast. Even launches for shuttle flights gave me pause to sit and observe, long after it was fashionable to do so. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to tour the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) at Cape Canaveral in Florida. It was a time when the Apollo program was over and the shuttle missions had not quite started. The museum at KSC was deserted and one of the staff offered to give me a one-on-one tour. We drove around the premises and I saw things I would not otherwise get to – including a visit to the launch pad where Glenn’s Friendship 7 launched. For a space junkie it was a chance to experience history firsthand. Thoughts of this day came to mind recently as I watched one of the now-retired space shuttles being delivered on the back of a 747 to its new home in Washington, D.C. It was encouraging that the media were once again paying attention to one of man’s greatest achievements. Hopefully, in its new home at the Smithsonian, the shuttle will be appreciated and immortalized as a long-standing credit to the space program past and an inspiration to future space exploration. The event made me analyze Canada’s contribution to space exploration as well. Many believe our astronauts and the iconic Canadarm are the country’s main contributions to the NASA space program. In reality, these represent only two key elements in the process. The Canadian Space Agency was established in 1989, focusing on development of space exploration for the country’s social and economic benefit. However, this nation’s involvement predates this time frame considerably. In 1959, Canada signed an agreement with NASA for its first satellite. The design, financing, research and even construction were made here in Canada while launching facilities were provided
ALTERNATE
APPROACH By David Carr |
Changing the airport model
Airport rents continue to be an unfair burden on Canadian air transport
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14 wIngs | July/August 2012
after soaring following the sell-off. Likewise, Air Canada is on a different track from CN, but what legacy airline has not been battered by the popularity of the low cost phenomenon. Also, the privatization of Canadian airports would not be as straight forward as that of Gatwick. Why, for example, should the federal government gain from the $14 billion airport authorities have invested in the system and paid for in part through airport improvement fees (also included in the rent formula)? In policy discussions, there is a tendency in the public sector to frame the debate by “putting everything on the table” while removing hot potato issues such as privatization or toll roads, either because they are too controversial or because they rub against the ideology of the day. The Senate has opened the door to a healthy debate on the future of Canadian air transport, including airports. Transport Canada argues airport rents are not the cause of Canadians travelling south to fly, and, in isolation, they have a point. Still, airport rents are an unfair burden on Canadian air transport and need to be abolished. Handing airports over to local authorities is a trickier issue and should not be considered before examining all options, including the CN and NAV CANADA models. | W
The Senate’s Committee on Transport and Communications is calling for an overhaul of the National Airports System. according to the World Economic Forum. But we rate 125th in the same report when it comes to ticket and airport costs,” says Gooch. The Senate wants the government to phase out airport rents and transfer ownership of airports to the local operating authorities currently leasing them for 60 years. The government is sitting on billions of dollars in airport assets; thus it’s hard to see why it would do both without getting something in return. In 2009, London’s Gatwick Airport, which is approximately the same size as Pearson in passengers handled, went for $1.9 billion during an industry downturn and with a gun to the head of the operator, BAA plc, to sell. What would Canadian airports fetch under better conditions? Gooch says there is no interest in privatization among Canadian airports or the larger air transport industry. He is right. But that doesn’t mean an outright sale of airports is not worth a conversation especially when the financially strapped public sector is shaking trees looking for added revenue. Privatization is not always the magic bullet it is often portrayed to be. London’s Heathrow Airport (among the first to be privatized) has taken a number of missteps
David Carr is a Wings writer and columnist. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: wInnIPEg aIRPORT auTHORITy
anadian National Railway (CN), NAV CANADA and major airports are among the few bright spots in an otherwise bleak national transport picture that includes rusted out and collapsing bridges, clogged highways, and creaking urban transit systems. The three have something else in common. Each is a former federal asset that was spun off through privatization (CN), commercialization (airports) or a hybrid (NAV CANADA). Besides letting the federal government off the hook for losses going forward, the sale of CN and NAV CANADA poured more than $3 billion into the national treasury, while “rent” from commercialized airports continues to be the gift that keeps giving. Canada’s airport authorities paid out approximately $280 million to the federal government last year, including $133 million from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport alone. It is a practice almost unheard of in the rest of the world, according to Daniel-Robert Gooch, president of the Canadian Airports Council (CAC), a trade organization representing 46 large and small airports. Ottawa is the poster boy of the absent landlord. It has vacuumed more than $3 billion from the system since the first airports were commercialized in 1992, while putting very little back. (Last year, Transport Canada opened the change purse with just over $20 million for upgrades at 23 smaller airports) Indeed, the more an airport authority invests to expand the enterprise the more the government skims off the top. Recently Canada’s Senate has said “enough.” The Senate’s Committee on Transport and Communications is calling for an overhaul of the National Airports System and the creation of a National Air Travel Strategy to increase air travel in Canada and stop the bleeding of Canadians travelling to American airports to fly. The Future of Canadian Air Travel: Toll Booth or Spark Plug? argues that higher air fares, and taxes and charges that add 60 to 75 per cent to the cost of a ticket (versus 10 to 18 per cent in the U.S.), mean Canadians are often paying twice as much as Americans for a comparable flight between major cities. “Canada is now recognized as having the best airport infrastructure in the world,
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By Brian Dunn |
providing a little hope Hope Air is helping Canadians get better
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appointment before applying for a flight online at hopeair. ca. Not every request can be met for a number of reasons, explains DesGrosseilliers. “The airlines can only donate so many seats and they also have blackout periods and private pilots may not be available to fly or be restricted by weather. We’d like to do more with corporations, but there are fewer corporations that have their own aircraft these days.” Last year, Hope Air had revenue of close to $3 million and expenditures of $2.6 million. In-kind donations, including free flights, accounted for 47 per cent of donations. The rest came from program grants, individuals, foundations, corporations, government and special events. Hope Air also flew a record 4,579 clients in 2011, a 25 per cent increase over 2010. DesGrosseilliers attributes the increase to a growing need for the service and says the organization is becoming better known primarily through outreach efforts, health-care services and social services. Hope Air expanded its fundraising activities this year, with several events hosted by other organizations on its behalf. One was the St. John’s Southwest Gala Auction in March and the other was the GTAA Runway Run at Toronto’s Pearson International in June. The two events are expected to raise $100,000 each. | W
The organization is becoming better known primarily through outreach efforts, healthcare services and social services. medical appointments. Even though Hope Air reimburses the volunteer pilots for a percentage of their fuel costs, the volunteer pilots make a large financial contribution as well. The cost of these flights consists of fees, fuel costs, operating costs and program costs. The third option is the Flight Purchase Program. Because of limitations on its commercial airline partners’ ability to donate as many flights as needed, restrictions on the Volunteer Pilot Program due to the weather and other factors, Hope Air may purchase seats to get clients to medical care. Flight costs vary and Hope Air needs the financial support of individuals, corporations and foundations to fund ticket purchases. Many clients are children or single parents with limited resources, while some are seniors on fixed incomes. If Hope Air didn’t exist, 21 per cent of clients would have no option but to take a car or bus ride of 12 hours or more each way, to reach the healthcare they need. About 28 per cent of clients claim they would cancel or indefinitely postpone their medical appointments without access to the free flights Hope Air provides. Potential clients, or family members acting on their behalf, must book their medical
Brian Dunn is a Wings writer and columnist. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: HOPE aIR
n 1986, Joan Rogers and Jinnie Bradshaw were at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and saw cancer patients arriving from the Maritimes for treatment after having been on a bus for more than 16 hours. Not exactly impressed, they decided there had to be a better way and formed Mission Air, renamed Hope Air in 1999. It’s the only national service of its kind. In the early years, most flights were donated through corporate aviation programs. The first flight was on November 8, 1986, and went to a young teenage boy with cancer who flew from New Brunswick to Toronto on a Royal Bank of Canada corporate plane. Last year, Hope Air celebrated its 25th Anniversary and has provided low-income Canadians with more than 66,000 flights to get to specialized health care that was not available in their home communities. That number now exceeds 68,000 flights. Passenger 66,000 was two-year-old James of Prince George, B.C. James was diagnosed with leukemia on Canada Day weekend and he and his mother, Stefanie, were flown by air ambulance to B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. After his first round of treatment, James and his mom were ready to go home, but faced a nine-hour bus ride. Hope Air got them home with a free flight that took just one hour. Hope Air relies on the generosity of its commercial airline partners to provide the bulk of the flights through its Commercial Airline Donation Program. Last year, the partners provided flights valued at close to $608,000. Without their support, many families would be forced to drive incredible distances through bad weather, while already sick and in discomfort, resulting in serious emotional and financial distress, according to C.K. DesGrosseilliers, Hope Air’s communications manager. Hope Air’s airline partners include WestJet, Bearskin Airlines, Central Mountain Air, Air Canada, Pacific Coastal Airlines, Air North, Hawkair and Harbour Air Seaplanes. Although the flights are donated, Hope Air often has to pay the taxes, airport improvement fees, security charges, surcharges and program costs related to client care. A second program is the Volunteer Pilot Program, which partners with private pilots who use their aircraft to get people to their
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LEGAL
EAGLE By Neil J. Macdonald |
Sending out an SOS over OAS
The Liberals’ new budget amendment will definitely affect older pilots
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Any Ponzi scheme needs new investors to fund old investors or it will collapse – just ask Bernie Madoff. million, with 14.4 million at 65 or older. In 2000, the average life expectancy for Canadians was 79, now it is closer to 83. If this trend continues – and experts tell us it will – fewer young people will be moving into the workforce to fund more retired people. This is not a sustainable scenario! The AOS is really a sophisticated, yet legal, Ponzi scheme – and any Ponzi scheme needs new investors to fund old investors or it will collapse – just ask Bernie Madoff. Working Canadians pay more taxes than retired Canadians. More taxes means more economic buoyancy for the economy. I tend to agree with this thought process, but where does the rest of the world stand on aging workers? According to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), Greece has the longest “pensionable years” statistic at 23.6, allowing workers to retire at 57 (could partially explain recent financial events). Estonians can retire at 63, and have the shortest pensionable years, at 14.9. Canada falls right into the OECD average at 18.3, with Australia right alongside at 18.6. One of the main differences between Australia and Canada, however, is in the public/
private pension scheme. Australia has focused some attention on its aging population and the public purse’s ability to fund retirement in the future. While Canada has a voluntary private pension program, Australia has a mandatory one. Why do I think this is important, and how does this tie into our government’s new 67 scheme? Of the 34 countries in the OECD poll, 18 set retirement at 65, and only four have retirement after 65. Canada will be the fifth. If ICAO and the other nations on this list do not align their retirement ages, we pilots will need to be looking at financing our own retirements – at least in the short term. Many schemes our government introduces see several changes before they actually affect Canadians. The new OAS benefit age is probably no different. I believe as pilots, we should all keep a close eye on this scheme because of its possible effect on our ability to earn income – retirement or otherwise! | W
Neil J. MacDonald is a B.C. lawyer. He has flown internationally as an IFR Off-Shore Aircraft Commander, locally as an Air Ambulance captain, and consulted on aviation issues in the Middle East. njm@neiljmacdonald.com This is not a legal opinion. Readers should not act on the basis of this article without first consulting a lawyer for analysis and advice on a specific matter. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: IsTOCk
n March 29, 2012, finance minister Jim Flaherty presented the government’s Economic Action Plan 2012 – more commonly known as the “federal budget.” Without getting into a debate with anyone over their political views of the budget, the one thing that caught my eye as a pilot, was the planned change to the Old Age Security program (the “OAS”). The first pension plan started in 1927, establishing a “means-test” for benefit entitlement at age 70. A further change in 1965 dropped the eligibility to 65. Starting in 2023, the age of eligibility for OAS will increase from 65 to 67. This may not seem like a great big deal considering the current maximum annual OAS pension is only $6,481, but more than 98 per cent of Canadians over 65 collect some portion of AOS. Although this may not be a big deal for many Canadians who want to work past 65, what happens to pilots who may be required to retire as an aircraft commander at 60 – or possibly fully at 65? What happens to the years of lost earnings, before we can start to collect the full OAS? In 2006, the International Civil Aviation Organization (“ICAO”) drafted an amendment to Annex 1, dealing with age limits for pilots: • 2.1.10.1 A Contracting State, having issued pilot licences, shall not permit the holders thereof to act as pilot-incommand of an aircraft engaged in international commercial air transport operations if the licence holders have attained their 60th birthday or, in the case of operations with more than one pilot where the other pilot is younger than 60 years of age, their 65th birthday. Canada is a member state of ICAO, so limitations and recommendations apply to many of us. How are we going to square the ICAO formula with the introduction of the new budget formula? It is clear the government feels Canadians should still be working past 65. It is not difficult to see why. Delaying the payment of benefits allows the government to collect more funds from others. In 2000, Canada’s population sat at around 30.5 million, with 12.5 million 65 or over. In 2011, it was 34
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By Paul Dixon |
Soaring with the stars
Abbotsford International Air Show celebrates 50 years of making memories
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You felt it as much as you heard it approach and hoped your dental fillings were secure. about three doors down. Maybe that’s why I still accept high decibel levels as a natural byproduct of aircraft, but then I live a long way from the airport now. I wasn’t at that first Abbotsford Air Show, but our family starting making the trek every year shortly thereafter. The show went to three days in 1967 to mark the Centennial and the crowds were more than 100,000 for both the Saturday and Sunday shows. It was absolutely mind-boggling, on the ground and in the air. We’ll just say that regulations such as they were at the time allowed pilots to interact a little more closely with the spectators than would be the case today. There’s nothing like a little misdirection to start the day by inviting the multitudes to focus on a couple of Voodoos approaching low and slow from the left, passing centre stage as a Starfighter approaches from behind the crowd at what appeared to be .9999 Mach, then pulling up into a vertical climb and disappearing into a clear blue sky. There are so many memories from over the years that it’s difficult to rank them. Top three, in no particular order: the Avro Vulcan, a stunningly graceful aircraft that made an ungodly noise. You can understand the reportedly devastating psychological impact on the Argentine troops during the Falklands War who received their 0400 wakeup call at maximum speed and minimum altitude. The CP-107 Argus, predecessor to the
current Aurora is another fond memory. This large, four-engine aircraft held the record for sustained time aloft at more than 31 hours until it was surpassed by the Gossamer Condor. For sheer noise generated during its dirty pass, it was unrivalled. You felt it as much as you heard it approach and hoped your dental fillings were secure. Lastly, the Minarski Memorial Lancaster Mark X that flew at Abbotsford in 2010, was a reminder of how many young men went through the British Commonwealth Training Program at Abbotsford and scores of other airfields across this country. In more recent years, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some of the pilots who have been centre stage at Abbotsford. In 2009, it was astronaut Chris Hadfield, flying with Vintage Wings of Canada as a member of the Heritage Fight. He described the sensation of flying the Canadair F-86G Sabre as though he had literally been given a pair of wings. The look on his face as he described it was that of a 12-year-old boy in Sarnia looking up into the sky wondering what it would be like. I think he speaks for a lot of little boys (and girls) who had a dream and are still living it. Happy birthday to the Abbotsford International Air Show, and thanks to those who had the vision of staging a thrilling and entertaining show a half a century ago. Thanks for letting us share the vision and keeping us young at heart. | W Paul Dixon is freelance writer and photojournalist living in Vancouver. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: Paul DIxOn
he Abbotsford International Air Show celebrates its 50th birthday this year – 50 years of creating special memories for aviation enthusiasts young and old. That first air show was the inspiration of the fledgling Abbotsford Flying Club as a means for the newly formed organization to create some exposure for the recently re-opened airport, dormant since serving as 24 Elementary Flight Training School during the Second World War. The budget for that first year was $700, underwritten by the local Rotary Club. The 15,000 people that attended the twoday event may not seem like a large group by today’s standards, but 50 years ago, Abbotsford was more than just 45 (premetric) statute miles east of Vancouver. It would be another two years before the Port Mann Bridge and the Trans-Canada Highway would be completed. My first aviation memory predates that first air show by a few years. It was 1959 and I was under my desk at Southlands Elementary School in Vancouver. They were the desks that sat three in a row on wooden runners, with a flip-up top and a hole in the top right corner for the ink well. We had scrambled under our desks at our teacher’s bidding after a loud boom had come out of the sky, shaking windows and causing dust particles to float down from the ceiling. I don’t remember being scared or concerned in the least, but I very clearly remember being under the desk. It wasn’t until the next day that we learned the boom had come from a jet fighter that had broken the sound barrier (whatever that was, I was only in Grade 2) high in the sky over Vancouver. The Vancouver house I grew up in was on the south slope, a mere 4.27 kilometres across the Fraser River from what we now refer to as YVR. In those days, it was also home to RCAF Sea Island and I spent many summer afternoons lying on my back watching yellow Harvards circling endlessly overhead like distant bumblebees. Even today, when I hear that unmistakable sound, I can smell freshly cut grass and feel its coolness on my back. Those were the days of the first commercial jets, long before thoughts of noise abatement. On overcast days it seemed as though those 707s or DC-8s were landing
More and more companies are jumping on the biofuel bandwagon, as the aviation industry is coming under increased pressure to reduce its environmental footprint.
FINDING AN ALTERNATE APPROACH biOFUELS ARE iN VOGUE, bUT ARE THEY THE ULTiMATE GREEN SOLUTiON? bY bRiAN dUNN
PHOTO: IsTOCk
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he development of aviation biofuels is all the rage, and there’s plenty of hype out there as to how they’re going to revolutionize the skies. But how viable is the hype and when will this groundbreaking technology reap rewards? The boldest pronouncement to date comes from China which expects to use 12 million metric tons of domestically produced aviation biofuel a year through its Petroleum & Chemical Corp. by 2020, or about 30 per cent of projected consumption by then. It claims to have the technology to make aviation biofuels from cooking oil and seaweed, but needs to reduce production costs, as biofuels, for far lacking a market, are more expensive to produce than regular jet fuel. Boeing, meanwhile, has signed an agreement with Chinese plane maker Commercial Aircraft of China (COMAC) to collaborate on research into fuel-efficient technologies. As part of the agreement, the two aircraft makers will set up the BoeingCOMAC Aviation Energy Conservation and Emissions Reductions Technology Centre in Beijing. The jointly funded research centre will study ways to enhance commercial aviation’s fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. A similar initiative has been launched between Air New Zealand, Qantas and Virgin Australia, who, along with Boeing and Airbus, as well as other main players from the biofuels and aeronautical industries, have partnered with oil major Caltex, to create a sustainable aviation roadmap. In March, Boeing, Airbus and Embraer signed a memorandum of understanding “to work together on the development of drop-in, affordable aviation biofuels,” the aircraft manufacturers announced at an Air Transport Action Group meeting in Geneva. The companies said in a joint statement that they have “agreed to seek www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
collaborative opportunities to speak in unity to government, biofuel producers and other key stakeholders to support, promote and accelerate the availability of sustainable new jet fuel sources.” Bombardier is also actively engaged in several biofuels initiatives including an all-Canadian initiative involving Porter Airlines, Bombardier Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney Canada and the Green Aviation Research and Development Network. Bombardier also continues to be very active in the U.S.-based Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative that the company has been involved with since its inception in 2006.
it was entering into a memorandum of understanding with 14 other major airlines from the U.S., Mexico, Canada and Germany, to purchase 750 million gallons of renewable jet fuel and diesel derived from camelina by producer AltAir Fuels of Seattle. AltAir will use refining technology developed by UOP, a division of Honeywell, to convert camelina oil into a 100 per cent drop-in replacement for petroleum jet fuel. UOP’s refining technology has already produced biojet fuel for various test flights and U.S. military contracts. But Air Canada’s commitment lags behind many of its competitors around the world. Lufthansa has already completed
“It’s right that we research the potential of alternative biofuels like algae, but even if shown to be a climate-friendly option, its use is years in the making.” Making its mark The aviation industry is coming under increased pressure to reduce its environmental footprint. Aviation fuels represent 12 per cent of the fuel consumption in transportation and jet fuel use is doubling every 10 years. The rush to find energyefficient and economically viable ways to produce aviation biofuels is also being encouraged by the European Union’s new carbon-emission tax which it levies on airlines using EU airspace but which would be rewarded by using alternative jet fuels. While the move has angered many airlines, especially those from the U.S. and China, it is hoped the ruling will give biofuels an added push to further develop a common alternative to conventional aviation fuel. As noted, many of the world’s largest airlines, including Air Canada, are getting in on the act. In 2009, Air Canada announced
a six-month trial operating the world’s first biofuel-powered route as some 1,200 flights were completed between Hamburg and Frankfurt, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 1,471 metric tons. KLM also operated 200 biofuel flights last year and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific has announced plans to research a jungle plant for a food non-competitive biofuel. Cathay has also claimed that within 20 years, biofuels may cost half the price of traditional fuels. “Thanks to the higher energy density of biofuel, it has been possible to reduce fuel consumption by more than one per cent,” according to Peter Schneckenleitner, Lufthansa’s head of political communication. But there are some critics who claim biofuels are not actually that green. “Biofuel production is trashing rainforests, causing climate-changing emissions and making food prices spiral,” says biofuels July/August 2012 | wIngs 23
GAME
THE ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE (RCAF) successfully flew a CC-130H Hercules aircraft using a semi-synthetic jet fuel, blended with plantsourced oil, for the first time on May 23 at 8 Wing Trenton, ont. under the technical guidance and support of the department of National defence’s Quality engineering Test establishment (QeTe), the demonstration flight-tested the efficacy of a blended jet fuel with 50 per cent F-34 and 50 per cent fuel derived from the camelina plant. “F-34 [also known as jP-8] is the jet fuel used by NATo countries, including Canada,” says QeTe’s Pierre Poitras. “during this flight demonstration, we tested the suitability of an alternative jet fuel using camelina-derived fuel blended with F-34 as RCAF’S 8 Wing members substitute or replacement for conventional aviation conduct a thorough inspection fuel. We’re happy with the results.” of the legacy Herc prior to its The biofuel demonstration flight started with a test flight using semi-synthetic 24-hour leak check and was followed by almost two jet fuel. hours of flight on 424 (Transport) Squadron’s legacy Hercules aircraft. According to 424 Squadron pilot Maj. Wayne Sippola, they flew the aircraft 100 miles to the North from 8 Wing Trenton, then South to Sandbanks in Prince edward County before landing back to the base. In September and october 2011, the semi-synthetic jet fuel was tested at 8 Wing on an engine that is comparable to the legacy Hercules aircraft (for example, the Rolls-Royce/Allison T-56-A-15). The test was successful, which led to the flight-testing that is needed for the certification of the camelina fuel blend specification. “This biojet fuel along with similar bio-crude materials, has great potential to become a sustainable and renewable alternative to conventional fuel, which would provide flexibility to the Canadian Forces with respect to fuel security,” says Poitras. The legacy Hercules’ flight test on biojet fuel supports Canada’s industrial effort in producing alternative fuels and CF’s commitment to adopt greener products. “our interoperability with NATo and u.S. allies is of prime importance to CF operations,” says lieut.-Col. Geoffrey Carter from the directorate of Fuel and lubricants. “Since our allies are exploring the use of biojet fuel, we also want to ensure that when our countries work together, our equipment, handling processes, as well as the type of fuel that we use are interoperable,” he adds. Camelina sativa is an oil plant in the family Brassicaceae from the mustard family. It is a promising alternative to conventional fuel as it does not compete with the food chain simply because it is not part of any human or animal diet. A conventional jet fuel blended with plant-sourced fuel is better for the environment due to its potential for the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions. “Carbon emission from aircraft engines is a function of the concentration of aromatic hydrocarbons allowed in conventional jet fuel. Biojet fuel SPks [synthetic paraffinic kerosenes] derived from camelina or carinata, does not contain any aromatic material, which basically reduces carbon emissions when blended with 50 per cent F-34, to meet the minimum aromatic concentration of the jet fuel specification” he says. – Lt.-Christopher Daniel, 8 Wing Public Affairs Officer 24 wIngs | July/August 2012
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PHOTO: RCaF
Royal Canadian Air Force gets in on Green
campaigner Kenneth Richter of Friends of the Earth, the world’s largest environmental network with more than 5,000 activist groups and two million members worldwide. “Using them as aviation fuel would make matters even worse.” One of the major worries concerns food availability and the side-effects of growing biofuel crops. Biofuels are fuels converted from processed biomass including vegetable oils and animal fats. Plantation of these crops may not only sacrifice croplands for food, causing food shortages, but carbon dioxide would also be released during deforestation and biofuel production It all means that a biofuel-dominated aviation industry is decades away, at least. “It’s right that we research the potential of alternative biofuels like algae, but even if shown to be a climate-friendly option, its use is years in the making,” concedes Richter. Lufthansa’s Schneckenleitner admits there is “a long and hard way to go” before biofuels become the major fuel in aviation. He adds that practical biofuel trials at Lufthansa will only be continued if more certified sustainable sources are available. Schneckenleitner notes there are still a lot of challenges ahead; for example, the use of sustainable, certified biomass has to be secured, airport infrastructure for biofuel use has to be adapted and the whole supply chain and logistic processes has to be optimized, among other issues. While Air Canada was the first domestic carrier to announce it was getting into the biofuels sweepstakes, on April 17, Porter operated the first bio-fuel revenue flight in Canada, the successful conclusion to a test program launched in 2010. The airline flew a Bombardier Q400 from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to Ottawa using a 50/50 blend of biofuel and Jet A1 in one if its engines. The Q400 flew on the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D7566 bio-derived jet fuel, which was recently certified. A six-partner consortium, led by Targeted Growth Canada (TGC) of Saskatoon, demonstrated the viability of biofuel produced from camelina in a Porter Airlines Bombardier Q400 turboprop. Renewable fuel from camelina offers a real opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of commercial aviation by significantly reducing carbon lifecycle emissions, according to TGC. The Q400 aircraft is equipped with standard Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150A engines. Sustainable Oils, LLC and Honeywell’s UOP all participated in the camelina biofuel test program on the aircraft along with TGC, Bombardier Aerospace, Porter Airlines and Pratt & Whitney Canada. TGC worked on crop optimization and growth, Sustainable Oils pre-refined
the camelina oil and Honeywell’s UOP produced the hydro-treated renewable jet (HRJ) biofuel from the oils provided.
PHOTO: REnTECH InC.
Growth potential TGC appears to be one of the few Canadian companies developing aviation biofuels. Another is Rentech of White River, Ont., located about 300 kilometres northwest of Sault Ste. Marie. According to the Renewable Fuels Association of Canada, none of its members is in the game. Rentech plans to convert about 1.1 million cubic metres per year of Crown timber into 85 million litres annually of RenJet low-carbon jet fuel under its Olympiad project in White River. It could be the largest renewable clean jet fuel program in the world, according to the Los Angeles-based company. The facility is currently scheduled to go online in 2016, a year behind schedule, as it looks for funding for the $500 million project. Rentech has applied for $200 million in funding from Ottawa’s Sustainable Development Technology Canada program. Unlike other renewable jet fuel, such as fuel derived from animal fats and plant oil, Rentech’s technology is a secondgeneration gasification/F-T conversion process technology that involves cellulosic
Rentech plans to convert about 1.1 million cubic metres per year of Crown timber into 85 million litres annually of Renjet low-carbon jet fuel under its olympiad project in White River, ont. The White River facility will look much like this plant in Commerce City, Colo.
feedstock, derived from woody biomass. Rentech uses non-disruptive and sustainable biomass resources that do not compete with food or utilize agricultural land. “We have just completed our first due diligence phase at our integrated bio-refinery
plant in Commerce City, Colo., which is producing syngas from wood waste and then upgrading to transportation fuels. We hope to proceed to the second stage feasibility phase which we will find out in June,” explains Colin Campbell, Rentech’s
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26 wIngs | July/August 2012
have been initiated with the companies Airbus and SkyNRG (a consortium that is actively developing a sustainable production chain for aviation biofuels) to look into potential solutions that would respond to criteria for production,” according to Transat’s Debbie Cabana. “One of the key aspects of this approach is the need to find a local or regional source of supply that is compliant with the principles of sustainable development, including maintenance of land use for food production. In addition, we are facing supply difficulties, since all airlines obtain their fuel from the same source. For the use of biofuels to become possible, all of the air carriers must work together. This work is being done by the environment committee of the National Airlines Council of Canada, of which we are members.” Clearly, there are some hurdles airlines have to overcome before biofuels take off. These include government regulations and incentives to develop the industry, lower costs, a reliable supply of biofuels and distribution channels at airports. But the fact remains, biofuels are indeed a key element in the ultimate greening of the skies – as so many aviation companies in Canada and abroad are starting to realize. | W
www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: BOMBaRDIER
on April 17, Porter operated the first bio-fuel revenue flight in Canada, the successful conclusion to a test program launched in 2010. The airline flew a Bombardier Q400 from Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport to ottawa using a 50/50 blend of biofuel and jet A1 in one if its engines.
vice-president of business development for Canada. “We are starting to make progress with a number of interested investors and as such, we are confident that a project of this magnitude will be funded.” While WestJet has no immediate plans to use biofuels or conduct a biofuel-powered flight at this point in time, biofuels remain part of its future fuel supply strategy, according to company spokesperson Robert Palmer. “Canada currently has all the key ingredients to produce sustainable aviation biofuels,” Palmer says. “For our part, WestJet continues to evaluate any viable opportunities that may be available to us. However, as a low-cost carrier, we want to ensure that we arrive at a cost-effective and truly sustainable solution. “What is presently missing in the discussion on this issue is a Canadian policy framework to advance the use and development of aviation biofuels. Such a framework would add a key element of certainty, which is needed for any opportunity to be realized.” Like WestJet, Air Transat is still in a monitoring phase on biofuels, but is “currently studying the feasibility of using them for its long-haul flights. Exchanges
Although Canada has committed to a two per cent per year reduction in GHG emissions followed by neutral growth after 2020, the ICAo target remains voluntary, raising questions over whether the Canadian action plan is too ambitious.
WINNING THE EMIssIONs GAME FEdERAL GOVERNMENT TAkES STEpS TO REdUCE CANAdA’S AViATiON FOOTpRiNT bY dAVid CARR
PHOTO: IsTOCk
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anada’s aviation industry and the federal government have agreed upon a plan of action to reduce CO2 emissions by a minimum two per cent a year to 2020. Canada’s Action Plan to Reduce GHG Emissions from Aviation freezes a commitment to the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) 2010 voluntary global reduction goals by complying with a request by the organization that member states submit detailed plans on how they plan to hit target by June 2012. The action plan identifies three key measures that are expected to have the www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
greatest impact: • Aircraft fleet renewals and upgrades • More efficient air operations • Improved capabilities in air traffic management Still, regardless of how many nations comply with the ICAO request, voluntary measures will not move beyond a patchwork of unilateral actions at a time when the organization is under heavy pressure to forge a multilateral solution for aviation emissions, especially after the European Union chose to act alone with a controversial emissions trading system (ETS). The European Union’s actions have caught all
international airlines serving Europe in its net and threaten to break out into a retaliatory trade war. In June, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) kicked off its 68th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Beijing, China, by demanding ICAO develop a global agreement of emission reductions in time for its 2013 Assembly next October. China is one of the most vocal of the “coalition of the unwilling” countries, including Canada and the United States, opposed to the European emission trading system and, along with India, has ordered its airlines not to July/August 2012 | wIngs 27
The transport sector runs neck and neck with oil and gas as the largest source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2008, air transport alone accounted for five per cent or 8.5 million metric tonnes. Canadian airlines such as Westjet will need to work harder in the months and years ahead to reduce their emissions footprint.
participate in the scheme. “Sustainability should unite the world with common purpose, not divide it with affronts to sovereignty that risk a trade war that nobody wants and from which no winner can emerge,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General/CEO. Few are holding out hope that ICAO can square the differences of member states in time for 2013, especially since Europe is refusing to soften the ETS at least until the Assembly. “It is a polarizing obstacle that is preventing real progress,” Tyler said. Leaving Canada and other economies on their own in cutting emissions – at least for now.
Canada committed to a national GHG reduction target of 17 per cent below 2005 levels by 2020 in Cancun, Mexico, in 2010. Since then, Stephen Harper’s Conservative government has taken a sectorby-sector approach to reaching its target, and has involved key organizations across Canadian aviation: Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC); Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC); Canadian Airports Council (CAC); Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA); National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC); and NAV Canada.
president/CEO. “When fuel is the major component of your operating costs, reducing fuel burn and reducing GHG emissions go hand in hand,” said Barone. “This is about the art of the possible and this government has done a great job in reaching out to the industry. We are always looking for new efficiencies and by 2020 we will have even more technological advances.” To get to 2020, the government is expecting a $13.5 billion investment in fleet renewal from 2005 to 2010, including the arrival of Air Canada’s first Boeing 787s, to
“sustainability should unite the world with common purpose, not divide it with affronts The transport sector runs neck and neck with oil and gas as the largest source of to sovereignty that risk a trade war that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In nobody wants.” 2008, the most recent year Environment Canada has numbers on, transport accounted for 23 per cent of the 734 million metric tonnes of GHG emissions pumped into the atmosphere, although this included refrigeration leakage from vehicle air conditions. Oil and gas contributed 22 per cent. Air transport alone accounted for five per cent or 8.5 million metric tonnes. 28 wIngs | July/August 2012
The plan is unlikely to win over environmentalists already suspicious of the government’s spotty record on the environment, and who tack closer to Euro-style interventionalist policies over market-driven ones. But economic impact is a sharp motivator in coming up with solutions points out Sam Barone, CBAA’s
achieve an average annual fuel efficiency of 0.7 per cent between 2005 and 2020. More efficient air operations should lead to a further cut of 0.2 per cent. But the biggest gains are expected to come from improved capabilities in air traffic management, including a switch from sensor-based to performance-based www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: BRIan MCnaIR
Staying on target
PHOTOs: naV CanaDa (lEFT); CBaa (MIDDlE); aTaC (RIgHT)
Canada’s key industry associations are working together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Three key players include from left: NAV CANAdA president/ Ceo john Crichton; CBAA president/Ceo Sam Barone; ATAC president/Ceo john Mckenna.
navigation (PBN), to squeeze out one to two per cent efficiency, pushing Canadian air transport ahead of its target. “NAV CANADA has already effected considerable reductions in GHG emissions amounting to 6.6 million metric tons of emissions avoided between 1997 and 2010,” said John W. Crichton, NAV CANADA’s president/CEO. Unlike sensor-based navigation, which limits routes and procedures to the physical locations of ground-based navigation aids, PBN defines performance requirements for aircraft navigating on an ATS route, terminal procedure or in a designated airspace. PBN includes both Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). PBN cuts fuel burn through shorter and more direct flight tracks. Additionally, PBN provides a mechanism for optimized profile descents that allow aircraft to descend from high altitudes to the airport at minimum thrust settings. IATA estimates that globally, shorter PBN routes could reduce CO2 emissions by 13 million tonnes per year. NAV CANADA has set PBN implementation priorities for 2012 to 2014, including existing PBN specifications for instrument procedures to be implemented in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec City. By 2020, transition from a sensorbased environment to a PBN environment will begin as PBN specifications are approved for use in Canada, at which point selected non-essential ground-based navigation aids will be decommissioned.
An overly ambitious plan? Although Canada has committed to a two per cent per year reduction in GHG emissions followed by neutral growth after 2020, the ICAO target remains voluntary www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
raising questions over whether the Canadian action plan is too ambitious. For example, a four-year delay in the delivery of Air Canada’s 787s is certain to cause a drag on assumption. Likewise, if passenger and cargo growth outpaces fleet modernization, thirsty retired aircraft may be pressed back into service, which will also have a knock on effect on anticipated efficiency improvements. “So many stakeholders in place make it a big challenge,” Barone cautions. “We can commit to the targets, but all these things have to align at the same time.” For now at least, the industry has banked considerable goodwill. In 2005, ATAC and Transport Canada signed the world’s first voluntary agreement to address GHG emissions. The agreement set a goal of a 1.1 per cent average annual improvement in fuel efficiency each year to 2012. When Air Canada, Jazz, WestJet and Air Transat broke away from ATAC in 2008 to form NACC, the carriers agreed to fulfill their commitment. According to Transport Canada’s latest report, as of 2010, the industry has achieved a 1.9 per cent average annual fuel efficiency improvement since 1990, or a 31 per cent cumulative improvement, surpassing the 24 per cent cumulative target of the original agreement. This does not include private and military aviation, government operations, the Canadian operations of foreign airlines or smaller airlines not represented by ATAC or NACC. Still, the report is considered to represent at least 95 per cent of domestic passenger and cargo activity. “In 2005, ATAC provided the necessary leadership to develop and sign [the agreement] with Transport Canada to pro-actively reduce GHG emissions from airline members’ aircraft,” noted John McKenna,
ATAC’s president/CEO. “ATAC members have not only met the commitments but have bettered GHG reduction targets each year.”
Ensuring greater scope The Action Plan also has enormous scope for emission reductions above the two per cent target, especially on the ground where emission rates from APUs and aviation support vehicles such as baggage tugs and tractors has not been calculated. The impact of improved taxi and queuing procedures at Canadian airports are still to be determined, as is the potential for biofuels, which industry experts suggest could reduce international aviation’s carbon footprint by up to 80 per cent a year. Porter Airlines recently completed Canada’s first test flight using a biofuel blend and the government continues to support research and development into alternative fuels for aviation. But it may soon face pressure to pick up the pace (for more on biofuels see, “Finding an alternate approach,” pg. 22). Airlines have flown approximately 1,500 commercial flights using biofuels, but costs five times greater than conventional fuel and limited supply and distribution are serious obstacles. At about the same time IATA was calling on ICAO to produce a global agreement to regulate CO2 emissions, Tyler was urging governments to boost support for the “commercialization” of biofuels. “We need governments to adapt policies to help support commercialization of biofuels to bring up the volume and bring down the price,” he said. “Commercializing use of biofuels by airlines should be easier than doing it for cares because getting supplies to the world’s 3,800 airports would be simpler than getting biofuel to millions of filling stations.” | W July/August 2012 | wIngs 29
REdUCiNG GREENHOUSE EMiSSiONS A TOp pRiORiTY AT WiNNipEG, EdMONTON AiRpORTS bY CARROLL MCCORMiCk
i
ncreasingly, North American airports are taking pains to reduce their greenhouse emissions, be more environmentally friendly and show the world how it can be done. Examples of their many and diverse efforts include concessions recycling programs, diverting trash and construction materials from the waste stream, supplying preconditioned air to aircraft, forbidding aircraft power back from the gates, and implementing public transit, solar hot water heaters and compressed natural gas busses. Occasionally an airport will seize the opportunity to make a huge green splash by building a facility with the goal of obtaining
30 wIngs | July/August 2012
LEED Green Building Rating System certification. LEED is an internationally recognized system that signifies a standard of sustainability and good practices. In plain English this means an energy-efficient design and HVAC systems that use less energy, practices that maintain good air quality during construction, locally sourced materials, reduced water use . . . there is a long list of criteria that, if satisfied to one degree or another, add up to different levels of LEED certification. Boston Logan’s Terminal A, completed in 2005, lays claim to being the first LEEDcertified airport terminal in North America. Canada now has its own airport terminals
that are poised to receive LEED certification: The first will be the Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport’s new 51,000-square-metre passenger terminal, opened in October 2011. It already lays claim to being the first airport in North America to register on Canada’s Green Building Council, and expects to receive LEED certification this year. Hot on its heels is the 43,000-square-metre, Phase 1 terminal expansion at the Edmonton International Airport (EIA) that opened this February. It should receive LEED certification in 2013. Here is a taste of some of the many features that obtained credits that count toward LEED certification in our two terminals. The Winnipeg terminal was built on previously developed land that is neither near a wetland nor ecologically sensitive. The Winnipeg Airport Authority www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: EDMOnTOn InTERnaTIOnal aIRPORT
EsTABLIsHING A BIG
The edmonton airport terminal expansion, designed by Stantec, incorporates a myriad of green features.
G GREEN LEED (WAA) committed to setting aside a dedicated green space larger than the terminal’s 22,779-square-metre footprint and populating it with plants indigenous to Manitoba. Planting native species eliminates the need for irrigation. Inside the terminal the use of low-flow and infrared fixtures in all public areas contributes to a 20 to 30 per cent reduction in water consumption. The green space and the choice of concrete as a hardscape surface reduces the heat island effect. This is the phenomenon where a building soaks up energy from the sun during the day and then radiates it at night. Stantec, the prime architect for the terminal, was responsible for incorporating LEED-compliant features into the terminal design and its operating systems. The most easily spotted green features are the 55 skylights and 10,000 square metres of floor-toceiling glass on the groundside. The natural www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
lighting reduces the need for electric lights and contributes to passive heating in the winter. High-efficiency artificial lighting, such as induction, LED and fibre-optic fixtures, uses far less electricity than conventional fixtures. Automated controls such as occupancy sensors and daylight sensors are used to further reduce energy consumption, as do variable frequency drives on pumps and fans. The high-performance design of the building envelope and the heating system are key contributors to an optimization of the terminal’s energy performance that is expected to yield energy cost savings of 51 to 55 per cent. “Although we have not yet had a full year of operation, we have generally found that costs have been lower by design,” says Christine Alongi, director, communications and public affairs, WAA. “The new building has
higher technology and automated systems that seem to be reducing energy consumption compared to the old building.” The heating system is designed to use waste energy generated by internal systems, such as computers and other electrical equipment. Warm water pumped through the floor slab provides comfortable radiant heating in the winter. In the summer months, cool water pumped through the floor reduces the need for air conditioning. LEED assigns credits for using materials that have recycled content, such as the structural steel, which has a recycled content of between 90 and 98 per cent. LEED credits were given for using locally sourced concrete and for using fly ash, a by-product of burning coal, in the concrete. The use of regional materials in the terminal exceeded 10 per cent, the threshold for a LEED credit in this category. July/August 2012 | wIngs 31
Diverting construction waste from landfill sites is another area where LEED credits are awarded. In this project, contractors diverted at least 70 per cent of the construction waste from the waste stream; that is 2,334 tonnes of concrete and 664 tonnes of wood. Maintaining air quality during construction is a recognized green achievement, as is preventing construction dust and debris from accumulating in the HVAC ducts. Outgassing from chemicals in materials is a serious problem in modern airtight buildings, and LEED recognizes efforts to reduce this source of air contamination. The terminal qualified for a LEED credit in each of the four categories of low-emitting materials in the Indoor Environmental Quality section: adhesives and sealants, paints and coatings, carpets and composite wood and laminate adhesives. Further efforts to maintain air quality are made by switching to natural, bio-based EcoLogo or Green Seal cleaning materials. Products containing the following common cleaning substances are not used on site: bleach, chlorine, sodium hydroxide, muriatic acid, phosphorus, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, nitrilotriacetatic acid, volatile organic compounds, alkylphenolethoxylates and biocides/preservatives, according to Stantec. Maintaining air quality extends to providing educational materials to cleaning staff. “Our objective is to minimize impacts on 32 wIngs | July/August 2012
the environment from development and daily operations through continuous improvement of environmental performance in a manner consistent with our overall mission and goals,” says Barry Rempel, president/CEO of the WAA.
A greening out west The Edmonton airport terminal expansion, designed by Stantec, incorporates a myriad green features. For example, the more than 500 square metres of clerestory windows in the terraced roof let natural light penetrate deep into the terminal. This reduces the need for artificial lighting. Overhangs and adjustable shades over the terminal and control tower windows reduce summer heat gain and thus the need for air conditioning. From the air, keen-eyed passengers might observe that the roof material seems unusually reflective. This is due to the use of a white roofing membrane with highreflectivity coating in certain areas, manufactured by Drummondville, Que.-based Soprema. Stantec’s storm water management and treatment strategy includes a 2,000-square-metre cistern for collecting storm water. “It will be reused as flow water in toilets and urinals and will reduce the cost of water. Efficient water use systems have been installed, like washrooms that have low-flow toilets and electronic sensors on faucets. These combined systems should reduce annual water use
in the building by 68 per cent,” explains Christopher Chodan, senior communications advisor, EIA. Alternative transportation earns LEED credits. In this project they include storage for 38 bicycles and eight common-use change rooms. During construction, contractors diverted at least 75 per cent of the construction waste. Recycled content in the building materials exceeds 15 per cent and at least 10 per cent of the building materials were extracted or manufactured regionally. For example, Leduc, Alta.-based, Trimline Design Centre Inc. manufactured the rooftop solar panels. Other regionally sourced materials include steel, concrete, plywood and insulation. Post-commissioning recycling was also targeted as an important green activity. A system is in place so concessionaires can recycle waste. An indoor air quality management plan, CO2 sensors and the specification of low-emitting materials – adhesives, sealants, paints, carpets and composite woods – all contribute to maintaining indoor environmental quality. As well, the design documents are being reviewed to ensure that the building is designed, constructed and calibrated to operate as intended. “Sometimes systems are not commissioned properly and do not perform as advertised,” explains Stanis Smith, senior vice-president, architecture and engineering, Stantec. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: MERlE PROsOFsky (lEFT)
Air travel is a competitive business and the edmonton International Airport is hoping to gain an edge with passengers due to its natural lighting, smooth heating and cooling, and natural air rejuvenation by plants. (leFT)
PHOTOs: MERlE PROsOFsky (MIDDlE); wInnIPEg aIRPORT auTHORITy (RIgHT)
The living wall at edmonton International Airport is a vertical hydroponic garden, created by Vancouver-based design firm Green over Grey. It is 20 metres wide at the bottom, 10 metres high and 30 metres wide at the top. (MIddle); Natural light floods the baggage claim area in the new Winnipeg airport terminal. (RIGHT)
As with the Winnipeg terminal, Stantec designed a green cleaning program that includes supplying janitorial staff with non-toxic chemicals and writing an educational program for building maintenance staff. The LEED scorecard includes an Innovation & Design Process section. The terminal expansion counts low-mercury lighting among its achievements in this section, but most visible to passengers will be the living wall. This vertical hydroponic garden, created by Vancouverbased design firm Green over Grey, will be 20 metres wide at the bottom, 10 metres high and 30 metres wide at the top. “This has never been done in an airport before,” Smith says. “It will be the first thing to greet you as an international passenger and I think it will be a knockout. Any living plant material softens and harmonizes the space.” As for the value of such environmentally friendly practices, Chodan states, “Air travel is a competitive business and passengers have more and more options, so it gives EIA a competitive advantage to have natural lighting, smooth heating and cooling, and natural air rejuvenation by plants, to give a few examples. An airport is not isolated; it is part of a community. If we are not harming the environment, we will receive much better cooperation from our surrounding counties and municipalities.” | W www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
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July/August 2012 | wIngs 33
THE TENACITY A VIkING bUiLdiNG ON iTS EARLY SUCCESS HAS HELpEd VikiNG AiR FLOURiSH FOR 40-pLUS YEARS
F
bY pAUL dixON
34 wIngs | July/August 2012
Viking Air has grown to become one of the country’s most iconic aviation companies, producing the iconic Twin otter series 400 aircraft.
DHC-4 Caribou; DHC-5 Bufflao; DHC-6 Twin Otter and DHC-7 Dash 7. This was the game changer. As a parts manufacturer supplying Bombardier, Viking only had one customer to please, but as the holder of the type certificates, it found itself answering to more than 500 operators worldwide, as all seven types of aircraft, numbering more than 1,300 in total, were in operation around the world. At this year’s de Havilland Operators
Forum in Sydney, B.C. April 17-19, Viking CEO Dave Curtis spoke of the process in arriving at a decision to manufacture the Series 400 Twin Otter. Viking used a consulting firm to conduct research in established and emerging markets around the world and it was determined that there was a potential for more than 400 new aircraft. With the research in hand, Curtis went to marketplace and asked the question, “If we build it, will you buy it? The answer was www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: VIkIng aIR
or more than 42 years, Viking Air has been one of the great success stories in Canadian aviation – and the company is poised to build on its current triumphs. Located at Victoria International Airport (YYJ), Viking Air was born in 1970 as an aircraft repair facility. By the early 1980s Viking was manufacturing replacement parts for de Havilland Canada aircraft. DHC was born in the 1920s as a subsidiary of its British parent to build training aircraft for the fledging Canadian air force. The Tiger Moth became the basic trainer of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan during the Second World War with DHC producing more than 1,100 Mosquito for the war effort. After the war, DHC turned its production efforts to creating an aircraft designed specifically for the harsh environment of the Canadian north. Asking pilots what they wanted in an aircraft, DHC produced the DHC-2 Beaver, affectionately described as a flying pickup truck. On wheels, floats or skis the Beaver got the job done. By the early 1980s, Viking was manufacturing replacement parts for DHC aircraft. De Havilland fell on hard times in the 1980s, becoming a Crown Corporation, briefly acquired by Boeing (which stopped production of the Series 300 Twin Otter), and was finally absorbed into Bombardier. Viking expanded its customer base soon after its foray into the market to include Bell Helicopter Textron and others, but the key to its growth potential was the acquisition of the company by Westerkirk Capital in 2003, which gave Viking the financial resources and the long-term stability to embark on the long path to becoming an aircraft manufacturer. In 2005, Viking purchased the type certificates from Bombardier of all the DHC aircraft no longer in production: DHC-1 Chipmunk; DHC-2 Beaver; DHC-3 Otter;
Y OF
a resounding “yes.” By 2006, Viking had received 18 firm orders and the real work began: building the Series 400 Twin Otter. Rob Mauracher, Viking’s VP of business development, takes great pride in talking about what the company has achieved over the past six years. “Look at aviation history over the past 10 to 15 years,” says Mauracher. “For us to get through this, to get through the entire certification process and not go into bankruptcy; to start delivering product and now accelerating production has been a huge coup for us; it has built credibility. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
It’s very easy to build one aircraft, but extremely difficult to build a company that builds aircraft.” What set Viking apart from other companies that have tried and failed was that it was not a start-up company, but a mature parts manufacturer that already had a strong relationship with operators and suppliers around the world. Adds Mauracher: “We were building and delivering parts around the world for more than 1,300 aircraft before we ever delivered our first Series 400. We had a customer support
network in place before we built our first aircraft. That’s very uncommon for an aircraft builder, especially a new one.” Viking has grown to more than 600 employees between the two facilities in Victoria and Calgary. Attracting the right people to key positions has been crucial as production ramps up. Dave Curtis recognized this and has made recruiting for key positions an absolute priority. Recruiting the right people and implementing stringent quality control practices have enabled Viking to streamline processes, shorten production times and raise output. Eight new Twin Otters are in the various stages of construction at any one time, with a goal of one new aircraft coming off the line every 11 days by the end of this year. Utilizing the two plants in Victoria and Calgary was a deliberate decision. The Calgary facility was already part of the corporate family, saving on construction costs. As the company grew from 150 personnel to more than 600 today, operating in two centres meant two labour pools to draw from. There are acknowledged inefficiencies that come with trucking parts from Victoria to Calgary for final assembly, but that is outweighed by the positives. The Series 400 Twin Otter is definitely a Canadian product through and through. Assembly starts in Victoria with the major components being trucked to Calgary for final assembly. The engines come from Pratt & Whitney Canada in Lethbridge, Alta., with other major parts from Quebec and Alberta. The tail feathers are from Prince George, B.C. The aircraft is assembled and flown for the first time in Calgary, to Spokane, Wash., for painting, and then back to Victoria for final fitting out. Mauracher notes that there are almost 800 changes between the [old] Series 300 Twin Otter and [new] Series 400. “Many of them are unnoticeable, structural changes, a change in the aircraft build spec, while some of them are very noticeable – the avionics suite and its impact on systems. One of the reasons for change on the aircraft was [the concept] of value-added. Is it going to make the aircraft more reliable, safer, lighter so it can carry greater payload, easier to maintain? These are the factors we use to July/August 2012 | wIngs 35
make a decision on the aircraft itself. “There’s been no change for change’s sake: we’ve always done it for a reason, such as introducing composites. It’s lighter and it’s easier to maintain – no corrosion and there are less parts. The door on the Series 300 had 21 parts, while the Series 400 door has seven. The new flight deck is the most significant improvement as it affects everything to do with the aircraft. It was a deliberate
36 wIngs | July/August 2012
decision to go with a proven product, the Apex system from Epic – the same system that has been used in the Gulfstream business jet for years. The aircraft can be linked to a laptop computer and interrogated by maintenance personnel to determine exceedences or troubleshoot the aircraft. Automated monitoring will capture any sort of exceedence value. The aircraft can tell you exactly what happened on the aircraft as well as what maintenance is required on the aircraft.” For all the improvements in the Series 400, Mauracher is very blunt in making it clear that Viking has not lost sight of what made all DHC aircraft unique. “We are a short takeoff and landing company – that’s all that we build. If you want to go from 6,000-foot paved strips and go 500 nautical miles to another 6,000 paved strip, the Twin Otter is not the aircraft for you. It’s not designed to work off 5,000 strips; it’s designed to work like a truck. “A 19-seat aircraft won’t work in many North American environments anymore because of cost and overhead,” says Mauracher. “Our biggest segment in the market growing today is Southeast Asia and South America. We’ve done a lot of information work with the BRIC group – Brazil, Russia, India and China – and we see a lot of opportunities within that group because we look at 3,000foot runways and less: gravel strips. “The Twin Otter really grew the first time on route development in the U.S., so the regional airline business you see in the U.S. today grew on the back of the Twin Otter and then it grew up from 19 seats and grew outwards. Now, you look through the emerging markets. Look at India, Southeast Asia, those second-tier and third-tier airports and we can start feeding into them. It’s their turn.” In 2010, Viking did a tour through Southeast Asia to demonstrate the aircraft to potential buyers. Mauracher says the group flew into canyons, dirt strips and gravel strips. They also landed at a remote military base in Malaysia that was just a helicopter strip so one of the passengers could visit his home village. “The military helicopter pilots ran out because they thought we must have crash landed,” he says. “Our guest visited his village and then we took off again.” A quarter of the new Twin Otters on the order book are Guardian 400s, developed for special mission and government operations in medium-range maritime patrol and critical infrastructure support. The reason? Mauracher maintains governments now realize they don’t need a large aircraft such as a P-3 or P-8, with the equally large price tag, to fulfil their needs. Operators can choose customized sensors and interior layouts to meet their specific mission profiles, www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: VIkIng aIR
Having a mature parts manufacturer business already in place was a great help when Viking branched out into aircraft manufacturing.
“We had a customer support network in place before we built our first aircraft. That’s very uncommon for an aircraft builder.” such as electro-optical and infrared imaging turret, 360-degree digital colour radar system, extended range internal fuel tank, crew observation stations, and air operable cargo door. The government of Vietnam has purchased six Guardian 400s, with the first delivery slated for November 2012. “We’re very proud of this deal, as the first western manufacturer to get in there,” Mauracher says. “We have their pilot trainees here for 14 to 18 months. They come here with some English, we put them through English language training, they get their private pilot’s licence, followed by a commercial licence, multi-engine, then we put them on floats, first in a Beaver and finally get them into a Twin Otter for 60 hours on floats. When they leave here, they will have all their ratings and they’ll go right into service.” Peru, which purchased 16 Series 300 Twin Otters in 1976, has signed up for 12 Series 400 aircraft with delivery slated to run through 2014. The Peruvian government uses the aircraft for a wide range of purposes, from the remote jungles of the Amazon headwaters to the high mountains of the Andes. With four years’ worth of Series 400 Twin Otters on the order books and the potential to sell hundreds more, Viking has established itself as a serious player in the world of aircraft manufacturing. So, what’s on the horizon for the company? Of primary concern is relaunching the iconic DHC-5 Buffalo. “There is a fallacy out there that the Buffalo costs a horrendous amount for direct operating costs to keep it in support from DND. That’s total rubbish,” says Mauracher. “What’s happened is that DND has been looking at retiring the aircraft about six times. Every time they’ve considered it, they’ve made changes to the maintenance program. The aircraft are over-maintained, beyond the level of any other operator in the world. That’s why there is so much cost in maintaining the fleet.” If you look at an equivalent operator such as Arctic Sun West, they’re probably operating at 30 per cent with their maintenance program, but no one wants to hear anything different because they think it’s an old platform, Mauracher maintains. “The [Alenia C27J] Spartan can only get into two per cent more airports than a Hercules does, while a Buffalo gets into every baseball diamond and football field in the country. It’s a vastly different platform, but if you look at the size of the fuselage and its ability to carry cargo, the size of the payload, the aircraft wing span, it’s very similar to a Spartan. The Spartan costs $45 million versus maybe $16 to 20 million for the Buffalo if we build a new one. Now, on the Buffalo going forward, I’m looking at the market throughout the world and discussing it with several different countries.” The biggest problem for Viking with regards to the Buffalo, Mauracher notes, is “identifying an engine in the sweet spot the Buffalo needs. That’s the only other thing that we would do with the Buffalo, as well as the avionics, wiring, etc., like we did with the Twin Otter. We want to make sure it matches the performance of the previous “D” model [Buffalo] or the “E” civilian model. It doesn’t have to be any better, but it has to be at least equivalent. Interoperability is important. “Canada has the C-17, an excellent aircraft, and we’ve now got the C-130J, another excellent platform. If you look at the tactical side of this, you’ve got to have interoperability, so the 108 NATO pallet goes in sideways on both those aircraft and it can go in lengthwise to the Buffalo. So, we would need to widen the floor by approximately half an inch on each side to make sure that worked. With that upgrade, new avionics, the engines, the wiring – that would be the only real change to the aircraft. It would allow a pallet to be loaded on this aircraft and use the Buffalo for not only SAR, which it is good at, but also in-theatre, to get in and out of tight spots quickly. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
“If you look at helicopters, the Chinook and the Buffalo are very compatible platforms (in terms of payload),” says Mauracher. “But if you look at the cost of acquisition and the cost of maintenance, there’s no comparison. Plus, the additional range makes the Buffalo a very good in-theatre tactical airlifter. Working together, you have the C-17 that does intercontinental, a continental C-130 airlifter and then we have an in-theatre airlifter with the Buffalos and they can all work together. Now, we come back to all those secondary and third-tier airports being developed in South America and Southeast Asia and the Buffalo fits nicely into that regime. The aircraft is very attractive.” With the Canadian government having put the decision on fixedwing SAR aircraft replacement off until 2013, Mauracher says Viking is indeed ready with a worthwhile proposal. “We submitted a proposal where we had Twin Otters across the north, operated by the private sector and we had partners like Arctic Sunwest, Air North and First Air,” Mauracher says. “The aircraft would be operated and maintained by private operators. We would use the [existing] C-130Hs on the east coast and the Buffalo on the west coast. Our board is prepared to buy the whole package and lease it to the government and operate those aircraft; all we’d have left for DND is managing the coordination centre, dispatching the aircraft and SAR techs and the rest would be managed by the public sector. So, the Buffalo definitely has an opportunity to be part of the mix, notes Mauracher, and Viking is definitely pursuing the contract. “We just have to make the right selection for the next-level Buffalo versus the investment into the engine. That’s our key right now, we’re almost there.” | W
July/August 2012 | wIngs 37
The RCMP launched its first aircraft in 1937. Seventy-five years later, RCMP Air Services operates more than 30 aircraft, maintains 19 Air Sections and employs 150 people nationwide.
MAINTAINING A PRO
THE RCMp MARkS 75 YEARS OF AiRCRAFT ON pATROL
F
ew images are as iconically Canadian as the Mountie on horseback, in the red serge. More than a century after the force’s formation as an entity for frontier justice, the tools of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have undergone some upgrades – the red serges have been stored and the horses stabled – but dig past the branding rooted in Canadian identity and we have one of the most progressive police forces in the world. The First World War officially came to a close in 1918, solidifying a place for aircraft in combat. At that time, the first fledgling airlines were just getting off the ground, and the public had yet to embrace the airplane as the hallmark of transportation it is today. That being so, Commissioner of the RCMP, Aylesworth Bowen Perry, had seen enough to be convinced
38 wIngs | July/August 2012
that the airplane could be a boon to law enforcement on the home front. Perry recommended that the RCMP form an Air Police service using surplus wartime aircraft, but government support did not materialize. Perry’s vision however, was not in vain. In 1937, four de Havilland Dragonfly biplanes with blue fuselages and yellow wings joined the force along with eight member-pilots, based at Downsview airport. The base moved a few months later to Moncton, N.B. and the Dragonflies were called in to the service of the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1939, leaving the RCMP with a single Norseman aircraft. Seventy-five years later, RCMP Air Services operates more than 30 aircraft, maintains 19 Air Sections and employs 150 people nationwide. Though much has changed, budgetary constraints have not. As belts tighten, the national police force
along with most other publicly funded organizations is being asked to do more with less. Innovation and the demand for cost savings has given a glimpse of what the future may look like for law enforcement agencies. In that vein, a “Draganfly” of an outright different sort has taken to the skies. In December 2010, Saskatoon-based Draganfly Innovations Inc. entered into a pilot program with the RCMP in supplying small, unmanned aerial vehicles to photograph vehicle collision scenes. Weighing only one kilogram, the Draganflyer X6 can usually capture the area in less than 45 minutes. The concept of UAVs in domestic security is not a new one. In an attempt to model the success of drones in conflicts such a Afghanistan, the United States Department of Homeland Security has deployed a more militaristic type of UAV www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: RCMP
bY JAMES MARASA
Procurement is an ongoing issue for the RCMP. Aircraft are replaced after seven years of use, or approximately 7,000 flight hours.
PHOTO: RCMP
OGREssIVE FORCE along the Canadian and Mexican borders. Since 2005, 10 Predator B drones (smaller cousins of the vaunted Predator) built by California-based General Atomics, have been working under the jurisdiction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Though a spokesperson for General Atomics suggests that the Predator B is too large to be of use for local law enforcement, the Federal Aviation Administration issued rules this year allowing UAVs of up to 25 pounds to be operated by police forces. That being said, it may be some time before Canadian agencies are marshalling such equipment. RCMP Officer in Charge of Air Services Marion Lamothe explains that the option of operating these types of drones has been brought to the table. “We looked into it,” he says, “but for the needs we have currently, we are not considering UAVs.” The RCMP added its first helicopter in 1971, and www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
according to Lamothe, the current contingent of Eurocopters will remain intact to address a wide variety of the missions that Air Services is routinely tasked with. Lamothe is no stranger to the impact that aircraft in the RCMP have on the communities they serve. After joining the force in 1981, Lamothe was stationed in Northern Canada for nine years, at outposts as rural as Nanisivik and Fort Good Hope. “I used to sit in the back of the aircraft on a regular basis,” he says. Though he claims no formal flight training, Lamothe reflects from his office in Ottawa, on how his time spent in the remote regions of the country cultivated a passion for aviation. “They were much closer to us in the North than in the South,” he says of the RCMP’s aircraft and pilots. “The aircraft were a lifeline to us, bringing investigators in and transporting prisoners.” And while
he emphasizes that the operations of Air Services are no less critical in the South, Lamothe points out that other modes of transportation are more readily available. “They have roads,” he says, meaning aircraft based in larger centres can be tasked predominantly with major operations. Today, Air Service’s aircraft function on more of a charter model than anything resembling an airline. As the RCMP does not carry out scheduled flights, the aircraft traverse the country’s vast expanses on an on-call basis. Aircraft are dispatched under the operational authority of their respective region rather than through a centralized headquarters. Over the last decade, the aircraft forming the bulk of the fleet has been the Pilatus PC-12. The single-engine Swiss turbine seats 11, including a single pilot. While avionics are continuously updated, procurement is an ongoing issue, with July/August 2012 | wIngs 39
older airplanes needing to be replaced after seven years of use, or approximately 7,000 flight hours. Lamothe says the RCMP is satisfied at present with its composition of aircraft and is not currently looking at acquiring any different types or models. “The aircraft are meeting our needs,” he says. Both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are used in different sorts of terrain and for different types of operations. The fixed-wing aircraft are chiefly used for transport, with the rotary craft often earning their stripes in remote settings that fixed-wing aircraft cannot access. It has been said that the Mounties always get their man. As traditional policing roles have changed, that concept has come to incorporate more than just catching bad guys. “You cannot beat a helicopter for search and rescue,” says Lamothe. “A helicopter can get as close as possible to the scene.” Though the Department of National Defence holds the primary responsibility for search and rescue, Lamothe explains that the RCMP usually receive the initial call of missing persons on a detachment level and are often able to assist right on the spot. 40 wIngs | July/August 2012
It is due in no small part to the rugged terrain and complex search and rescue environment of British Columbia that six of the RCMP’s 10 helicopters are based there. Curtis Brassington is the supervisor for the tactical flight officers (TFOs) with Air 1, a Eurocopter EC-120, based in Vancouver. Brassington recounts that in late April, Air 1 was called to assist North Shore Rescue in locating an overdue hiker in the mountains north of Vancouver. With dusk falling and poor weather hovering in the valleys, North Shore Rescue was not aware of the status of the hiker. They had yet to determine whether or not to dispatch their ground-based search teams in what would be very challenging conditions. Using night-vision goggles and the helicopter’s infrared sensor, Air 1 was able to locate the hiker in the dark. “We could tell that the hiker had built a fire and was in no imminent danger. North Shore Rescue was able to send teams in at daylight,” Brassington says. While flying is not without its inherent risk, Lamothe reinforces the safety measures that have made aviation in the RCMP safer over the 30 or so years he has been a member. “The avionics are
considerably more advanced,” he says. “We have better means of communication and tracking.” However, such advances in technology have brought about a more intensive requirement for training. Lamothe stresses that part of his mandate in being the “executive accountable” for Air Services is ensuring that every single individual is properly trained to do his or her job. It is a challenge that has perpetually evolved since the first bi-planes lifted off at Downsview and it will be ever-present as the demands on law enforcement change. As UAV technology evolves and pilots cope with difficulties such as laser strikes on ever-tightening budgets and rising fuel costs, Air Services will continuously be seeking new ways to traverse a shifting operational landscape. And though they may not be as iconic as the red serges, RCMP aircraft and the members who fly them will continue to be part of the solution. On Sept. 13, RCMP Air Services will be hosting an open house for RCMP personnel and partner agencies. The events will include a memorial ceremony for RCMP Air Services members who have lost their lives while on duty since 1937. | W www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
PHOTO: FlIgHTsOuRCE.Ca
Aircraft are dispatched under the operational authority of their respective regions rather than through a centralized headquarters. This allows local needs to be addressed on a timely basis.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
FACTs
THE RCMP maintains 19 Air Sections and currently employs 150 people throughout the country, including 78 pilots and 49 aircraft maintenance engineers and avionics technicians. The Air Services Fleet includes fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft: • three Cessna Caravans • two de Havilland Twin otters • two eurocopter eC-120Bs eight eurocopter AS-350B3s • • 15 Pilatus PC-12s • one Piaggio Avanti P-180 • 10 Cessnas As the RCMP does not carry out scheduled flights, the aircraft traverse the country’s vast expanses on an on-call basis. Aircraft are dispatched under the operational authority of their respective region rather than through a centralized headquarters. Source: RCMP
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The official publication of the Canadian Business Aviation Association
NEWS BRIEF
CBAA 2012: The Bizav World Comes to Canada
CEO’S CORNER
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TC’S NEW APPROACH TO BIZAV REGS A POSITIVE SHIFT CEO of GE Capital Canada, on how GE uses its extensive expertise and knowledge of business aviation to deliver a FRPSOHWH VSHFWUXP RI ¿QDQFLQJ DQG EXVLQHVV VHUYLFHV 5LFKDUG $ERXOD¿D RQ WKH Long Road Back to Recovery, suggesting that, barring any new shocks to the global economy, business aviation is SRLVHG IRU D UHFRYHU\ Fabio Gambia, President and CEO of the European Business Aviation Association, on the impact of the European 8QLRQ¶V (PLVVLRQ 7UDGLQJ 6FKHPH Martin Eley, Director General, Civil Aviation, Transport Canada, on their consultation process on the new regulation, and openness to considering &%$$ UHFRPPHQGDWLRQV Pat Butcher, Director, Trusted Traveller Division, Canada Border Services
Agency, on Trusted Traveller programs for business aviation passengers and crew. Day two was dedicated to the trade show and static display at Skyservice Aviation, IHDWXULQJ GR]HQV RI H[KLELWRUV and aircraft on display, with delegates learning about the latest technologies, services and aircraft options geared especially to them. “The CBAA convention and trade show is known as the place where business gets GRQH ´ VDLG %DURQH ³:H DUH indebted to our sponsors and exhibitors for their ongoing support – they are a major part RI RXU VXFFHVV :H¶YH DOUHDG\ begun planning for 2013, and will develop even more enhancement to be sure that all of our participants – sponsors, exhibitors and delegates – get full value for their time DQG PRQH\ ´
It looks like we have turned a corner on the new business aviation regulations – and the signs are very positive. In May, Transport Canada consulted with CBAA and operators on the new set of regulations. We are headed in the direction of IS-BAO, a regime that was not only recommended by CBAA, but was created here in Canada and accepted as an international standard. The original Interim Order that replaced POC set alarm bells ringing in just about every business aviation operation in Canada, and rightly so. The measures were much more stringent than our sector required. The CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
CBAA-ACAA CBAA-ACAA News News BriefBrief 1
CONTENTS
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3 3 4
CBAA 2012 Golf Sponsor Recognition
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CBAA’s New Chairman and Executive Committee
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Calendar of Events
Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs
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Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) Partners with ith h CBAA
CBAA/TC Focus Group Recommendations
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New Members bers CBAA 2012 Sponsor Recognition
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5 SAM BARONE CONTINUED CBAA spared no effort to convince Transport Canada that this approach was not only unwarranted, but that there was a better approach. After months of discussions and thanks to the efforts and strong working relationship between Martin Eley, Director General, Civil Aviation at Transport Canada, and Merlin Preuss, our Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs, a real dialogue finally emerged. Over time, we discovered common ground and mutually acceptable directions that gave the regulator the level of comfort and due diligence it required, while accommodating the reasonable needs of operators. Our efforts led directly to a special focus group meeting with Transport Canada, Civil Aviation, CBAA and operators. The result is a report outlining the industry’s recommendations that will be taken into consideration when Transport
2
CBAA-ACAA 2 CBAA-ACAA NewsNews Brief
SecretaryÊUÊ `ÀiÜÊ7 Ã Ì }>Ì Ê Õ V , iÀÊEÊ i
develops its new regulations. Martin Eley recently addressed operators perators erators at CBAA 2012, and his hi om mments were both positive and comments realistic. While making alistic. li ti Whil ki no promises, i and thatt th the d mindful i df l off the th ffactt th decisions are made at a ministerial level, he was supportive of the CBAA position. As a result of our ongoing discussions with Transport, CBAA’s dealings with government officials are the best that they have been in years. They value our input, listen to our concerns and respect our point of view. This is a sea change from where we were 18 months ago, and bodes well for our future work with Transport Canada and other departments on a range of important files beyond the regulations. CBAA is entering the last months of 2012 on a strong note, not only advocating well, but producing positive and meaningful results – and this is only the beginning.
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With special thanks to this year’s golf tournament sponsors: Holes
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FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW REGULATIONS, PLEASE ACCESS A COPY OF THE TRANSPORT CANADA FOCUS GROUP REPORT ON OUR WEBSITE http://www.cbaa-acaa.ca/en/op-info/poc-transition/ item/293-cbaa/tc-focus-group-recommendations-and-comments
CBaa/tC focus group recommendations
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BAA’s continual and close monitoring of Transport Canada Civil Aviation’s (TCCA) development of a new regulatory framework for business aviation and our meetings with and briefings from TCCA officials clearly showed that TCCA was proposing a final Subpart 604 framework that was far more demanding than warranted by the business aviation safety record. In response, CBAA provided TCCA with alternative options and recommendations. After a review of these CBAA submissions, TCCA decided to delay further regulatory development and consult with the aviation community via a focus group. The focus group was asked to • recommend the types of operations/operators that should be subject to Subpart 604, • review several options for the regulatory framework, and • address methods for providing special authorizations (ops specs). TCCA would then take into consideration the information provided by the focus group in its report when making decisions on further development of the new Subpart 604 regulations.
www.cbaa-acaa.ca
The CBAA’s main recommendations were that: • Subpart 604 apply to the same operations to which the pre-Interim Order regulation applied with minor changes, • the regulatory framework be based on International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations registration, • There be no requirement for a private operator certificate, • Crew competency continue to be assured by training to proficiency programs, and • The issuing of special authorities be delegated to the Industry. The report and subsequent communications from TCCA, the most recent being the presentation by Martin Eley (DGCA) to the CBAA convention on 13 June 2012, while not committing the government to any particular regulatory framework, have left the door wide open to the creation of a regulatory framework have line with the CBAA recommendations. To permit this work to continue, the current Interim Order will be renewed for another year. CBAA will continue to work closely with TCCA to create a regulatory framework that will both assure safe business aviation operations and also facilitate the growth of the business aviation sector. At the same time, the CBAA will be doing everything possible to encourage TCCA to reduce the current, excessive regulatory burden created by the Interim Order.
CBAA-ACAA CBAA-ACAA News News BriefBrief 3
EVENTS AND MEETINGS CBAA 2012/13 EXECUTIVE
CHAIR Frank Burke } ÌÊ i«>ÀÌ i ÌÊ > >}iÀÉ Chief Pilot / ` Ã Ê ` }ÃÊ Ì` PAST CHAIR Rob Madden ÀiVÌ ÀÊ vÊ } ÌÊ"«iÀ>Ì Ã ÛiÀ i ÌÊ vÊ LiÀÌ>Ê ÀÊ /À> ë ÀÌ>Ì Ê-iÀÛ Vià VICE-CHAIR David Hall i iÀ> Ê > >}iÀ ÀÛ }Ê ÀÊ-iÀÛ Vià TREASURER Jean Ménard -ÌÀ>Ìi} VÊ-> iÃÊ ÀiVÌ ÀÊÊ Ê " Ê VV Õ Ìà iÞÜi Ê SECRETARY Andrew Wilson Ì }>Ì Ê Õ Ãi , iÀÊ> `Ê i Ê
EVENTS CALENDAR
OCT. 30 - NOV. 1, 2012 NBAA 2012 Orlando, Florida www.nbaa.org
DECEMBER 6-7, 2012 3rd Annual CBAA/NBAA Cross Border Issues Conference Marriott Hotel, Ottawa, ON
4
CBAA-ACAA 4 CBAA-ACAA NewsNews Brief
Innotech Aviation Delivers 26th Bombardier Global XRS Completion
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QQRWHFK $YLDWLRQ KDV GHOLYHUHG D *OREDO ;56 6 1 SODFH LQWHULRU FRPSOHWLRQ WR %RPEDUGLHU $HURVSDFH 7KLV PDUNV ,QQRWHFK¶V WK LQWHULRU completion of a Global series aircraft. Innotech is a Bombardier Preferred Completion Facility. Innotech vice-president and general manager, Rob Brooks, said, “We are very proud of our Montreal team and the relationship we have built with Bombardier Aerospace. We continue to exercise our Tuality processes to deliver a ¿rst class product to Bombardier clients around the world. These processes also support our capabilities and expertise as an Authori]ed 6ervice Facility A6F when working on major refurbishing and heavy maintenance contracts.´ Brooks added, “We look forward to delivering our ¿rst Global completion in the next few months.´ The completion includes a custom paint application from Innotech¶s , -sTuare-foot paint preparation and application facility at Trudeau International Airport in Montreal. The paint shop is equipped with environmentally friendly technology that provides a cleaner application, better adhesion and substantially less paint waste than conventional spray methods. It has been running at full capacity since it opened in 2008. Innotech is located in the unique µMontreal aviation cluster¶ a concentration of companies that design and produce many signi¿cant aircraft components. The company is only a short distance from Bombardier¶s own manufacturing plant, Bombardier Training Center CA(, and Flight Safety training centers, a Rolls-Royce engine maintenance and overhaul center, and Messier Dowty, which makes the landing gear assemblies for the Global family of aircraft. Innotech Aviation www.innotechaviation.com , part of Innotech-(xecaire Aviation Group, is an established leader in business aviation with more than 50 years of experience. A division of IMP Group ltd., a privately held company recently recogni]ed again as one of the 50 best managed companies in Canada, Innotech Aviation is based in Montreal, and provides interior completions on µgreen¶ aircraft, interior refurbishment, exterior paint, maintenance, repair and overhaul, avionics installations modi¿cations, mechanical avionics design and engineering to the world¶s business aviation community. IMP Group International Inc. is a diversi¿ed multinational Canadian corporation with 3,500 employees in four countries. The company has extensive interests in aerospace, manufacturing, airlines and general aviation services, real estate and hotels.
MEMBERSHIP
Joe Sheldrake Joins John Hopkinson & Associates Ltd.
J
ohn +opkinson, President of John +opkinson Associates Ltd., is pleased to announce that Joe Sheldrake has joined our team. +e joins the ¿rm as Vice President of Business Development. Joe has over 1 years of experience in the commercial lending sector with GE Capital Canada. During this time at GE, Joe held a number of positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as Vice President, Sales, for Western Canada. Joe has led sales teams to achieve strong results through a customer focused approach. Joe holds a Bachelor¶s Degree in +istory and Certi¿cate in Business Administration from the University of Victoria. With his strong commercial lending and sales experience Joe will be an asset to our sales and marketing department.
Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)
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he GTAA, operator of Toronto Pearson, is proud to partner with the CBAA. We understand the value of business aviation and the role that it plays in the aviation sector. In terms of operating Toronto Pearson, we have a mandate to operate the airport safely and ef¿ciently for the general bene¿t of the public. We need to do so on a ¿nancially viable basis and in a manner that allows us to participate in growing 2ntario¶s transportation facilities to generate economic activity. Our mandate guides how we develop and evaluate business strategies and we determine our value in terms of overall economic bene¿t to the community, our support for business development in the region, customer experience and satisfaction and our determination to run the airport in a ¿nancially responsible manner. Our overall goal is to grow traf¿c at Toronto Pearson and to become the Premier Gateway to North America. Increased hub development at Toronto Pearson means increased economic growth, trade and business bene¿ts for Toronto, Ontario and Canada. To that end, we have recently announced several exciting initiatives. Late in 2012 and throughout 2013, a total of 13 new restaurants will be opened in our passenger terminals. Local celebrity chefs will add a new element of dining excellence in the gate areas, offering guests the opportunity to sample some of Toronto¶s greatest food. A new partnership with American Express has just been announced. Under the sponsorship agreement, American Express will provide free Wi-Fi for all airport guests, and select cardmembers will be eligible for front-of-the-line security screening. Under the agreement, future entertainment programming will be
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NEW MEMBERS
Valair Aviation Valair Aviation speciali]es in systems engineering, integration, modi¿cation and completions for commercial and government aircraft. With over 50 years of experience, Valair Aviation is known for providing complete aircraft restoration services.
J.A. Spears Founded in 1 , J.A. Spears continues to provide Business Jet clients with the highest level of service excellence speciali]ing in aircraft acquisition, aircraft sales and aircraft consulting.
HUB International HUB International is a global insurance brokerage providing a broad array of property, casualty, risk management, life and health, employee bene¿ts, investment and wealth management products and services across North America. +UB is dedicated to helping businesses and individuals evaluate their risks and manage their insurance needs.
developed and new bene¿ts for cardmembers will be introduced over the course of the year. Business aviation at Toronto Pearson consists of established businesses who, in their own right, contribute valuable jobs and economic development. Toronto Pearson serves demand for business aviation which cannot be accommodated elsewhere and we also recogni]e that business aviation clientele tend to be business leaders who bring a great deal more to business and economy of Toronto than the average passenger. Forecasts for passenger traf¿c at Toronto Pearson show an increasing trend in the foreseeable future. At the same time, forecasts for overall aircraft operations show increases as well. These increases will put additional pressure on the air¿eld, as demands for operations continue to grow. Over time, Toronto Pearson will see constraints for all operators at peak times. The GTAA is committed to working with all operators to maximi]e the effective use of all airport facilities. As the demand for airport infrastructure requires future development, it will be undertaken in a responsible and cost effective manner, in line with our overall strategy. The GTAA is committed to continued dialogue with all operators, and we will speak to our airport community regarding future development, demand and effective operations.
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SPONSOR RECOGNITION The CBAA wishes to thank our 2012 convention sponsors: Platinum
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FINAL By Jim Quick | president/CEO, AIAC
Turning over a new leaf Green technology key to future of Canada’s aerospace industry
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capacity to develop sustainable, efficient technologies. The government has recognized the strategic importance of the aerospace industry to the Canadian economy through its announcement of the Aerospace Review. As technologies develop and global markets open, new opportunities will emerge – and strengthening the relationship between industry and government will provide immense rewards for all Canadians. Finally, we must continue to attract, train and invest in the world’s best aerospace minds. A Canadian strength is an educational system that develops world-leading skill and innovation; however, we cannot take this for granted. Growing Canada’s reputation of excellence in the research and development of green aerospace technologies will require a strong commitment among all parties to creating an environment that attracts investment and opportunity. The Canadian aerospace industry has a history of significant accomplishment. Through the work that we are doing with GARDN and others we have an opportunity to build on that reputation and success. With a cohesive, united vision for the future and a spirit of collaboration, Canada’s aerospace industry can continue to lead the globe in technology efficiency and environmental sustainability. | W
Environmental sustainability has become critically intertwined in our technology development and our drive for growth. are currently involved in working groups, including one specifically devoted to technology development, demonstration and commercialization. Together, industry, government, academia and other stakeholders are developing recommendations with the objective of ensuring our industry’s global long-term competitiveness, which invariably implies the continued development of more ecofriendly technologies. It is our hope that the collaboration and mutual effort that is going into this process provides not only a valuable assessment of the opportunities and challenges facing the industry in this area, but also a road map for the kind of future partnerships that will be necessary to maintain our position of leadership in a competitive global market. As we look forward, three conditions will be critical to Canada’s continued ability to lead the world in developing efficient, environmentally sustainable technologies. First, we must continue to foster active, engaged co-operation between industry and its stakeholders. We have accomplished much in this area, and GARDN is a great example. Second, the aerospace industry’s partnership with the government, particularly in the area of R&D, will be vital to industry’s
Jim Quick is the president/CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada. www.wIngsMagazInE.COM
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fficiency and growth have long been key drivers of success for the Canadian aerospace industry. Technology advancements and innovation are creating new and exciting opportunities for Canadian aerospace and must remain at the core of our industry’s aspirations and vision. A third element, however, has emerged and, I believe, is here to stay. Environmental sustainability has become critically intertwined in our technology development and our drive for greater efficiency and growth. Climate change is a global challenge, and responding to it is a global responsibility. No one country, industry or company can tackle this enormous challenge alone. Aviation’s contribution to global carbon dioxide (C02) emissions is two per cent, and is three per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. With the anticipated increase in air travel, these numbers are expected to increase to three and five per cent respectively by 2050, even when emissions reductions and greater fuel efficiency are factored in. Canada has an opportunity to take a leadership role on the global stage when it comes to the development of green aerospace technologies. For our manufacturing, research and development sectors in particular, we must continue to build on our strengths and cement our reputation as an industry that is on the leading edge of the technology development that is driving product and environmental sustainability. Several important steps have already been taken to create such an environment. The Green Aviation Research and Development Network (GARDN) was created in 2009 with a mandate to work with industry, researchers and the government to promote and foster the development of aerospace technologies that are protective of the environment. Add to that the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada’s support for Canada’s Action Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Aviation and it is clear our commitment to developing more efficient and environmental sustainable technologies is strong. The program and policy review that was announced by the government earlier this year also has important implications for green technology in Canada. As part of the review process, AIAC and its members
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