Stories from the business of flight

Owning a private aircraft provides something few other assets can offer - the ability to travel on your own schedule, access destinations commercial airlines cannot easily serve and operate with a level of privacy and convenience that is unmatched. However, a private...

There was a time when an aircraft effectively became isolated from the rest of the world once it climbed above the clouds. Pilots communicated with air traffic control by radio, weather updates were limited, and operators on the ground often had little visibility into...

The life of a private jet crew member must be pretty great, right? Luxury hotels, exotic destinations, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and billionaires are just another day. There is certainly some truth to that, but the reality is a lot more challenging than you...

Decades ago, if you'd ever stood near an airport watching private jets take off, the noise level was far more intrusive than that of modern business jets today.  Today's engines are remarkably quieter, and even more impressive is that while producing less noise,...

For decades, becoming a flight attendant on a private jet followed a fairly predictable career path. Most cabin crew had already spent years working in the premium cabins of major airlines, serving high-end passengers in the first class and business class sections,...

Most of us are pretty familiar with GPS systems that operate in our cars and on our devices, but when it comes to aviation it’s more complicated than we might think. Modern private jets don't simply follow GPS to get where they are going, they actually combine...

Many private jet travelers likely don’t realize that for pilots and flight crews, landing the aircraft is often one of the most demanding phases of any journey. And it can become even more complicated when runway conditions are sometimes less than ideal. While the...

Mike Dodd, CEO at Avionco Canada Ltd has worked with Bombardier for over 20 years and is an expert in Elite Pilot and Crew Services. Given all the recent news about Bombardier – the launch of the near supersonic Global 8000 for example – we decided to ask him for an...

For companies operating private aircraft, one strategic question eventually surfaces: “Should we build and manage our own internal flight department, or partner with outside specialists?” At first glance, operating a corporate flight department internally may seem...