Kern business Journal June 2013 by Kern Business Journal

KERN Journal Business

Vol. 2, No. 3

Cover Story

Aerospace/Aviation Issue

Kern’s pioneers reaching for the sky

— Kern Business Journal

Kern Business Journal P.O. Bin 440 Bakersfield, CA 93302

Page 25

June/July 2013

Commercial space flight milestone reached in Kern County irgin Galactic moved one giant step closer to offering tourist flights to suborbital space when it completed the first powered flight of its new rocketplane on April 29 over eastern Kern County. The rocketplane climbed to an altitude of 47,000 feet and then was released from its mother ship. Within seconds, fire and smoke burst from its rocket motor, thrusting the spaceship forward and upward for 16 seconds to an altitude of more than 55,000 feet. SpaceShipTwo flew under its own power, achieving a speed of Mach 1.2. No doubt it was not the fastest or highest flight ever recorded over the desert. But it was the successful completion of test flight critical to the commercial space program. “A few more test flights, slightly bigger burns every time, and then we’ll all be back here again to watch it go into space,” said Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson after the test flight conducted by teams from Mojave-based Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic. To read more about the flight, turn to Page 24. Virgin Galactic is just one of the many companies and government agencies that are continuing eastern Kern County’s decades-old legacy of aviation and aerospace innovation.

Just $95,000 for a ticket to ride

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo is seen under rocket power for the first time since the program began in 2005. The spacecraft was dropped from its mother ship, WhiteKnightTwo, over Mojave on April 29 before firing its hybrid-power motor. The company hopes to become the first commercial space venture to bring multiple passengers into space on a regular basis. Mark Greenberg / Virgin Galactic

NASCAR raceway fuels Kern County’s economy Millions of dollars a year are expected to be pumped into Kern County’s economy with the opening in May of the Kern County Raceway Park, between Interstate 5 and Enos Lane, west of Bakersfield. Featuring half-mile and quarter-mile paved tracks, the raceway will continue Bakersfield’s NASCAR legacy in the wake of Mesa Marin Speedway’s 2005 closure. An inaugural racing schedule has been set

Presorted Standard U.S. Postage PAID Bakersfield, CA Permit No. 758

for the remainder of this year. It has taken more than six years, a bankruptcy and a set of new investors to make the raceway a reality. Original construction on the track began in February 2007, but ground to a halt in 2008 because of financial problems. The 490-acre property was foreclosed on in 2010 and sat idle until new investors stepped in last year. An analysis prepared for the Kern

INSIDE Edwards Air Force Base.............................4 NASA Dryden............................................6 China Lake Naval Weapons........................8 Filming Super Bowl Commercials..............10 Inyokern Seeks UAV Test Site...................10 Bakersfield Airport’s Rocket.....................11 Business Aviation Takes Off.....................16

Economic Development Corp. in 2007 predicted the raceway would generate $40 million in annual economic benefits. The estimate was based on the raceway hosting 34 races and 60 non-racing events a year. Richard Chapman, KEDC’s president and CEO, called the project a “win-win for Kern County.” The new raceway is a multi-use complex, with 5,500 seats that can expand to 15,000 for major events. There are 12 VIP suites within its four-story control tower and concession building. The facility is designed to also accommodate such events as concerts and trade shows on 125,000 square feet of paved infield. — Kern Business Journal

Powerhouse Helicopter Company..............17 Hot-Weather Office Attire..........................18 International Flight Training Academy........22 National Test Pilot School........................23 Mojave Air & Space Port..........................24 Online Advertising...................................26 Backcountry Flying...................................29 $100 Hamburger.....................................30 Skydiving and Silent Flight........................36

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Journal KERN Business Showcasing Kern County business and industry June/July 2013 / Vol. 2, No.3 Kern Business Journal is published by The Bakersfield Californian. Copies of the bi-monthly journal are available from The Bakersfield Californian, Kern Economic Development Corp. and Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce. Publisher Ginger Moorhouse President/CEO Richard Beene Senior Vice President Revenue and Marketing John Wells Editor Dianne Hardisty Art Director Glenn Hammett To submit a story kernbusinessjournal@gmail.com To advertise and subscribe mpatel@bakersfield.com Mira Patel 395-7586 Follow on Facebook Facebook.com/ KernBusinessJournal Follow on Twitter @kernbiz

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

Dianne Hardisty

Kern’s skies continue to have ‘Right Stuff’

an has long looked to the skies with wonder and ambition. More than 2,000 years ago, the philosopher Socrates observed, “Man must rise above the Earth—to the top of the atmosphere and beyond—for only thus will he fully understand the world in which he lives.” Nowhere on this earth has the search for greater understanding been more persistent than in the clear blue skies above eastern Kern County’s flat desert. Hanging above the entrance to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. is the Voyager. Flown by Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan in Dianne Hardisty 1986, and built in Mojave, the Voyager was the first airplane to be flown around the world without landing or refueling. Nearly every step a visitor takes in the popular museum leads to yet another display of an aviation “first” with ties to Kern County, particularly to what is now known as the Mojave Air and Space Port and Edwards Air Force Base. Since before World War II, the nation’s pilots and engineers with the “Right Stuff ” have

Dianne Hardisty / Kern Business Journal

Voyager greets visitors at Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

been pushing the envelope over Kern County, climbing to greater and greater heights in aviation and space technology. This proud tradition continues today, as Kern County emerges as the epicenter of the effort to advance commercial space flight and improve the war-fighting capabilities of the U.S. military. The June issue of the Kern Business Journal showcases the efforts of entrepreneurs who continue to look to Kern County skies for their

inspiration. It also features the “down to earth” efforts of Kern County’s many hard-working general aviation business owners. The aerospace accomplishments may be creating the headlines and catching the world’s attention, but Kern’s general aviation industry is contributing millions of dollars to the local economy and providing a vital link in the area’s transportation network. — Dianne Hardisty is the editor of the Kern Business Journal.

Business at-a-glance that cyber security and industry experts are concerned that the modernized North American electrical grid is vulnerable to cyber attacks that could cripple the nation’s electrical infrastructure, including parts critical to maintaining our economy and security. GridCOM Technologies is currently in the research and development phase, with plans to install and operate its first prototype system in the greater San Diego area and offer services nationwide thereafter. --GridCOM Technologies Inc. Union Pacific

Mojave has been named to the Union Pacific’s Train Town USA Registry.

Mojave added to UP’s Train Town USA Registry Mojave has been awarded membership in Union Pacific’s Train Town USA Registry as part of Union Pacific’s ongoing efforts to highlight cities with a historical connection to the railroad. The city received an official Train Town USA resolution signed by Union Pacific Chairman Jim Young during a recent meeting of the Mojave Chamber of Commerce board. Union Pacific launched its Train Town USA Registry as part of the railroad’s 150th anniversary celebration in 2012. “Union Pacific was founded to help connect the nation from east to west. Our shared heritage with Mojave is a source of pride as we remember our past while delivering the goods American businesses and families use every day,” said Liisa Stark, Union Pacific director of public affairs. Mojave was founded in 1876 when Southern Pacific Railroad developed plans for a station on the rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco. In 1996, Union Pacific Railroad merged with Southern Pacific. Mojave continues

to be an important railroad junction through which Union Pacific serves customers from a variety of industries including mining, the military, construction and more. --Union Pacific

BBB honors businesses Four Bakersfield businesses received ethics awards during the Better Business Bureau of Central California’s 7th Annual Ethics Awards luncheon in May. The Ethics Awards honors outstanding local for-profit companies that have demonstrated a commitment to ethical business practices, both in operations and in terms of integrity, reliability and responsiveness to employees, vendors and customers. Winners by category were: Stockdale Learning Center, small business; Bakersfield Plumbing Co., medium business; and Beautologie Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Center, large business. Television station KBAK received the organization’s Spirit Award for going “above and beyond to aid your local BBB in promoting our mission to local businesses and consumers.” --Better Business Bureau

System developed to protect U.S. electrical grid Bakersfield-based Ellis Energy Investments is providing seed funding to GridCOM Technologies Inc. of San Diego to develop its “future-proof” quantum encryption solution that protects vulnerable communications between millions of automation devices that control the nation’s electrical grid. Using quantum entangled photons and optical fibers, a decentralized key server is created over a geographic region. For a monthly subscription fee, wired and wireless devices can access this “quantum” key server over the Internet to receive “incorruptible” keys that are used in performing symmetric key encryption. “The concept of developing a solution that will protect our electrical grid was so compelling that providing seed funding was as much a patriotic decision as business investment. GridCOM’s subscription-based system will provide guaranteed safe machineto-machine communication for our nation.” stated Stan Ellis, CEO of Ellis Energy Investments. In a 2012 study, the U.S. Government Accountability Office stated

Bakersfield recognized as destination city Bakersfield continues to receive positive press as a visitor destination. In the March issue of Central Valley Magazine, writer Gail Marshall poses the question: “What’s so great about Bakersfield?” Her conclusion: Just about everything. The magazine devoted four pages to Bakersfield, beginning with: “Bakersfield was recently named as a top city of strong economic vitality and growth. So maybe it’s time we Fresnans stop pooh-poohing Bakersfield and take a closer look.” That closer look included stops at Coconut Joe’s, J’s Place, Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, the Padre Hotel, and Dewar’s. Earlier this year, Bakersfield was the “Quick Escape” feature in the January/February issue of Westways Magazine. Our country music

legacy was the reason writer Annie Aboulian chose to visit, searching for “a few days of good music.” In addition to the Crystal Palace, Trout’s, and the Kern County Museum, the article also spotlighted Wool Grower’s and the Hampton Inn. In the premiere issue of Yosemite Journal, Bakersfield received a plug as a place to stop, explore and spend the night on the way from Los Angeles to Yosemite. And in the spring issue of What’s New in California, the official publication of Visit California, Bakersfield snagged one of three spots in the Central Valley region with a profile of downtown’s On the Rocks nightclub and restaurant. --Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau

Local distributor receives MillerCoors award MillerCoors President Tom Long presented local beer distributor Mary Trichell with the “MillerCoors President’s Award” during a March convention in Orlando, Fla. The President’s Award recognizes sales excellence by rewarding the top performing distributors from across the five MillerCoors sales regions. Locally owned, W. A. Thompson Distributing has been delivering beer products to retail outlets in Kern County and the high desert areas of California for over 50 years. --W.A. Thompson Distributing

The iconic Bakersfield sign hangs across Sillect Avenue, north of Buck Owen’s Crystal Palace, a popular tourist attraction.

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Edwards Air Force Base

F-35 fighter jets arrive at Edwards Air Force Base in 2010.

Edwards Air Force Base

Space Shuttle Endeavor departs Edwards AFB for the last time before being flown to its final destination in a Southern California museum.

Face of tomorrow’s Air Force flies at Edwards today By Edwards AFB public affairs staff

common saying at Edwards Air Force Base is that if you want to see what the Air Force of tomorrow will look like, visit the Edwards ramp today. Edwards Air Force Base is home to the Air Force Test Center and the 412th Test Wing. The test center’s mission is to “conduct and support research, development, test and evaluation of aerospace systems from concept to combat.” Edwards test forces have played a vital role in virtually every aircraft to enter the Air Force inventory since World War II. While the base’s role is critical to national defense, its economic impact to the Antelope Valley and East Kern County is substantial. Each year the base analyzes its economic impact on surrounding communities. In fiscal 2009, the most recent year for which complete statistics are available, the base’s economic impact was $1.56 billion. This includes total payroll, contract and budgetary expenditures. The base hosts tenant organizations, including the NASA-Dryden Flight Research Center, Air Force Research Laboratory’s Propulsion Directorate and the Air Force Operational and Test Evaluation Center’s Detachment 5. The Edwards workforce includes roughly 12,800 men and women focused on accomplishing the Air Force’s test mission. Those people are the base’s key resource, leaders say. There are roughly 3,500 military members, 3,100 government civil servants, 3,200 private contractors, and 3,000 NASA, AFRL and other tenant unit members who work on base. For the last 60 years, Edwards has seen testing of every major weapons system in the Air Force arsenal, plus many of those belonging to other services. Among the many Edwards’ historic events was the flight of the

Edwards Air Force Base

An Edwards Air Force Base pilot salutes to another aircraft.

Bell X-1, flown by then Capt. Chuck Yeager, on Oct. 14, 1947 when he broke the sound barrier. Another historic flight was in the North American X-15, flown by then Maj. Pete Knight. This flight, flown in 1966, still stands as the fastest manned-airplane flight to date at Mach 6.72. There are nine flight test squadrons with as many as 20 aircraft assigned to each. The aircraft are grouped by mission representing: global power (fighters and bombers); global reach (transport); and global vigilance (unmanned aerial vehicles). The incredible array of test and test support aircraft assigned to Edwards include: B-1, B-2, B-52, C-5, C-12, C-17, C-130, C-130J, KC-135, CV-22, F-16, F-22, F-35,

MQ-1, MQ-9 and RQ-4. These aircraft fly test missions that evaluate everything from airframe structures and propulsion to avionics and electronic warfare — all with the aim of ensuring these weapons systems are suitable for their intended combat missions. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter test program is the latest high visibility program at Edwards. The F-35 has been designed with an emphasis on air-to-ground attack, including an extended range capability and a large internal weapons bay. This program will be the largest and most complex ever undertaken, with six years of planned testing across multiple military services, three aircraft versions and 11,000 flight test hours. The 412th Test Wing – Edwards’ largest

organization – plans, conducts, analyzes and reports on all flight and ground testing of aircraft, weapons systems, software and components, as well as modeling and simulation for the USAF. There are three core components for this mission: flying operations, maintenance and engineering. Through a maintenance group of over 2,000 people and an operations group of 3,000, the test wing maintains and flies an average of 90 aircraft with upwards of 30 different aircraft designs and performs over 7,400 missions (over 1,900 test missions) on an annual basis. The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, also part of the test wing, is where the Air Force’s top pilots, navigators and engineers learn how to conduct flight tests and generate the data needed to carry out test missions. Human lives and millions of dollars depend upon how carefully a test mission is planned and flown. The comprehensive curriculum of the Test Pilot School is fundamental to the success of flight test and evaluation. The Engineering Division and the Electronic Warfare Division provide the central components in the conduct of the test and evaluation mission. They provide the tools, talent and equipment for the core disciplines of aircraft structures, propulsion, avionics and electronic warfare evaluation of the latest weapon system technologies. They are also host to the core facilities that enable flight and ground test with the Range Division, Benefield Anechoic Facility, Integrated Flight Avionics Systems Test Facility and the Air Force Electronic Warfare Evaluation Simulator. The base itself covers 308,000 acres, or roughly 482 square miles. As a matter of perspective, a city the size of Los Angeles could fit within the base boundaries with miles to spare. In fact, it is the second largest Air Force base and boasts the country’s longest runway. Located on the western edge of the Mojave Desert, Edwards has the largest dry lake bed in North America – Rogers Dry Lakebed. The lake bed’s surface – comprised of a silt and clay mixture often called playa – measures more than 44 square miles and has 14 runways totaling more than 68 miles long. Rogers has acted as a natural safety net for flight test for the last 60-plus years. That combined with ideal year-round flying weather and its most invaluable resource – its people – Edwards is truly a national asset, base leaders say. — This article was written by the staff of the Edwards Air Force Base Public Affairs Office.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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NASA, NOAA join air district’s pollution tracking By David Lighthall

ederally funded air-quality research has provided both the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and the scientific community with a large body of knowledge about how to best address the valley’s serious air-quality challenge. In addition to contributions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board, two agencies in particular have been key contributors: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The work from all of these agencies has provided valuable tools for the air district’s progress in cleaning up the air basin. Important early studies include the California Regional PM10/PM2.5 Air Quality Study (CRPAQS) and the Central California Ozone Study (CCOS). Conducted in 2000, these studies focused on: • The sources of the ingredients of ozone and fine-particulate matter (PM2.5) both in the valley and the rest of California. • How these pollutants are processed in the atmosphere. • The processes that determine where and how ozone and PM2.5 are distributed in the valley. These research campaigns have provided the district with the knowledge needed to design effective pollution-control strategies. An important aspect of these studies was a better understanding of the relationship of valley air pollution to California. In the past few years, research by NOAA and NASA has looked at valley air quality in a global context. In May and June of 2010, NOAA launched its CalNEX campaign, which studied ozone “transport” within California and the valley, and also transcontinental flows from Asian and oceanic shipping sources. In order to measure these “transboundary” concentrations, ozone balloons were used to measure vertical ozone profiles from numerous launch points along the coast and California’s interior. This study also included numerous air flights spanning the valley, neighboring air basins and the offshore Pacific Ocean. Data analysis revealed some striking findings with major implications for the valley’s future. It is estimated that transboundary ozone from offshore sources contributes between 12 percent and 23 percent to peak ozone in Bakersfield. Because the federal Clean Air Act allows air districts an exemption from transboundary impacts, future scientific confirmation of this estimate could have a very large effect on how soon the valley attains the federal ozone standard and the ultimate costs of ozone controls imposed on valley sources. In January and February of this year, NASA launched its own DISCOVER-AQ field campaign. Combining intensive ground monitoring with air flights and satellite observations, the project’s primary goal was to roll back the current barriers to using NASA’s next generation of satellites for realtime monitoring of ground-level ozone and PM2.5 within the valley and beyond. The ability of future satellites to effectively measure ozone movement into the valley from offshore sources would have a major impact on an accurate assignment of responsibility between U.S.based sources and sources beyond our borders. The knowledge generated by recent NOAA and NASA research holds the potential to substantially reduce both the time and costs associated with attaining the federal 8-hour ozone standard in the San Joaquin Valley and cleaning up our air.

— Dr. David Lighthall is a health science advisor with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

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NASA’s east Kern center exploring earth, space By David McBride

Earth and Space Science

Dryden maintains several unique or highly modified airASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center, located craft for scientific data collection to support NASA’s earth at Edwards Air Force Base, has made many science and astrophysics programs. It currently operates a significant contributions to aerospace research DC-8 flying laboratory, two high-altitude ER-2s, a C-20A since it was established in 1946. Over the past that carries a sophisticated ground-penetrating synthetic seven decades, Dryden has been at the heart of numeraperture radar, and two Global Hawk long-endurance, ous profound aerospace accomplishments, such as first high-altitude breaking the sound unmanned barrier with the aircraft. X-1 aircraft in Recent October 1947; exmissions ploring hypersonic have included speeds in the X-15; investigation and supporting of hurricanes development and in the Atlantic hosting 59 landings Ocean, study of of the space shuttle polar ice sheets from 1977 to 2011. in Antarctica This legacy of last fall, volcadiscovery and innic studies over novation continues Hawaii, glacier today as NASA research, landresearch is helping slide imaging, to understand and soil moisture protect earth, and studies, earthexpand our knowlquake fault edge of the solar movements in system and beyond, California and supporting NASA’s NASA / Tony Landis elsewhere, and key mission areas most recently a One of NASA’s Global Hawk unmanned science aircraft displays its bulbous nose in aeronautics, month-long radar while parked on the ramp at the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. technology develimaging mission opment, reduced-cost space access, human exploration and over Central and South America. Researchers use the data operations in space, and earth and space science. collected as part of theses missions to better understand and Dryden’s FY 2012 budget totaled $253 million, and the protect our home planet earth. administration’s proposed FY2014 budget would allocate NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronjust under $262 million for NASA Dryden. omy, a highly modified Boeing 747 that carries a 100-inch NASA Dryden provides a significant economic boost infrared telescope, underwent major upgrades to its mission to the East Kern County-Antelope Valley region. Dryden’s command and control system and avionics systems last workforce consists of about 1,150 persons, split between year. It recently resumed engineering flights to prepare for a contractor and civil servant employees. series of astronomical observations with its first-generation In 2012, Dryden’s operations resulted in an estimated instruments. It recently made its 100th flight. equivalent dollar value of $75.5 million in jobs created outside of the center, employing an estimated 1,565 individuSpaceflight Technology als. The combination of Dryden’s annual expenditures and The Flight Opportunities Program managed at NASA the estimated value of the jobs created outside of the center Dryden helps connect researchers interested in testing new result in a total economic impact of $328.4 million. technologies in reduced-gravity environment with a variety of commercial space launch providers. Aeronautics The program recently sponsored flights of a new control NASA conducts cutting-edge research to help transsystem developed by Draper Laboratory for space access form the nation’s air transportation system, making aircraft vehicles, using Masten Space Systems’ Xombie rocket at safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly. the Mojave Air and Space Port, Mojave. The flight conAmong recent or current aeronautics projects at NASA trol system concept will enable future demonstrations of Dryden, the NASA-Boeing X-48C hybrid/blended wing landing technologies needed for exploration of planets and body technology demonstrator is a prime example of a fumoons, as well as near-Earth objects, like asteroids. ture design that may reduce emissions by up to 40 percent. This sub-scale research aircraft recently flew its final flight, Human Exploration of Space / Space Operations concluding a six-year, 122-flight research project to evaluNASA Dryden is supporting the development of the ate the low-speed stability and control of a proposed future Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the next-generation hybrid wing body aircraft design. spacecraft for deep space exploration, including planning In partnership with several other NASA field centers, for its first flight test next year and supporting a series of Dryden is continuing research to expand the collective parachute tests to determine how Orion will behave under knowledge of sonic boom propagation effects to provide the its giant parachute canopy as it returns to Earth. data necessary for engineers to shrink the sonic boom “footNASA Dryden will host the approach-and-landing print” to make civil supersonic flight over land practical. flight tests of Sierra Nevada Corp.’s Dream Chaser space Dryden researchers recently used a small remotely access vehicle later this year. The Dream Chaser is one of piloted airplane to successfully flight test a new technology three commercial spaceflight systems being developed to that has great potential to prevent many general aviation accidents. This smartphone-based application automatically transport American astronauts and supplies to the space station. senses when the aircraft is in danger of impacting ground NASA Dryden celebrated the end of the space shuttle terrain, and commands evasive maneuvers or alerts the pilot era with the stopover of space shuttle Endeavour atop its to prevent a crash. modified NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft last SeptemThe center is managing NASA’s efforts to assist the FAA ber. After a low-level tour over various parts of California and other agencies in integrating unmanned aircraft into the nation’s airspace through conducting flight tests of new com- the following day, Endeavour became the centerpiece of an exhibit at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. munications and control technologies, as well as developing the processes and procedures that will be required to address — David McBride is the director of the NASA Dryden operational and safety issues related to flying both manned Flight Research Center. and unmanned aircraft into the same airspace.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Competition hot to be selected UAV test site

he Federal Aviation Administration estimates that 7,500 small drones, formally referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles, will be flying in U.S. skies by 2018. The UAV industry hopes there will be more than 100,000 people with drone-related jobs by 2025. But before that can happen, Congress has directed the FAA to determine how these unmanned vehicles can safely share the skies with the many general aviation, commercial and military aircraft already flying overhead. And by the end of this year, the FAA must select six “test sites,” where UAVs can be developed and tested, streamlining an existing time-consuming research process. The FAA has received 50 applications from 37 states to become test sites. Two of these applications come from groups in California – Cal UAS Portal, which is focused around the Inyokern Airport, near Ridgecrest, and the Southern California Unmanned Systems Alliance, which is headed by Ventura County. With both proposals calling for use of the same restricted airspace in eastern Kern County, as well as ranges off the Pacific Coast, Gov. Jerry Brown is being asked to convince advocates to create just one unified California proposal. The existence of competing California proposals demonstrates the economic boon that will come with being selected a test site. There is one thing industry proponents do agree on. Don’t call unmanned vehicles — some as tiny as hummingbirds — drones. Call them UAVs. More closely associated with spying and killing in war zones, drones seem to have a controversial reputation. And even their civilian-use potential sends chills up the spines of some privacy advocates. The fear is that unmanned aircraft can be used to spy on citizens and otherwise violate an individual’s privacy. But the situation is a bit like trying to stuff the genie back into the bottle. The use of UAVs for public safety and commercial purposes already is proven. And the rewards cannot be overlooked. The technology has been around for years. Remote control airplanes have long been flown by hobbyists. But government approval is required when these “toys” are modified and used for commercial purposes – aerial photography, mapping, surveillance, property appraisal, etc. As UAVs become more sophisticated and capable, they are being considered for use in agriculture to fertilize fields and spread pesticides. They can be used to patrol pipelines and power lines, monitor oilfield equipment, inspect bridges, conduct scientific research and fight fires. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicts the integration of unmanned systems into the nation’s airspace will generate $82 billion in economic activity in the first 10 years. But until the FAA selects six test sites, some U.S. civilian UAV developers who are being bogged down by permitting regulations, are taking their business to more accommodating countries, such as Mexico and Canada. — Kern Business Journal

U.S. Navy photo

An F-35 aircraft is positioned in front of the High Velocity Airflow System at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division China Lake for a one-of-a-kind live-fire testing.

China Lake gives ‘warfighter’ decisive combat advantage Renee Hatcher

he Navy is celebrating its 70th year in eastern Kern County at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake this year. The largest of more than 20 tenants at China Lake, is the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD). It is the Navy’s designated center of excellence for weapons and armament research, development, acquisition, and test and evaluation, “We are the Navy’s technical arm that focuses on creating and delivering warfighting effects,” said Scott O’Neil, NAWCWD executive director. “We are the leader in integration and interoperability for the Navy because of our unmatched intellectual capital and one-of-a-kind land and sea ranges, combined with our unique indoor and outdoor labs.” In addition to the desert campus at China Lake, NAWCWD has a sister site near the coast at Point Mugu. The two diverse locations combine to provide a unique testing environment that encompasses the full naval warfare environment, including vast ocean, deep water ports, islands, mountains, deserts, canyons and forests. Along with NAWCWD’s 1.1 million acres at China Lake, 36,000 square miles of sea range at Point Mugu and access to 20,000 square miles of restricted airspace, another of the command’s key resources is the integrated team of civilians and military. “The teaming of our civilian scientists and engineers with military members at the Weapons Division enables an agile Navy technical workforce to both understand and rapidly respond to emerging fleet needs,” said Rear Adm. Paul Sohl, NAWCWD commander. “This military and civilian team, that was one of the underpinnings of standing up this organization about 70 years ago, is still very vibrant and vital today.” NAWCWD provides a safe, operationally realistic, and thoroughly instrumented test range and training environment that supports Navy, as

U.S. Navy photo

Weapons energetics are evaluated during a warhead arena test conducted on the land range at Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division China Lake.

well as Department of Defense (DoD) requirements. Virtually every weapon in DoD’s inventory was developed and/or tested by NAWCWD. NAWCWD supports the warfighter from beginning to end with a full spectrum of capabilities, from basic science research to analyzing and understanding the systems already in the field today. “Our contribution to the fight has been huge and because of that, our military value is the highest I’ve seen in my career,” said O’Neil, who came to work at China Lake in 1972. One of NAWCWD’s current focus areas is unmanned systems (UxS). Because of its extensive knowledge and test ranges, NAWCWD has seen a significant increase in its unmanned systems workload. Scheduled UxS events at NAWCWD have doubled each year during the last five years, and are now outpacing that of manned systems regarding flight hours on the range. Products that NAWCWD delivered to the fleet for the war effort include unmanned systems payloads, like communication and imagery systems. Other technology that the NAWCWD team is currently working on includes networking weapons as well as

alternative energy to give the warfighters an advantage. The NAWCWD Alcohol to Fuel (ATF) Team recently earned national recognition for producing significant technical advances in the area of renewable and sustainable fuels. The ATF team developed a new and viable process for creating full-performance jet fuels based on plant cellulosic waste materials. The team’s advances have resulted in Navy-wide acceptance of renewable energy technologies that move the service closer to generating the 8 million gallons of biofuel for fleet use by 2020 to meet the Navy’s “Great Green Fleet” objective. “We are a forward-leaning resource for the fleet,” O’Neil said. “We work to understand where technology can help create an advantage for our warfighters. Our challenge in the Navy is to look at what we have today and understand where the threats are tomorrow, and figure out how we can use what we have differently. We know how to innovate and use the stuff we already have better than anybody else.” — Renee Hatcher is assigned to the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division public affairs staff.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

Museum preserves China Lake’s arms legacy By Jack Latimer

uring the pre-World War II days, the United States recognized the need for improved applied science in the area of military weapons. In earlier days, the U.S. bought most of its defense weapons from foreign countries. As the war loomed, the U.S. assumed a dominant role in developing and producing its own weapons. To achieve that required understanding and collaboration between the military and scientists, engineers and industry. One successful model of collaboration was the Manhattan Project, which developed the atomic bomb that was ultimately responsible for ending the war in the Pacific in 1945. Another similar model was the civilian and military team that established the Naval Ordinance Test Station in the remote desert of eastern Kern County in 1943. Today that station is known as the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake. Before World War II, the Navy teamed up with the California Institute of Technology to conduct rocket research. As this effort continued, the need for a remote test site was recognized and the Indian Wells Valley area was chosen. The little-known Navy base that was

created and which will celebrate its 70th anniversary this fall has been responsible for developing, testing and supporting an incredible number of successful weapons that continue to be deployed in the defense of the nation by all U.S. military services. The scientists and engineers at China Lake invented many successful weapons including: Sidewinder — the first heat-seeking air-to-air missile, which was first fired in combat in 1958 and is still the most successful anti-air missile in the world. Shrike — the world’s first anti-radiation missile. Shrike and its follow-on missiles are critical to protecting U.S. strike aircraft from enemy air defenses. Walleye — a television-guided, glideweapon¬ that proved very successful in wars from Vietnam to Iraq. Achieving pinpoint accuracy, it required fewer aircraft and weapons to destroy hard targets, thus saving pilot’s lives, aircraft and reduced collateral damage. This fall also coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first successful test firing of Walleye. China Lake also pioneered weapon production engineering techniques that improved weapon reliability and affordability. Commercial spin-offs of technology developed at China Lake include light sticks, ultra-sound scanners, television instant replay, and the triggering technique that activates automobile airbags.

Begun in 1943 to test aircraft rockets and to develop the non-nuclear aspects of the atomic bomb, China Lake remains relevant to the nation’s defense and continues solving problems in our wars against terrorism. The remote location in Kern, Inyo and San Bernardino counties was chosen because of the need to test weapons with live warheads and because of the secrecy surrounding the Manhattan Project. The Weapons Center encompasses 1,700 square miles and with its military-grade airfield, instrumented firing ranges and first class laboratories, the base has full spectrum capability to go from an idea to a working weapon, and to introduce and support it throughout its life in the military. The Naval Museum of Armament and Technology, which is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., tells the base’s story. Located on the base, the museum can be visited by following Highway 178, east to Ridgecrest. Visitors must check in at the base gate. The museum is supported by the non-profit China Lake Museum Foundation. Funds are being raised to relocate the museum to a more publicly accessible downtown Ridgecrest location. Visiting the museum is free. Voluntary donations and proceeds from the purchase of items in the museum gift shop are applied to the relocation effort. Call 760-939-3530 or go to www.chinalakemuseum.org for more information.

— Jack Latimer is the secretary of the China Lake Museum Foundation.

Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce

June/July chamber events June 11 Business Development Seminar, “Traditional Marketing;” registration, 11:30 a.m.; seminar, noon to 1 p.m.; Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, 1725 Eye St.; $30 chamber members; $60 non-members; includes lunch. June 13 Small Business Networking Breakfast; registration, 7:30 a.m.; speakers and commercials, 8 to 9 a.m.; Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce; $25 chamber members, $50 non-members; includes continental breakfast. July 9 State of the City Luncheon; registration, 11:30 a.m.; lunch and program, noon to 1:30 p.m.; Bakersfield Marriott at the Convention Center, 801 Truxtun Ave.; $38 chamber members, $75 non-members. July 12 Chamber Palooza – One Night of Pure Fun! Fundraiser with food, auction, music and networking; 6 to 10 p.m.; Kern County Museum, 3801 Chester Ave.; tickets $40 in advance or $60 at the door. July 16 Labor & Employment Law Update; registration, 7:30 a.m.; forum, 8 to 10 a.m.; Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce; free for chamber members; $40 non-members; includes continental breakfast.

— For additional information about these events, go to the chamber’s website bakersfieldchamber.org.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Eastern Kern group vies to become FAA test site By Taryn Muir

hen China Lake Alliance first learned that Congress had directed the Federal Aviation Administration to establish six test sites to integrate unmanned aerial systems into federal airspace, the natural and technological resources radiating from Inyokern Airport made the eastern Kern County facility a natural candidate for promotion. Alliance and airport officials partnered with regional interests to form the Cal UAS Portal — one of two California proposals competing with scores of others across the country in hopes of landing a test site designation. “The first thing we thought about when we were looking at this is what a great fit Inyokern was to host this kind of work,” said team leader Eileen Shibley. “With our diverse climate, unique geography, our low population density, our relationships with some of the most intellectual minds anywhere and — most importantly — our position at the center of the largest restricted airspace in the country, we think Inyokern is exactly what the FAA needs,” she said. Since launching the endeavor more than a year ago, industrial, military and political partners have come out in support of an opportunity that boasts potential for economic growth and technology transfer. “What is interesting about all of this is that when we started looking at the commercial applications for UAV technology — which is the very thing we would be testing for — we realized that we have tremendous interest for that right here in Kern County,” said Shibley. Agricultural uses have been identified as one of the most prominent areas for potential, said Shibley, noting a recent Wired magazine article that showed how unmanned technology can perform fertilizer and pesticide application in about one-tenth the time it takes a farmer on a tractor. There are also possibilities for using UAVs to monitor oil lines and infrastructure — another key industry in Kern County. “With any kind of research, development, test and evaluation, a critical component of success is keeping in mind the needs of the end user. So what we want to do is make sure that we bring anyone with a vested interest in this technology into the process, so that their input can be included when it’s needed,” said Shibley. “We have been working on this effort for about 15 months now. Every week, we find some new reason why bringing this kind of work here would be good for Kern County and California,” she said. “But the farther down this path we go, the more I realize that the benefits are so much more global than we originally thought.” “Economic and technological advantages are nice,” she said. “But we have to keep in mind that the first objective here is to gather the data pertinent to reforming what is an incredibly cumbersome research process for commercial UAV developers. “From every angle, Inyokern is poised to give the most leverage, the greatest support and the best conditions for turning out a product that will help shape one of the burgeoning areas of technological development. “When I look at how Kern County has been a leader in ag, oil, defense, aerospace and alternative energy for decades, I see in the Cal UAS Portal the potential to combine all of those resources and lead UAVs into the next chapter of history, while leading the way as we reestablish California as a thriving economic model,” Shibley said. — Taryn Muir wrote this article on behalf of the Cal UAS Portal proposal.

Photo courtesy of Mark Pahuta

A new terminal is one of the many improvements made to the Inyokern Airport, near Ridgecrest.

Inyokern Airport: Past, present force in area’s growth By Taryn Muir

he Indian Wells Valley Airport has for decades played a starring role in the area’s development, first as a portal to the outside world for the small, remote town of Inyokern, and later as one of the factors that prompted the Navy to establish its research, development, test and evaluation center at China Lake. Decades after the airport —commonly known as “Inyokern Airport” or “IYK” — helped attract China Lake to the area, the installation is now serving as a “relief valve” for the testing that occurs on Navy ranges. And in recent years, the airport has also expanded those operations to become a highly sought-after location for military and private-sector exercises. “Ten years ago, we were limited to mostly general aviation,” said airport CEO Scott Seymour. “But recently we have been able to attract a lot of filming, testing and other work that has helped us build up our coffers to fund improvements.” That revenue also helped the airport leverage grant monies to build a brand-new terminal, repave and widen runways, and more. Seymour said that with available hangar, office and fabrication space, an on-site fire station and, perhaps most im-

portantly, the freedom and autonomy that comes with open terrain and restricted airspace, the airport is perfectly poised to accommodate burgeoning growth from industries, ranging from military counter-IED to the commercial applications of unmanned aerial systems. “In the last year, we have brought representatives from several different firms to IYK. Each of them expressed an interest in setting up a local presence, and some already have.” One of those is Chip Yates, a young entrepreneur who took up residence in Hangar 3 last summer, and in the space of a few weeks converted a Long EZ to electric power, got his pilot’s license, and broke the world record for speed in an electric aircraft. “That is just one example of how quickly things can move here,” said Seymour, explaining that his staff is committed to working with airport tenants. “I expect this to be just the first of many such success stories.” “What we’re working toward now is putting additional hangars and office space, as well as restaurants, a hotel and maybe a strip mall, on the east side of the airport,” said Seymour. “The trick is in planning growth in sustainable phases, but staying just far enough ahead in the game that you always have room for something new.” — Taryn Muir wrote this article on behalf of the Inyokern Airport.

Airport a mecca for the film industry By Taryn Muir

nyone who has ever watched a commercial for an automobile has probably seen a breathtaking view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, as witnessed from the runways of the Inyokern Airport. While hosting film crews may not be the Inyokern Airport’s primary industry, chief executive Scott Seymour notes that the airport has been the location of productions ranging from independent short films to major motion pictures. Producers are attracted by the rural airport’s unparalleled natural beauty and location, which is not too far from the hub of the filming industry in Southern California. “We average anywhere from 30 to

50 productions per year, with up to 80 days spent filming at the airport,” said Seymour. “We have had everything from feature films like ‘Hangover 3’ to little one-day still projects.” And, of course, many production crews are filming car commercials. What brings film companies to the airport is the nearly unobstructed, panoramic view of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But what keeps them coming back — and about 75 percent of the film clients are return customers — is the pristine condition of the runways and the streamlined permitting process. “We can turn a permit around for crews in about 30 seconds,” Seymour said, noting that he’s had crews get rained out of shoots in other locations. “They can change their story board to have the mountains in the background

and I can get them in and set up in a matter of minutes.” Although film projects are intermittent by nature, Seymour estimates that filming brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the airport and surrounding businesses a year. Money that is not used to cover staff costs at the airport is reinvested in infrastructure, which enables the airport to continue supporting the filming business. “Filming adds to the revenue stream here at the airport, but this also brings people into our community who eat in our restaurants, buy gas and on multi-day shoots stay in our hotels,” said Seymour. “And beyond those advantages, it’s pretty cool to see our mountains in the backdrop of a Super Bowl commercial.” — Taryn Muir wrote this article on behalf of the Inyokern Airport.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

Bakersfield Airport: Facility has become a haven for experimental aviation By Dianne Hardisty

o say John Harmon spends a lot of time at the Bakersfield Municipal Airport is an understatement. From sun up to sun down, the airport is the 66-year-old pilot-businessman’s world. The city-owned airport on South Union Avenue is home to three of Harmon’s businesses. D & J Harmon Co., a business formed with his late father to market a pump and irrigation water cleanup system they invented, is housed in a building on the south end of the airport. In a large hangar midfield, Harmon manufactures high-speed kit airplanes that he calls the Harmon Rocket. And when the airport’s restaurant burned to the ground in 2000, he built a bigger, better, more popular restaurant that he operates under the name Rocket Shop Café. There’s no doubt that Harmon loves the airport and loves being surrounded by planes, especially the ones he builds and sells as kits. There are 11 Harmon Rockets based at the airport. The two-seat version in Harmon’s hangar flies so fast that Harmon said it takes him and his wife, Lynn, one hour and a little more than 11 gallons of gas to fly from Bakersfield to Las Vegas. Typically on cross-country trips, Harmon files a flight plan with a cruising speed of 225 knots (about 259 mph) and a little less than 14 gallons per hour.

Kern Business Journal / Dianne Hardisty

Aircraft builder John Harmon is shown sitting in the cockpit of his Harmon Rocket at the Bakersfield Municipal Airport.

Although Harmon grew up around the airplanes used on his father’s Hanford ranch, he did not start flying until he was in his 20s. He began with traditional light aircraft and in a few years moved into homebuilt “experimental” aircraft. His first homebuilt ventures involved Van’s Aircraft — single-engine, low-wing airplanes designed by Richard VanGrunsven and sold in kit form. But the inventive and mechanically clever Harmon began tinkering around with

the Van’s kit airplanes, modifying them for performance and speed. The result is a series of increasingly faster versions of the Harmon Rocket. “On takeoff, it naturally accelerates like a shot, but it tracks perfectly straight with no effort on my part,” Harmon told Sport Aviation magazine, describing his Rocket III. Harmon is not the only pilot at the Bakersfield Municipal Airport willing to put his life into his own mechanical hands. The airport is a haven for homebuilt

airplane enthusiasts. It also is also the home base of Chapter 71 of the Experimental Aircraft Association. Used for decades as an airstrip for crop dusters, the airport was purchased by the City of Bakersfield in 1985. With about $10 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration, the runway was realigned and extended to its present 4,000 feet, and other improvements, including taxiways, were added. Performance-wise, it is dwarfed by its “big sister,” Kern County’s only commercial airport, Meadows Field, which is located to the northwest. A few years ago, during a building boom, the city sought FAA permission to close the airport to allow the property to be redeveloped for mixed uses – homes, apartments and commercial projects. With only 100 airplanes based at the airport and about 30,000 takeoffs and landings a year, city officials contended the airport was too expensive to operate. In refusing to close the airport, FAA officials noted in a 2006 decision that the city promised to operate the airport in perpetuity in exchange for the federal funds to improve it. The FAA also concluded that the airport operated at a “healthy” level for comparable general aviation airports, had an operating fund surplus and had the potential to grow in the future. — Dianne Hardisty is the editor of the Kern Business Journal.

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

ICON’s A5 expected to be ‘ultimate joyride’

n a hangar at the Tehachapi Airport that some have nicknamed “The Hatch,” pilots and engineers have been engaged in a years-long effort to design and test the A5, a two-seat, amphibious light-sport aircraft that Popular Mechanics magazine predicted in 2008 could become the “ultimate joyride.” A creation of Los Angelesbased ICON Aircraft, the A5 features folding wings, allowing it to be trailered down the highway, and stored in a large garage or dockside at a lake. The company’s website reports it will have a flight range of 300 nautical miles and a maximum speed of 120 miles per hour. With standard equipment, it has an estimated price of $139,000. ICON’s winter newsletter, which is posted at www.ICONAircraft.com, reported production of parts for the A5 began in December 2012. A news release last summer announced Cirrus Aircraft had been selected to produce composite airframe components for the A5 at its Grand Forks, N.D., factory. “With over 1,000 delivery positions already assigned, the estimated delivery date of the next available standard A5 position is 2016,” reported the ICON website in May. Capable of landing on water or land, the A5 targets the “sport pilot

The amphibious ICON A5 light-sport airplane is being tested on Lake Isabella.

category” designated by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2004. The category created a new form of airplane and a new kind of pilot license that requires less training and no medical exam to obtain. But under light-sport rules, amphibious aircraft, such as ICON’s A5, are limited to a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds. In May 2012, ICON applied to the FAA for an exemption to add 250 pounds to the A5’s weight to accommodate a spin-resistant design and other safety features. Although the FAA commonly responds to such requests in 120 days, the agency waited nearly a full year before sending ICON an April 25 letter noting the precedentsetting implications of increasing the aircraft’s weight and seeking additional information from the company. --Kern Business Journal

Join the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce for

Friday, July 12, 2013 6:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Kern County Museum 3801 Chester Avenue Live Music from: Electricity Crazy Rhythm Band (Jazz) Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra Guitarist Mauro

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‘Build-your-own’ movement growing rapidly By Don Walls

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For tickets or more information please call: (661) 327-4421 or visit www.bakersfieldchamber.org

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ince 1959, the Bakersfield Municipal Airport has been home to Chapter 71 of the Experimental Aircraft Association, an organization started in 1953 by Milwaukee pilots who shared an interest in building and flying aircraft of their own design. This concept of amateur building had been authorized by the government only a few years before and was subject to strict government inspection. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) categorizes such “home-built” aircraft as “experimental-amateur built,” or simply “experimental.” The success of this movement is evident with over 33,000 experimental aircraft on the current FAA registry in the U.S., with the number increasing by over 1,000 per year. This actually outpaces the production by major manufactures, such as Piper, Cessna and Beech. Other countries have adopted the experimental category and have over 8,000 “home-built” aircraft flying. Part of this success is the result of the growth of so-called “kit manufactures” who provide plans and materials for proven designs. As long as an individual builder does a minimum of 51 percent of the construction, it qualifies as an amateur-built. EAA currently has over 177,000 members and 950 Chapters worldwide. Chapter 71 has 30 members, with six experimental aircraft under construction. Since its inception, chapter members have built and flown over 90 aircraft,

representing and average build time of three years. Based on an estimated market value of approximately $75,000 per aircraft, this represents a market impact of over $6.8 million in the aircraft industry. For many members, this has been their first build, and mastering the various skills in welding, metalworking, fabric work, electrical work, and painting has been a rewarding experience. To assist builders, EAA provides technical counselors, flight advisors, how-to publications and technical manuals. It also conducts builder’s specialty clinics to help develop the necessary skills to complete their projects. The popularity of experimental aircraft is due, in part, to the sense of accomplishment of both building and flying an aircraft you built yourself. Amateur builders have pioneered advancements in design, materials, construction methods, instrumentation, avionics and overall performance, many of which have later been adopted by the major aircraft manufactures and the military. A major factor in the growth and popularity of experimental aircraft is the economic incentive of building versus buying a production aircraft. The total construction cost for a completed aircraft is thousands of dollars less than buying a comparable production aircraft, allowing many to become aircraft owners and pilots who otherwise could never afford it. — Don Walls is the Chapter 71, Experimental Aircraft Association, vice president at the Bakersfield Municipal Airport.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Network of large, small airports meets Kern needs By Jack Gotcher

ern County has several airports that were primarily built by the Army Air Corps during World War II. Following the war, 16 airports transferred to the county, but during the intervening years many were transferred again to cities or special districts for administration at a more local level. Kern County currently administers seven airports as part of its self-sustaining “enterprise fund.” These include Meadows Field, the only commercial airport in the county, which operated during World War II in support of McClellan Field, a West Coast training headquarters, and Shafter’s Minter Field, a lesser headquarters. The airport’s original air terminal was located on the southwest corner of Skyway Drive and Airport Drive, between what is now the Epic Jet Center and the Fed Ex facility. That terminal served until a replacement, which now is considered the International Terminal, was built adjacent to the Skyway Motel and Anton’s Restaurant, two businesses that are no longer in operation. This terminal operated successfully for many years, serving Kern County’s traveling public, until 2007, when the William M. Thomas Terminal was completed. This latest terminal is designed to be expanded as the community grows. As it stands, it can serve over 500,000 outbound passengers each year. The addition

of a couple of jet bridges and secure lobby could double that to 1 million passengers. An additional secure lobby could take the county airport up to 2 million outbound passengers, preparing Kern for the future. Kern County and Meadows Field Airport are strategically located to take advantage of a wonderful logistics system that includes Highways 99 and Interstate 5, which run north and south, linking the Mexican border to Canada. Highway 58 offers the best all-weather route from the coast across the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the eastern U.S. It runs parallel to the Union Pacific railroad tracks, often called the Tehachapi Loop, and jointly used by the BNSF and Union Pacific. The route is also being eyed by the High Speed Rail Authority to connect Bakersfield to eastern Kern County and Los Angeles. There is a growing network of warehouses and trucking terminals that includes the Tejon Ranch Commercial Center in Lebec, Roll Global’s Paramount Logistics Park in Shafter, and Delano’s RailEx, which ships a nonstop freight train each week to the East Coast. This growing logistics network is responding to the road congestion in the Los Angeles Basin and will eventually result in air cargo arriving to meet the high-value, low-volume time-sensitive needs of California companies. This is also the future for Meadows Field, where over 400 acres are available for development and a runway exists that has regularly handled Air Force One and the Anatov 124, the largest cargo aircraft in the world.

Photo courtesy of Kern County Airports Department

Meadows Field in Bakersfield is Kern County’s only commercial airport.

Other Kern County-administered general aviation airports include the Kern Valley Airport, Lost Hills Airport and Wasco Airport. All three qualify as part of the FAA National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Additionally, the Poso-Kern Airport hosts SunGro agricultural drying and the Famosa NHRA Drag Racing; Buttonwillow-Kern, is an emergency airstrip for general aviation; and the Taft Airport primarily supports Sky Dive Taft and general aviation operations. Other airports in the county include: • Delano Airport, which has been owned and operated by the City of Delano since it was separated from the county in 1973. The airport has a 5,651-foot runway and is part of the FAA NPIAS • Shafter-Minter Field is operated by a

special airport district. This was an Army Air Force Flight Training Center during World War II and belonged to Kern County from 1949 to 1985. The airport is configured in the standard three-runway orientation, with the longest runway at 4,501 feet long. • Indian Wells (Inyokern) Airport is operated by a special district. It is primarily a general aviation airport, but does have service by United Express/SkyWest Express. • Tehachapi Municipal Airport is operated by a special district with a 4,031-foot runway. • California City Airport is a city department that accommodates general aviation with a 6,027-foot runway.

— Jack Gotcher retired this spring as Kern County’s airports director.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Business Aviation

Business aviation recovers from ‘Great Recession’ By Dianne Hardisty

hey are as sensitive as barometers in an approaching storm. When the dark clouds form over the economy, most small businesses will toss among the choppy waves. But a local airport’s fixed based operators (FBOs) – the companies that sell aviation gas and airplanes, lease out hangars, provide charter services and teach people how to fly — can easily capsize. Two locally-owned FBOs at Meadows Field, Kern County’s commercial airport in Bakersfield, are testaments to the pain an economic downturn can inflict and the resilience of companies led by gutsy owners. Steven and Patricia Loyd were finalizing plans to expand Loyd’s Aviation and “rebrand” it as Bakersfield Jet Center when the Great Recession hit in 2008. Despite some sleepless nights, the couple went ahead with their plans. Space had opened up on the airport that would accommodated the company’s new 5,000-square-foot terminal and 3.5 acres of ramp space beside the airport’s main taxiway. The company’s original facility was only 1,500 square feet in a less accessible airport location. Established in 1958 as Loyd’s Flying Service by Steve’s father, Byron Loyd, and his wife, Eleanor, the company had survived good and bad years. They knew they could do it again. Steve, who joined his father in the family aviation business after graduating from California Polytechnic State University in 1973, credits the company’s ability to weather the Great Recession to customer service, flexibility and “don’t get into too much debt.” Erin Posey opened Epic Jet Center on the east end of Meadows Field in 2007, just a year before the downturn. With luxury amenities, the $4 million facility includes a 14,000-square-foot terminal, with a 22,000-square-foot attached hangar. She concedes that she survived some very challenging years when corporations tightened their belts in 2008-2009, reducing the demand for charter services and shedding expensive aircraft to transport staff. But both Posey and Loyd now see the business aviation industry turning around. Like other industry observers, they are seeing this recovery mostly in high-end corporate aircraft, such as jets and turbo-props, rather than small aircraft and leisure flying. “There was a time that people would charter flights to fly to Las Vegas or Palm Springs,” she said. “That fell off and is slow to come back.” But corporations again are investing in airplanes, with several companies, including Paramount Citrus, Munger Farms and Grimmway Farms, maintaining offices in the Epic terminal and

Kern Business Journal / Dianne Hardisty

The Aviator Casino’s corporate aircraft is fueled up at the Epic Jet Center at Meadows Field.

operating aircraft out of its hangars. “I am full and happy. And the tenants are happy,” said Posey, adding that she will be announcing expansion plans later this summer. “Things are getting better in the corporate aviation world,” said Loyd, noting that individual recreation flying “is still hurting.” Using as an example Kern County’s booming oil industry, Loyd explained that it makes business sense for many corporations to own aircraft. “Simply, you can take your top and midlevel managers to places for meetings in a short period of time,” he said. “To fly from Bakersfield to North Dakota on commercial airlines can take all day, with a stop in Denver. A private (jet) can get two, six or eight people there in 2 ½ hours. They can take care of business and be back in Bakersfield in time to watch their kid’s soccer game.” “There are a lot of intangibles,” said Loyd, claiming business aviation provides both greater efficiency and helps with employee retention. “What value does a manager place on being able to spend more time at home?” “If you look at Kern County’s 10 most successful businesses, I would bet at least eight own a corporate airplane,” he said. “You can’t do business successfully relying on commercial airlines.” There are about 150 airports with commercial airline service in the U.S. But general aviation can reach 5,000 airports, Loyd said.

Kern Business Journal / Dianne Hardisty

Corporate airplanes are parked in the Epic hangar.

Loyd’s Bakersfield Jet Center is a full-service FBO, offering corporations management of their aircraft, as well as fuel, hangar space and repairs. The company’s services include helping a corporation select an aircraft to meet its needs and managing its use, including providing pilots and scheduling. And when an aircraft is not being used by the corporate owner, arrangements can be made for its “lease back” for private charters. The economic vitality of commercial airports, such as Meadows Field, is dependent on the existence of its FBOs. Besides increasing the airport’s use as a regional transportation hub, the multi-million dollar corporate aircraft operating from the airport generate local government tax dollars, jobs and other economic benefits, Posey noted. “We give businesses in Kern County the flexibility to expand and grow,” said Loyd.

— Dianne Hardisty is the editor of the Kern Business Journal.

Kern aerial patrol company becomes national leader KCSI was established over 15 years ago in Taft, providing aerial surveillance to a small group of oil and gas producers. Through the years, the company relocated to Bakersfield and made its home at the Bakersfield Municipal Airport. Operations grew and today KCSI is the second largest fixed wing surveillance provider in the nation, with locations in Texas, Louisiana, Indiana and Ohio.

KCSI operates 15 Citbrias, two Cessna 172s, two Cessna 182s and an Italian aircraft called a Partenavia P68. The staff consists of 50 pilots trained and qualified to conduct surveillance missions to prevent damage to customers’ rights-of-way. This damage may come in the form of rain wash outs that expose or damage pipelines, tractors ripping through fields with pipelines underneath, unauthorized tampering,

and digging or trenching. Aerial surveillance also is used to detect leaks. KCSI is recognized for its state-of-the-art avionics, reporting soft wear and high standards of maintenance to its aircraft. All flights are conducted as dual crew operations to ensure efficacy within the cockpit and during flight missions. --KCSI Aerial Patrol Inc.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

Delano company becomes industry powerhouse By Dianne Hardisty

hen Erik Josephson is asked to describe his job at San Joaquin Helicopters, he laughs and answers, “I spin plates.” The son of one of the Delano company’s founders, Josephson explains his job is to keep San Joaquin Helicopters diversified and capable of responding to a constantly changing demand for services. In one recent summer, Josephson dispatched crews and aircraft to help fight fires from Cancun, Mexico, to Alaska. When Hurricane Katrina struck, San Joaquin’s helicopters delivered supplies and helped rebuild the devastated Gulf Coast. On any day, you might find a San Joaquin helicopter spraying rural fields with agriculErik Josephson tural chemicals and another one lifting massive air conditioning units onto the roof of a construction project. The company’s aircraft and crews have “starred” in such movies as “Diehard” and “China Beach.” Robert Altman flew in a San Joaquin helicopter over downtown Bakersfield in the comedy-drama “Short Cuts.” “When that phone rings, you never know

San Joaquin Helicopters

A San Joaquin helicopter lifts water in a bucket from a lake to aid crews fighting a wildfire.

what you might get,” said the soft-spoken Josephson, noting that the request for a helicopter to drop rose petals onto a parade may have been one of his most unusual calls. During a recent interview in his office at the company’s headquarters at the Delano Airport, Josephson’s cell and office phones rang constantly with questions about dispatching crews. He responded with an uncanny calm, as he juggled between doing business and answering interview questions. “Like in any business, you have to be

flexible,” he explained. San Joaquin Helicopters was started in 1974 by Erik’s father, Jim Josephson, and Lee Brown to support the local agricultural industry. Josephson headed the company’s air division, which included aerial spraying of crops, and Brown headed the ground division, which focused on ground application. Both men continue to be involved in the business. Pointing to a dramatic painting on his office wall that depicts a squadron of San Joaquin helicopters flying over city rooftops,

Josephson said, “Then came the phone call that would really change things.” He was referring to the company’s enlistment in the late 1970s in a years-long battle against an infestation of Mediterranean fruit fly, or Medfly. San Joaquin helicopters were used to spray diluted doses of the pesticide malathion in residential pockets to save California’s endangered crops. The company fought both public hysteria and the tiny insect, as San Joaquin helicopters and crews shuttled between their base in the Central Valley to drop zones in Northern and Southern California. “It got pretty heated. We even caught a couple of bullets,” Josephson said. But the company also caught worldwide attention. And with that attention came a greater variety of jobs. Urban development and the changing nature of the valley’s crops have diminished the demand for aerial spraying of agricultural chemicals. But the call remains strong to use helicopters to stir the air during the cold weather months to head off frost damage. Also strong is the demand for San Joaquin mechanics to rebuild and repair aircraft for clients. For example, the company renovated the two Vietnam-era Huey helicopters that are being used by the Kern County Fire Department. And use of the company’s helicopters for charter service, aerial patrol and construction, including pipeline construction, remains strong.

— Dianne Hardisty is the editor of the Kern Business Journal.

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

New IT system manages, secures KMC records

ern Medical Center in Bakersfield is the first public hospital to adopt a unique health IT system called Pavisse to manage patient safety, privacy and other compliance-related incidents. Developed by RGP Healthcare, a unit of Resources Global Professionals, Pavisse is an end-to-end incident management solution that helps hospitals report, manage and remediate potential violations of any pertinent regulation or standard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our partnership with Pavisse has important implications for patient care long-term,â&#x20AC;? said Kern CEO Paul J. Hensler, who joined RGP Healthcare President Radgia Cook in making the announcement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a county hospital our fiscal health impacts taxpayers directly. Hospitals rich and poor, public and private, face rampant regulations, yet every hour spent on compliance is one not spent with patients.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like other safety net hospitals, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re facing stiffer budget cuts, more regulations and an increasingly chronically ill patient population. Pavisse provides a means to understand potential incidents, initiate effective corrective action and automate compliance with Joint Commission surveys and more, while saving time and moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;assets better spent on clinical work than paperwork. Reporting is intuitive, realtime and on-demand.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; RGP Healthcare

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Reasonable dress code makes summer work â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no sweatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; By Holly Culhane

akersfield temperatures will soon be routinely cresting the century mark. And that means, for professional men, the first casualties usually are sport coats. But the heatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impact on office attire doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop there. Every year, business clients seek our help in resolving disputes over their employeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; summer (casual) dress. The usual â&#x20AC;&#x153;bad actorsâ&#x20AC;? are tank tops, shorts and flip-flops. Employees showing too much skin is also a common complaint. Generally, an employer may establish a dress code that applies to all employees, or employees within certain job categories. Dress codes may vary when they apply to employees who interact with customers and employees who have non-public jobs. A discussion of appropriate office attire should not suddenly crop up when an employee reports to work on a hot summer day in clothing vaguely deemed â&#x20AC;&#x153;inappropriate.â&#x20AC;? Rather proper office attire should be defined in a written company policy that applies yearHolly Culhane round, including accommodations for climate changes. And, of course, this policy should be understood by all employees and equitably enforced. It is common for companies to make dress code accommodations for climate changes. These accommodations also should be spelled out in the written dress code. With both the year-round dress code and the summer accommodation, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s helpful for an employer to communicate the justification of the policy guidelines. Generally, there are three business-related reasons for implementing dress codes: To present a professional appearance to customers; to promote a positive work environment and limit distractions; and to ensure workplace safety. When possible, developing a dress code with the assistance of employees can help create â&#x20AC;&#x153;buy inâ&#x20AC;? and reduce enforcement

Business & Entrepreneurship Center

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What we do Building a bridge to private, public and non-profit organizations, the Business & Entrepreneurship Center taps into an abundance of resources and know-how already in place, thereby enhancing its client businessesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; long-term growth and viability. The Kern BEC strives to TUSFOHUIFO the entrepreneurial spirit, BTTJTU businesses and FYQBOE entrepreneurship throughout California.

problems. Whether creating a policy with or without employee input, consideration should be given to area, industry and safety standards. Companies donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to re-invent the wheel when developing a dress code; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always beneficial to do a little homework to find out what other companies are doing. Will your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s summer accommodations be an extension of an existing â&#x20AC;&#x153;casual Fridayâ&#x20AC;? accommodation? Casual Friday attire also should be well-defined in the written dress code. Does acceptable â&#x20AC;&#x153;casualâ&#x20AC;? include jeans and t-shirts? How casual is too casual? How much skin is too much skin? Revealing attire can be distracting and create an unprofessional image to customers. Be sure to define â&#x20AC;&#x153;revealing.â&#x20AC;? That may include skirt hem lengths, as well as cleavage. Often dress codes will define plunging necklines as unacceptable and, yes, this will apply to both women and men. Health and safety concerns often dictate limits on foot gear. Open-webbed sandals and flip-flops may present too casual an image. But they also may not adequately protect workersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; feet. Tattoos and body piercing may become summer problems, as well. Skimpy summer attire may reveal body art that dress codes require be kept under wraps. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait for employeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; summer dress to become a problem. Be pro-active. Review existing dress codes. Make adjustments, if necessary. Remind workers of your expectations through company meetings or companywide emails. Refer employees to your companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s human resources department if they have questions. Train supervisors to recognize appropriate office attire and intervene when problems are identified. Help them understand what to say and how to say itâ&#x20AC;Śor to seek assistance from their manager or HR. Staying cool and productive this summer will be â&#x20AC;&#x153;no sweatâ&#x20AC;? if your company has a reasonable dress code that is properly enforced.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Holly Culhane is president of the Bakersfield-based human resources consulting firm P.A.S. Associates and P.A.S. Investigations.

Our services The BEC provides resources of interest to grow your business. We offer a broad scope of fee-based services and assistance relating to: t "DDFTT UP $BQJUBM t .BSLFUJOH 3FTFBSDI 4USBUFHJFT t 0QFSBUJPOT 'JOBODJBM "OBMZTJT t "DDFTT UP OFX %PNFTUJD BOE *OUFSOBUJPOBM .BSLFUT t "OE NPSFy Call us to see how we can help ZPVS business grow!

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

The right choice for good health Your experience...

Choosing your doctor

With some health plans...

Kaiser Permanente is uniquely structured to give you everything you need–all together in one easy-to-use package. See how having the right partner can make all the difference... With Kaiser Permanente...*

Pick from a list of names, often based on nothing more than if he or she accepts your insurance.

We help walk you through the process of becoming a new member, including choosing a doctor who’s right for you. You can even view all our doctors’ profiles online.

Call. Get placed on hold. Call back. Seeing your doctor starts to seem like trying to win a radio contest.

Schedule or cancel routine appointments with your doctor - by phone, online, or from your mobile device.

Your doctor flips through a file full of papers, asking things you’ve already answered or can’t remember.

Your doctor, backed by a secure, innovative electronic health record system, is up to speed and ready to take care of you.

You drive all over town to take lab tests, get X-rays, or fill prescriptions. You’ve spent half your day in the car.

At all our Kern County locations, your doctor, lab services, X-rays, and pharmacy are under the same roof, so you can save time and do more in one visit.

Show up with your fingers crossed that your primary care doctor faxed or mailed your records.

When you arrive, your specialist will have your health information right at his or her fingertips, making your care virtually seamless.

Remembering your doctor’s instructions

Take lots of notes during your visit, listen carefully and trust your memory later.

You get a printed summary report at the end of each visit. You can also view details of your visits online whenever you want, including most test results.

Asking routine questions without a visit

Call your doctor’s office. Leave a message. Hope you don’t miss the return phone call.

Email your doctor’s office, and get a reply normally within 48 hours.

Making an appointment

During your visit

Getting other services

Visiting a specialist

Along with getting excellent care, as a Kaiser Permanente member, you have access to lots of preventive health resources like classes, wellness coaching, and more. (Some classes may require a fee.) To learn all about the many benefits of membership, visit kp.org/thrive or call 661-334-2005. *These features are available when you receive care at Kaiser Permanente facilities.

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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BUSINESS PROFILE: Rio Tinto Minerals

Mine in Boron providing critical minerals to the world’s industries

ased in the eastern Kern County community of Boron, Brent Rush is the manager of government affairs and communities for Rio Tinto Minerals-North America. Rush responded to the Kern Business Journal’s questions about Rio Tinto Minerals, its historic ties to Kern County and the varied uses for the borates retrieved from its mine.

What is Rio Tinto Minerals?

Rio Tinto Minerals (RTM) is headquartered in Denver, Colo. It is a global leader in industrial mineral supply and science. We are one of the world’s top producers of refined borates, which are remarkable minerals that are essential to life and modern living. Rio Tinto Minerals, part of the Rio Tinto Group, is a premiere international mining and resources company, serving more than 1,000 customers in 100 countries who rely on borates to create an extraordinarily diverse range of products. The company operates California’s largest open pit mine in Boron, Calif. The mine contains one of the richest borate deposits on earth and supplies nearly 35 percent of the world’s demand for refined borates. Most of the operational processes that set the standard for borate production were developed or first adopted at our Boron operations. While boron is present everywhere in the environment, substantial deposits of borates are relatively rare. Rio Tinto Minerals distinguishes itself through cuttingBrent Rush edge research and development; world-class safety, environmental and community practices; and a commitment to constant innovation and improvement. Visit us online at riotintominerals.com or borax.com.

Rio Tinto Minerals

Boron Operations refinery facility at dusk.

simply isn’t the same level of taxation, fees and regulation in Turkey, compared to California. Doing business here means we incur higher costs. We are unable to pass these costs along to our customers. How is borate used?

When and how did Rio Tinto become involved in operating the mine in Boron?

Rio Tinto Minerals’ roots stretch back to 1872 when company founders began mining borates in Nevada. These pioneers discovered borates in Death Valley in 1881 and used teams of twenty mules and giant wagons to haul them 165 miles to the nearest railroad in Mojave, Calif. Boron began as an underground mine in 1872 and was transformed into an open pit mine in 1957. Rio Tinto Minerals acquired US Borax in 1967. Although the famous Borax mules only hauled borates for five years, the 20 Mule Team Borax (a natural laundry and household cleaning product), lives on as one of the most recognized brands in the United States. The 20 Mule Team Borax has been sold as a consumer product for over 100 years. It was once proclaimed to be a magical crystal used to aid digestion, keep milk sweet and even cure epilepsy. What is Rio Tinto’s economic impact on Kern County?

Rio Tinto Minerals began its sustainable development program in 2001 to guide how it measures, improves and reports on its social, environmental and economic performance. The operation is continuously working to reduce water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. Today, approximately 825 full time employees work for the company in Boron. Rio Tinto Minerals has a proud history of working with local communities, and our operations in Boron contribute more than $150 million to the local economy annually.

Rio Tinto Minerals

Kern County’s agriculture industry depends on borate mined from Boron, which serves as a soil nutrient.

acid from tincal and kernite ore feedstocks. Fusing plants also produce anhydrous borate products. Our products are shipped to customers in more than 100 countries via truck, rail, barge and ocean-going vessels. Each of our haul trucks can carry 240 tons of material. Where else can borate be found?

There are only two “world class” borate deposits in the world. We are fortunate to have one here in Kern County, while the other is located in Turkey. Geologic conditions must be ideal to create such large deposits, which is why they are extremely rare. It is interesting to note that the large deposit in Turkey was once owned by Rio Tinto, but was later nationalized by the Turkish government and is now our primary global competitor. Does Rio Tinto have competitors?

As mentioned previously, the Turkish government owns the world’s other large borate deposit. Because Rio Tinto Minerals is operating in California, and we cannot move our mine, it creates significant competitive challenges. There

Borates are minerals that contain boron, the fifth element on the Periodic Table. Borates are basically salts and are essential to all life. For example, plants need borates to grow and they are part of a healthy human diet. Borates can also be found in a wide variety of products, including: • Fiberglass, wood preservatives and ceramics used to make homes safer and more energy efficient. • Heat-resistant glass used in flat-screen televisions and laptop computers. • Textile fiberglass used in sporting equipment and wind energy systems. • Fertilizers that help farmers increase crop quality and yield. What Kern County industries rely on borate mined in Boron?

The major industries using borates in Kern County include agriculture (soil nutrient) and renewable energy (solar panels and wind turbine blades). What country uses the most borate?

The country that is the largest single market for borates is China. Borates are used in a variety of products manufactured in China. What do you see for the future of Rio Tinto Minerals’ operation in Boron?

The Rio Tinto Minerals’ operation in Boron is expected to have a mine life of over 40 additional years. Of course, as technology evolves this number could grow. We expect to see advances in our ability to refine borates in Kern County. We look forward to partnering with Kern County and the communities in the area for years to come.

What is recovered from the mining operation in Boron?

The operation mines about 3 million tons of ore per year to produce about 1 million tons of refined products. The mine measures 2 miles long, 1.75 miles wide and 755 feet deep. Processing plants Borate glass on a fingertip. produce borax pentahydrate, borax decahydrate, and boric

Rio Tinto Minerals

20 Mule Team hauls minerals from the Boron in the 1870s.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

Kern Economic Development Corporation

Kern County: Region of aerospace, defense ‘firsts’ By Richard D. Chapman

astern Kern County is home to some of the most innovative and specialized technologies in the world. Aerospace programs in the area stand at the forefront of the industry, gaining international recognition for space tourism and the first-ever privately-funded spaceflight, while the area’s defense and advanced weapons development is fostered by two military installations. The region’s aerospace and defense employment is four times the national average. Aerospace and defense provide over 20,000 high-wage full-time jobs for Kern County’s residents. These jobs have staying power thanks to vast open land, lack of development encroachment, proximity to Los Angeles, and higher education levels per capita in East Kern than in most other regions in the country.

of Defense’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) plan brought several thousand jobs to China Lake. Edwards Air Force Base covers roughly 470 square miles offering about 12,800 jobs at the Air Force Flight Test Center. Aside from its many military purposes, Edwards also provided a landing-place for NASA space shuttles when weather did not permit landings in Florida. Local aerospace industry draws worldwide attention

In 2004, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) honored the Mojave Air and Space Port, in the community of Mojave, as

the first facility certified in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft. That same year, Kern County made history as SpaceShipOne became the first privately built, manned and funded spacecraft to rocket into space. The effort won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize. The spacecraft, designed by famed aerospace engineer Burt Rutan, garnered the attention of celebrity billionaire, Sir Richard Branson, who then invested millions of dollars in eastern Kern County’s space tourism efforts. In October 2010, Bransonfunded SpaceShipTwo had its first test flight. Today, the Mojave Air and Space Port

The East Kern Economic Alliance promotes innovation-driven environment

Business of nationwide importance happens in Kern’s backyard

Two military installations are based in eastern Kern County: the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake and Edwards Air Force Base. China Lake is the Navy’s largest single landholding in the world. It represents 85 percent of the Navy’s land for research, development, tests, and evaluations use, and 38 percent of the Navy’s landholdings worldwide. As weapons development continues, China Lake consistently adds thousands of jobs, both military and civilian, and in 2008, the Department

houses more than 70 companies engaged in flight development to light industrial to highly advanced aerospace design, flight test and research. Mojave Air and Space Port is the “hub” of the aerospace activity in Kern County and maintains worldwide importance.

Jets fly near Naval Air Wepons Station China Lake.

The East Kern Economic Alliance (EKEA) was formed in 2008 by a forwardthinking group of local officials, community leaders and business-minded individuals with a shared desire to promote economic development in the region. (The Kern Economic Development Foundation acts as the Alliance’s administrative partner.) The Alliance actively markets East Kern County as the ideal location for aerospace research, design and manufacturing companies making their mark on the industry. The coalition’s optimistic branding tagline, “Innovation Rising,” perfectly captures East Kern’s emergence as a pioneering leader in the aerospace and defense industries. Richard D. Chapman is president/CEO of Kern Economic Development Corp.

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Kern ‘classroom’ for student pilots

Kern Business Journal / Dianne Hardisty

NASA

While Takuyu Onishi is awaiting the opportunity to go into space, he achieved the distinction of becoming a NASA aquanaut.

From Kern’s skies to deep into the sea

ot all International Flight Training Academy graduates are satisfied with having careers flying commercial aircraft. Some, like Takuya Onishi, have loftier goals. Onishi followed a path similar to other All Nippon Airways employees who learned to fly at the company’s academy in Bakersfield. Onishi was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1975 and graduated from high school in Yokohama in 1994. He received a degree in aeronautical and space engineering from the University of Toyko in 1998, the same year he joined All Nippon Airways as a check-in agent. He was selected for the company’s pilot training program and completed basic training in Bakersfield and advanced flight training in Tokyo. He became a Boeing 767 co-pilot in 2003 and flew both domestic and international routes. In February 2009, Onishi was selected by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) as one of the country’s astronaut candidates for the International Space Station. He completed basic astronaut training at the Tsukuba Space Center in Japan, before arriving at NASA’S Johnson Space Center in August 2009 to become one of the 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. Although Onishi has not yet made it into space, he has earned the distinction of becoming an aquanaut in the process. He was selected by NASA to be a crew member on NEEMO 15, an October 2011 undersea expedition to test the equipment and operational concepts needed for exploration to near-Earth asteroids, where a near-zero gravity environment presents challenges for anchoring, tethering and tranferring devices during surface operations. --Kern Business Journal

A fleet of small airplanes is neatly parked under a shade structure at the International Flight Training Academy at Meadows Field Airport.

Bakersfield training pilots for Japan’s All Nippon Airways By Dianne Hardisty

o a motorist driving along Merle Haggard Boulevard, the brown cement and brick collection of buildings, about a stone’s throw east of the Bill Thomas Terminal, appears to be just another industrial tenant at Kern County’s Meadows Field Airport. In fact, the complex houses the International Flight Training Academy, where All Nippon Airways, Japan’s largest airline, sends its commercial pilots to learn to fly. With its business expanding and facing a pilot shortage, All Nippon Airways (ANA) in 1993 opened its $16 million, 21-acre training complex, which includes classrooms, dormitories and recreational facilities, on land the company leases from Kern County. It is one of many foreign airlines that have selected U.S. sites for their pilot training programs. Unlike U.S. airlines, which recruit the bulk of their pilots from the ranks of the military, most foreign airlines rely on

an “ab initio” method, which is Latin for “from the beginning.” Generally aspiring foreign airline pilots have never flown a plane before being hired. “Like the other Japanese airlines, we face a critical pilot shortage, partly because the Japanese self-defense forces don’t produce enough pilots,” ANA spokesman Thomas Fredo told The New York Times when the company opened its Bakersfield training academy. In the ab initio method, trainees generally spend their first six months on the job in their homelands studying academic subjects and aviation theory. They are then sent to the U.S., where they are taught to fly small aircraft by American instructors. They complete their training in large aircraft when they return to their homelands. By contrast, the average U.S. airline pilot hired since the 1980s has approximately 3,000 hours of flying time, according to a U.S. professional pilots association. After more than two decades of training All Nippon Airways pilots at Meadows

Field, the International Flight Training Academy draws praise from its county landlord. “They have been good tenants,” said Jack Gotcher, who recently retired as Kern County’s airports director. “You never hear from them. They always pay their rent. They are low key.” Gotcher said foreign airlines locate training facilities in the U.S. because of this country’s relatively good flying weather, particularly in California’s Central Valley. And Bakersfield’s arid climate produces less fog than even its valley neighbors, leaving more days suitable for flying in the southern San Joaquin Valley, Gotcher said, adding that novice pilots also have less congested areas to fly over. Aviation fees in the U.S. are less expensive than those charged in other countries. “Bakersfield has been a perfect location” for All Nippon Airways to establish its pilot training program, said Gotcher. — Dianne Hardisty is editor of the Kern Business Journal.

Club offers alternative flying instruction

By Fred Webster

f you’re one of the millions of Americans who have dreamed of getting a pilot’s license, be thankful you live in Bakersfield. While much of the general aviation industry, including flight schools and so-called fixed base operators, continue to struggle with the sluggish economy, the Bakersfield Flying Club is growing and taking a leading role in flight training and airplane rental in Kern County. Founded just 30 months ago by two professional pilots and a local California Highway Patrol officer, the club has grown to more than 60 members. Club members pay $30 per month to have access to the fleet of two Cessna aircraft and the state-of-the-art Redbird motion simulator. Anticipating continued growth, the club has plans to bring in two more airplanes as the summer peak flying weather nears. In addition to using the equipment available through the club,

members have use of a comfortable clubhouse at Meadows Field and the camaraderie of fellow pilots. While most club members are licensed pilots, several are learning to fly, taking training from one of the club’s several professional flight instructors. “We [flight instructors] love sharing the skies with new clients,” said Bill Woodbury, flight instructor and incoming club president. “All of our instructors are very experienced.” The club’s airplane fleet is meticulously maintained. All aircraft meet or exceed safety standards set by the FAA and local officials. Earning a private pilot certificate (license) takes most students three to nine months. “It isn’t difficult, but it does present challenges,” says Donna Webster, a club flight instructor who also serves as an FAA designated pilot examiner. Prospective pilots are required to pass a written exam,

as well as a practical test, or “check ride.” “We invite anybody interested in aviation to come visit us, take a flight with one our instructors, and see if flying is for them,” said Brad Lamb, outgoing club president and one of the original founders. “If it is, we’ll get them going on a training program that will change their lives forever. Beginners are always welcome.” “Earning a pilot certificate costs more than a set of golf clubs, but less than a bass boat,” said Woodbury. “Almost any pilot will tell you that the cost of training pales in comparison to the freedom and excitement that taking their friends and family on trips provides.” Call Fred Webster at 661-619-6943, visit the club’s website at www.BakersfieldFlyingClub.com, or find the club on Facebook for more information. — Fred Webster is an airline pilot and a founding member of the Bakersfield Flying Club.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

National Test Pilot School

A student at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave looks over his shoulder to take in the view from his airplane’s cockpit.

Civilian test pilot school has flying ‘Right Stuff’ By Dianne Hardisty

hen you think of the “Right Stuff,” often you are thinking about the daredevil, aviation pioneers who cut their testpilot teeth in elite military schools. But in a collection of wind-worn hangars and shop buildings tucked into a corner of the Mojave Air and Space Port in eastern Kern County is the civilian National Test Pilot School, which has been turning out pilots with the “Right Stuff ” for more than three decades. “People thought we were crazy to start a school that competes with two military schools,” recalled NTPS founder Sean Roberts in a 2000 Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association interview. “The thing is, the military trains people for military acceptance flight testing. The military pilot never does first flights or envelope expansion,” Roberts explained. “The manufacturers who asked me to start this flight school want pilots who are part of the design team, can help design the cockpit and flight control system, will do the envelope expansion, and will be a consumer interface between the manufacturer and the customer.” Roberts, an experienced British test pilot, and his wife, Nadia, a Canadian test pilot, founded NTPS in 1981. The pair spent the early years conducting training for military and civilian customers around the world. After gaining international recognition, they built their main hangar at the Mojave Air and Space Port in 1986. Although the school’s one-year professional test pilot and flight-test engineer course is its core program, NTPS offers a variety of other courses, including short courses covering such topics as spins, formation flight and upset recovery. It also is contracted by the FAA to teach a course that transitions military test pilots into the civilian test pilot work that is conducted at aircraft certification offices and other FAA sections. Recently NTPS added a two-week unmanned aerial vehicle course that uses a modified, remotely controlled Cessna 150 to simulate a UAV for training. The school has a stable of about 30 types of training aircraft

to support its advanced courses. “We have students from around the world, mostly military or (Department of Defense) types,” explained Mike Hill, a veteran test pilot instructor and NTPS’s director of business operations. Instructors at NTPS have an average of more than 20 years of flight-test experience and 10 years of test pilot instruction. Most are retired military pilots. “Currently we have three rotary-wing students from China for a 5.5-month course and nine students in our one-year course. These nine students are from Israel, Germany, Canada, Korea and Denmark,” said Hill. “We anticipate 17 Chinese students coming in May for a one-year course and another seven students coming in June for a six-month course.” The minimum prerequisite for enrolling as a professional test pilot or flight-test engineer is a bachelor’s degree in math, science or engineering (or equivalent degree from a military academy.) Professional test pilots also must have 750 hours of pilotin-command time. All candidates must be proficient in English. With the tuition for the one-year professional test pilot course being nearly $1 million, it is not surprising that students are sent to NTPS by their employers. An estimated 90 percent of the students have military affiliation. “I think the trends are still strong for (the need to train) test pilots and FTEs throughout the world for the next 10-plus years,” said Hill. Sean and Nadia Roberts selected Mojave for the location of their school partially because of the area’s rich aviation history. But the existence of the R-2508 complex – a large swath of desert with restricted airspace and air traffic controlled air space – is essential to supporting NTPS’s operation. The Mojave Air and Space Port’s 12,500-footlong runway and the area’s favorable flying weather also were attractions. In 2011, Dr. Allen L. (Al) Peterson, a retired Army test pilot and West Point graduate, was named president and chief executive officer of the NTPS.

— Dianne Hardisty is editor of the Kern Business Journal.

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Mojave: Silicon Valley of private space industry By Steven Mayer

erospace types love the Mojave Air and Space Port’s rural desert location for its clear, dry weather, its sparse population and its comfortable distance from major news outlets. But Dave Masten, CEO of Masten Space Systems, says there’s another reason his company stays in Mojave. “The neighbors don’t complain,” Masten says with a grin. “Even if you’re testing a rocket engine, and rocket tests can be very loud.” Long known as a place where space cowboys and scientist-entrepreneurs could carve out a niche in the specialized world of aviation and aerospace, the Mojave Air & Space Port has grown — some might say grown up — in recent years to include ambitious, well-funded companies that are expected to deliver on the promise that the sky is no longer the limit when it comes to private space flight. “Mojave is the premier place for civilian flight research — Jeff Greason, and testing chief executive of in the United XCOR Aerospace States,” says Jeff Greason, chief executive of XCOR Aerospace, a Mojave-based company focused on the research, development and production of reusable launch vehicles and rocket propulsion systems. Greason calls Mojave “the Silicon Valley of the private space industry.”

“Mojave is the premier place for civilian flight research and testing in the United States.”

The Bakersfield Californian

Mike Melvill gives a thumbs up after succesfully completing the first flight for the Ansari X-Prize on SpaceShipOne in September 2004.

“What’s happening here in Mojave is disruptive technology,” Witt says. “Harnessing fire, the wheel, the Internet, those were all disruptive to humanity.” Just as the Model T Ford disrupted the market for horse-drawn vehicles and streetcars, so private space flight will likely bring unforeseen changes to the government-sponsored system that has been the model in space flight for more than 50 years, Witt suggests. Other innovations could impact the commercial airline industry, the military and possibly other markets. “To do the same thing at far less expense,” he says of commercial space flight, “that’s a radical change.”

Diversified But the success of the 3,300-acre airport as an economic hot spot, even in the midst of a global economic cooldown, can be attributed to more than aerospace activities. Light industry and manufacturing, renewable energy and service industry tenants have combined with the higher-tech firms to bring steadiness and diversity to the airport’s humming economy. Aerospace represents about half of Mojave’s business, a significantly larger percentage than a few years ago, says Stu Witt, the air and space port’s CEO and general manager. But like any healthy investment portfolio, diversification has proved a major asset for the facility. On the west side of the airport, several huge cranes lift massive metal cylinders from railcars and load them on flatbed semitrailers. “Four of those things make a tower for a wind turbine,” Witt says. The components for the huge turbines arrive by rail. Eventually they are loaded onto trucks and taken to the spot where they will be assembled -- and ultimately where they will begin generating electricity for the great megalopolis to the south. Acres of land at the airport are covered with the cylinders, as well as the 153-foot blades and other stored components that make up the hundreds of wind machines being erected in the nearby Tehachapi Mountains. Several men wearing hard hats work nearby. Each one represents a job, Witt says. And each piece of equipment stored on the

California Factor The Bakersfield Californian

Stu Witt is the chief executive officer of the Mojave Air and Spaceport.

airport grounds represents revenue. When Witt came to Mojave nearly 10 years ago, the airport had about 14 business tenants generating a few hundred jobs. Today there are more than 65 tenants and close to 2,500 jobs, with more coming. As NASA cedes some of its former glory -- and funding -- to rocket scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs in the private sector, this tiny desert burg 60 miles east of Bakersfield may be on the cusp of history. The Spaceship Company’s 2011 opening of a massive 68,000-square-foot production hangar in Mojave was a sign of the times. The project reflected a multi-million-dollar commitment to doing business in eastern Kern County. A joint venture between Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Mojave-based Scaled Composites, TSC and its hangar supports the production and assembly of Virgin’s fleet of spaceships and the support aircraft they will use as flying launch platforms. The fleet is designed to carry ordinary people into space at $200,000 a pop -although those who can afford to cross this adventure off their bucket list may not be so ordinary, financially speaking. Still, about 500 reservations have been made by people wishing to take that suborbital joyride, generating some $60 million

in deposits. This is proof positive, Virgin officials say, that the market is real. Heady stuff, indeed, building spaceships to carry accountants and stock brokers into the black ether of space. Such a grand and complex endeavor may seem like an end in itself, but Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides says he and Branson have more in mind than space tourism. “What we aspire to is really changing the game of space,” Whitesides says. And Mojave Air & Space Port is at the epicenter of that change. “Mojave is where personal spaceflight was born,” Whitesides says, referring to the famed X Prize flights by SpaceShipOne in 2004. Locating its production facility in close proximity to partner Scaled Composites was a must, the CEO says. But the businessfriendly attitude at the airport and the airport district also went a long way toward making them feel that Mojave was the right choice. Two massive fabrication and hangar facilities also have been built for a company funded by Seattle billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. Stratolaunch Systems aims to launch payloads into orbit from what will be the largest aircraft ever flown, with a wingspan that will easily exceed the length of a football field.

But even as this once-obscure little desert outpost is growing into an important center of commercial aerospace, Witt is worried. “I’ve spent 10 years of my life adding jobs in Mojave,” he says. “I don’t want to see that ruined by policies in Sacramento.” High taxes. Onerous regulation. Bureaucratic inflexibility. Despite the state’s many obvious assets, Witt argues these issues have the potential to end California’s once-dominant position as a capital of industry and innovation. “California is ranked 50th of 50 states in business friendliness,” Witt says. The recent move to Mojave by The Spaceship Company and Stratolaunch Systems seems to fly in the face of such an argument. And Dave Masten -- whom Witt calls “one of the new Einsteins” -- says Mojave and California are home. “We’re not going anywhere,” Masten says. “Yes, California has a much higher tax and regulatory environment than other states. But it still has a lot to offer,” he says. “It kind of balances it out.” Whitesides acknowledges California’s reputation for business unfriendliness, but, like Masten, says Mojave’s considerable assets outweigh any downside. — Steven Mayer covers aerospace for The Bakersfield Californian. A longer version of this article appeared in The Californian.

J U N E / J U LY 2 0 1 3

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

XCOR Aerospace

The Lynx reusable space ship now under construction by XCOR Aerospace is on track for flight testing later this year at Mojave Air & Space Port.

From Mojave to space in a rocket ship built for two By Robin Snelson

Virgin Galctic

SpaceShipTwo is shown in glide flight over the Mojave Air and Space Port.

SpaceShipTwo reaches space milestone By Steven Mayer

Pre-launch protocol

n a feat that is expected to propel Virgin Galactic one giant step closer to offering tourist flights to suborbital space, the company on April 29 completed the first powered flight of its new rocketplane in the desert skies over eastern Kern County. Scores of local aerospace employees and their families, along with space flight enthusiasts and members of news organizations gathered behind yellow caution tape at the Mojave Air and Space Port as SpaceShipTwo, tethered to its mother ship, WhiteKnightTwo, lifted off like a conventional airplane at just after 7 a.m. Over several minutes, as anticipation built, it climbed to an altitude of 47,000 feet. Then, at about 7:50 a.m., SS2 was released from its mother ship. Visible to the naked eye, it fell for a second, maybe two. Suddenly fire and smoke burst from its rocket motor, thrusting and propelling the spaceship forward and then upward for 16 seconds to an altitude of more than 55,000 feet. Cheers went up through the crowd — and for the first time, the ship that is expected to someday carry hundreds, maybe thousands, of tourists into suborbital space, flew under its own power, achieving a speed of Mach 1.2. Make no mistake: The ship didn’t fly faster, or higher or farther than countless aircraft that have come before it. It simply completed one step in a long line of test flights — but a critically important step. “In some ways it’s the most important part of the test program,” Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said as he spoke with reporters following the flight. “Having worked out that the rocket and the spaceship can perform together in the air,” Branson said, “goes a long way toward getting into space.” Indeed, all previous flight tests have been “glide tests,” meaning SS2 was lifted to altitude, then allowed to glide unpowered back to the runway, not unlike the space shuttle. But this time, the rocket was fired for the first time in flight. “A few more test flights, slightly bigger burns every time,” Branson said, “and then we’ll all be back here again to watch it go into space.” The flight test, conducted by teams from Mojavebased Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic, officially marked Virgin’s entrance into the final phase of

ojave Air & Space Port in East Kern County’s is the American epicenter of research, development and flight test of new spacecraft and rocket technology. Space Expedition Corp. (SXC) has announced plans for commercial operations in Mojave, where ticket-buying spaceflight participants will launch on the two-seat Lynx Mark I spaceship, which is now under construction by XCOR Aerospace. SXC is the worldwide partner for ticket sales on XCOR’s Lynx ships. The company ordered the first production model Lynx Mark II for operations at Spaceport Curaçao. In 2011 it added the option of flying Lynx Mark I from Mojave — a mere two-hour drive from Los Angeles, three hours from Las Vegas and just over the hill from Bakersfield. Following is SXC’s description of the flight profile for “pioneer astronauts” who will launch into space from Spaceport Mojave in 2014, for a ticket price of $95,000:

The SXC Lynx Mark I spaceship is equipped with an independent take-off and landing system. The ship’s four revolutionary rocket engines can be shut down and restarted in-flight at any time. The Lynx Mark I will depart from the runway at Spaceport Mojave and glide back to the runway after the flight. Pioneer astronauts will sit next to the pilot, going over the take-off checklist before the four engines start and space travel begins.

T +58 seconds: breaking sound barrier

Virgin Galctic

Sir Richard Branson dicusses SpaceShipTwo at the Mojave Air and Space Port.

vehicle testing prior to beginning commercial service from Spaceport America in New Mexico. After some frustrating delays in the testing program, that service is expected to begin in early 2014, Branson said. At the controls of SS2 Monday were commanding pilot Mark Stucky and co-pilot Mike Alsbury, test pilots for Scaled Composites, which built SS2 for Virgin Galactic. Scaled was founded by maverick aerospace engineer Burt Rutan, who retired in 2011. “SpaceShipOne was Burt’s baby,” said Jim Tighe, an aerodynamicist at Scaled Composites. He was referring to Rutan’s experimental rocketplane that flew to suborbital space — about 62 miles up — three times in 2004. Rutan’s “baby” won the $10 million Ansari X Prize that year, and proved to the world that commercial space flight was possible. SpaceShipTwo is a direct descendant of SS1, Tighe said. “All the things used to make SpaceShipOne are in SpaceShipTwo,” he said, “just bigger, more robust, safer.” A second SpaceShipTwo is already under construction in Mojave. And an entire fleet is planned. — Steven Mayer covers aerospace for The Bakersfield Californian. A longer version of this article appeared in The Californian.

Pioneer astronauts will experience the powerful thrust that is so familiar to jet pilots and Formula 1 drivers. Soon the Lynx Mark I will accelerate, the landscape on both sides of the long runway will turn into a blur and Lynx Mark I will ascend at a fast, steep rate. As it speeds toward the sky, the spaceship’s large transparent canopy will offer a spectacular view. Within one minute, the sound barrier will be broken.

T +180 seconds: faster than a bullet Take-off is a rare experience. The enormous acceleration caused by the four powerful rocket engines will be felt and then Mach 2 reached.

Engine cut-off: edge of space At an altitude of about 42 km, the pilot will switch off the engines and parabolic flight begins. The crew will experience weightlessness for several minutes. Lynx Mark I will reach apogee at 61 km. It is the edge of space — a place where the sky is black, despite the sunshine. High above the vast Mojave Desert, the view will extend beyond the mountains and Los Angeles to the Pacific Ocean. The Earth’s curvature will be clearly visible.

Gliding back to the runway After three to four minutes in space, Lynx Mark I will begin descending back to Earth, rapidly picking up speed. A pullout maneuver will be done to reduce its speed. During this maneuver, 4G is experienced for 10 to 20 seconds. Lynx Mark I will then glides back to Spaceport Mojave for about 20 minutes, landing on the runway. The entire flight will take about 45 minutes. To book a flight or for more information, contact local SXC agent Robin Snelson robin@rocketsellers.com.

Flying lessons, charter services provided

ern Charter Service at the Bakersfield Municipal Airport has provided flight instruction to the greater Kern County area since 1994. The company specializes in high-quality, safety-oriented, flight and ground instruction, with an emphasis on customer service. Kern Charter offers training to pilots at all certificate levels -- from the new sport pilot to airline transport pilot. Additionally, the company offers licensed pilots the ability to rent aircraft for their personal use and convenience. The rental fleet is young and well-maintained. It includes a light sport aircraft (LSA) available for solo rental. The fleet also features a 2006 Cessna 172SP and a 2011 Cessna 162 Sky Catcher. Both of these aircraft are equipped with the latest Garmin avionics and advanced electronic flight instrumentation known as a “glass cockpit.” Kern Charter also maintains a Redbird Basic Aviation Training Device, better known as a “simulator,” for instrument and procedures training. In addition to flight instruction, Kern Charter Service provides a variety of commercial operations, including scenic flights, aerial photography, survey operations, and other forms of aerial observation. The company is an FAA approved “air carrier” that is approved for nonscheduled air-taxi/charter operations. Experienced aviation maintenance technicians are on staff and certified to perform both light and heavy maintenance on airframes and power-plants. This includes both routine and unscheduled inspections, and aircraft repairs. The airport’s fixed base operator offers self-serve fuel service, and short and long-term parking for transient aircraft. Customers are assisted in obtaining ground transportation and overnight accommodations. --Kern Charter Service Inc.

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Marketing

Five easy steps to use email to reach customers By Laura Wiener

n the ever-changing world of advertising, most marketing professionals agree there’s one trend showing stunning exponential growth -- online advertising. With current data suggesting that most consumers still check their inboxes at least once a day, it’s an easy, affordable way to spread the word about your brand. Here are some easy steps to help you get started: Build and maintain your email database. Build an effective email database of your own customers, influencers and prospects. Make adding customers to your database a part of your business culture. Create an easy sign-up form and prominently display it at your location. Add a “Join Our Mailing List” form to your website. If you are using social media, feature a tab and post ways to sign up periodically. Laura Wiener Once you have started your database, build it and keep it updated by using an email marketing service, such as Constant Contact. Design your ‘look.’ Once you have created the systems to build your list, focus on appearance and content. Always use logos, colors and taglines to reinforce your brand. Emails that look pleasing, familiar, professional and simple, and that are relevant to your demographics are the most effective. The most opened, most read and most effective email messages offer intriguing subject lines and interesting preview panels. Add value to your messages.

Want to hold on to your subscribers? Add value. Many businesses focus more attention on gaining subscribers than they do on the actual content of the email. Customers opt-in to receive emails because there’s something in it for them. Consider including discounts, early sale notices, or new service offerings. The most successful messages will have subscribers looking forward to receiving your next email. Keep content consistent, professional, relevant, engaging and timely. Make it easy for consumers to reach you. In the signature line and footer of the emails, always include all contact information, including location, phone number, websites and links to social media networks. Also provide easy-to-use “Contact Us” and unsubscribe features in all emails. Send emails from an address that allows for reply and be prompt about getting back. Engagement is king! Track, analyze and refine your email marketing campaigns. Remember to analyze your results. Track how many people have opened the emails, how many have unsubscribed and whether you have garnered any attention from your efforts. Tracking will help you tailor future mailings to keep customers on your list, while you’re adding new ones. With people spending more and more time on tablets and smart phones, it really is time to integrate effective email marketing campaigns into your plans. Keep your customers coming back and establish a direct way to communicate with potential new ones. — Laura Wiener is a Bakersfield marketing and media consultant, and the owner of Spectrum |Communications.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Monthly Mojave event attracts ‘plane crazy’ fans By Bill Deaver

n the third Saturday of each month, vintage and modern aircraft, and the occasional spaceship, welcome members of the public at the Mojave Air and Space Port. The monthly Plane Crazy Saturday event, sponsored by the Mojave Transportation Museum Foundation, also features noted aerospace leaders and visionaries recounting their adventures and foretelling the future in briefings in the airport’s boardroom at 11 a.m. The event is free to the public. Plane Crazy Saturday helps promote the museum foundation’s efforts to fund a permanent museum that will celebrate the important role played by transportation in the history of Mojave and Eastern Kern County. The monthly gatherings, held from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., are the ultimate family event, says MTM board member Cathy Hansen, who helped found the organization and Plane Crazy Saturday, which she chairs. “It’s a fabulous introduction to aerospace and its many local career opportunities for youngsters,” Hansen said. “Each month has a different theme and once a year we host a career fair in cooperation with the many aerospace businesses based here.” For information on Plane Crazy Saturday, call 661-824.8417 or visit www.mojavemuseum.org — Bill Deaver is the president of the Mojave Transportation Museum Foundation.

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

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Internet access may be key to success of small businesses By Kelly Bearden

very community should be located on the highway to success. Increasingly, that highway today is the Internet. But regrettably large swaths of rural America have no highway on-ramp. Broadband access simply is not available to their communities. Some of these “disconnected” areas are located along the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and include portions of Mono, Inyo and eastern Kern counties. The Eastern Sierra Connect Regional Broadband Consortium (ESCRBC) was formed to remedy the access issue and bring vital Kelly Bearden resources to improve the region’s economic vitality. Examples of resources that can travel along the broadband highway are the free business webinars and consulting services provided by the Small Business Development Center at Cal State Bakersfield. The center’s webinars cover a wide range of topics, including marketing and alternative funding, such as crowdfunding, that can give small business owners the knowledge to better compete.

There are multiple ways to view the SBDC webinars. For businesses and individuals with broadband access, webinars can be viewed over computers in homes and businesses anywhere on a pc, laptop, smartphone or tablet. The consortium also has donated the necessary hardware to some public organizations to show the webinars in group settings in Ridgecrest, Kernville, Bishop, and Lone Pine. They are shown live in Tehachapi, Mojave, California City, Mammoth Lakes, and in west Kern locations Taft and Frazier Park. Extending broadband service to all communities is so important that 14 regional organizations, such as ESCRBC, have been formed in California to address access issues. The statewide project is supported by the California Public Utilities Commission. The ESCRBC is funded out of the California Advanced Services Fund, with the intention of launching public-private partnerships that increase digital access in the Eastern Sierra three-county area. Named Digital 395 after the state highway that forms the region’s spine, the 600-mile, $100 million project’s goal is to install long fiber optic systems between Barstow and Reno. The fiber is being installed for “middle mile users,” such as government offices, schools, hospitals and other public agencies. The ESCRBC as-

sists with the “last mile” – providing high speed Internet access to local residents and businesses. The Small Business Development Center at CSUB teamed up with ESCRBC, recognizing the importance of having broadband access. The SBDC is committed to assisting owners with transitioning high speed Internet into the operations of their businesses and into the everyday lives of residents. The availability of high speed Internet opens up many opportunities to businesses. These include selling products online, better positioning marketing to travelers, and utilizing social media to promote services and products. The Small Business Development Center at CSUB is one of five service centers overseen by the University of California, Merced SBDC Regional Network, which is a partnership between the university and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The center at CSUB assists entrepreneurs and small business owners in Kern, Mono and Inyo counties by providing free one-on-one consulting, small business training and research. For more information, go to csub.edu/sbdc — Kelly Bearden is the director of the Small Business Development Center at Cal State Bakersfield.

J U N E / J U LY 2 0 1 3

KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

Flying is not always ‘strictly business’

Kern Valley Airport becoming hub of backcountry flying By Dianne Hardisty

ick Lach’s goal is to make the Kern Valley Airport a hub for backcountry flying. The mountain airport at the northern tip of Isabella Lake is recognized for accommodating pilots who fly in for camping. And Isabella Lake has been used for years by seaplane pilots who drop down to the water’s surface to fish or taxi onto shore and camp. But Lach, the airport’s manager, believes the growing popularity of air camping and the availability of abandoned air strips in the California desert, east of the airport, provide additional opportunities. Lach is a California director of the Recreational Aviation Foundation, a national group devoted to establishing and restoring backcountry aviation strips. The non-profit organization was established by pilots concerned about the closure of rural airstrips throughout the nation. Backcountry airstrips provide transportation services and emergency access to people living and working in remote areas. They also provide recreational opportunities to people who wish to hunt, fish and camp in areas beyond the reach of roads and trails. In California, RAF is negotiating with federal and state officials to open and maintain air strips on public lands. These strips, many of which were constructed by mining and logging companies, were abandoned long ago and now are covered with tumbleweeds. “There’s a tremendous amount of interest in air camping,” Don Abbott recently told the Aviation Owners and Pilots Association. In 2010, Abbott formed the American Air Campers Association to support the activity. “Air camping is a family activity that allows us to fly our airplanes more and connects us more deeply to this magnificent country we live in.” In addition to managing the Kern Valley Airport, Lach

Dianne Hardisty / Kern Business Journal

Rick Lach, manager of the Kern Valley Airport, is strengthening his airplane’s landing gear for backcountry flying . Lach hopes to turn the mountain airport into a center for backcountry flying.

operates Raven Aviation and is certified to perform maintenance on light sport aircraft and manufacture some aircraft parts. In the company’s airport hangar, Lach is modifying his 1957 Tri-Pacer Piper four-seat airplane to better cope with the rigors of backcountry flying. Raven Aviation and management of the Kern Valley Airport is Lach’s second “retirement career.” Previously, Lach owned a computer systems company. As a refuge from the stress of the high tech industry, he moved to the Kern River Valley in 1989 and commuted to his San Fernando Valley business. In 1998, he sold his company and bought a 100-year-old Alaskan lodge “in the middle of nowhere” as a

retirement “career.” Learning to fly was both a fulfillment of a long-time ambition and a practical way to reach the lodge. When an electrical fire caused the lodge to burn to the ground two years later, Lach and his wife, Holly, returned to the Kern River Valley with the idea of retiring. But that changed when the Kern Valley Airport’s long-time manager Gene Nelson retired. Lach said he jumped at the chance of running the airport and “taking full advantage of the high mountains, flowing rivers and lakes, desert scapes and great weather.” — Dianne Hardisty is editor of the Kern Business Journal.

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Heard about the $100 hamburger? By Dianne Hardisty

R World’s tiniest jet in Kernville People who dine out on the deck at the Kern Valley Airport café can watch a vintage BD-5 twirl around on a pedestal, serving as the mountain airport’s unofficial wind sock. James Bond fans will recognize the BD5, the “world’s tiniest jet,” from the movie “Octopussy.” Aircraft designer Jim Bede introduced the aircraft in kit form during the 1970s. The Kern Valley Airport’s previous long-time manager, Gene Nelson, acquired one of the kits. “I am told he was reluctant to fly it, but did not want to sell it. So he put it up on a pole, where it twirls around on ball bearings,” said the present manager, Rick Lach, adding with a laugh, “Everything at an airport seems to have a story.”

oger Baumgartner touched down his Piper Comanche on the runway of the Kern Valley Airport. It was a sunny, clear mid-week afternoon. The Cayucos accountant had decided to take a break from his office and escape into the “wild blue yonder.” “It’s a really pretty flight over here,” said Baumgartner, after flying 125 nautical miles from his home on the coast. “I have flown here many times.” And what attracts Baumgartner to the Kern Valley Airport besides the scenery? Hamburgers. Baumgartner is a fan of the airport café’s “co-pilot,” a juicy 6-ounce hamburger that drips from the bun. Baumgartner was enjoying what pilots laughingly call the $100 hamburger — burn $100 in gas to fly off to have lunch at an airport café. A popular destination, the Kern Valley Airport cafe is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week. Whether you arrive in an airplane or an automobile, you can find good food and specialty attractions at the many small airports scattered around Kern County. California City – The municipal airport in California City features Foxy’s Landing, a restaurant that goes beyond offering “$100 hamburgers.” Its menu features a “$100 hamburger,” a simple hamburger; a “$200 hamburger,” two meat patties; and a “$1 million hamburger,” two patties, bacon and cheese. Fridays feature all-you-can-eat catfish and Saturdays all-you-can-eat baby back barbecue ribs. Café open: Monday – Saturday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mojave Air & Space Port – This hub of aerospace innovation is also the home of the Voyager Restaurant. The restaurant has a large breakfast, lunch and dinner menu, many items sharing names with aircraft developed at the airport. These include the egg breakfasts named “Nighthawk” and “Blackbird.” The restaurant is filled with aviation photos and memorabilia. Its big windows offer diners good views of some of the “out of this world” projects you read about. The restaurant is open Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Tehachapi – While the airport in Tehachapi doesn’t have a restaurant, it really doesn’t need one. Pilots just land, park their planes and walk a short distance to the city’s downtown, where there are numerous restaurants and shops. “Flying to Tehachapi is a great, quick adventure,” says Elaine LeCain, chairwoman of the Bakersfield chapter of the 99s, a women’s aviation group. Mountain Valley Airport – Located just two miles outside of Tehachapi, the Mountain Valley Airport is a wellknown soaring base. It’s restaurant is called the Raven’s Nest and features breakfast and lunch dishes with such names at the “Cross Country,” scrambled eggs; “Dual with Lift,” croissant with eggs, ham and cheese; and “Thermal Kicker,” French toast. The restaurant is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bakersfield Municipal Airport – Truly a dining “hot spot” filled with people ranging from pilots to office workers, the Rocket Shop Café at the city’s airport on Union Avenue features a diverse menu, a sports bar, banquet rooms and NASCAR gift shop. The name reflects owner John Harmon’s experimental aircraft, the Harmon Rocket. Menu items have such names as “Experimental Omelets,” “Homebuilt Burgers” and “Tail Gunner Chicken.” But whatever you order, ask for the fresh, home-style potato chips on the side. They are delicious! The café is open Monday – Thursday, 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Shafter – Brookside Deli operates the café at the Shafter Airport. The menu features a variety of sandwiches, breakfast offerings and specials, including chili bowls. The café is open Monday – Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Delano – Located on the Delano Airport is the Aviator Casino, where gambling, food and entertainment can be found. “The Aviator Casino in Delano is a real deal,” says LeCain of the 99s, praising the “great food, wonderful atmosphere, excellent prices and unusually good prices for fuel. … We had a 99s fly-in there once and were all impressed with the décor, service and quality of food, especially for the reasonable price.” — Dianne Hardisty is the editor of the Kern Business Journal.

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Docent Don Westerfahl stands among the military vehicles at the Minter Field Air Museum in Shafter.

Minter Field Museum preserving legacy By Dianne Hardisty

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on Westerfahl was a 19-yearold farm boy from Perry, Okla., when he was sent with thousands of other young men by the Army Air Corps to Minter Field, just east of Shafter, to learn how to fly fighter planes and bombers during World War II. He went on to advance training at other bases, eventually ending up flying weather reconnaissance flights in India to support pilots navigating the dangerous â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hump,â&#x20AC;? a death-defying route over the Himalayas used to supply Chinese troops fighting the Japanese. A more than 40-year oil industry career and seven decades later, the 88-year-old Westerfahl is now a docent at the Minter Field Air Museum (www.minterfieldairmuseum.com), located on what is also known as the Shafter Airport. Among the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s volunteer guides, Westerfahl is the only one to have lived on the base and experienced the training of more than 11,000 pilots in BT-13s (Vultee Valients), UC-78s (Cessna Bamboo Bombers) and other aircraft as the U.S. assembled a World War II fighting force. During a museum tour, Westerfahl looked across a barren field on the airport, pointing to the now weather-beaten buildings and recalling how they served as dining halls, dormitories and for other uses in what grew to be a massive â&#x20AC;&#x153;city within a city.â&#x20AC;? He recalled the â&#x20AC;&#x153;rec hall,â&#x20AC;? where he met at a dance the young Bakersfield woman he later married. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was enjoyable to be there as a cadet. We were treated well,â&#x20AC;? he said â&#x20AC;&#x153;They demanded discipline, but they were more interested in getting us to be pilots than in changing us. It was a good group of guys who had a lot of fun flying.â&#x20AC;? Named after Lt. Hugh C. Minter, a member of a prominent local family and World War I pilot, who died in a mid-air collision in Southern California in 1932, the base officially opened in February 1942. Like many former military bases, operation of the airport passed into local hands after World War II. The Minter Field Airport District now

Dianne Hardisty / Kern Business Journal

Dean Craun, a volunteer spokesman for the Minter Field Air Museum, helps preserve the Shafter Airportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s World War II legacy.

oversees its general aviation activities and the leasing of land to business tenants. A corner of the airport at 401 Vultee St. houses a museum to preserve the legacy of the base that became the largest training facility of its type on the West Coast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The museum honors the Greatest Generation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; people who put it on the line for their country in the 40sâ&#x20AC;? and other wars, said Dean Craun, a retired television executive, who serves as the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public relations contact. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The military is downplayed in schools. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much taught about World War II, Korea or Vietnam.â&#x20AC;? Housed in what was once the baseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fire station, the museum features exhibits of military artifacts and restored aircraft and military vehicles. The museum also maintains base archives and other documents. The museum is the inspiration of a thriving industry that restores vintage aircraft and military vehicles at the airport. Notable is the work being done in what they call the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nest,â&#x20AC;? a large hangar where piece by piece old airplanes are being put back together. The museum is a non-profit organization dependent on fundraising and donations. It is open to the public on Fridays and Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tours at other times can be arranged by emailing mfam@ minterfieldairmuseum.com. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Dianne Hardisty is the editor of the Kern Business Journal.

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KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL

Bakersfield among ‘Best Cities for Jobs’

Workplace law

Bakersfield was the only metropolitan area in Central California to be ranked in Forbes magazine’s 2013 top 10 Best Cities for Jobs lists. The Bakersfield-Delano metropolitan area was listed in fifth place among midsize cities. The only other California cities to make it onto Forbes’ top 10 lists were San Francisco, which came in first, and San Jose, which came in seventh, in the “big city” category, and San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, which came in ninth in the “small cities” category. Big cities are defined as having a nonfarm employment base of at least 450,000 jobs. The midsize range is from 150,000 to 450,000 jobs, and small is under 150,000. “Right now, the biggest winners are the metro areas that are adding higherwage jobs thanks to America’s two big boom sectors: technology and energy,” wrote Forbes columnists Joel Kotkin and Mike Shires. Several Texas cities landed in all three category listings, demonstrating the strength of the energy sector. The booming oil and gas industry helped explain Bakersfield’s strong showing. To compile its list, Forbes analyzed nearly 400 metropolitan areas across the U.S., with the goal of measuring their present growth and vitality, as well as trends over several years. --Kern Business Journal

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Employer penalties possible under Affordable Care Act By Brandie J. Gasper

ven employers who provide health care coverage could be penalized under the proposed regulations for the Affordable Care Act. The employer mandate requires large employers to provide health care coverage to full-time employees or face a tax penalty after Jan. 1, 2014. (Generally, large employers are those employers with 50 or more full-time employees.) Employers know that they can be penalized for not providing coverage to their employees. But many employers do not know that they can also be penalized if: the coverage is not “affordable;” or the employer fails to offer coverage to any eligible full-time employee and his of her dependents. As to the first requirement, coverage is deemed affordable if the employee’s contributions toward the cost of self-only coverage do not exceed 9.5 percent of the employee’s Brandie Gasper gross income. There is no requirement for the employer to contribute toward the cost of dependent coverage, but the employer must make dependent coverage available. Spouses are not considered dependents for this requirement. The second requirement is more detailed. The proposed regulations provide that a “full-time” employee is an employee that regularly works 30 or more hours per week. Many employers are uncertain whether they must offer coverage to temporary employees, seasonal employees, or variable-hour employees under this new requirement. An employer would not need to provide coverage to a tempo-

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rary employee employed by a third-party temp agency. But note that the temporary employee would still be subject to the individual mandate, and the employee’s temp agency may be required to provide coverage if the temporary agency has over 50 employees. The proposed regulations treat seasonal employees the same as variable-hour employees. Variable-hour employees are defined, under the proposed regulations, as those for whom the employer cannot reasonably determine, on the employee’s start date, whether the employee will work 30 or more hours per week. The proposed regulations allow the employer to use a “lookback measurement period” to determine which variable-hour or seasonal employees are eligible for coverage. Employers can use a measurement period of between 3 and 12 months. The employer must track the hours of each variable-hour or seasonal employee, based on the measurement period the employer chose. For instance, if an employer chooses a 12-month measurement period, the employer must determine whether the employee worked fewer than 30 hours per week or more than 30 hours per week during the measurement period. If the employee exceeds 30 hours per week, the employer must offer the employee coverage during a subsequent “stability period.” This “stability period” must not be shorter in duration than the measurement period. If the employee qualified for coverage from the measurement period, the employee will remain eligible for coverage during the entire stability period, regardless of whether the employee’s hours of service drops below 30 hours per week, so long as the employee remains employed. All employers, including those that already offer coverage, need to ensure they are ready for the changes in 2014. — Brandie J. Gasper is an attorney with Klein DeNatale Goldner in Bakersfield.

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‘Silent flight’ attracts wide range of students By Jane Barrett

estled up against the tree-studded mountains to the south of Tehachapi is Mountain Valley Airport, a unique and accessible airport. Mountain Valley Airport Skylark North Glider Flight School is a privately-owned, public-use airport. It is home to one of about 150 flight schools in the country that teach people how to fly sailplanes (airplanes without engines). In business for more than 35 years, Skylark North provides sailplane flight instruction to students at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB and at the National Test Pilot School in Mojave; to NASA astronauts, space shuttle pilots and Virgin Galactic pilots; and to everyday civilians. The test pilots and astronauts find flying sailplanes particularly helpful because the flight profile on landing mimics that of the space shuttle. Skylark North provides rides and instruction for anyone interested in experiencing the thrill, beauty and exhilaration of flying silently over the nearby Tehachapi Mountains, with the wind-turbines to the east and Mount Whitney visible to the north on a clear day. Rides and instruction are available any day, except Tuesday. Mountain Valley Airport is also home to Raven’s Nest Restaurant, which is located in the administration building at

Photo courtesy of Mark La Ciura

A glider plane is towed into the air for a “silent flight” over Tehachapi.

the center of the airport, and Mountain Valley RV Park, which features 27 sites, all with electricity, water and a central dump station. Other businesses on Mountain Valley Airport include The Composite Store, a distribution center for fiberglass and carbon fiber materials; Browne’s Aircraft

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Services; Precomtec, a company specializing in fiberglass construction, molding, design and repair; and Working Design, a composite research and design facility.

— Jane Barrett and her husband, Larry, own and operate Mountain Valley Airport and the flight school.

Phone: 661.327.0258 Toll Free: 800.635.7641 Fax: 661.327.3894

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Scholarship continues pilot’s aviation passion By Kelly A. Lazerson

Photo courtesy of Kelly Lazerson

Dave “Laze” Lazerson thrilled local audiences with his aerobatic glider stunts. As part of his act during air shows, he created smoke trails from his airplane’s wings.

ave “Laze” Lazerson’s passion for soaring and life in general was evident in his glider aerobatic displays. The deputy director of the joint strike fighter test force at Edwards Air Force Base, Lazerson was familiar to thousands of Antelope Valley residents for his aerobatic glider flying, which had become a tradition at Edwards’ annual air shows. One of only a few civilians to graduate from the USAF Test Pilot School and a member of a small, elite group of glider aerobatic pilots in the country, Lazerson, 40, was helping assemble a team of military and civilian pilots and engineers to test Lockheed Martin’s F-35 jet when his life was cut short in 2004. Lazerson’s private, single-engine airplane was struck mid-air by another private airplane near Tehachapi and crashed. Although he tragically lost his life, his passion for aviation and his desire to see soaring remain part of a student’s education continues in the Laze Memorial Soaring Foundation. Since 2008, LMSF has awarded eight soaring scholarships to individuals with a clear passion for flying, as well as a represented financial need. Valued up to $3,500, the scholarship is paid to the flight school of the recipient’s choice for instruction leading to certification as a glider pilot.

Photo courtesy of Kelly Lazersonl

Dave “Laze” Lazerson stands with his young daughters, Symantha and Claryce Lazerson, before taking off on a glider flight.

The first two scholarships were awarded in 2008 to Isaac Warner of Ridgecrest and John Paul Olah of Tehachapi. Warner now shares his passion

for flying by taking area students on introductory flights and by helping others realize their aviation dreams. The recipients in 2009 were Kyle Holifield of Tehachapi and Kevin Johnson of Ridgecrest. The 2010 recipient was Nicholas Ross of Tehachapi. Heidi Stoeppler, 21, of Bakersfield had no formal education and had only dreamed of flying when she received the scholarship in 2011. Her interest in flying had been sparked as a child watching helicopters spray fields near her family’s rural home. Heidi is now a certified glider pilot and has nearly completed her commercial rating. She also has obtained her GED. Her goal is to obtain certifications as a flight instructor and a helicopter pilot. Grant Dowell of State College, Penn., a student at Penn State and member of the university’s soaring club, also received a scholarship in 2011. And the 2012 recipient was 16-year-old Carrie Brewer of Tehachapi. Brewer, who plans to become an aerospace engineer, said learning to fly will broaden her horizons, and enable her to reach for new and higher goals. A nonprofit organization, LMSF depends on individual and corporate tax deductible contributions. To learn more about LMSF, go to www.lazesoaring.com or email info@lazesoaring.com. — Kelly A. Lazerson is the founder, chief financial officer and secretary of the Laze Memorial Soaring Foundation.

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