solairus aviation blog

One of the best experiences flying a private charter jet to wine country is taste-testing the latest vintages straight from the winemakers themselves.

Good news for those flying in a private charter jet to Sonoma in 2012: Sonoma County’s Starlite Vineyards just released their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, and according to first taste-testers, the Bordeaux-style wine is primed to make a bold first-impression.

Starlite Vineyards, located in the Alexander Valley, is one of Sonoma County’s boutique wineries and the makers of European-style wines including the famed Cabernet, which is what Starlite is known for among top sommeliers. While the Cabernet is its tour de force, Starlite was honored with a 92-point nod from Wine Enthusiast for its 2006 Zinfandel.

Now comes the latest vintage from the vineyard, the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon. The new cab is said to be “seductive” and “silky” with hints of plums and smells of vanilla and chocolate. While a heavy and hearty Cabernet isn’t all that rare in Sonoma and Napa Valleys, the Starlite Cabernet is the most recent Cabernet to be released from a boutique vineyard in the region.

“We had to go outside the Bordeaux varietals to find a blend for this wine that would make it stand out in the crowded Cabernet Sauvignon space,” said Starlite Vineyards’ Owner Arman Pahlavan. “The resulting wine is gorgeous and very much Bordeaux in style to the point that at one of the blind tastings in New York City, one of the great sommeliers called it a 2000 Bordeaux.”

In addition to the release of the 2007 Cabernet, Starlite Vineyards also recently released two other wines; their 2007 Zinfandel, a Claret-style wine soft tannins, rich fruit, and ruby color, and their 2010 Viognier, a Condrieu style wine which exudes scents of orange blossom and honeysuckle along with layers of apricot, peaches, and nectarine.

Feel like a tasting? You can stop by the Starlite Vineyards’ Tasting Room, which is open to the public Wednesday-Sunday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. (winter hours Thursday-Sunday) and on Mondays of major holidays.

Published with permission from Inspirato.com

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Solairus Aviation Chairman and CEO Dan Drohan knows exactly what fuels his company's success: its people

By Karen Brost
Flying High

Dan Drohan was lucky enough to have discovered his life's passion at a very young age. "I started flying when I was 12 or 13," he explains. Today, he is Chairman and CEO of Solairus Aviation, an aircraft management and private charter jet company headquartered in San Francisco with aircraft and regional offices nationwide. Solairus currently manages more than 50 aircraft but it all started with a single plane.

When Dan was in high school, he worked at an airport and earned his private pilot's license. He eventually went off to college, but his college career was short lived. "I came back in December of my freshman year for the break," he explains. "My mother wondered why there was a steamer trunk behind me. At that point, I had decided that aviation was where I wanted to be."

Within a year and a half, Dan started Sunset Aviation, a one-man operation that offered air tours over the San Francisco Bay and the wine country. He then eventually moved into the world of private jet charters. Over the next fifteen years, he grew the operation into a company with 100 employees and 25 planes. Then, unknown to him at the time, he was about to be in for a turbulent ride.

Click here to continue.

Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe. With a fleet of nearly 50 managed aircraft, Solairus is one of only 97 Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operators in the world. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating is awarded to those who have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft management and private jet charters, which includes aircraft charter sales, aviation support services, and consulting. For more information about Solairus Aviation, please visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.

 

By Tom Benvenuto - VP Flight OPS -

An external audit is a review of Solairus Aviation’s overall private charter jet operation by individuals not affiliated with the company. External audits play a major role in the validation of our core private jet safety and operational values as they are conducted by outside individuals with unbiased opinions.

Solairus is externally audited on a biannual basis with the goal being certification for ARG/US Platinum ratings and IS-BAO (International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations) standards. These are the most extensive and important external audits the company experiences. Additionally, Solairus is occasionally audited by other charter operators, as well as major corporations with existing flight departments who wish to utilize the Solairus private charter jet fleet for supplemental lift.

Audits for ARG/US Platinum and IS-BAO utilize a code of best practices designed to help flight departments worldwide achieve a high level of safety and professionalism. At the core of IS-BAO and the ARG/US Platinum standards lies the requirements for a comprehensive and effective aviation Safety Management System (SMS).

The auditor’s efforts during this multi-day event does more than factually determine compliance against a set of very high standards. Their audit also produces an educational and relative analysis of Solairus’ daily practices and procedures compared to those which have proven themselves effective in all aspects of flight operation.

These coveted internationally recognized independent ratings prove Solairus’ commitment to the highest levels of safety and professionalism within the private charter jet industry.

Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area and has over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe. With a fleet of nearly 50 managed aircraft, Solairus is one of only 97 Aviation Research Group/US Platinum-rated charter operators in the world. After completion of an intense operations and safety systems audit, the ARG/US Platinum rating is awarded to those who have demonstrated that their procedures meet or exceed industry “Best Practices” in all phases. Solairus has also received the NBAA Commercial Business Flying Safety Award and is an IS-BAO certified company. Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft management, which includes aircraft charter sales, aviation support services, and consulting. For more information about Solairus Aviation, please visit www.solairusaviation.com or call 800-359-7861.

 

By Rosanna Rutherford - Director, Client Services

Solairus Aviation recently helped coordinate a free charter jet trip for an eight year old boy, Cole, who lives in Indianapolis  and was obtaining special cancer treatment in New York. Thanks to the Solairus team, and one of our aircraft owner’s philanthropic vision and support, we were able to make this a memorable charter jet experience for Cole and his parents. Solairus was able to get involved due to the company’s continued efforts to give back to our community by partnering with companies such as Corporate Angel Network (CAN).

CAN works with patients, physicians, corporate flight departments, charter jet operators, and leading treatment centers to arrange more than 3,000 charter jet flights a year. Since 1981, this New York based nonprofit is the only charitable organization in the US whose sole mission is to help cancer patients access the best possible treatment for their specific type of cancer by arranging free domestic travel to treatment centers by matching their trip legs with empty seats on corporate charter jets. This improves the patients’ chances of survival and reduces their emotional stress, physical discomfort, and financial burden.

Due to recent internal automation improvements Solairus is now able to match patients’ needs and Solairus’ empty legs more efficiently; therefore we anticipate an increase in future CAN trips utilizing our charter jet fleet. We hope to be able to assist this cause whenever we encounter these “moments of truth” opportunities to match our charter jet flights to cancer patient needs across the country. Working together, Solairus and the Corporate Angel Network can make a difference that will last a lifetime.

 

Private jet services provider, Solairus Aviation was recently ranked 58th in the NorthBay Biz Top 500 Companies.

Solairus Aviation is raising the bar in the private jet charter and private jet management industries. Founded by an accomplished executive leadership team, Solairus is focused on delivering exceptional charter flight services and outstanding asset optimization solutions that truly go above and beyond standard offerings. Our team comprises a passionate group of flight and aircraft specialists who are focused on exceeding the expectations of our clients and redefining integrated private jet services.

Solairus Aviation is a US-based aviation services company whose core business is safe, reliable, and economical aircraft operation.  We accomplish this by using systems, processes, and procedures developed and honed throughout thirty plus years in the industry. Our flights are customized to meet your individual travel and financial requirements with the highest standards of safety and personalized service.  

Solairus Aviation is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.  We have over twenty-five base locations across the United States and Europe, and employ more than two hundred flight crew and support personnel for the operation of more than forty-five client-owned, private jet aircraft.  Solairus offers a full range of services in addition to aircraft charter sales, which include aircraft management, aviation support services, and consulting.

Brian Moss, a Solairus Aviation Private Charter Jet Flight Coordinator,was recently selected as Air BP’s Aviation Professional of the month. Brian was featured in a full page print ad, along with nearly the entire Solairus Burlingame office staff in the December 2011 issue of Professional Pilot.

Brian Moss grew up in an aviation environment. His dad, Don, was a dispatcher for Pan Am at JFK in the 1960s. While in college Brian worked for an FBO at FRG (Farmingdale NY). Computers were his college study field and following graduation the thrill of the burgeoning Internet industry attracted him to Silicon Valley. For 7 years he worked there. But the pull of aviation was too strong. His dad owned Long Island-based Sportsflight, a charter jet sales organization for sports teams. Brian went to Sportsflight's SFO office and sold charter. In 2007 he transferred to TAG at SFO and continued to sell charter jet flights. Brian joined Solairus in 2009 and became a flight coordinator. The following year he moved to Denver to open a Solairus office at APA (Centennial, Denver CO). Today Brian manages 5 aircraft from APA—a Gulfstream G550 based at SFO, a Challenger 604 headquartered at AUS (Austin TX), another 604 and 605 tied down at BFI (Boeing Field, Seattle WA) and a Hawker 800XP at MDW (Midway, Chicago IL). Brian arranges all logistics for crew and pax including ground transportation, lodging, FBOs and catering. Chris Halverson, Solairus manager of flight coordination and dispatch, says, "Brian's sunny disposition and customer focus come shining through on every charter jet flight."

 

With nearly 50 private jets in Solairus Aviation’s fleet, the Client Services, Flight Operations, Accounting , and Maintenance departments know how to process a new contract quickly and effectively to get our latest Solairus clients flying safely as soon as possible.

In this two part article, we'll learn how Solairus' departments work together to get a new private jet added to the fleet. To read part 1, please click here.

Here's how they do it:

ACCOUNTING by Mark Dennen

Accounting’s role in bringing on new private jet  is setting up workable policies and procedures while providing customer service to employees and clients.

Once the management contract is signed, accounting creates a new bank account for the private jet and works with the client to provide the required documents to  bank personnel. The operating deposit requirement is then sent to the client with their new bank wire instructions.    This quickly puts into motion the internal requirements for properly accounting for the aircraft’s costs by the following tasks:

- Establishing the tail number in the accounting software system.

- General Ledger accounts are set up for the bank account, operating deposits.

- Getting the employees set up on ExpenseWatch for electronic expense reporting.

- Facilitate with base personnel and vendors in getting accounts set up specific to the private jet.

- Vendor database is updated with new vendors utilized by the private jet for processing payments.

- Fuel cards ordered by client services and cards to be sent by accounting to base personnel.

Once the private jet has been on-boarded, the accounting department works very closely with flight operations, client services, payroll, and HR to ensure all flight support personnel have a full understanding of the essential procedures in providing the post-flight paperwork, base approval of vendor invoices, and expense reports and time sheets for contract crew members. Employees are then instructed to address accounting issues and submit paperwork to their designated accountant for the private jet. 

MAINTENANCE DEPARTMENT by Rene Cervantes

Solairus Aviation’s Maintenance Department plays a vital role in ensuring that all fleet aircraft are operated and maintained to the highest industry standards. Safety, regulatory compliance, and passenger comfort are the primary responsibilities and focus of the maintenance department. The process starts with an intensive inspection of the private jet and the associated maintenance records, and a complete maintenance history is validated to ensure conformance with domestic and international regulations. Additionally, safety equipment and aircraft provisions are reviewed and passenger entertainment and convenience items are appointed at the aircraft owner’s discretion. Concurrent with the compliance inspection, a dedicated maintenance technician is selected to oversee and perform ongoing scheduled maintenance inspections. Qualified candidates are put through a rigorous process to ensure that only the most qualified individual is selected. The maintenance department also assists in establishing the required vendor accounts necessary to operate and maintain the aircraft.

To read part 1, please click here.

With nearly 50 private jets in Solairus Aviation’s fleet, the Client Services, Flight Operations, Accounting , and Maintenance departments know how to process a new contract quickly and effectively to get our latest Solairus clients flying safely as soon as possible.

In a two part article, we'll learn how Solairus' departments work together to get a new private jet added to the fleet.

Here's how they do it:

CLIENT SERVICES by Linda Holmes

Once the executive management team initiates the contract negotiation process with the prospective managed client, a CRO, Flight Coordinator, and Client Services Director are all assigned as the main points of contact for the life of the account. As Solairus’ start-up coordinator, Rosanna Rutherford works with the team assigned to the new account and initiates the internal on-boarding process.

With the CRO’s approval, a heads-up notice is sent to all office personnel to confirm Solairus is close to having a contract signed. This is an important step in the private jet on-boarding process as there are many tasks that must begin prior to having the contract signed. Once the CRO confirms that the management contract has been signed, the new contract notice is sent out to all personnel that sets an extensive three page, multi-departmental checklist in motion. A start-up conference call is conducted to streamline communication and ensure each department is aware of their specific role in the start-up procedure, all client/crew expectations, and the timeline/sequence of events.

Client services’ role is to work closely with the CAM and crew (if there is one assigned) and welcome them to Solairus while acting as the liaison between departments. In addition to providing the CAM and crew with company information and tools for success, client services sets up the initial training classes and works as the point of contact for the CAM on anything and everything that they may need. If the aircraft does not have an assigned crew, client services works with part time pilots and vendor companies to temporarily staff the aircraft while recruiting and hiring the long-term crew.

FLIGHT OPERATIONS by Tom Benvenuto

When Flight Operations receives the go ahead for adding a private jet, there are multiple tasks which must be accomplished to get the aircraft on the Part 135 certificate or approved for Part 91 operation in a timely and orderly fashion. The first thing Flight Operations looks at when adding a new aircraft is crew staffing. Are we dealing with an aircraft that has a dedicated crew, or are we starting from scratch where we have to go out and hire all new personnel? Sometimes it takes a considerable amount of time in order to find qualified and competent pilots that fit the client profile. This can often be the most difficult obstacle in the process as we need to find the right chemistry between client and crew.

Once the crew is selected, we have to get them trained. Typically training involves company indoctrination and simulator training in order to qualify the individual as a crew member on a Solairus aircraft. The time frame for “spooling-up” a crew can take anywhere from 30 to 90 days depending on whether it is a 91 or 135 aircraft and whether the crew came qualified on the aircraft already. If the aircraft is not on the 135 certificate, obtaining the required Letters of Authorizations, RVSM, and Special Airspace Authorization is necessary, which can take weeks of working with the FAA.

Careful consideration and attention to detail are extremely important in making sure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed in order to expedite the process of adding a private jet to the Solairus Aviation team.

Click here to read part 2, Accounting and Maintenance!

Solairus Aviation Dispatcher, Darren Nolan, recalls his recent opportunity to fly with Solairus Pilot, John Kibler, in one of the company's Citation CJ3s!

The world looks pretty amazing from 45,000 feet above sea level. I had the amazing opportunity to see this wonderful view last week when John Kibler, private charter jet pilot of one of our Citation CJ3s, invited me along for a flight from Novato, CA to Sun Valley, ID and back. I had taken flight lessons about 13 years ago in a Cessna 152 out of the very same airport, which was the last time I sat in the cockpit of any airplane. Up until this point, my only experiences riding in a private charter jet have been in the cabins of commercial airliners, so this was really quite a special experience for me.

After we taxied onto the runway at Novato, John pushed the throttles to full takeoff power and I was truly awed by the acceleration that these private charter jets have. This was no slow, lumbering takeoff roll like you would expect to feel in a fully loaded 747; we accelerated fast and were airborne in what seemed like a few seconds. The climb-out was not trivial by any means either as we reached our initial assigned altitude, once again, in a matter of seconds. Having only flown a Cessna 152, I had no real appreciation for how busy the cockpit is during the takeoff and climb-out of a jet. If can't multi-task, then flying charter jets is not for you.  John flew the airplane, worked the radios, and manipulated the flight computer like the pro he is making it look easy the whole time as we leveled off at 45,000 feet. One of the major advantages to flying so high is that you get over just about all the busy airline traffic and can fly straight to your destination rather than going waypoint by waypoint, which can add extra time to your flight. The avionics on this particular airplane were impressive as well. It’s an all “glass cockpit”, meaning the instruments are displayed on computer screens rather than gauges, dials and gyros. We were able to pull up the approach plates on the center screen and plan our descent long before the air traffic controller (ATC) actually instructed us to begin descending. The weather in Sun Valley was not great and there was some question as to whether or not we could actually land there – something we would not learn until we were on final approach. Things got busy again after ATC instructed us to begin our descent. Even though the runway and airport were obscured by clouds John was able to fly the private charter aircraft in on instruments and seconds before we reached our minimum “decision height”, the runway appeared from behind the clouds and John made a perfect “10” landing.

Needless to say, it was quite an experience and I'm proud that I work for a private charter jet company that employs and trains pilots of John's caliber for the dozens of flights we make everyday.

One-Way Pricing available for a Florida to New York charter jet trip from 2/12-2/16!

Solairus Aviation's 2004 Falcon 50EX charter jet cabin can seat nine passengers comfortably and is WiFi enabled to ensure in-flight productivity.
 
To learn more about our Falcon 50EX and our charter capabilities, visit www.solairusaviation.com/aircraft.charter

With offices staffed 24/7, our dedicated Client Services department is here to fulfill your every need.  Whether you simply need ground transportation, or are looking for that special bottle of pinot noir, we are committed to ensuring that we exceed your expectations.

Falcon 50EX Details:

INTERIOR FEATURES
2004 Model
Seating for up to 9 passengers
3-Seat Divan
Heating Oven
Forward Galley
DVD, Airshow & CD System
Phone and Internet
Wi-Fi Enabled
Full Enclosed Lavatory

5-Star Catering:

Our commitment to client satisfaction involves planning, preparation, and service that is worthy of your discerning taste.   Deciding on how to feed and entertain your fellow charter jet passengers is typically a combination of budget, aircraft amenities, and the length of the flight.  All of our flights begin with an array of light snacks and beverages.  We then tailor the cuisine to meet the desires of distinctive palates that may range from Vegan, Kosher, Japanese, to Indian dishes.  


Ground Transportation:

At Solairus, we understand that your charter jet travel needs extend beyond the airport.  Our team is here to assist all of our clients with a wide range of travel solutions customized for their itinerary.  Running on a tight schedule?  We will arrange for your car and driver to be waiting, right next to your plane if possible, for the arrival of your flight.  Trying to reach a remote destination?  We can arrange for a quick helicopter transfer to get you downtown or to your favorite vacation getaway.  Solairus has the resources and experience to support all of your travel requirements.


Specialty Services:

We understand the finer points of hospitality and luxury.  You are encouraged to discuss the particulars of your charter jet trip to explore ways to ensure a memorable experience.  We can assist with arranging hotel accommodations, golf reservations at your favorite resort, or tickets to an upcoming event.  Furthermore, should you require any additional items on your flight such as fresh flowers, printed menus, foreign & domestic newspapers or magazines, we would be more than happy to provide them.

Contact: David C. Vitale
Solairus Aviation
(707)-769-6034 (Office)
(201)232-5373 (Cell)
dvitale@solairusaviation.com