The organization is comprised of 37 of the industries most established and respected new and pre-owned aircraft dealers along with an Associated membership comprised of 42 of the industries best aviation service providers. Each spring the organization holds an annual conference of the full membership to discuss the state-of-the-industry that leaves us all either encouraged or discouraged.

I’m more encouraged about the future then ever! Each of the aircraft dealers and industry service providers that attended were “cautiously optimistic” and reported an increase in overall business from the previous years. Several of the dealers in attendance actually reported that 2012 was the best sales year in their long history!

While it appears several aircraft models are very slow to sell, there are equally as many models that are experiencing brisk domestic sales. The data research firm Amstat reported that 13% of the jet market and only 8.2% of the pre-owned turboprop market is actively “For Sale.” These numbers represent a significant improvement since the economic down-turn we experienced in 2008. Our own research has revealed the difficulty locating pristine aircraft at fire sale price. Today’s prices of most makes and models are still below the 2007 industry high watermark. It’s encouraging for the dealer community to find the actual inventory levels declining and doesn’t take an economist to see the declining inventories of pre-owned aircraft will soon yield increased prices.

Banyan Aircraft Sales specializes in aircraft selection, valuation, negotiation, inspection and management of turbine powered aircraft.

Call Mike O’Keeffe to discuss your aircraft options: 954.491.3170

The ideal preparation for a hurricane is to remove your aircraft from the storm’s path, if that is not possible here are suggestions to help you.

Each year, hurricanes season hits Florida lasting from Jun 1 to Nov 30^th.  During this time, Florida is hit with everything from small tropical storms that cause minimal damage to hurricanes causing destruction on a large scale. Even with modern technology and advances in predicting hurricanes, you and your plane can sometimes get caught in a storm.

Although the first thing we recommend to any aircraft owners is to leave the area well before the hurricane and find an FBO out of the storm cone, we understand that this is not always possible. If you do get stuck, it is important to make sure you are as prepared as possible to wait out the storm.

Suggested tips for your plane if you stay:

1)      Make sure your aircraft is in flying condition

2)      Verify your aircraft insurance is up-to-date

3)      Get a complete list of all avionics inside your aircraft

4)      Make sure your batteries are fully charged

5)      Make every effort to tie your plane down so that it will  face the wind

6)      When tying down your plane, use both internal and external control locks (example:  a belt around the yolk could help prevent excess damage to control surfaces.)

7)      Make sure you have additional chocks

8)      Make sure you have a full take of gas

9)      Clear excess debris from around your aircraft and hangar

10)   Make sure the trees around your aircraft and hangar are cut back

11)   Make sure your neighborhood area is clear of debris

12)   Move your aircraft to the highest ground possible to reduce flooding and possible damage to the fuselage or engine compartments

13)   Contact your local FBO for modified hours during storm warning

Remember in addition to preparing your aircraft for a hurricane, you also need to be prepared.

Suggested Hurricane Supply:

1)      Water

2)      Canned and dried food

3)      Extra prescription medication

4)      First Aid Kit

5)      Cash

6)      Personal Hygiene items

7)      Batteries

8)      Can opener, bottle opener, scissors

9)      Flashlights

10)   Don’t forget to stock up for your pets (if applicable)

Banyan teammates gathered for a photo before enjoying a luncheon event to celebrate AMT Day.

Banyan celebrated its 8^th annual AMT Day on Friday, May 24, 2013.  This annual event pays tribute to Charles E. Taylor, the first Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT), who built Orville and Wilbur Wright’s engine.  It is also a day that Banyan uses to honor its Aircraft Maintenance Technicians, Avionics Team and Parts team for their dedication to quality and safety.

Banyan’s Director of Maintenance, Dave Valenta organized the lunch-time event and recognized the group as “unsung heroes whose dedication enables aircraft and passengers to fly safely.”   Albert Beltran, Banyan’s corporate Chaplain, said a prayer, followed by Lou Homsher, Banyan’s Chief Inspector – Turbine Maintenance, who introduced Pete Snead, senior FAA Inspector.

Don Campion, Banyan’s President was the main speaker and said, “The very core of the aviation maintenance profession goes back to the Wright Brother’s AMT, Charles E. Taylor.  Our entire industry is built on personal honor and trust and our reputation comes from a solid foundation based on service, knowledge and integrity.”

Banyan Air Service based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) is recognized as a top FBO in the United States by aviation professionals.  Banyan’s maintenance department offer comprehensive aircraft maintenance services, including heavy airframe and engine maintenance, structural repairs and modifications, interior refurbishment, exterior painting and aircraft parts sales and service.

Banyan avionics offers comprehensive avionics installations, repairs, modifications, and is an authorized dealer for all major avionics manufacturers.  In addition to High Speed Data solutions, they have extensive installation experience with In-Flight Entertainment upgrades, glass cockpits, LPV/WAAS upgrades, Flight Management Systems, Satellite TV, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems, Multifunction Displays, Satellite Communications, and Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems.

Banyan is certified as both an FAA and EASA repair station and has also earned repair station designations for Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.  Banyan also offers a mobile avionics team to provide services on location.  For more information, visit banyanair.com.

by Brian Wilson

On a recent flight to Las Vegas I was overwhelmed with advertisements offering Wi-Fi onboard the aircraft.  While purchasing my ticket I encountered a pop-up box informing me that “this aircraft is Wi-Fi equipped”,   followed by a link to purchase the service.

Standing in the boarding area, the gate agent announced the Wi-Fi service several times and as I entered the  cabin door there was a Wi-Fi decal on the fuselage. Arriving at my seat, I found a Wi-Fi brochure in the seat pocket, and while the stewardess repeated  her normal repertoire, she augmented her ritual by reminding passengers that the aircraft was Wi-Fi equipped.  The final and most intrusive reminder shocked me a bit; located right next to the standard illuminated icon of the no smoking and fasten your seatbelts signs was a Wi-Fi symbol. I pondered whether to read the safety briefing or purchase this Wi-Fi service because it must be very important to have during this flight!

Having Wi-Fi on board a commercial airliner or corporate jet is nothing new, of course; but the renewed interest and fascination to offer such services has grabbed the industry by storm. Charter companies market their fleets as Wi-Fi equipped and aircraft brokers advertise the same to gain a competitive advantage. I assume of this readership a basic understanding of how a Wireless Access Point (WAP) operates, and what it provides. But beyond the basics, a WAP provides much more than a “connection” for which Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs) can access their email or surf the Internet. Having a WAP onboard is changing the game for both the flight crew and the passengers.

This article will break down the different areas of the aircraft to give you a better understanding of how having a WAP onboard makes life easier for everyone.
In its simplest form a WAP onboard an aircraft is no different than someone going down to the coffee shop, ordering their favorite Latte and logging their PED on to the coffee shop ‘hotspot’. The basic technology is the same; there is access to the Internet, which is then connected to a router, which then communicates to your PED via a WAP. The difference starts when explaining how the internet gets to the aircraft as opposed to your home.

In your home or business the internet enters through the existing phone and/or cable (TV) infrastructure. Cabling is then run from room to room and you connect your computer to the network by plugging an Ethernet line into the Local Area Network (LAN) jacks. To create a wireless hotspot you simply plug a WAP to a jack and your family or colleagues can use their PEDs.

There are some similarities with how an aircraft gets its internet where the place of business or domicile is remotely located and you have to use a ‘dish’ that is strategically positioned on your home or building. The internet is then ‘piped’ in via a network of Satellites hovering over the earth and that are strategically positioned for maximum coverage. In most cases that is how an aircraft – both airline and corporate – receives internet. An antenna is mounted on top of the aircraft that communicates with a Satellite and sends the information to a router which then connects to a WAP. So a passenger onboard an aircraft would access the internet in the same way they do at their coffee shop.

The technology that makes this happen in an aircraft traveling 560 MPH at an altitude of 37,000 feet makes this truly amazing, but is entirely invisible to the passenger who simply puts their PED on airplane-mode, thus activating the Wi-Fi function, connecting to the service, and enabling email and internet browsing just as would be available on the ground.

WI-FI IN THE CABIN
Wi-Fi was first introduced into the Cabin when traditional Satellite voice communications known as “SatCom” transitioned from being voice-only to include data services. The first installations required passengers to plug their laptops into LAN jacks which then connected them to a router. What started the interest in wireless communications was the introduction of the first Wi-Fi enabled smartphone with email capability. The immense popularity with the new smartphone led to an explosion of new devices that offered wireless communications.

The public was then exposed to Wi-Fi hotspots which evolved in both retail and communal areas. The public’s fascination to always have access to their email and the internet while on-the-go launched a whole new paradigm of how we communicate.

Passengers flying on corporate jets naturally wanted the same freedom to roam the cabin or change seats without having to plug into a jack. Most PEDs didn’t allow for any type of physical connection which created an opportunity for companies to design the first Wi-Fi enabled routers for aviation. Originally designed to allow access to email and webbrowsing using PEDs; Wi-Fi; and make available many applications, this has evolved into an array of additional functionality including:

• Control of the Cabin Lighting
• Setting the Cabin Air Temperature
• Selection and control of the In-Flight Entertainment (IFE)
• Online shopping
• Streaming of Movies
• Streaming of Moving Maps
• Streaming and sharing content stored onyour PED
• Wireless Handsets
• VOIP voice calling

Streaming content to a PED is another technology the public has been exposed to and it’s only natural that passengers will want the same experience when they are flying. Streaming movies, sporting events and television shows to a PED via a wireless service is quite common, whether you are in a home, a business or just walking through the park – but in an aircraft there are limitations.

This starts with the data speed access onboard the aircraft (versus what you get at your home or office). Most people are familiar with the leading online video streaming companies where you sign up for a monthly rate and have access to unlimited movies. These companies allow you to “stream” the data over the internet to view either on a standard TV, computer or PED; hence, the content is technically stored “in the cloud”. Airliners and large-sized corporate aircraft that can afford to purchase a Ku-Band internet service will have some level of ‘cloud’ content access, but for the vast majority of corporate aircraft using the popular SwiftBroadband (SBB) or Air-to-Ground service, the speed of the connection will prohibit any downloading of movies. (I am not saying it’s impossible to do, it’s just not costeffective.)

On the other hand, the wireless device onboard an aircraft is technically the same as the one used at the home or office. The new 802.11(n) Wi-Fi models are capable of handling up to 600Mb/s of bandwidth which allows for streaming HD quality shows and movies. Audio Video on Demand (AVOD) media storage units are an excellent, costeffective solution for onboard entertainment systems. These media devices store the content and stream them to your PED as though you were on the ground. Having the content stored onboard the aircraft eliminates the deficiency in the data-rates and precludes a nasty surprise in your monthly bill because a passenger tried to download a movie.

Wi-Fi enabled smartphones and handsets allow Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) calls to be made to and from the aircraft. The ability to make a voice call using the bandwidth available over the internet connection gives you the advantage of saving money if you plan your next upgrade correctly.

Let’s imagine you have a Gulfstream GIV with the standard Magnastar phone system: although a reliable voice and fax solution, it has many limitations and its end-of-life cycle is fast approaching… Your company has a maintenance inspection coming up soon and the goal is to upgrade the cabin for connectivity. By installing a hybrid system that provides both connectivity and VOIP calling you can eliminate the existing voice-only system. Now your passengers can roam around the cabin with their portable handsets instead of being attached to a retractable reel. Additionally, by selecting the right service provider, all your voice and data charges will be on one bill.

COCKPIT AND CREW
In 2011, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved the use of the Apple iPad tablet in the cockpit. Airliners and Charter companies followed with requests to replace the current bulky and heavy flight bags with the paperless tablets. Although many operators use flight applications that can be updated with a touch of the icon and don’t necessarily require Wi-Fi, flight crews can gain a wealth of information to help increase situation awareness and safety while in flight.

A good example would be the weather: Although many of the larger airframes have the technology to allow the crew to view the weather while in flight; the majority of the small to mid-sized aircraft don’t have that capability. Even those aircraft outfitted with the technology are limited by the size and detail of the displays in the cockpit. Any pilot will tell you that most cockpit displays take a back-seat to tablets when it comes to resolution, brightness and viewing angle. Now aircraft of all sizes can view the current weather and other flight critical data utilizing a tablet, application, Wi-Fi and an internet connection. In the case where weather prohibits the crew from reaching their scheduled airport, they can use the internet to assist them on which FBO to use, based on services and fuel prices.

Most pilots and technicians can remember the days when they had to take upwards of an hour to load five or six floppy disks into their Flight Management System (FMS) every 28 days in order to update the Database. How about situations where your aircraft was on an extended trip, far from the home base, and the crew is reporting the FMS and IFIS databases are soon overdue along with a re-occurring intermittent problem with the Avionics?

In the past this could be a very frustrating time for both the crew and the maintenance personnel. Imagine the convenience of knowing that once the aircraft is on the ground, an onboard device makes a secure connection to a Wi-Fi network and automatically transfers all the information. The crew and technician even receive an email or text message that the content was successfully installed onto the aircraft.

The possibilities are endless to where this new technology can take today’s modern aircraft. Envision the case where the onboard systems are working normally and the crew see no anomalies in the cockpit; but the Maintenance Diagnostic Computer (MDC) sent a message via the Wi-Fi network that a computer is starting to malfunction. The message could be routed to the manufacturer’s technical operations department who concur a fault is imminent. An email could then be sent to the crew and the home-base identifying the problem with a corrective action plan attached. Parts could be ordered and shipped to the aircraft’s next destination before it even arrives. That would be customer service!

THE WI-FI ROADMAP
Given the information outlined above you can start to picture what lies ahead for all the players in our industry. Staying connected has made the transition from email and web browsing, to maintenance diagnostics and database upgrades.
• Fixed Based Operators will have to enhance their Wi-Fi systems with both bandwidth and security measures to entice aircraft operators to use their facilities over their competitors.
• Charter companies will outfit their fleets with Wi-Fi networks so passengers can get email and internet access, giving them a competitive advantage.
• Avionics, Maintenance and Engine manufacturers will design their equipment to communicate with onboard routers and terminals so their systems can be monitored at all times.
• Aircraft OEMs will certify their new aircraft to be Wi-Fi compliant; external antenna’s will transmit and receive information via a wireless network.
• New job titles and positions will be created to monitor, decode and transfer information sent over the network.
• Information technology (IT) specialists and consultants will be needed to ensure proper encryption is used preventing the network from being hacked into.
• Technical schools will change their curriculum to include IT training, and more troubleshooting will be done remotely over the Wi-Fi network.

One thing is certain moving forwards: Wi-Fi is here to stay. It is the central nervous system of In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity (IFEC) and its relationship with other onboard systems continues to grow. Ground-based operations will have to adapt so that they, too, can “stay connected”.

Brian Wilson oversees all activities related to Banyan Air Services’ avionics department – including sales promotions, aircraft avionics installations, bench and line troubleshooting, engineering and used avionics component sales. His avionics career started 30 years ago, when he joined the U.S. Navy as an Avionics Technician. Wilson has also worked at Midcoast Aviation, Raytheon, Bombardier/Learjet and Jet Aviation in West Palm Beach where he headed the Avionics, Engineering and Interior departments. He also serves on the Rockwell Collins Dealer Board. He can be reached  954-232-3606 or email bwilson@banyanair.com.

Restaurant Review: By John Tanasychuk, SouthFlorida.com

Inside a hangar on the edge of the tarmac at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport sits one of the best lunch spots in Fort Lauderdale.

Two weeks ago, I wouldn’t have believed I’d ever write that sentence. But then, I found myself at Jet Runway Cafe.

You wend your way to the restaurant off Commercial Boulevard and arrive at what is truly one of the most-nondescript restaurant locations in the region. Off the parking lot, a nicely landscaped, covered walkway leads diners into one of those hangars. At 1 p.m. on a Thursday, the place was packed. I mean hopping.
It’s 5 o’clock somewhere: Check out our list of the best happy hours

Aside from a couple of well-placed decorative turbines, you’d never know that aviation was the theme. The 89-seat restaurant is set with metal and wooden furniture. A long banquette separates the dining room from a long window into the kitchen. A pile of oversize white plates sits on the pass-through. This place is cool.

On the other side of the narrow room, a row of windows looking onto the tarmac provides the restaurant its name. That view is why the weekday office workers get replaced by parents and grandparents with kids when Saturday rolls around. What kid doesn’t love airplanes?

But don’t just come here for the kids. Come because chef Sean Anderson turns out some of the most-artfully presented food I’ve seen in ages. It’s served by a team, led by general manager Felicia Singh, who seems to never miss a beat, even when every seat in the house is full.

The breakfast menu includes the Full Tank ($10): pancakes or French toast, two eggs, potatoes or grits, bacon or sausage. It’s served on two of those big, white plates, and every element is better than the next. The Egg Scrambler ($8) is a huge skillet of scrambled eggs, diced ham, peppers, onions and cheddar cheese. The breakfast burrito ($8) wraps scrambled eggs, black beans, salsa, cheddar and jack cheese inside a toasted tortilla.

All breakfasts come with something called “famous fried bread pudding.” It tastes like a cross between bread pudding and kugel. Brioche-almond French toast ($9) is also on the menu, along with pancakes ($8), eggs Benedict ($9), a breakfast club sandwich ($8) and a croissant sandwich ($8).

Breakfast is better here than at many pricey hotels and resorts. Lunch may be even better.

The menu is huge, but I’d recommend starting with Thai chicken flatbread ($10.50): thin-crusted bread topped with peanut sauce, carrots, mozzarella and cilantro. It really does taste like a burst of Thai flavors.

Soup ($5-$6) changes daily and features everything from Monday’s roasted corn chowder to Wednesday’s Sante Fe black bean. There are eight salads ($11-$14), to which a skewer of wonderful grilled shrimp ($3.50) can be added. Crab-cake salad ($14) combines green, Roma tomatoes, carrots, julienne peppers, cucumbers and citrus-honey vinaigrette. There’s also a Crispy Asian chicken salad ($11.50) featuring fried chicken with sesame-ginger dressing.

We couldn’t resist a side of mac-n-cheese ($3.50), which had a little kick from red pepper. Some of that red pepper is tossed with the toasted panko topping.

There are a dozen sandwiches ($10.50-$14), seven different burgers ($10.50), three Mexican-inspired dishes ($10.50-$13.50) plus five Jet Features ($10-$11). A favorite from that last category is a sandwich known as the Picnic Basket ($11) in which slices of country white bread hold barbecue-pulled pork, pepper jack cheese, macaroni and cheese, and crispy onion strings.

I went for classic steak chimichurri ($14.50), skirt steak with grilled onions, flavorful yellow rice, black beans and roasted vegetables. It was a generous lunch portion.

Among the desserts is incredible chocolate fudge cake ($6), which Jet Runway brings in from Two Fat Cookies bakery in Boca. I’m going to find this bakery.

The 5-year-old Jet Runway Cafe is owned by Mitch Amsterdam and Mike Linder. It grew out of their Silver Lining Inflight Catering, which has been servicing the private-aviation industry since 2001. They service flights out of every South Florida airport, from Stuart south to Kendall Tamiami Executive Airport.

Jet Runway is so good, I wondered why they don’t open for dinner? Throw on some tablecloths, and I’m sure chef Anderson would create an exceptional dinner menu.

The place is open at night, but only for private functions. They can open up the restaurant to the tarmac and take over the next-door hangar. They’ve hosted weddings and bar mitzvahs, bridals showers and office parties. The catering menu looks as good as lunch.

jtanasychuk@SouthFlorida.com or 954-356-4632. Read his blog at SouthFlorida.com/sup and follow him on Twitter at @FloridaEats

5540 NW 21st Terrace, Fort Lauderdale

954-958-9900, JetRunwayCafe.com

To view the original restaurant review by John Tanasychuk, click here.

The Parts Solutions team at Banyan can locate almost any part, for any aircraft, at the most competitive prices.

Are you purchasing from reputable, reliable sources? Does your current supplier provide traceability and warranty? Can your suppliers manage your requests in a timely manner?

If you purchase aircraft parts and components you know how difficult it is to research, find suppliers and negotiate pricing and delivery. You’ve likely experienced problems such as items not being shipped as requested, managing returns, lack of proper documentation and other issues. If you routinely purchase aircraft parts, you should be calling The Parts Solutions team at Banyan Air Service.

With over 50 years of parts sales experience, our team is here to serve the general aviation industry with quality products, technical service, prompt responses, after the sale support and we are ready to earn your business.

We proudly support the following manufacturers – Hawker Beechcraft, Cessna, Citation, King Air, Pilatus, Piaggio, Twin  Commander, Michelin, Champion, Cleveland, Airborne, Bendix-King/Honeywell, Rockwell Collins, Avidyne and many more…..

Find out more at www.banyanair.com/parts.

Banyan’s Alvie Barron prepares to experience the EVAS simulator which is now in Banyan’s lobby and ready for demonstrations.

Banyan Air Service and VisionSafe have entered into an agreement,  naming Banyan an Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS) Sales and Service Center for the Southeast United States.

EVAS is an FAA tested and certified system available for all turboprop and jet aircraft that displaces smoke enabling pilots to see the flight path and instruments during an emergency. The system is a compact self‐contained system weighing approximately 6 pounds, about the size of a flight manual and costs around $35,000.

The EVAS system can be installed in just a few hours at Banyan. The system can also be purchased at Banyan along with the STC for easy field installation with the help of Banyan technical support, if needed. EVAS is  currently certified and in use in corporate and transport aircraft around the world, including Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault,  Embraer, Gulfstream, Hawker Beech and Learjet aircraft.

“Cockpit smoke displacement systems have been endorsed by over 50 airlines, the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)  and the Coalition of Airline Pilots Association (CAPA) as “standard” equipment. All pilots should see a demonstration of  this safety equipment and once installed the crew and passengers will feel much safer knowing their aircraft is outfitted with EVAS,” says Alvie Barron, Banyan’s director of technical sales.

“Banyan is the perfect distributor for EVAS,” says Kurt Poruks of VisionSafe. “Besides being a world class FBO, their maintenance team works on a wide range of aircraft including Challengers and Falcons. In addition, the avionics team is currently working on Boeing and Gulfstream installations. These aircraft are all perfect candidates for EVAS.”

Banyan recently received an EVAS simulator and is offering demonstrations on how this equipment can aid a pilot in the event of smoke in the cockpit. “It only takes one demonstration of a smoke filled cockpit to prove how EVAS can save lives during an emergency,” says Barron.

Banyan Air Service based at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is an authorized FAA and EASA repair station and has earned maintenance and avionics repair station approvals from several countries including Argentina, Aruba, Brazil, Cayman, and Venezuela. Airframe maintenance support includes Bombardier, Cessna Citation, Falcon, Hawker Beech,  Learjet, Piaggio and Pilatus. Avionics support includes installations and in‐flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) solutions on any aircraft from a Citation to a Boeing 757.

The EVAS system is manufactured and patented by the VisionSafe Corporation. For more information contact Alvie Barron 954‐492‐3568, or visit www.banyanair.com/EVAS.

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Thanks to our friends at Raisbeck Engineering for providing two King Air models and a Crown Wing Locker display for our lobby. Pilots and passengers enjoy looking at the display and seeing the extra room the lockers provide for storing luggage, business cargo and sports equipment. Raisebeck Crown Lockers are available for the entire Beechcraft King Air Family.

Banyan is proud to be a Raisbeck Authorized dealer and in addition to installing Crown Wing Lockers, we install all of the Raisbeck Performance Systems; Power Props, Ram Air Recovery System, Enhanced Performance Leading Edges, Dual Aft Body Strakes and High Flotation Gear Doors.

If you own or operate a King Air, talk to our sales team about the benefits of adding Raisbeck Performance to your aircraft. Contact Ed Bracero at 954.491.3170.

The Quest KODIAK lands at Banyan Air Service in less than 1000 ft.

Banyan is an Authorized Sales and Service Center for the KODIAK.

The Quest KODIAK departs from Banyan in 500 ft with 4 people on-board.