Aviation World USA

By Pierre A. Kandorfer

Mojave - As Mojave Air & Space Port’s new corporate brochure points out, this place offers a series of strategic
advantages virtually no other airport can compete with.

First of all, Mojave is world’s first civilian Air & Space Port. “This really put us on the map worldwide,” airport’s General Manager Stuart Witt points out, “but this is not the first time we made aerospace history.”

For decades, Mojave is considered America’s premiere civilian aerospace research, development and test center. Dozens of high-end aerospace companies are located here, and several of them made aviation history.

Scaled Composite’s SpaceShip One, designed, tested and launched in Mojave, was the first commercial rocket ship to fly to the edge of space. Designed by the aerospace legend BurtRutan and first piloted by Mike Melville, is worldwide considered the biggest milestone in commercial exploration of space.

Another revolutionary design by Burt Rutan, the voyager, is the first aircraft in aviation history to fly around the world without refueling. Voyager was flown by Burt’s brother Dick and JeannaYaeger.

The EZ Rocket, a tiny experimental plane equipped with two rocket engines and developed by XCOR Aerospace of Mojave, also made aviation history. “Mojave is for aerospace R&D what Silicon Valley used to be for the computer industry,”XCOR president Jeff Grierson says.

As Mojave’s Business Director Tom Weil explains, Mojave offers an exceptionally business friendly
regulatory environment. “With our perfect aviation weather and other advantages, we are an ideal
location for aerospace businesses,” Tom Weil says.

With less than 100 miles North of Los Angeles, Mojave is close to most major suppliers. Additionally, Mojave offers a large pool of a skilled local labor force.

Mojave is located in the middle of a huge desert and mountainous airspace outside of metropolitan areas. “This is vital for flight testing and aerospace development,” Bob Rice says, airport’s Director of Operations.

For all defense oriented companies, the direct proximity to Edwards AFB, NASA Dryden, China Lake Naval Weapon Center, and Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale is very important also.

Furthermore, Mojave’s unique and academically accredited National Test Pilot School offers experienced test pilots locally. The NTPS operates about forty different airplanes and trains test pilots from all over the world.

Mojave’s is a large Class D airport with fuel service, restaurant and major & minor airplane modification
and repair. What visitors from other countries also admire is Mojave’s runway infrastructure. Three runways with six takeoff and landing directions. With 12,500 feet, Mojave offers one of the longest runways in the region, allowing takeoffs and landing of heaviest cargo planes – such as a maximum takeoff weight Boeing 747-400 at 100° F heat.

Airline companies from the US and abroad discovered decades ago, that Mojave also is a perfect desert
place for aircraft storage. Dozens of airliners are parked here, waiting for the next flight.

Mojave’s strategic inter-modal center with a huge warehousing capacity, direct rail connection and own
freeway on-ramp at the crossing of the Highways 58 and 14, is virtually unbeatable. “Mojave is well
known as a business friendly community with endless growth potential,” Tom Weil says.

“What we are all about is that we are an established aerospace think tank promoting inspiration and
imagination around the clock,” General Manger Stuart Witt emphasizes. “Dozens of Mojave’s cutting
edge aerospace research and design companies are the best proof that we are on the right track.” For more information visitMojaveAirport.com

Pierre@WestAirways.com

Mojave - The worldwide skyrocketing gas price is effecting everybody – including aviation. In the “Aerospace Valley”, flying is bread and butter business, but the operational cost of any airplane increased dramatically. Is this trend killing our local airports?

Bob Rice, the Operational Manager of the Mojave Spaceport, signals a significant drop in their fuel sales: “At least twenty five percent per month, sometimes even fifty percent. We sell a lot less than we used to do….”

Of course, next to land leases, fuel sale is one of the major revenue sources for airports such as Mojave. Bob Rice: “Our commercial operators such as the National Test Pilot School still fly as much as necessary, but high fuel price is eating up their profits.”

Whoever you meet at the fuel pump, everybody is complaining. Some private pilots cut down their flying hours from fifty to one hundred hours per year to not more than ten to twenty hours per year. Especially owners of bigger planes, they can barely afford fifteen to twenty five gallons fuel per hour to fly for a lunch to Santa Barbara. “There is no more ‘one hundred dollar hamburger’, as pilots used to joke, they cost maybe two hundred dollars if you consider the fuel price increase”, a private pilot at the Fox Airport stated.

When you land at the California City Airport, the first sign you spot at the Terminal Building is “California City – Aviation Fuel Price Leader”. Cal City always wanted to attract aircraft business with cheap fuel. But fuel that is not cheap anymore - even not at the Cal City airport.

The field shows it. Just a few local planes, mostly gliders. Not much traffic anymore, despite the still “relatively cheap” airplane fuel. There are still recreational pilots coming to Cal City from Van Nuys, Lancaster or Santa Barbara – just to buy fuel at $3.79 per gallon. Why? Because at their location, the fuel price is even higher. In Santa Barbara $5.50 per gallon by far.

David Evans, a local CPA and Realtor who flies a popular Cessna 182RG:”I am cutting on my personal flights drastically. Just imagine, eighty gallons in my tank at five dollars or more per gallon!”

However, a quite different story with his business flying. He has clients in Reno, Las Vagas, and the Bay Area. The conservatively calculated operational cost of his plane jumped from about $150 per hour just a year ago – to over $200 today. Evans:” I must forward the additional fuel cost to my clients. They have no choice but to accept it….”

Similar situation at local flight schools such as Barness Aviation in Lancaster. Their business actually did not suffer under the high fuel price. As Andy Ma, Director of Operations, says: ”We add a fuel surcharge of two to three dollars per hour to all small airplane rentals.” Since the AV economy is running strong, most customers accept this surcharge freely.

Lancaster’s Airport Café “Foxy’s Landings” does not see much of an business impact also – for a completely different reason, the business owner Joudi Alsaady says. “Despite being at the airport, we do not depend very much on the fly-in customers as expected.” Their main customer base are locals who do not need to fly in order to visit the café.

Steve Irving, Fox Airport manager, confirms that the recreational flying in and out of the airport has slowed substantially. Irving:”The aviation fuel price has doubled in less than four years. This has an effect on our airports.” For most of personal “just for fun flights”, this means less flying. $4.10 for a gallon is harsh.

Lancaster’s airport manager points out some of the additional dangers for the aviation resulting from the aviation fuel market. What most people don’t know is that there is just a couple of gas companies involved in AVGAS. For them it is not very profitable to produce this specialized fuel because they don’t have any specialized plants to do that. Irving”: They must close their refinery and clean all lines – before they produce aviation fuel. There is no continuous production of aviation fuel in the US at all….”

One more danger: There is only one company specialized in manufacturing the lead for AVGAS – and this company is located in the UK. Not really comfortable for the market….

Interestingly, there is one commercial operator who is not surprised about the skyrocketing avgas price: Van Pray, owner of two planes and the largest skydiving company in the area. Van: “I bought my house in the sixties for $16,000, today can I sell it for $250,000. The fuel price increase is much less than the gain in the real estate market….”

However, the operational expenses of an airplane aren’t usually paid through real estate profits but depend on the monthly income, and the salaries did not keep up it’s pace with the real estate or fuel markets.

Some pilots are coping with the problem by sharing a plane. “This is the only way for us to continue flying”, says Rod Bronson who came from Santa Paula to Rosamond with a Cessna 205, his friend, and a tent. They save on a hotel by camping overnight at small airports. Rod shares his 1964 six-seater with four of his friends. An additional effect of skyrocketing fuel prices.

A relief in sight? “Not really”, Bob Rice thinks. There will be many different effects on the general aviation soon to take effect: Higher operational expenses, less flying, and more light, small and cheaper to operate planes such as the latest FAA category called “LSA” (light sport airplane). Cutting corner to keep flying.