“Flying Home” Palm Beach Illustrated
Integral Aviation Solutions was featured in Palm Beach Illustrated this month. Please click on each picture or download PDF.
Fuel Savings
I was asked to write an article for a leading European Aviation Magazine; This is a preview for my Blog follower:
Once upon a time men of steel flew their loud 3 hole jets fast and proud. We would takeoff pass through 10,000 feet roll the nose over accelerate to the barber pole and stay there the entire flight. Of course in those days fuel was about 50 cents a gallon now that it is costing corporate operators over 6 dollars a gallon, we are taking extreme measures to conserve every drop of the precious liquid we can. Fuel conservation can save money, our jobs and the environment.
I’d like to discuss some design, engineering and operational procedures that our company has developed or uses to save our clients fuel. First I’d like to introduce my team and myself. I’m Capt Ivan Klugman; I’ve been involved in aviation as a Flight department manager, chief pilot, Captain at a major airline and consultant. Currently I’m President of Integral Aviation Solutions Inc with offices in Florida, Saudi Arabia and France specializing in aircraft acquisition, completion and operations. We send a lot of time working on VIP aircraft interiors and airliner conversions. Manny Loret de Mola leads our engineering and design team. Manny is preeminent engineer in the VIP aircraft interiors world, when the major completion centers of the world need help, Manny is their got to man. Jean-Pierre Alfano is our engineering and design leader in France, his expertise in EASA certification and the Airbus product line are unparalleled. We have worked for airframe manufacturers corporations, Royalty, “Heads of State” and even a celebrity billionaire.
I’ll start the discussion in the acquisition an design phases. An important item in fuel savings is weight. We survey possible acquisitions weight and balance data to see if it is in acceptable limits. I have found some have been completed in such a way the useful load is unacceptable. When planning an interior installation Manny always uses the lightest possible materials and considers monument location relative to the weight and balance of the aircraft. Weight reduction and an aft c.g. location within limits save fuel.
One of the most dramatic fuel savings you will see on your aircraft comes from the installation of Blended winglets. Aviation Partners sells STC’s and kits for most airliners and corporate aircraft. Fuel saving can be between 6-8 percent depend on aircraft type and length of trip.
General maintenance items on an aircraft can also save fuel such as assuring there are no small bleed air or pressurization leaks. Control and flap rigging are also important. Watching our team prepare an aircraft is like watching the Ferrari team preparing for a F-1 race. With little extra time and care performing these tasks, many gallons of fuel can be saved.
Auto-Throttles should be ordered on all aircraft they are available on. Auto-throttle enhances safety, reduce pilot fatigue and save fuel. We recommend the use of auto-throttle in all modes of flight. Fuel saving can be from 1-2 percent.
FMS: proper use of the FMS and cost indexing cruise technique can save fuel. We recommend a few operational procedures in regard to the FMS. First of all we recommend having current wind data in the unit via uplink if available or manually entering current winds. In the past we all flew in a fixed Mach number cruise. Today we are using FMS generated cruise speed “LRC” or “ECON”. We are able to adjust the cost index to maintain Mach number within required tolerances when require in the NATS or other non-radar environment. We also recommend using the FMS for real time optimum cruise altitude selection. A professional well-trained crew using these procedures can save a lot of fuel.
As you can see with a small investment in some aircraft modification and crew training an operator can easily save about 10 percent of their annual fuel budget. This saving is not only monetary it will help our planet as well. Those that desire any additional information please don’t hesitate to contact me..
Capt. Ivan Klugman
Integral Aviation Solutions Inc
Creating a “Flying Home”: By Capt. Ivan Klugman
Having been in the aviation industry for over 30 years as an aviation department manager, major airline captain, aircraft completion consultant and President of Integral Aviation Solutions Inc, I feel uniquely qualified to discuss the completion or conversion process of an airliner into a “Flying Home”. Long before Boeing was producing the Boeing Business Jet and Airbus the Airbus Corporate Jet. We were converting Boeing and Airbus airliners to corporate, personal and “Head of State” service.
Once you establish that an airline is suitable for your flight operations there are many choices to make; the first step is to set a budget. A new BBJ or ACJ start around 55 million “Green”, that’s without any interior. An average completion on one of these aircraft is between 18 and 35 million depending on you personal choices. There are many less expensive ways of getting a similar aircraft without the 75 million dollar price tag. There are many pre-owned airlines available that can be converted cost effectively.
The timeline has changed rather dramatically recently with the weak economy. Today there are new aircraft positions that can be purchased and room in the completion center hangars so the overall project time from start to finish for a new aircraft is reduced quite a bit. We have always been able to accommodate our client’s needs in a more timely fashion than the mega-operations however today it’s even easier. Expect the process to take between nine month and eighteen months depending on your design and size aircraft. There are pre-owned aircraft available for those that need one sooner. Please get assistance prior to purchasing an aircraft there are many areas a non-professional can overlook.
Once you get an aircraft the fun part starts designing the aircraft of your dreams. I usually send my design team to meet with my client’s in their home. This allows the team to get a feel for the personality of the client in order to help them decide of the style they desire in their aircraft.
We have designed some very traditional aircraft what I call “the flying board room”, ultra-modern sleek European and even some that reflect a corporate identity. Our design team creates a LOPA(Layout of Passenger Accommodations) as well as designs for the desired rooms including: main salon, dining, bedrooms, bathrooms, offices, conference rooms, bars, galleys, surgical suites, SPA rooms, prayer rooms etc.
State of the Art cabin electronic system allow for en-route business meetings though broadband Internet connections, VIOP and satellite telephones. To help pass the time entertaining Satellite television is available. Passenger can even use their own handheld devices; Blackberry’s and iPhones . The technology is advancing so rapidly we sometime are provisioning the aircraft for equipment that is not even certified yet. We stay in tune to the manufacturers product pipeline so our clients don’t end up with an obsolete system. We even have the capability to equip the aircraft with high tech security systems and missile defense systems.
Being as most of the furnishing and cabin systems are custom designed and engineered, the client has a lot of freedom in their choices however they must meet rigid FAA standards. This is where I come into the process guiding both client and designer toward maximizing the safety and cost effectiveness of the interior layout. Quite frankly almost anything is possible” IF” you have enough time and money. We know that most people don’t want to wait years and send extra millions for extensive engineering and tests on something very radical when with a little change, they can be airborne months sooner and save a tremendous amount of money. Of course there are those that already have an aircraft that don’t mind the time or the cost.
I’d like to discuss our role in the process; I compare myself to the “general contractor” on a home construction project. I work very closely with the world-renowned lead design engineer “Manny” Loret de Mola. We have designers, engineers, manufacturing capabilities and like most other companies in the business, we also sub-contract portions of the completion. Being a boutique operation is a major advantage to our clients. They get personal attention of our principals and first string of employees. Not one of the thousands of employees at the mega houses.
There many of the design houses that have no operational experience. We feel they are missing an important indigent. Our staff includes members that have years of experience flying and maintaining airliners. We are capable of assisting our client from acquisition though operations.
While may of these amenities sound like luxuries, I can assure that these features are very cost effective and in fact traveling by any other means would be doing stockholders an injustice by wasting executive time and not providing a safe work environment for the companies most valued talent. Remember when flying on an airliner with 300 other people there is no way to assure the safety and security of these key executives, “Heads of State” or high net worth individuals.
The primary goal on a project of this nature must always be safety!
Ivan Klugman
MEL’s Minimum Equipment List : Use or Abuse
Minimum Equipment Lists: For those of you not familiar with them, is a document submitted by the operator and approved the Air Agency (FAA in the US). All airlines and most corporate aircraft have them. The purpose intially, was to fly an aircraft with an inoperative component back to base where repairs can be made.
There is much redundacy on modern aircraft and certainly they can fly a limited amout of time with reduce redundacy. The question is how long should they fly and are you willing to give up the extra safety factor the manufacturer has built into the aircraft. The FAA allows various time frames for repair depending on the item. For example there are 24 hour items, 3 day and even 7 day items. In todays poor economic environment the Airlines have smaller parts inventory and fewer maintenance people. Under these conditions they are fyling more MEL’s longer. There are even some unscrupulous repairmen and carriers that remove a placard for a leg and reinstall them the next in order to reset the clock on them. By the way the FAA is very good on catching this illegal behavior however it is usaully months after the fact.
In my opion the MEL’s are by abused by operators that fly them to the eleventh hour. The purpose is to get the aircraft to base where it can be repaired. An Airline should never depart a hub where repair can be made just to avoid a delay. Yes this will cause more delays but isn’t safety our primary concern.
Many corporations and private individuals are already practicing this enhanced safety procedure and do not leave an airport where repairs can be made. MEL’s should be used prudently not just to the minumum standard required by law.
Capt. Ivan Klugman www.inavsol.com
Airbus ACJ A319/A320/A330/A340/A380 BizLiners
Airbus has a very comprehensive line of “Head of State” corporate airliners based on their popular Commericial Airliners. They are spectacularly modern aircraft whose flight deck would bring tears of joy to the eyes of most pilots. They are delivered to the client’s completion center partially completed so the process from that point to full completed is about 8 months. They offer a highly reliable aircraft that meet airline safety standards at cost competitive with a corporate jet.
Ivan Klugman www.headofstateaircraft.com
Integral Aviation Solutions and Airbath Consulting form global alliance
Integral Aviation Solutions is pleased to announce a marketing agreement with Airbatch Consulting. Due to a downturn in the airline industry there are many former airliners available for sale. Corporations and private individuals can now have an aircraft without waiting years for a new one. Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier CRJ are luxurious, reliable and safe aircraft. They can be acquired in a cost effective manner and converted for corporate or personal service for a fraction of the cost of a new aircraft. Integral Aviation Solutions will manage the acquisition and conversion process of aircraft marketed by Airbatch Consulting.
About:
Integral Aviation Solutions Inc
A Florida based company has over a100 years of combined aviation experience. Our unique combination of airline and corporate aviation expertise provides our clients with the ultimate in safety, security and privacy. IAS has maintenance as well as operational experience and can help newcomer to the industry establish their own flight operations.
Airbatch Consulting LLC
Specializing in the global marketplace with extensive international contacts in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East to match just the right Business Aircraft Commercial aircraft or Helicopter that fits our client’s requirement
Contact:
Airbatch Consulting LLC Integral Aviation Solutions Inc
Michael J. Batchelor Ivan Klugman
800 Ocean Blvd. Ste.309 7100 DeMedici Circle
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33441 Delray Beach, FL 33446
Phone: (561) 929-1319 Phone(561)900-4000
Fax: (206) 309-0911 Fax(561)431-8443
airbatchconsulting@gmail.com ivan@inavsol.com