Small aviation, ultra-light aviation, private aviation - these are all terms of the same concept. All of them refer to aircraft that are similar in weight, power, engine type and passenger capacity to passenger cars. Small aviation is primarily a one- or two-seat aircraft, a light helicopter for 4 passengers, and a gyroplane can be classified in this category. The main task of this category of transport is personal transportation of a person.
What is small aviation?
Private aviation is taking over the world. The usual aluminum in the frame of aircraft has been replaced by composites of high-tech carbon materials. Small aircraft are made from carbon film, which is somewhat reminiscent of polyethylene, by rolling the film into many layers. Ultimately, the skin of the aircraft is somewhat reminiscent of a cocoon. The aircraft becomes much lighter, which allows for significant savings on fuel, and this, in turn, greatly reduces the cost of transportation.
About 90% of all aircraft on earth operate in small aviation, almost all of them are classified as small flights air transport. For example, about 250 thousand private aviation aircraft are used in the United States. 5,400 runways, hangars, and much more are specially allocated for them. The total annual income from such aircraft is about $50 billion.
Some European countries (Ireland, England and Germany) provide the opportunity, after receiving a private pilot's document, after some time, if desired, to pilot an airliner. Many programmers, teachers, doctors and others are just line pilots.
Small aviation in Russia
In Russia, the term “private aviation” is not defined by GOST, but it is taken into account that aircraft with a thrust of up to 500 kgf can be considered small aviation. At the same time, the number of passengers should not exceed 19 people. As for helicopters, their kgf indicators for small aircraft are in the range of 500-4500 kgf, and drones can have a thrust of up to 8600 kgf. For convenience, many small businesses prefer private flights and business trips through private aviation.
Airplane
The most popular private aircraft in the Russian Federation are the Yak-52 and L-29. The cost of flights as a passenger is respectively 150 and 400-600 dollars per hour of flight.
The Yak-52 is a sports aircraft for training, a monoplane with an aerodynamic low wing. The length of the aircraft is approximately 7.7 meters, the wingspan is about 10 m. The weight of the empty aircraft is 1000 kg, and the weight of the loaded aircraft is up to 1200 kg. The plane is two-seater.
The L-29 is also a training aircraft, with a crew of two, a wingspan and a length of about 10 meters. The empty weight of the L-29 is 2200 kg.
Today, the Cessna 172 and Yak-18 are popular. Cost of Cessna 172 at this moment about 1,500,000 rubles, and the Yak-18 will cost 2,200,000 rubles.
Helicopter
In addition to airplanes, you can also pamper yourself with an American-made Robinson helicopter, but this will cost 600-700 thousand dollars, and the Mi-34 will cost 400,000 dollars. Ultralight aircraft "Sigma", Russian production, which has quite good quality and efficiency, now costs about 55,000 euros, but if you need a six-seater Eclipse aircraft to transport business partners or just an excursion flight, then you will have to pay at least 1.6 million dollars for it, not including fuel.
Autogyro
The gyroplane is a lightweight platform for transportation, which, weighing only 40 kg, is capable of reaching speeds of up to 180-200 km/h due to power of up to 140 hp. Speed is provided by a lightweight water-cooled ROTAX 793 engine. The device looks like a helicopter, has a closed cockpit, and the aircraft itself can be modified, as an option - changing the engine. Autogyros take off with a run of 10-50 meters. Due to the supporting rotor, the lifting force is quite significant and, unlike a helicopter, the propeller is directed against the movement, taking on the role of a wing with a positive angle of attack. There are several options for a screw engine, but the diameter of the screw will not depend on this, the engine will simply affect the load capacity. This compact device can land anywhere in Russia due to its small dimensions, and the cost of the device is such that even a non-rich person can buy it.
Paralets and trikes
The paraglider and the trike are approximately similar structures, the main part where the pilot and the engine are located, both aircraft have the same, a trolley welded from pipes, with a pilot’s seat and wheels installed, a motor and controls attached to it. A propeller is attached to the motor, which moves the entire structure in the airspace. In flight, the frame itself rests either on a semi-rigid delta-shaped wing, which consists of a frame of duralumin tubes covered with airtight material, or on a frameless wing - a parachute. The paraglider and trike are structurally elementary means of flight. The peculiarity of these aircraft is their easy disassembly, packaging and small volume when folded, as well as their low weight, making them unpretentious to take-off and landing surfaces, storage and maintenance. In fact, an ordinary garage is enough to service and store paralets and trikes.
Today, many design bureaus work in the field of ultralight aircraft. In Russia there is a whole base already prepared to promote the introduction and development of small aviation in the country. This base was created on the basis of the Samara Aerospace University. SSAU graduates have formed an advanced aviation sector in Samara region— Aerosamara Design Bureau (former student aircraft design bureau of SKB LA SSAU), creates and assembles unique aircraft in its own production.
Aircraft registration
To register an aircraft, you must obtain a permit and license to operate the aircraft. The cost of paperwork costs about 1 million rubles, in addition, you will have to wait from a month to a year for the permit to be fully issued. The certificate is issued after passing all authorities for 2-5 years. After this, the vessel should be re-registered, undergoing a new registration process.
In the USA, for example, a helicopter can be registered in 2-3 days, without subsequent re-registration.
Flying in private vehicles
Modern flights in Russia
At the moment, it is possible to avoid traffic jams in Moscow by ordering your own personal small plane. Formally, there are no restrictions for registering a personal aircraft in any aviation organization for civilians. At the moment, in the Russian Federation there is no opportunity to buy an aircraft, as in a car dealership, but all this can be done through intermediaries. Domestic aircraft are not expensive, but they are inferior in quality and reliability to foreign technology. The best planes in Russia for private transport these are A-33, L-42, LA-8 and Su-31. Due to the high cost of certification.
The next important question is: how can you get the quality service and maintenance you need at the airfield?
Russia's infrastructure is still poorly developed and is far inferior to world standards. The personnel crisis in aviation, the small number of training grounds, the lack of necessary additional spare parts and the weakness of DOSAAF have a negative impact on the development of private aviation.
Flights to the EU and USA
In Europe and the USA, light or small aviation is perceived as commonplace as road travel. You get a driver's license, a license, undergo a technical inspection, a gas check, buy a card, and you can fly on business or just for leisure. Before departure, it is necessary to inform the pilot of the weather situation, make an entry in the log of the airfield from which the departure is taking place, write down and inform the destination, after which you can safely fly.
In Europe and the USA, flights are becoming more accessible, the number of flights is growing, and at the same time, interest in the business in which investors are investing is growing. The main clients of small aviation are middle class people, and not just the upper strata of the population. The annual US turnover from small aircraft alone is about 80% of all air traffic.
Small aviation in Europe and the States is the training of professional aviation couriers. Every person's aviation history is erased and not preserved at all; in addition, no one pays any taxes for flights. If we take, for example, Lithuania and Belarus, these countries have recently moved to the European level of small aviation. Thanks to European standards, private aviation began to develop in full swing there.
It is believed that a trial pilot project of a progressive legal framework and small aviation hubs is needed, which will realize the possibility of developing small aviation in Russian Federation, at least in several large cities.
How to fly in the EU
One of the special schools in Ireland, which was organized by businessmen, has 6 employees on its staff. This school provides theoretical and practical training for aviation flights. Some people can learn to fly using the Internet or purchased special books, especially if they have completed quality training in college. The theoretical teaching system is almost the same as in the physical and technical school. Freedom on the road, strict requirements and exams will give you the opportunity to discover the sky after passing the exams.
Personal, elite flight training schools in the United States train both line pilots and pilots of airliners that are used to transport cargo and passengers on Airbuses or Boeings. Becoming a line pilot is now quite easy. Having received a document certifying a person as a private pilot, it is possible to fly “hours” for personal purposes and then be able to increase your flight time to 200 hours. After passing the exams, there is always the opportunity to become eligible to work as an instructor in an aviation club.
From this moment on, you no longer need to spend your own money on training and flying hours. If an interested pilot reaches 500 hours of flight time, he can even become a commercial pilot. If desired, you can take exams to pilot aircraft with large crew and become the second pilot of an airliner. All this can be easily achieved by combining any profession with flying and moving in parallel along two career ladders. Tens and hundreds of doctors, programmers, scientists and teachers have the opportunity to fly small or even large aircraft, while businessmen or diplomats more often prefer private flights on small planes and helicopters.
The realities of flying small aircraft in the Russian Federation, training ordinary citizens in aircraft management
Illusory lightness. A flight, just for familiarization, with an instructor, for 20-30 minutes, which includes only basic information, costs at least 5,000 rubles. You can save on your first flight using special coupons or promotions. The student will not be given the steering wheel in his hands right away; the minimum that the instructor will allow him is to hold the steering wheel in his hands. Many people want to experience this feeling a second time. The expectation is that the client will become excited and want to continue training again in order to learn how to fly the plane himself. Those who are “hooked” on flying have to pay a lot, especially at the stage of learning to fly.
Amateur aviation is not a cheap pleasure. At nearby Moscow airfields they charge at least 8-10 thousand rubles for an hour of flight. In most aviation clubs, the cost of an hour of flight depends on many factors, for example, the model of the aircraft, the number of flights the aircraft has flown over the entire period of operation, and so on. The cost of a flight is reduced if you pay for several hours of flight time at once.
A short video of pilot training civil aviation, it is no different, except for the type of aircraft, from the training of small aircraft pilots.
For example, at ChelAvia, where they fly only on Italian Tecnam aircraft, the cost of a flight hour when paying for the entire internship (42 hours) is approximately 8-9 thousand rubles, but when paying for 10 hours or more - 9 thousand rubles in an hour. No one will let a new recruit into the sky, including with an instructor, even for an hour. The maximum flight time for a beginner is about an hour, and the cost of the flight is calculated by the minute.
A beginner can take the helm of an aircraft only after 15 hours of flight with an instructor - these are the rules. In fact, this may happen much later, due to the client's poor learning ability. A trainee's solo flight is allowed only a year after the start of training, when the instructor is confident in the knowledge and skills of his student. It takes about the same amount of time to learn to drive a car at a driving school.
Without a private pilot's certificate, you are only allowed to fly along routes or over an airfield. Flights on routes are allowed only when accompanied by an instructor - again, a similar example with driving a car. To become a full-fledged pilot, you must undergo training, pass an exam and obtain a PPL pilot certificate. The main thing in training is theoretical part, knowledge of aerodynamics, aviation meteorology, aircraft design, radio communications and the subject of aircraft navigation. The total cost of the course in Moscow costs about 300,000 rubles. In addition, you can experience vertical takeoff, both on an airplane and a helicopter. By itself, a helicopter consumes a lot of fuel, at least 50 liters per hour, which is compared to light aircraft, 5 times more. For this reason, the cost of training even on light and economical helicopters can reach a million rubles or more. If you compare the cost of a flight on a light aircraft and a helicopter, then, for example, at Aviamarket they charge 23,000 rubles for an hour of flight, but the training course lasts 42 hours of flight time, like other aircraft. After completing the training course, a private pilot certificate is issued.
The peak of popularity of small aircraft occurred in 2003-2004, then the wave of interest disappeared a little, and now a new trend of flights on small aircraft has emerged. If in Europe air space highlighted very strictly, then in Russia you can fly just for fun, for a hobby, far from air corridors and air bases. average speed a regular, simple helicopter, which can be taken after training, is up to 200 km/h, and the horizontal speed of small biplanes is 200-250 km/h, with fuel consumption 5 times lower.
It is easier to fly an airplane than a helicopter due to less influence of air currents. Helicopters are more suitable for private small transport, and airplanes are used more often for entertainment, of course, if this concerns small aircraft and not a cargo airliner. In the European Union and the United States, an entire entertainment culture has developed based on ultralight aircraft. The leader among aerobatics competitions is the Red Bull Air Race, which is held at various venues around the world.
For VIP clients who value their time, comfort and mobility, Vnukovo International Airport offers business aviation services in Vnukovo-3.
The advantages of business aviation compared to conventional flights are obvious. Business aviation passengers do not adjust to airline flight schedules, but choose a flight schedule that is convenient for them. They spend less time checking in at the airport and going through border and customs formalities.
IN International airport Vnukovo business aviation is served by the following companies:
CJSC Business Aviation Center Vnukovo-3
Vnukovo-3 is the largest business aviation center in Russia and Eastern Europe with its own developed infrastructure, two VIP terminals (international and domestic), car parking and a landscaped protected area. The apron and hangar complexes allow for servicing and simultaneous placement of more than 250 aircraft of various types and modifications. The advantages of using hangars in our climate zone are obvious: they help save expensive aviation equipment from climatic and biological unfavorable factors, as well as perform maintenance. Hangar premises are equipped with heating, ventilation, lighting systems, as well as an automatic fire extinguishing system.
My choice of profession was predetermined from childhood: my father was a pilot. At that time, many of my peers dreamed of aviation, and I, to the envy of everyone, could always go with my dad to the airfield or get inside the plane.
Immediately after school I entered the Kiev Institute of Civil Aviation Engineers. At that time, it was the only university in the country that trained flight engineers for TU-154. After studying, I worked by profession for five years: first as a flight engineer in the Aeroflot division in Karaganda, then I accepted an offer to work as a representative of one of the Kazakh airlines in Germany. But in 2000 my flying career ended. The earthly one began: first in the department passenger transportation at East Line, and two years later he went into business aviation, where he rose to the position of VIP transportation manager at Aviaenergo airline. And in May 2005, he opened his own business together with his colleague Dmitry Akhmedov.
How the market works
There are aviation brokers on the market who manage private aircraft. Our company is among them. Some business jet owners give us their aircraft to manage: the owner flies two or three times a month, the rest of the time the aircraft is rented out. At the client's request, we can also organize flights on business jets of airlines or our market colleagues operating aircraft.
Business jets are usually based at Moscow airports. Most of them are in Vnukovo, followed by Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Ostafyevo. But there are cases when planes are parked at European airports - in Riga or Helsinki. This is because the cost of basing abroad is cheaper. And if the owner of the plane does not fly it very often, then it is cheaper to fly from Europe than to pay for basing and maintenance at our airports.
There are currently about a hundred companies on the business aviation market. There are about fifteen major players. The rest are small firms accompanying a couple of clients. According to our statistics, 70% of clients in the market are corporations.
Since their employees mostly fly on business trips, everyone promotes their services using conventional marketing tools - online advertising and active sales.
Flight cost depends on the supplier, route, customer and other factors. Average check
- 30–40 thousand euros
We act as brokers and take only commission; Flight and fuel surcharges are paid separately. The profit in our business is not very high: the margin is about 4–5%. So, from each flight it turns out about 1,000–
1,500 euros. The cost of a flight depends on the supplier, route, customer and other factors. The average bill is 30–40 thousand euros. Of the total cost of the flight, the airline will spend about 30–35% on jet fuel, 17–20% on taxes at airports, 1–2% on air navigation services in the airport area and along the flight route, 15–17% on in-flight meals, 10– 12% - for crew salaries. The rest falls on the operating costs of the liner, office rent and other related expenses.
The most requested route today is Moscow - London. Next come European cities such as Geneva and Nice. Sochi is gaining popularity in Russia: perhaps this was due to the Olympics.
How to book a plane
We work only with Russian clients. There were a couple of orders from foreigners, but these are isolated cases. When a call comes from a client, we immediately clarify the route, date, time, number of passengers and luggage. We also find out your dietary preferences. Let's say, if a person prefers food from a certain restaurant, then our courier can deliver it before departure. True, this is usually done by a catering company. Additionally, the color of the interior is discussed with the client.
Then the manager begins to look for a suitable aircraft. We do not cooperate with any specific airlines, but work with everyone. The main thing is that they have the right vessel. Our employee can call, make a request by email or in a special program. All information is recorded and analyzed. We take into account best price, year of manufacture of the aircraft, reliability of the partner airline. As a result, we offer the client 5–10 options to choose from. Usually people who call us don't know what model they want. And our job is to explain this to him.
The most often asked for is the Challenger; it is the one that many people hear most about. But such a choice is not always justified. There are customers who know the brand and want it exactly. It all depends on status and finances. If the level of a minister or his deputy, then initially they will not fly on an inexpensive plane, it will be from a Challenger and higher. The Global 6000 is the most popular aircraft among the elite. Business jets based on Boeing or Airbus are rarely ordered. They are distinguished not only by the luxury of their cabin, but also by their spaciousness: if such an aircraft usually accommodates 160–170 people, then for private flights it is converted to accommodate 19 seats. Most often, such planes are flown by their owners; airlines do not purchase such aircraft.
They are reluctant to rent them out; the owner will not give it to a stranger. Therefore, connections have to be made here. One of the most popular and affordable business jets is the Cessna. Clients often fly on Hawker aircraft, but they are a little more expensive. We also fly in helicopters. But their popularity is not so great; they take up less than 5% of the total number of our flights.
The minimum time in which we can organize a flight is four hours after the customer has said: “Yes, I agree to fly.” The most crucial moment comes when the flight is confirmed, invoices are issued and paid.
From this moment, work begins on the preparation and execution of the flight, most of which falls on the airline. They apply for a flight to the airport of departure and arrival, and receive permission to fly over a particular state. Our role is to communicate with the client and quickly obtain all the necessary information from him.
All personnel on board are airline employees. Previously, it was customary to send a flight manager on a flight to monitor the comfort of clients. At that time, business jets converted from Soviet aircraft were popular; there was a lot of space. In addition, the airlines were a little wild, you had to keep an eye on them. Nowadays, on small business jets, an extra person is uncomfortable. And the level of airlines has also become significantly higher.
Who flies business jets
Clients are constantly changing. Now we don't have any of the clients we had in the beginning. The reasons are different for everyone, but mostly businessmen buy an airplane and fly on their own. Or they decide that it makes no sense for them to spend money on brokers, and hire an employee to organize flights.
Recently we there was a client who showed up for the flight in a fur coat on a naked body, and during the flight broke the table on the plane
We have had different cases. At the dawn of business aviation, drunk men from the bathhouse could call at night with the request: “Let’s fly to Ust-Kamenogorsk tomorrow.” But this usually ends in nothing. Now we work at night when there is a flight at that time. You need to be in touch to control everything.
We recently had a client who showed up for a flight wearing a fur coat over his naked body, and during the flight he broke a table on the plane. I had to compensate for the damage from my own pocket and pay the airline a thousand dollars. There was a client who could order a flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg for 10–12 thousand dollars and at the same time convince us that we should under no circumstances order in-flight meals. And come to the flight with a checkered string bag containing juice and some other provisions. A couple of times we took dogs around Russia for breeding.
The manager always warns in advance about the volume of the trunk. But we often hear: “There are two of us, but the salon is for ten, let’s put the remaining suitcases in it.” This is contrary to aviation rules, which the captain will not allow to be violated. Because if an emergency landing occurs, the crew must evacuate everyone within 90 seconds, and if the cabin is littered with boxes and suitcases, then they emergency landing They might crush someone or just get in the way.
Of course, you can’t cancel the client’s “what if it fits in.” “What if” we had recently. The client was flying from Italy. I was warned about the size of the trunk. But he showed up for the flight with boxes of groceries and was very surprised why he was not allowed into the cabin with them. I had to leave some of the contents of his suitcases behind. This is a fairly common case: choose a plane with a small luggage compartment, say that four or five people will fly, and bring half the house’s belongings with you on the flight.
How does the crisis affect
On average we have about ten clients per month. A surge in activity is observed before the New Year, on November or May holidays. Two years ago there were more corporate mass flights. Now there are fewer and fewer of them, we have a 50/50 ratio in sales: business flights and private flights for leisure.
Recently, a European agency report contained information that sales in business aviation have recently fallen by 19%. Although our number of orders increased sharply before the New Year, despite the crisis period. Either people wanted to close ruble budgets, or we communicated with those who were not significantly affected by the crisis. Of course, we will still notice a reduction: a decline of 15 to 50% could easily happen.
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