Light Jets Europe - 4th annual event

LJE 2010 - Light Jets in Europe - flying light, business class

At previous events we've heard from the operators about how light jets have been deployed around Europe and the reaction to the aircraft from customers and pilots. A lot of the early air taxi models were based on the Eclipse 500 as the aircraft of choice but those business models hit the buffers at the same time as the Eclipse. All the early euphoria about the light jet has settled into a more sober view of the applications for the aircraft and four years on we reflect on whether the air taxi, as originally conceived, will ever gain traction. It is unlikely, back in 2006, that many could foresee the collapse of the banking system and that has clearly had an impact on the appeal of point to point air taxi services as an alternative to the scheduled carrier. However, as one door closes another opens and the light jet is now finding favour with corporates looking to downsize from the heavy metal, as financial prudence and balance sheet requirements suggest less is more! The Embraer Phenom 100 has now been in European operations for 12 months or more so we compare how the aircraft stacks up against the competition and what the private air charter operators think. 

It will be the role of Light Jets Europe 2010 to examine how Light Jets are being deployed around Europe and to provide a platform for the operators (both air charter and air taxi) to provide their assessment of how the market is unfolding. You will also hear from Government, regulatory and industry associations, the legal, insurance, taxation, finance and funding agencies, entrepreneurs and how the light jet resale market will look in years to come. We'll hear how the changing shape of Europe is affecting private aviation and what impact the emerging economies are having on operational issues. Additionally, we'll hear from the OEMs themselves, the pilots, training institutions, airworthiness, efficiency and aircraft management specialists and those that supply and support the efficient deployment and rotation of Light Jets throughout Europe.

The 2010 event has been expanded to include a supporting exhibition relevant to the Light Jet sector and a static display of aircraft. There will also be a reception at the end of Day 1 in the Oxford Jet building followed by a dinner with live music. There is an early bird booking offer for those registering online before 23 July of £350+VAT and rising to £425+VAT thereafter. Registration is on the top right of this page. For any enquiries or information please email: adp@miuevents.com or call us in the UK on Tel: 00 (44) 208 332 2211.

Day 1 - Thursday 23rd September 2010

Morning Session Chairman: Steve Jones, Managing Director, Oxford Airport

8:00  Registration & Networking Coffee & Exhibition

9:00  Opening remarks from the Organisers 
Alan Perry, MIU Events

Opening remarks and welcome to London Oxford Airport from the session chairman

KEYNOTE OPENING SESSION: PILOT TRAINING, COMPETENCY AND SAFETY

Towards the end of 2007, Giovanni Bisignani, IATA Director General & CEO declared, "We must re-think pilot training and qualification to further improve safety and increase training capacity ..............the industry is concerned that there are no global standards for training concepts or regulation". Current estimates suggest there will be a shortfall in qualified pilots worldwide in the years to come and as a consequence shortcuts could be made with the resultant impact in terms of standards and safety. In response to this concern it has been proposed that a qualification or certification should be provided as pre-employment proof that a pilot has sufficient knowledge to enter the profession. The following presentations provide an insight into the thinking behind the proposal:

09:10 Global Professional Pilot Certification
-  IATA concerns about global standards
-  Raising standards and introduction of PPC as alternate to ATP/ATPL
-  Implications in terms of costs
-  The demand for trained pilots from emerging economies
Peter J Wolfe, Executive Director, Professional Aviation Board of Certification

09:40 Pilots: Does qualified mean competent?
-  Is hours based training to minimum standards enough?
-  Establishing credible and independent criteria
-  Ensuring universal best practice results in pilot competency
-  The costs of ensuring pilots are competent
Robert Barnes, Robert B Barnes and Associates

10.10 Panel Debate: Is pre-employment pilot certification necessary?

10:30  Networking Coffee Break sponsored by:

SESSION II: LIGHT JETS MARKET 2010: WHERE TO NOW?

11.00  Light jet developments
-  ATM developments
-  TCAS requirements
-  Accommodating light jets in European skies
-  General traffic forecasts
Alex Hendriks, Principal Advisor to the Principla Director ATM, Eurocontrol

11:20 The market for Light Jet Aircraft Sales
-  What aircraft types are required for Europe
-  Key drivers for aircraft acquisition
-  Typical range and usage
-  How do we anticipate LJ sales unfolding in  Europe
Oliver Stone, Business Air International

11:50 Airport and FBO issues when handling light jets
-  Does a light jet make any difference for a handler?
-  Airport facilities and ease of access
-  Benefits to the region
-  Introducing some commercial savvy
Catherine Gaisenband, CEO, Assistair Group

12:10 What role does a business airport play in supporting regional prosperity?
-  Factors for corporations and HNWI to consider when choosing a base
-  Advantages in terms of accessibility and access to Europe
-  Growth constraints and environmental issues
-  Facilitating light jet operations at London Oxford airport
James Dillon Godfray, Business Development Director, London Oxford Airport

12:30  Customer education
-  How to educate the business traveller
-  The costs of acquiring Bizav customers
-  Characteristics of the corporate travel market
-  Utilising technology and innovative internet solutions
Edwin Brenninkmeyer, Investor and Entrepreneur, Oriens Advisors

12:50  Q&A SESSION
An interactive discussion for speakers and delegates

13:00 - 14.00 Networking Lunch

Afternoon Chairperson: Aoife O’Sullivan, Partner, Gates and Partners

Opening remarks and introduction to the session 

SESSION  III: OPERATING LIGHT JETS

14:10  Should the light jet be served up as Air Charter or Air Taxi?
-  Can the original air taxi model be reheated, or is it past its sell-by date?
-  Is the Light Jet the main course or just an appetiser?
-  If the ingredients are expensive how can we make sure the menu is attractive?
-  For the customer - is it a la carte or a limited set menu?
Jonathan Sumner, Managing Director, Aerospace Resources

14:30  Operating the Phenom 100 in Europe
-  Launching operations
-  Establishing a customer base from zero
-  Operating a light jet charter fleet
-  Looking to the future
David Fletcher, CEO/Training Captain, FlairJet

14:50  Does operating a light jet fleet make commercial sense?
-  Do customers prefer to fly heavy or light?
-  Does a lesser purchase price for the light jet translate to improved margins?
-  Will the light jet ever succeed as an air taxi?
-  Other options - linking with scheduled carriers?
Patrick Margetson Rushmore, Chief Executive, London Executive Aviation

15:10  Providing the private jet charter experience
-  Delivering value to private aviation customers
-  Selecting aircraft
-  Where do light jets fit in?
-  How do we see customer demand unfolding?
Dustin Dryden, CEO, Hangar 8

15:30  Networking Coffee Break sponsored by:

16:00  Challenges and compliance issues involved in securing an AOC
-  A long and painful birth process
-  Establishing a unique identitiy
-  Creating shareholder value
-  The pain management plan
Dr Frank Noppel, CEO, Ambeo PLC and Capt.Mark Linney, Managing Director, Evoke Systems

16:30  Phenom acceptance and delivery
Capt Bill Minkoff, President, JetQuik

16:50  Q&A SESSION
An interactive discussion for speakers and delegates
Chairman's closing remarks

17:10  QUESTION TIME - An evening panel discussion following the operator session where members of the audience and the media ask the panel topical questions.

Moderator: Charles Alcock, AIN
Panel: Dustin Dryden – Hangar 8; David Fletcher-FlairJet; Glen Heavens - Synergy Aviation; Capt Mark Linney - Evoke Systems; Frank Noppel - Ambeo; Patrick Margetson-Rushmore-LEA; Michel Saunier-byJets; Jonathan Sumner – Aerospace Resources

17:55  - Panel summary from the moderator

                          End of Conference Sessions Day 1

18:00 - 19.30  Networking Drinks Reception and static display of aircraft hosted by:

  &     

19:45 - 23.00  Gala Dinner with live music hosted and sponsored by:

   &    & 

Day 2 - Friday 24th September 2010

Chairman: Capt Bill Minkoff, President, JetQuik

8:30  Networking Coffee & Exhibition

9:00  Synopsis of Day 1 and introduction to Day 2 from the Chairman

09.10  KEYNOTE ADDRESS
Private aviation is no longer the preserve of just Western Europe. International and, in particular, Russian investors are increasingly looking to the emerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe and some countries in and around the Mediterranean, as markets providing more attractive growth than the established economies. As these emerging markets gain traction their needs often require a different approach to the establised order and in recognising the particular interests of the private aviation industry two new industry associations have been formed over the last year. The chairman will outline her vision for the association and how these new markets will develop.
Dagmar Grossmann, Chairman, CEPA/SOPA

SESSION IV: DESIGN,  INNOVATION & COMMUNICATION

9.30 The story of the Stratos Aircraft
-  Unique characteristics
-  Performance criteria
-  Environmental impact
-  The ideal aircraft for Europe
Dr Gordon Robinson, Chief Aerodynamicist, Stratos Aircraft Inc.

10:10 Cost effective connectivity
-  Office in the sky options
-  Size and expense
-  On board customer needs
-  Innovation and game changers
Shaun Flanagan, Area Sales Director, EMEA & Asia, Thrane & Thrane A/S

10:30 Evolution of the glass cockpit
-  From six pack to synthetic visual technology (SVT)
-  Weather, traffic and hazard avoidance
-  Attitude and heading reference system (AHRT)
-  Innovation and flightpath ahead
Trevor Pegrum, EMEA Aviation Manager, Garmin (Europe)

10:50  Q&A SESSION
An interactive discussion for speakers and delegates

11:00 Networking Coffee Break sponsored by:

SESSION V: LEGAL, INSURANCE AND FUNDING

11:30  Legal imperatives when purchasing Light Jets in Europe
-  Legal title and aircraft registration
-  Protecting the aircraft as an asset
-  Ownership/Liability issues in  the event of operator failure
-  Insuring the aircraft at the correct level
Tim Scorer and Ben Conway, Ince & Co

11:50  The Light Jet market - risk and insurance
-  Are Light Jets a good insurance risk?
-  Insuring aircraft at the correct levels
-  Assessing risk levels
-  Fly Smart campaign
Matthew Day, Director, Hayward Aviation

12:30  Q&A SESSION

12:50  End of Conference - Concluding Remarks from the Chairman

13:00  Networking Lunch in exhibition area

Full LJE 2010 event brochure is available here - left-click to view, right-click to save (PDF, 386 kB)

Robert Barnes, President, Robert B Barnes Associates

Robert Barnes is president of Robert B Barnes Associates, Inc., of Scottsdale, Arizona (USA), past chairperson of the International VLJ Training Stakeholders’ Discussion Group, and currently involved with the formation of an international association of flight training professionals.  His background includes degrees in aerospace engineering, educational psychology, and recognition as a master USAF flight instructor (T-38).  He is frequently involved in the human factors aspects of aircraft certification, such as minimum crew workload issues.   He specializes in helping clients deal with change in today’s global high technology environment and has shared this unique expertise during numerous technical workshops, international conferences, and in professional publications.

Edwin Brenninkmeyer, Investor and Entrepreneur, Oriens Advisors

Edwin has a passionate belief in the potential of very light jets as personal transportation for the 'movers and shakers' of today. His experience in this field has been gained via a venture fund with a specific focus on this market, in addition to personal stakes in and a board role on a leading U.S. VLJ operator. His early career was in the retail industry, with specific focus on developing and rolling out an innovative store concept in Austria, expanding into the Czech Republic. The frustration of modern short-hop travel in Europe and the ever decreasing costs of private jet travel inspired him to explore this industry further. Edwin is a CPL/IR/Multi pilot with a frozen ATPL and uses his own Cessna T210 for short-hop business travel in Europe.

James Dillon-Godfray, Business Development Director, London Oxford Airport

In the early eighties James trained as an aeronautical engineer at the de Havilland training school, Hatfield, serving a four and a half year technician apprenticeship. He subsequently joined British Aerospace’s (BAe) Hawker business jet sales team and was dispatched aged twenty one to cover the Asia Pacific region for the next seven years.   From Shanghai to Sydney, James handled sales prospects varying including government special forces, prime ministerial flight operations, mining and media magnates. Being based in Tokyo for much of that period, BAe sold well over one and a half billon dollars worth of Hawker 125 aircraft, dealing with countries as diverse as Papua New Guinea and Korea. Somewhat tired of the travel at 30, James settled back in the UK and worked for Air Hanson (which became Lynton Aviation, then PremiAir), a private aircraft charter, sales and engineering support business and major VIP helicopter operator, selling Sikorsky, McDonnell Douglas and Raytheon aircraft products. In the late nineties, James came to Oxford Airport, initially on the engineering side, marketing the services of CSE Aviation, at the time a major player in the general aviation support field.   In anticipation of a significant decline in pilot training flying activity at Oxford about six years ago, James moved over to the airport operations side of the group to develop and diversify activities at the airport with a renewed focus on business aviation, enhance its capabilities and ultimately prepare for the sale of the airport three years ago. James continues work on enhancing the capabilities, improve infrastructure, facilities, and entice new operators, MROs and residents to be based at Oxford.   The airport is also introducing, albeit slowly, domestic and international scheduled air services to the region for the first time in the airport’s 73 year history.

Dustin Dryden, CEO, Hangar8

After training for his Pilots licence and doing corporate flying at the age of 17, Dustin Dryden moved into the field of aircraft sales where it was evident he had found his vocation. His first position in Sales involved selling new Cessna Aircraft and new Schweizer helicopters for both of these manufacturers, alongside flying as a demo Pilot for the U.K dealerships. Dustin’s sales experience progressed when he set up Aviation Solutions, the U.K. agent for Cirrus. During this time he also provided freelance flying services on Beech King Air, Gulfstream IV and Gulfstream V aircraft.

In true entrepreneurial style, he started Hangar 8 in June 2002 acting as the Managing Director, Salesman, Operations Manager, and Accounts to later become CEO of 125 employees to date. Now Hangar 8 have eighty five full time crew, fifteen training captains and three in house examiners with the largest number of full time Hawker pilots in the U.K. The Company have an eleven strong engineering team that are available twenty four hours a day to keep the aircraft in the sky.

David Fletcher, CEO / Training Captain, FlairJet
David Fletcher founded Oxford-based FlairJet shortly after starting his own light Jet consultancy business, VLJ Consultancy Ltd in 2007. An experienced Monarch Airlines’ Captain flying the Airbus A320, A321 and A330 since 1998, David saw the potential of a new business aviation model centred around the Embraer Phenom 100 and set about the creation of FlairJet with the backing from three eminent London-based criminal QC’s. FlairJet gained its Air Operator’s Certificate from the UK CAA in a remarkable four months, testimony to the strong operations team David had put together to help him run the company.    While media eyes were on a much larger European player with ambitious plans for a substantial Phenom 100 fleet, David and his team quietly got on with turning FlairJet into a reality.  In December 2009 the company became the first commercial operator of the type in Europe, commencing revenue service with an initial two aircraft.    A third managed Phenom 100 was added in May this year.  This autumn, two Phenom 300 Light Jets, the first to fly commercially in Europe join the fleet.   David has considerable experience on delivery flights – having accepted from Brazil three Phenom 100s, and a Legacy 600 (also based at Oxford).  He has also just recently completed the acceptance of Europe’s first Embraer Lineage 1000 on behalf of its private owner.

Dagmar Grossmann, CEO of Grossmann Jet Service, Chairman and Founder of CEPA and SOPA associations
Dagmar Grossmann has extensive experience in the aviation industry, especially in areas of aircraft management, consultation and sales. In 1991, she started working for Viennese private jet operator Grossmann Air Service. 2003 saw Dagmar Grossmann starting her own consultation company in the field of worldwide aviation consulting. In 2004, Dagmar set up a private jet company, Grossmann Jet Service, in Prague/Czech Republic. Apart from executive charter flights, the company also offers aircraft management, brokerage and consultancy services in the field of business aviation.
In 2009, Dagmar Grossmann set up a non-profit association CEPA (Central Europe Private Aviation) focusing on development and growth of private aviation in Central European region. In June 2010, Dagmar launched SOPA (South East Europe Private Aviation), a CEPA daughter association to provide similar support in South East Europe.

James Hardie, Senior Business Manager, ARINC Direct

 James Hardie is a Senior Business Manager at ARINC, with responsibility for ARINC Direct within the newly combined International Division of EMEA and Asia Pacific regions. ARINC Direct was established in the USA in 2003 to provide direct access for business jet operators to ARINC communication services.  Additional services such as flight planning, were quickly established and continue to be developed. He took responsibility for the ARINC Direct business development in EMEA in early 2006 and has worked with various flight departments across the region providing and developing products and services to meet their needs.  He has worked for ARINC for nearly 9 years and has been involved in various projects related to airline and business aircraft operations and communications. He also has a background as a pilot with a CPL(A) and military helicopter experience.

Alex Hendriks, CND Deputy Director for Network Development, Eurocontrol

Alex Hendriks was born in Amsterdam in 1951 and after High-school (HBS), he was recruited by the Netherlands Civil Aviation Authority's ATS Directorate (LVB), as a trainee air traffic controller. In 1981 he moved to the ATS Operations Bureau as a senior-expert and was in 1986 appointed as Head of that same Bureau. From 1981 until 1986 he was elected for three terms of office as Executive Vice President Technical of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations (IFATCA). In that capacity he participated in many global and regional ICAO meetings, the most important of which was ICAO's FANS Committee.

In 1991 Alex Hendriks was recruited by EUROCONTROL in Brussels, where between 1993 and July 2006 he was the Head of Airspace / Flow Management & Navigation. As of 1 January 2009 he was appointed as CND's Deputy Director for Network Development, with specific responsibilities for setting the airspace and navigation strategies. He is also Programme Manager for the Central European CEATS project, now called FAB CE.
Some 7 years ago he initiated the organisation of the annual General & Business Aviation Day at the EUROCONTROL Headquarters, an event that is drawing large numbers of participants. He established and chairs within EUROCONTROL the "VLJ Integration Platform" (VIP), in which all VLJ stakeholders participate in preparing Europe's ATM system for the expected large numbers of VLJs.
Between 2002 and 2008 he also was Director of the U.S. Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA), responsible for the Europe, Middle East & AfricaArea.

Alex is also an active airline pilot and currently flies a couple of days per months on Boeing B737-700/800 aircraft to major cities in Europe and the Middle East for one of Europe's main airlines. Also holds a type-rating on CE-525 aircraft and has done 2 North Atlantic ferry flights; a Cessna XL from Wichita to Paris in 2005 and a Cessna Mustang from Wichita to Brussels in September 2007.

Cpt. Mark Linney, co-founder & Managing Director, Evoke Systems Ltd

Captain Mark Linney, co-founder and Managing Director of Evoke Systems Limited served for 15 years in the UK Royal Air Force where he flew a number of different types including the Tornado GR1 and the Harrier GR7. Mark’s commercial flying experience began in 1995 flying the Boeing 757 for a UK charter airline. In 1998 Mark changed airlines and spent the next 10 years flying the Boeing 747 Classic and Boeing 747-400. Mark is currently a Captain flying the Airbus A340-300 and 600.

In 2001, drawing on his experience in commercial aviation, Mark, together with Dr Craig Howard (who has a background in commercial software development and intelligent data analysis), co-founded Evoke Systems Limited. Seeing an opportunity to use modern software to solve a multitude of communication, compliance, auditing and data analysis challenges common to both commercial airlines and business jet operators. A period of research and development led to the launch of EFOS (Electronic Flight Operations System) in 2005: the system is currently in use with a number of commercial and business jet operations in the UK, near Europe and the Middle East. 

Patrick JG Margetson-Rushmore, Chief Executive, London Executive Aviation (LEA)
Patrick JG Margetson-Rushmore is Chief Executive of London Executive Aviation one of the largest Private Aircraft Operators in Europe.
The company now operates some 22 aircraft ranging from transatlantic super mid size Jets through to, currently the largest fleet in Europe of the new breed of VLJs, Cessna Citation Mustangs. The company has bases at London City Airport, Stansted, Luton, Farnborough and Stapleford. For 2 years running (2006 and recently in April 2007) the company received the BACA (British Air Charter Association) Award as “Voted Best General Aviation European Operator”.
Some of LEA‘s achievements within the industry are:
1. 1st JAR OPS post holder
2. GAMTA and BBGA member
3. Representation on the Air Transport liaison Committee with the Civil Aviation Authority
4. The first operator to introduce Excels to the charter market in the UK
5. The first operator to introduce the Challenger 300 to the charter market
6. Nearly the 1st to introduce the Embrear Legacy!! and
7. The 1st to introduce a fleet of VLJs to the United Kingdom
Patrick’s Career:
1980 – 1994 Worked in Corporate Finance in the City of London
1988-1990 CEO of Macintrye Strater – a European association with 30 member countries
1994- to date CEO of London Executive Aviation

William T. Minkoff Jr., President, JetQuik

Bill Minkoff, President of JetQuik, also serves Corporate Flight Management as Vice President, Marketing.

Minkoff worked as an airline pilot for Delta Air Lines, Inc. for over 25 years. During his time with Delta, he accumulated over 22,000 flight and instructional hours mentoring new Captains and First Officers during their Initial Operating Experience and administering flight checks. In addition to his flying duties, Captain Minkoff served as a Base Safety Chairman for the Airline Pilots Association and as an aircraft accident investigator. He was a founding member of Delta’s Critical Incident Response Team and author of Delta’s Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). He has flown to most US cities and over 20 international destinations.

Bill graduated from Rutgers University where he won “The Scarlet Key” as an outstanding scholar-athlete. He obtained his MBA at The Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University.  He also completed Aviation Management Certificate courses at George Washington University, Washington, DC.

After graduating from Rutgers, Minkoff served in The United States Navy where he flew the A-7E Corsair Attack Aircraft aboard the USS Midway, CV-41.  His accolades include graduating first in his flight school class, winning the A-7 Top Gun Award at Strike Fighter Weapons School, and accumulating nearly 300 aircraft carrier landings. LCDR Minkoff served as a RAG Instructor in VA-122, a NATOPS Check Airman and an Instrument Flight Standards Check Airman. He continues to serve The Navy as a United States Naval Academy Blue and Gold Officer. He is a member of the Aviation Accreditation Board International, a non-profit, where he serves as Co-Chairman of the Pilot Mentor Project.

Captain Minkoff has lectured on Very Light Jet development, most recently for Very Light Jets Europe, in Oxford, England. He has also presented VLJ topics for McGraw Hill Publications, The Aviation Accreditation Board International, The Future of Business Aviation VLJ Show, The National Training Aircraft Symposium, and The Air Taxi Association. 

Minkoff served briefly as General Manager of Colemill Enterprises, Inc., manufacturer of the Panther Navajo and operator of a mostly King Air, Part 135 charter fleet. Mr. Minkoff left Colemill to establish Avion, LLC, a jet leasing company. In 2008 Captain Minkoff founded JetQuik, LLC.

He is a member of The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). Bill resides with his wife Elizabeth and sons in Nashville.

Dr Frank Noppel, CEO, Ambeo PLC

Frank graduated with a PhD from Cranfield University, an international centre of excellence in aviation and business related disciplines. His thesis won first prize - the coveted Kings Norton Medal. Educated in Germany, the UK and USA, Frank has gained management experience in international companies as well as with his family business in Germany. With the opportunities presented by entry level jets, he co-founded Ambeo PLC, a company specialising in on-demand air transport.

Trevor Pegrum, EMEA Aviation Manager, Garmin (Europe)

Garmin is the market leader for Avionics in General Aviation and is well known for its Glass Cockpit technology now being used extensively in Light Jets. Trevor Pegrum is responsible for Sales and Support activities for Garmin’s Europe’s Aviation business throughout Europe Middle East and Africa. After Graduating from University in Southampton in 2005, Trevor joined the Garmin team as an Aviation Field Service Engineer initially assigned to OEM accounts. He has risen steadily up the ranks in Garmin gaining a promotion to Technical Sales Manager in 2008 and then again in 2010 to head of Garmin’s aviation business in EMEA.

Dr Gordon Robinson, Chief Aerodynamicist, Stratos Aircraft Inc.

Gordon studied engineering at Oxford University, before joining the National Physical Laboratory. An interest in optimisation and finite element analysis led to a PhD from City University, London followed by an Airbus sponsored Research Fellowship at Southampton University, applying optimisation to wing design.

As Farnborough Aircraft Chief Aerodynamicist, Gordon saw the F1 turboprop (since renamed ‘Kestrel’) and its sister design, the Epic LT, develop from 3-view sketches to flying aircraft. He has consulted on over twenty projects, ranging from 2 seat light sport aircraft to 21 seat turboprops. 

Currently Dr Gordon Robinson is a Chief Aerodynamicist at Stratos Aircraft Inc.

Oliver Stone, Managing Director, Business Air International

Executive Director of Business Air International (BAI), a global private jet dealer based in London and Dallas, Oliver oversees the aircraft brokerage and dealer aspects of BAI.

Focusing on international transactions, Oliver travels incessantly to meet with clients face-to-face to ensure smooth functioning of each transaction. Travelling about 200,000 miles per year throughout the world, Oliver has extensive and meaningful knowledge regarding aircraft transactions between a host of countries and regulatory environments. Tasked on recognizing and spearheading international expansion opportunities for the company, Oliver manages a breadth of responsibilities from investor relations for BAI’s funds to management of owned and represented assets. He has been to all six inhabited continents to further solidify BAI’s market opportunities in these areas. Recent activities have included serving as repossession and resale agent for a number of lending financial institutions around the world, yielding in-depth knowledge of the toll the financial crisis took upon private aviation. Oliver lives between London and Dallas. He is a licensed instrument rated pilot.

Aoife O'Sullivan, Partner, Gates and Partners

Aoife has extensive experience in corporate, asset finance and commercial law. She spent four years in the corporate finance department at Clifford Chance LLP in London where she advised both nationally and internationally on financings, securitisations, takeovers, mergers and acquisitions, reorganisations, listings, commercial contracts, and joint ventures. She then joined a leading offshore firm in the Cayman Islands where she advised on structuring and implementing local and international securitisations, asset financings, mutual fund and unit trust schemes, establishing complex corporate structures with worldwide tax effective outcomes.

Aoife advises clients on aircraft finance, commercial aviation and regulatory issues including aircraft and fleet acquisitions and disposals, financings, airline start-ups, licensing applications and ancillary issues. She has a particular focus on the specialized private and corporate jet market.

Aoife sits on Business Aviation industry committees in the UK and is a regular contributor to trade and industry publications, conferences and seminars.

Jonathan T.G. Sumner, Managing Director, Aerospace Resources Ltd.

With 25 years in the aviation, travel and marketing industries Jonathan brings broad experience and a range of highly relevant skills to clients of Aerospace Resources Ltd.

He developed his corporate career through a range of senior marketing positions at United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hilton International. At United he was closely involved in the launch of Star Alliance, the world’s first branded airline alliance, and as European Marketing Director at Delta he led the repositioning of the brand in Europe.

Since leaving the corporate world Jonathan has played a key role in a number of new ventures in the business aviation and online marketing sectors. He led the marketing strategy for the launch in Europe of the Marquis Jet Card, an innovative business jet product, in partnership with leading private jet operator NetJets. Since then he led the turnaround of a failing marketing services business, and launched an innovative online marketing venture in partnership with several major international airlines.
Jonathan was closely involved in the development of the Farnborough Aircraft F1 Kestrel business turboprop, leading the marketing strategy and the development of a unique operating model and associated technology.

Jonathan holds an MBA with a specialisation in marketing from City University Business School in London.

Exhibition Space

The 4th conference and exhibition for the light jets market in Europe will be staged again this year at London Oxford airport. The conference is staged in the Oxford Aviation Academy (lecture theatre) and there will be seven exhibition booths in the Academy building and a further 10 exhibition booths in the Oxford Jet building, immediately adjacent to airside and the static display. There are various networking opportunities during the event and coffees and lunches will be served in the exhibition areas, allowing delegates and exhibitors to mingle freely and to view aircraft at their leisure.

Confirmed exhibitors:

Arinc Direct; Air Support; Ambeo; BBGA; Bon Soiree; Central Europe Private Aviation Association; CEPA; Coventry airport; CRS JetSpares; EA Aerospace; Evoke Systems; First Class Cars; FlairJet; Gama Group; Hangar 8; Hayward Aviation Ltd; Lees Avionics; MS4 Group; Oxford Aviation Academy; Thrane and Thrane.

Static Display:

3 x Embraer Phenom 100; 1 x Embraer Phenom 300; 1 x Beechraft Premier 1A; 1 x King Air C90GTx; 1 x Cirrus SF50 full size mock up; 1 x Cessna Mustang; 1 x Cessna Grand Caravan; 2 x Eclipse 500; Others to be confirmed.

Prepared Exhibition Space

All available booth space is now sold. If you would like to enquire about LJE 2011 or the static display please contact Jane Wilson on: jw@miuevents.com

Contact & Sponsorship

Various sponsorship packages are available and can be tailored to meet your needs and to provide maximum impact for the attendees.  For more information please contact:

MIU Events - 20 Layton Place- Kew - Richmond - TW9 3PP - United Kingdom

Tel: + 44 208 332 2211  Email: jw@miuevents.com

London Oxford Airport will again host this year's Light Jets Europe conference from 23-24 September. The airport has developed significant GA facilities over recent years and the conference will be presented at the airfield academy's main lecture theatre.

The airport is also the Thames Valley area’s primary regional and business aviation airport – the only commercial airport between London Heathrow (LHR) and Birmingham (BHX). Located in the heart of one of Europe’s fastest growing regions, Oxford lies just 42 miles to the north west of the Greater London area, halfway to the country’s industrial heartland of Birmingham. The airport additionally hosts summer charter services to Jersey, ad-hoc air charter, air taxis and the sale of aircraft and helicopters, their support, modification and maintenancee. Oxford offers a low cost, easy access alternative to London.

For full details on the venue, including directions, please go to the weblink at:

http://www.oxfordairport.co.uk/

Hotels: Our recommended budget hotel is in the Cotswolds countryside, approximately 8 miles from the airport. The Holt Hotel, is a refurbished coaching inn which was popular with fifteenth century highwaymen, who would spend the proceeds of their exploits at the bar. For more information on the hotel  please refer to www.holthotel.co.uk/lightjets. During the conference, the hotel will offer special rates for delegates from Wednesday 22 through Friday 24 September 2010. Standard double / twin room (two people): £59, executive single - £49 per night. Rates are subject to 17.5% VAT and include complimentary full English breakfast. Reservation at this special rate can be made at www.holthotel.co.uk/lightjets or tel : +44 (0) 1869 340 259 – please mention LJE 2010 to ensure the special rate.

For those wanting a bit of extra ambience and the convenience of Woodstock, the Bear hotel is centrally located and was famous in previous decades as a favourite meeting place for film stars. The hotel can offer rooms from £120-£145 to include bed and breakfast and is inclusive of VAT. The website can be viewed at www.macdonald-hotels.co.uk/bear and reservations quoting the event code LJE 2010 can be made at: sales.bear@macdonald-hotels.co.uk or Tel: +44 (0) 8448 799 143

Shuttle service: There will be a complementary shuttle service between the nominated event hotels and the airfield courtesy of First Class Cars: http://www.firstclasscars.co.uk/ . First Class Cars can also arrange connections to London city centre and all London airports.