SATS Success!

SATS Success!

And here you thought the only way to make a small fortune in aviation
was to start with a large one.

It seems the SATS (Small Aircraft Transportation System) research
program, a joint effort involving agencies such as NASA, the FAA and
experienced industry professionals, is starting to pay off.

SATSair's http://www.satsair.com/ air-cab service offers regional
point-to-point air transportation, that eliminates the frustrations of
crowded airline terminals, long security lines and lengthy
connections. Employing Cirrus SR22 aircraft (flown by FAA commercial
pilots with over 1200 hours of flight time) equipped with the Cirrus
Airframe Parachute System (CAPS), SATSair offers regional travel
within a 300 statute mile radius of the departure airport. SATSair
claims that they make it possible to reduce a 2 to 5 hour drive to 0.5
to 1.5 hours of flight time throughout the Southeastern US.

So what is the price for this luxury on-demand air-cab service with
leather seats, AC plug-ins for laptops and in-flight snacks and
entertainment? A look at the SATSair web site mentions: "5 Hour
Package $2,975 ($595 per seat/hour)." For the busy executive the
convenience of on-demand transport from airline hub, or municipal
airport to destination must be attractive, because SATSair has
experienced over 60% growth in the number of flights from 2006 to
2007.

Award* winning SATSair CEO and President, Steve Hanvey, said** "2007
was a landmark year for our innovative business concept. In 1Q 2008,
we have seen that trend continue even with the broad economic concerns
of today. This is our fourth year in business; we're continuing to
refine our air cab model that provides economical personal travel for
our growing customer base."

SATSair currently serves more than 600 airports throughout the
Southeast. Of 60 public use airports in South Carolina, SATSair's
Cirrus SR22s landed in 47 of them... providing the start of an
effective South Carolina Intrastate Air Network, according to
Aero-News:
http://www.aero-news.net/news/genav....9-0b2d561a911f
..

See what SATSair pilots are saying about working for the company:
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/sh...?t=5915&page=3

SATSair is a member of ATXA:
http://www.atxa.com/
Air Taxi Association's mission is to speed the adoption of the air
taxi models so that more businesses, individuals, and communities of
all sizes can enjoy the benefits of direct, personal flights.


Apparently SATSair's parent company is Cirrus Design.***

Let's hope the municipal airport closure rate of about one a week
doesn't put this fledgling operation out of business before it can
catch on nation wide. SATSair's success provides a good argument to
convince city boards of supervisors not to close their municipal
airports to build shopping malls.





*
http://www.swampfox.ws/2008/01/10/sa...viation-awards
Greenville, S.C. (January 8, 2008) – SATSair, a provider of on-demand
air cab services, is pleased to announce the selection of President &
CEO Stephan A. Hanvey as the 2007 Business & Commercial
Aviation Vision Award Winner and as a nominee for a prestigious
Aviation Week Laureate Award. The Vision Award, given by Business &
Commercial Aviation, recognizes Hanvey and SATSair as forward-thinking
in the aviation industry. The award also recognizes Hanvey and SATSair
for their steps in using the Small Aircraft Transportation System
(SATS) to make on-demand air travel accessible to the general public.

Hanvey’s Aviation Week Laureate Award nomination is for the
“Business/General Aviation” category. Laureate Awards recognize the
extraordinary achievements of pioneers and thought leaders in the
international aerospace, aviation and defense industries.


** http://www.swampfox.ws/node/26462


*** http://www.airtaxiworld.com/commentary8.htm
http://www.aero-news.net/news/commbu...d2a4&Dynamic=1
Cirrus President and CEO Alan Klapmeier said, "This acquisition
follows Cirrus philosophy to engage in pursuits that ultimately grow
the industry." Klapmeier has spoken passionately to us before about
the need to bring the benefits of general aviation to new markets and
new people -- people who aren't yet thinking of what GA can bring to
their lives. An example of his attitude is the evident pride that
Klapmeier takes in that subset of Cirrus customers who bought a Cirrus
and learned to fly in it, with no prior aviation experience.

SATSAir Air Taxi managed to break a regulatory taboo on charter
operations, which have always been forbidden from using single-engine
piston planes at night or in instrument conditions. SATSAir was able
to develop a concept under which the company was certified to operate
its Cirrus SR22 aircraft all weather, day or night, under instrument
flight rules.

"The magic words to the FAA," SATSAir founder and CEO Steve Hanvey
told Aero-News this summer, "are 'equivalent level of safety.' Show
the FAA that what you are doing is as safe as another operation, and
they will approve it. But you have to prove what you say."

Hanvey (below) found that the safety features of the SR22,
particularly the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, helped him develop
a concept that satisfied the FAA that SATSAir truly maintained an
equivalent level of safety to traditional twin or turbine 135
operators.