Aviation News Calender.

DECEMBER 2009

AEROSOLUTIONS-BORDEAUX
Dec. 1-2, Palais des Congrés, Bordeaux, France.
Info: +33 1 41 86 41 86; www.bordeaux-expo.com/aero.

FAA INTERNATIONAL RUNWAY SAFETY SUMMIT
Dec. 1-3, Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.
Info: (7032) 824-0504; www.faa.gov.

AIRCRAFT ACQUISITION PLANNING SEMINAR
Dec. 2-3, Scottsdale Cottonwood Resort, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Info: (602) 404-1854; www.conklindd.com.

JANUARY 2010

AAAE ANNUAL AVIATION ISSUES CONFERENCE
Jan.10-14, The Westin Resort and Spa, Maui, Hawaii.
Info: (703) 824-0504; www.aaae.org.

NBAA SCHEDULERS AND DISPATCHERS CONFERENCE
Jan.27-29, Henry B. Gonzalez Conference Center, San Antonio, Texas.
Info: (202) 783-9000; www.nbaa.org.

AEROEXPO MARRAKECH
Jan.27-30, Menara Airport, Marrakech, Morocco.
Info: +21 25 2247 0600; www.aeroexpo-morocco.com.


FEBRUARY 2010

SINGAPORE AIRSHOW
Feb. 2-7, Changi Exhibition Centre, Singapore.
Info: +65 6542 8660; www.singaporeairshow.com.sg.

I.A.E. ITALY AIRSPACE EXPO
Feb. 4-6, New Rome Exhibition Centre. Rome.
Info: +049 87 50 640; www.expoairspace.it.

PAMA FIRST STATE IA RENEWAL/MAINTENANCE SYMPOSIUM
Feb. 20, Deerfield Golf & Tennis Club, Newark, Del.
Info: (302) 824-0677; www.firststatepama.com.

GREAT LAKES AVIATION CONFERENCE
Feb.19-20, Rock Financial Showplace, Novi, Mich.
Info: (248) 348-6982; www.greatlakesaviationconference.com.

HELI-EXPO 2010
Feb. 20-23, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston, Texas.
Info: (703) 683-4646; www.heliexpo.com.

HUMAN FACTORS FOR AVIATION MANAGERS AND TECHNICIANS WORKSHOP
Feb. 24-25, CAE Training Center, Morristown, N.J.
Info: (204) 848-7353; www.greyowl.com.

INDIAN BUSINESS AVIATION EXPO
Feb. 24-25, Taj Mahal Hotel, Delhi, India.
Info: +44 20 8332 2211; www.miuevents.com.

NBAA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE
Feb. 24-25, Sheraton Hotel and Marina, San Diego, Calif.
Info: (202) 783-9000; www.nbaa.org.

WOMEN IN AVIATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
Feb. 25-27, Disney Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, Fla.
Info: (937) 839-4647; www.wai.org.

AIRCRAFT INTERIORS MIDDLE EAST
Feb. 28-March 1, Airport Expo Centre, Dubai, UAE.
Info: +44 208 391 0999; www.aime.aero.

MARCH 2010

AIR CHARTER SAFETY SYMPOSIUM
March 2-3, Westfields Marriott, Ashburn, Va.
Info: (888) 723-3135; www.acsf.aero.

FAA AVIATION FORECAST CONFERENCE
March 9-10, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
Info: www.faa.gov.

MEXICAN BUSINESS AVIATION EXPO/HELIMEX
March 10-12, Toluca, Mexico.
Info: +01 33 3647 1134; www.mbaeexpo.com.

NBAA REGIONAL FORUM
March 11, TWC Aviation, Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, Calif.
Info: (202) 783-9000; www.nbaa.org.

AVIATION INDUSTRY EXPO
March 16-18, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas.
Info: (800) 827-8009; www.aviationindustryexpo.com.

FIDAE 2010
March 23-28, Arturo Merino Benitez Airport, Santiago, Chile.
Info: +56 2 87 39 752; www.fidae.cl.

AVIONICS EUROPE
March 24-25, Passenger Terminal City Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Info: +44 19 9265 6643; www.avionics-event.com.

INTERNATIONAL OPERATORS CONFERENCE
March 29-April 1, Hilton Riverside, New Orleans.
Info: (202) 783-9000; www.nbaa.org.

APRIL 2010

MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
April 6-8, Sheraton Hotel and Marina, San Diego, Calif.
Info: (202) 783-9000; www.nbaa.org.

AIRCRAFT ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION AND TRADE SHOW
April 7-10, Gaylord Palms Hotel and Convention Center, Orlando, Fla.
Info: (816) 347-8400; www.aea.net.

SUN ’N’ FUN FLY-IN
April. 13-18, Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Lakeland, Fla.
Info: (863) 644-2431; www.sun-n-fun.org.

MAY 2010

CORPORATE ANGEL NETWORK GREATER WASHINGTON AVIATION OPEN
May 24, Lansdowne Resort, Lansdowne, Va.
Info: www.gwaotournament.org.

AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS & SUSTAINMENT CONFERENCE
May 10-13, Austin Convention Center, Austin, Texas.
Info: (937) 426-2808; www.airworthiness2010.com.

AHS ANNUAL FORUM AND TECHNOLOGY DISPLAY
May 11-13, Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Ariz.
Info: (703) 684-6777; www.vtol.org.

CORPORATE AVIATION SAFETY SEMINAR
May 11-13, Hilton El Conquistador, Tucson, Ariz.
Info: (202) 783-9000; www.nbaa.org.

REGIONAL AIRLINE ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERENCE
May 24-27, Midwest Airlines Center, Milwaukee, Wis.
Info: (202) 367-1170; www.raa.org.

GREATER WASHINGTON AVIATION OPEN
May 24, Lansdowne Resort, Lansdowne, Va.
Info: www.gwao.org.

AEROEXPO EUROPE
May 28-30, Pribram Airfield, Prague, Czech Republic.
Info: +44 20 8255 4000; www.expo.aero.

JUNE 2010

EUR-AVIA CANNES
June 4-6, Cannes-Mandelieu International Airport; Cannes, France
Info: +33 4 9308 0177; www.eur-avia.com

BERLIN AIRSHOW/ILA
June 4-6, Cannes-Mandelieu International Airport, Cannes, France
Info: +33 4 9308 0177; www.eur-avia.com.

JULY 2010

FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW
July 19-25, Farnborough, UK.
Info: +44 20 7227 1043; www.farnborough.com.

EAA AIRVENTURE

Fractional ownership.

AMERICA’S ECONOMIC DOWNTURN has dealt a crippling blow to the fractional-share industry. Rapidly declining used-aircraft prices and fewer flying hours over the past year have forced fractional operators to defer aircraft deliveries, cut staff and explore new ways to keep flying. The situation has gotten so bad that some pundits are questioning whether the fractional-ownership business model is broken.


The rapid change in fortunes that has occurred among the fractional operators was dramatically brought to light when Berkshire Hathaway released second-quarter financial results for its NetJets subsidiary in August. Compared with the first six months of last year, NetJets revenues fell $550 million or 43 percent in the first half of 2009, reflecting an 81-percent drop in aircraft sales and a 22-percent decline in flight operations. Berkshire Hathaway has since stated that the fractional provider “owns more airplanes than is required for its present level of operations.” NetJets has announced staff reductions of 5 percent and implemented other cost-cutting moves.


So is the fractional business model in fact broken? It is, according to Michael Riegel, a former Bombardier executive who now runs AviationIQ, a consulting group for shareowners. “There are a lot of irate consumers monitoring what’s going on,” he said, noting that net sales of fractional shares have been declining steadily, went negative in 2008 and dropped quickly in 2009. “The decline has been going on for seven years,” said Riegel, who added that he believes the fractional industry’s problems go deeper than the fallout from the recession. “Can the business model be fixed?” he asked. “Yes, but changes are needed.”


The fractional industry could be compared with real estate timeshares, which suffered from a reputation for being bad investments long before the current recession started. While fractional shares of aircraft may be at risk of developing a similar reputation, the fact remains that many people still need to fly privately.


But at a time when costs arguably ought to be dropping, shareowners are facing a variety of price increases. The amount that they receive for their used shares when they exit programs is much lower than it used to be, due to rapidly dropping used-aircraft prices. Hourly fees are also rising. “A lot of owners are saying it’s become too expensive and they don’t want to keep doing this,” Riegel said. “The industry has dug itself into a hole.”


A main attraction of the fractional industry has always been that it offered lower barriers to entry for new business aviation users and an easy way to add lift for companies and owners that didn’t need another full airplane. Fractional providers delivered better service than many charter operators, but with fractional costs rising, many travelers are shifting to high-quality charter providers.

France-based researcher Pierre Parvaud analyzes the activity on the public FAA Registry to determine what is happening to the fleets of the major U.S.-based fractional operators. According to him, 2009 was a bad year for most of the fractionals. During the first half of last year, according to Parvaud’s statistics, the five national U.S. fractional operators–Avantair, CitationAir, Flexjet, Flight Options and NetJets–broke even in terms of number of shareowners added and lost. Thus, while sales efforts delivered 216 new shareowners during that period, the same number left the programs.


In the second half of last year, the effects of the recession hit home, and while the five fractional operators managed to sell shares to 168 new owners, 360 owners were lost. In the first half of 2009, the trend accelerated, with 402 owners lost versus 84 added, for a net loss of 318.


Most of the fractional operators added aircraft during the first half of 2009 but, except for Avantair and Flexjet, they disposed of more than they added. The total of negative 14 aircraft added during the first half contrasts markedly with the 18 and 22 net aircraft added to the five operators’ fleets during the same periods in 2007 and 2008, respectively.


Overall, however, the major fractionals’ total fleet numbers have remained relatively stable, when comparing the end of June 2008 to the end of June 2009.
While the numbers for the first half of this year are dismal, the fractional share industry remains a key component of general aviation, accounting for a significant portion of the overall fleet, thousands of jobs and hours flown and an important entry point for new consumers of business aviation travel. As such, the fractional business model is arguably not so much broken as it is in need of adjustment to reflect the reality of the current economic downturn.


“The fractional business is a marginally workable business model when times are good,” aviation consultant Brian Foley said. “Look how long it took NetJets to become profitable. The fractional model doesn’t work so well in a downturn.”
Part of the problem, Foley said, is that the many startup air-taxi and fractional companies were weak links in the order chain. Indeed, news last August that European fractional startup Jet Republic had run out of funding and canceled its order for 110 Learjet 60XRs underscores Foley’s observations.

Hawker Beechcraft’s King Air C90GTI.

DETROIT FIGURED THIS OUT a long time ago. Take your basic family sedan, stick a hot motor under the hood and badge it with sporty-sounding initials like RT or SS and voilà: You sell more cars at higher prices. Around 2004, a similar thought occurred to some folks at what is now Hawker Beechcraft regarding the venerable six- to seven-passenger 90-series King Air twin-turboprop, an airplane that has been in production in one form or another since 1964. What they came up with was the C90GT, which boasted more powerful engines with lower operating temperatures that improved performance–35 knots more speed and faster climb times.


In 2007, the manufacturer replaced the GT with the current C90GTi–the same airplane, only with jet-like Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 glass-panel avionics and a $3.3 million sticker price.


The King Air can trace its roots back to the 1930s, when Walter Beech introduced the Model 18, arguably the first cabin-class twin-engine business airplane. In 1958, Beech debuted the Queen Air, an aircraft that remarkably resembles today’s King Air, save for the square passenger windows and piston engines. By the late 1960s, Beech commanded a 77-percent share of the business twin-turboprop market. The company’s efforts gave rise to an entire family of larger, more powerful business and commuter turboprops.


But as the King Air morphed into a multitude of models–including the 100, 200, 300 and 350 and the 99 and 1900 series commuter airliners–the 90 series languished, growing gradually in heft and wingspan as it progressed through the alphabet–until the F model in 1979. The F was sort of like what might happen when the Discovery Channel’s Monster Garage meets an airplane. Beech engineers took the fuselage of the C90 and combined it with the wing of the A100 and the T-tail from the B200 King Airs. Then they hung a pair of more powerful, 750-shaft-horsepower PT6A-135 engines on it. Cruising speed jumped to 267 knots and the F90 was an instant hit.


Eventually 236 of them would be made. But the 1981 recession and the growth of Cessna’s Citation fanjet line tore the bottom out of the business turboprop market. And it didn’t help that Beech had gone overboard with bifurcating its own product line and was then offering six King Air models, including three flavors of 90s. Some King Airs, like the F90 and the more expensive and larger 200, were perceived as competing directly against each other. So when Raytheon took over Beechcraft in 1982, the knives came out. The company reduced the number of available King Air models to three and steered prospective F90 customers up the food chain. By 1985 the F90 was toast, but the slower C90 remained in production.


Yet the idea of hanging hot motors on a C90 never really went away. Earlier this decade, when the prospect of an invading armada of very light jets once again threatened the market viability of the 90 series, Beechcraft reached back into its old playbook. The original GT was billed as a VLJ killer. Flash back four years. While many VLJ makers were selling future promises, what we in the industry charitably call “vaporware,” Beech had a new airplane ready to go that cruised at 310 miles per hour.

Cabin lighting and air gaspers are functional and within easy reach. The cabin has a variety of small storage nooks, cabinets and drawers and built-in hot and cold jugs for beverages. The four-foot, nine-inch-high cabin isn’t exactly stand-up, but it’s not munchkinland either. The list of available in-flight entertainment options is rather sparse, but popular items such as XM Radio and sideledge-mounted video monitors are available through Hawker Beechcraft service centers for after-purchase installation.


A GTi with pilot and four passengers can fly from Chicago Midway to Teterboro, N.J., nonstop in two and a half hours, but this isn’t really a long-haul airplane. However, Hawker Beechcraft is increasing its range and payload capabilities in 2010 with the debut of the C90GTx, basically a GTi with winglets and better weather radar, for an extra $300,000. Compared with the GTi, the GTx will fly 200 miles farther and carry 350 pounds of additional payload with full fuel. The winglets will be retrofitable to all existing C90 series aircraft. Thanks to these kinds of technology upgrades, even 45 years after it was first delivered, the 90 series King Air remains a top performer.

Preowned Aircraft
Preowned Aircraft Annual Report

WHEN 2009 BEGAN, the preowned market was like a punch-drunk boxer trying to regain his footing. Down but not out throughout the year, the industry struggled to build strength and stability after absorbing an uppercut delivered by an economic near-catastrophe and then a barrage of power-of-the-pen jabs thrown by often-sensationalistic journalists. Now, as the year ends, the preowned business seems to be slowly coming off the ropes and looks poised to fight another day.


Prices, which began their fall well before 2009, continued to sink throughout the year. The declines were all the more dramatic because they came right after a period when some buyers were paying multimillion-dollar premiums for must-have-aircraft delivery positions. A Gulfstream GIV-SP that might have commanded $30 million in late 2007 or early 2008 was worth only about half that at the 2009 market bottom.


Recently, however, prices have begun to stabilize. Should the nascent U.S. recovery be sustained and jet ownership become less politically incorrect, we will likely see further evidence of price stabilization and tightening of inventory.


One change during recent years has been that individuals and businesses from many countries outside the U.S. have started buying jets. While these deals became less common during the last quarter of 2008, I’ve noticed that lots of international companies are reengaging. The trend became more pronounced in 2009, as the dollar retreated against many international currencies.


At this year’s National Business Aviation Association Convention, which took place in late October in Orlando, Fla., I could see this change firsthand, as my jet-sales-and-acquisitions company received offers from international operators who came to the event with a clear intent to buy. A headline in a BJT sister publication, NBAA Convention News, suggested that attendees at the show represented “quality over quantity.” This did seem to be the case, as many companies opted not to send representatives to the convention this year unless there was a real need for them to go.


The jet market will recover and without much government assistance, though bonus tax depreciation represents one small benefit for some. Despite shorn wings, the industry had to fend for itself, with no cash-for-clunkers program, no government bailouts and clearly no empathy from the general public.

Brace yourself for higher insurance rates

If the experts are right, business aviation insurance rates could be on the rise soon. A recent spate of accidents will inevitably drive rates higher for airlines, according to a report by insurance broker AON. Because business aviation insurance rates have traditionally tracked those for airlines fairly closely, price hikes are likely.

Granted, that hasn’t been the case lately because of the recession and increased competition as more insurance underwriters offer coverage. “Airline rates are on the rise,” said Chris Jones, president and CEO of Aerospace Insurance Managers in Dallas. “However, general aviation has yet to see the same kind of movement. New markets, abundant capital and the global financial market condition make this cycle unlike any we have witnessed.”

But now, added Jones, “rates have become depressed to levels that are simply not sustainable. Generally, there is a three-year lag time between the onset of a soft [insurance] market and the realization that loss ratios are exceeding 100 percent. Competition notwithstanding, the stakeholders that make the market possible will be looking to see a positive return on their investments.

It’s economics 101: if those stakeholders cannot realize a return on their investments, their capital will be withdrawn and used elsewhere.”

Todd McCredie, president of the Aviation Insurance Association, commented that today’s “rates are some of the lowest I’ve seen in my 16 years [in the industry], especially on corporate-flown aircraft.” Added McCredie, who serves as sales manager for Piper-McCredie Insurance Agency in Flint, Mich.: “With new insurance [companies] coming into the arena, it’ll be interesting to see if rates continue to go down or stabilize. Some of the rates are getting so low that it could really impact these companies if there are claims.”

Tom Adderhold, president of Preferred Insurance Underwriters of Duluth, Ga., further explained the problems facing the insurance industry by noting that insurers earn income by investing premiums received from customers. They hope returns on those investments will help pay for losses and eventually deliver profits. “What’s happening,” Adderhold said, “is there is no investment income being generated.” Losses from this year’s devastating airline accidents combined with the recession-caused reductions in investment income mean that insurers will have to raise premiums to maintain required reserves.

These reserves must be available not only to cover accident claims but also the possibility of a worse-than-expected hurricane season, for example, which could lay waste to aircraft hangars and their expensive contents. Adderhold’s company specializes in property and casualty insurance, covering airport hangars and other facilities. “We dodged a bullet the last two or three years,” he said, because hurricane seasons have been relatively mild. “How long is that going to last?”

www.hiflyingcharters.com

Taxes, Laws & Finance
Lessor Liability

If you own an aircraft and lease it out, can you be liable for damages caused when the lessee is operating it? The answer reminds me of a joke my securities law professor, Louis Loss, used to tell about a client wanting to hire a one-handed lawyer so the lawyer couldn’t say: “Well, on the one hand…but on the other hand.”

Aircraft leasing is a common activity. Financial institutions lease aircraft to purchasers; companies lease aircraft to their officials using time-sharing agreements; flight schools rent aircraft to weekend fliers; fractional-ownership programs create “pools” of dry leases in which program participants lease airplanes to each other; and airlines acquire new aircraft via complicated lease financing arrangements. In all these cases, the owner/lessor may ask: am I liable if the aircraft is involved in an accident?

Congress enacted a statute to address this question. As originally passed, it was designed to oil the wheels of commerce and make it easier to finance the purchase of aircraft by protecting secured parties, leasing companies and other financial institutions from liabilities racked up by the borrower or lessee. In 1994, Congress added “owners” to the list of protected parties as part of a re-codification of Title 49, so the statute’s pertinent part now reads:

“[A] lessor, owner or secured party is liable for personal injury, death or property loss or damage on land or water only when a civil aircraft, aircraft engine or propeller is in the actual possession or control of the lessor, owner, or secured party, and the personal injury, death, or property loss or damage occurs because of 1) the aircraft, engine or propeller; or 2) the flight of, or an object falling from, the aircraft, engine or propeller.”

The statute defines a “lessor” as someone leasing an aircraft for at least 30 days.
On the one hand (sorry, but I’ve got two), this statute looks as if it provides comprehensive liability protection for owners, lenders and long-term lessors–and that makes a certain amount of sense. After all, if the aircraft is in the lessee’s possession and control, why should the owner, lender or lessor have any liability if the lessee crashes it?

On the other hand, the statute contains qualifications that courts have taken seriously. My favorite is the stipulation that the damage must occur “on land or water.” This seems to neglect a major airplane danger zone: the air. That’s where airplanes frequently can collide–and where the damage inflicted by the 9/11 attacks occurred. A Michigan court relied on the “on land or water” requirement in ruling that the federal statute didn’t apply because the plaintiff’s injuries in an airplane crash occurred “inside the aircraft and not on the surface of the earth.” Reading it this way, “on land or water” is reminiscent of old statutes preoccupied with people being damaged by things falling out of airplanes; no need to worry about people silly enough to fly in the airplanes themselves!

www.hiflyingcharters.com

Getaways
The world’s coolest hotel

One of the most unusual hotels anywhere exists for only part of the year.

Located more than 100 miles above the Arctic Circle in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, just seven miles from Kiruna Airport, the Icehotel is exactly what its name suggests. It is a frozen fantasyland decorated with ice artwork imported from around the world that has opened each winter for the past 20 years. Guests in its 80 or so rooms spend the night on an ice bed, tucked snugly in a thermal sleeping bag that rests on layers of reindeer hides.


Construction begins in November, when workers blast metal frames with snow guns to create an icy shell. Once it is frozen solid, the supports are removed. The interior structures are then formed from blocks of ice cut the previous spring and stored during the summer. Construction of the hotel, which opens bit by bit as sections are completed, concludes by the end of December.


The Icehotel closes in late April as the roof starts to melt, but the operators offer traditional accommodations nearby in warmer months, when visitors can take a three-day ice-sculpting class.

www.hiflyingcharters.com

Hot Wheels: Low-level Flying

ON A PROMO FOR DISCOVERY HD THEATER’S Chasing Classic Cars, host Wayne Carini tells viewers, “I chase cars,” his wry expression suggesting he has heard the one about the dog that chases cars but can’t figure out why when it catches one. Unlike the dog, Carini has a shrewd nose for which cars to chase and knows exactly what to do with one when he runs it to ground. Carini’s case of the car bug is about as virulent as Jay Leno’s. But Carini’s TV show has a ways to go to catch Leno’s, and he continues to make his living by buying, restoring and selling notable cars.


Carini’s rule of thumb is a simple, 80-proof distillation of advice for anyone considering the purchase of a classic car as an investment: “I look for cars that I’d like to own. I’m not a muscle-car guy. Always a sports-car fan. I have to like what I sell. If I’m not passionate about it, I can’t sell it.”


Some of his finds are for restoration of a specific model at the behest of a customer. He hears about others that, for reasons of scarcity or some less easily defined appeal, are too good to pass up and might eventually find their way into his personal collection. (When asked just how many cars he owns, Carini said only, “Too many, but never enough.”)


The recession has changed the climate for classic cars as markedly as it has many other markets, said Carini, who has been buying, restoring and selling collectible autos for 40 years. “Prices for some cars–those regarded as B or less investment quality–are down 20 to 30 percent,” he added, citing muscle cars and sedans with no racing history. Prices of newer exotic cars have fallen drastically, too. You can now buy an Aston Martin V8 Vantage with only four figures on the odometer, for example, for as little as $70,000, not far off half its price when new two years ago.


“The car market is like the art market,” said Carini, who owns F40 Motorsports in Portland, Conn. “Really good rare paintings, rugs and furniture have not fallen off. It’s the same with collector cars like old Bentleys and Ferraris. A Ferrari GTO was worth $10 million five years ago. Now it’s worth $25 million, despite the recession. Instead of 10 to 15 top-notch spectacular cars, auctions now have maybe two. Owners are retaining them for when the market comes back.”


As Ian Kelleher, CEO of RM Auctions, put it, “Investment-grade collector cars–rather than the market for cars driven by passion–still operate within their own bubble.” Prices of muscle cars have bottomed out to some degree, Kelleher noted, but there are exceptions: “A Hemi ’Cuda went from $100,000 to $700,000 with no rhyme or reason. I swear, some of these guys [at auctions] just like looking at themselves later on TV with their friends and neighbors. Passion overwhelms good decision-making. A ’71 Hemi ’Cuda convertible, one of 11 built, recently went for about $2 million. The buyer already had two of the 11 and wants to maintain their value so he bought a third. To him, that was not crazy thinking. But when a nondescript Camaro can fetch $150,000 you know the market will, at some point, take a turn for the worse.”


www.hiflyingcharters.com

Outdoor Adventures
Ski on the wild side

PLANNING TO FLY to British Columbia in Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics? The games start with a ceremony at Vancouver’s 60,000-seat BC Place on February 12. Much of the outdoor action then moves a two hours’ drive north to the edge of Garibaldi Provincial Park, to a private ski resort called Whistler Blackcomb featuring what’s billed as the “greatest vertical-rise skiing on the continent.”


Over the span of 17 days, attendees there will be treated to watching the finest athletes in the world compete in men’s and women’s alpine downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom and super-combined events. Not all runs will be requisitioned for the Olympics; in fact, only several will be closed to the public. So amateur ski enthusiasts will have ample opportunity to take a break from being spectators and hit the slopes.


But here’s an idea–and perhaps a better one than jostling with the 350,000 people expected to attend the Olympics. Think about incorporating into your travel plans–before, during or after the Winter Olympics–a helicopter ski trip near the Canadian Rockies on the British Columbia side of the continental divide, bordering Alberta. It will take you little more than half an hour by private jet from Vancouver International Airport to Fairmont Hot Springs Airport, which has a 6,000-foot runway. From there it’s a short drive north to Radium Hot Springs and Firlands Ranch–one of the great historic ranches in Canada and the perfect place to base your deep-powder adventure.


This magnificent 842-acre private ranch is nestled in the Rocky Mountain Trench and overlooks the upper Columbia River. The rolling spread is home to herds of elk, moose and deer. Its luxury lodge features five classically decorated bedrooms, river-rock fireplaces and steam showers. Gold-package stays for your private party include use of a large outdoor whirlpool hot tub and spa, massages, housekeeping and a full-time chef.


Each morning, a Bell helicopter from RK Heliski will pick you up at the ranch and whisk you into the spectacular Purcell Mountains bordering the legendary Bugaboos. Accompanied by mountain guides, you’ll have the run of 930 square miles of alpine slopes, above-tree-line glaciers and glades of tamarack and fir. Add this natural splendor to 36 feet of pristine, air-filled powdery snow and you’re in downhill heaven.


This dry snow is so light that you’ll be provided with wider-than-normal skis. They’re called “fat” and what you do on them is called “floating.” That pretty much sums up the bright days that lie ahead for you and your friends this winter on these wild Canadian slopes.

www.hiflyingcharters.com

Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs)

Sometimes used as a "bridge-to-transplant" or as a permanent therapy alternative called "destination therapy," the LVAD is a mechanical pump-type device that is surgically implanted to help maintain the pumping ability of a heart that is unable to effectively function on its own. These mechanical heart pumps can significantly improve a patient's health and survival rate.

One typical type of LVAD involves a tube connected to the left ventricle that directs blood from the ventricle into a pump. The pump then sends blood into the aorta (the large blood vessel leaving the left ventricle), which effectively bypasses the weakened ventricle.

www.vibha.info

Pacemakers

An artificial pacemaker is a small battery-operated device that helps the heart beat at a regular rhythm. Some are internal and permanent, while others can be temporary and external. Both use batteries to send small electrical impulses from an electrode placed next to the heart wall to help it pump proper

www.vibha.info

Peritoneal Dialysis

Another way to remove wastes from the blood is a process called peritoneal dialysis (PD). The walls of the abdominal cavity are lined with a membrane called the peritoneum. During PD, a mixture of sugar, salt and other minerals dissolved in water, called dialysis solution, is placed in a person's abdominal cavity through a catheter. The body's peritoneal membrane enclosing the digestive organs allows waste products and extra body fluid to pass from the blood into the dialysis solution.

These wastes then leave the body when the used solution is drained from the abdomen. Each cycle of filling and draining is called an exchange. There are three types of peritoneal dialysis, which differ mainly in the schedule of exchanges. Talk with your doctor about which type best suits your lifestyle.

www.vibha.info