A Brand Enhancing Opportunity?

Transcription

1 Airline and FAI World Records A Brand Enhancing Opportunity? A Proposal to Enhance Brand... Simulated FAI World Record logo Entire contents copyright Steve Wood

2 Contents Page 3: Executive Summary Page 4: Steve Wood - Resume Page 5: About FAI World Records - General Page 6: About FAI World Records - The Details Page 7: Benefits of setting FAI World Records Page 8: The Proposal Page 9 Simulated FAI World Record Logos on a record setting aircraft Page 10: Job description: Director - Aviation Records Page 11: Additional Information

3 Airline and FAI World Records A Brand Enhancing Opportunity? Setting world records would allow YOUR airline and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI - The World Air Sports Federation - a special opportunity to develop a record setting culture for YOUR airline which would undoubtedly result in increased revenues and profitability for YOUR brand. This is where FAI World Records could play an important role as what s more exciting for anyone but to fly in an airplane which has set an official FAI World Speed Record... Steve Wood, the author of this proposal, knows this feeling well as he is unique in aviation history having set 101 FAI World Records and 377 National Records, and all to promote Flying for the Disabled. This is the greatest number of FAI World Records ever set by a British aviator and also the greatest number of records set by a pilot flying a US registered experimental aircraft. See Executive Summary: This proposal has been prepared to outline how developing a strategic long term program of setting a series of FAI World Records could significantly benefit YOUR airline in a number of ways as it would: Truly establish YOUR airline as a record setting world airline Promote YOUR airline to customers in key worldwide destinations Enable the development of expanded media opportunities for YOUR airline targeted at high net worth individuals and the corporate market Develop a culture amongst YOUR airline s pilots and staff that your airline is truly a record setting entity Promote YOUR airline to potential pilot recruits - essential considering the upcoming pilots retirement and recruitment demographics Record setting record setter Steve Wood has the wide experience necessary to make this a reality, as will be explained in detail in the contents of this proposal Page 3

4 Steve Wood - Resume Steve Wood has a comprehensive range of skills beneficial to the program being proposed: Professionally qualified as a Chartered Surveyor being elected to the most senior position as a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors at the youngest possible age Successful businessman involving real estate marketing & commercial property logistics For the past 25 years has developed his passion for aviation: Established a charity to provide free flights for disabled and disadvantaged children Worked with the UK Ambulance Services to develop countrywide HEMS services Set a record number of international aviation records between the USA and Canada & The Bahamas promoting flying for the disabled - both in the USA and UK: 101 FAI World Records and 377 National records - plus many US aviation firsts See: Video of Steve Wood talking about his record setting exploits - click here Developed ongoing sponsorship deals with major aviation related US corporations Awarded the prestigious Scott-Farnie Gold Medal by The Air League Licensed pilot in US & New Zealand - Instrument, complex & high performance ratings FAST qualified lead formation pilot / instructor - flies missing man flights for Veterans Flown over 70 different types of airplane, including the Goodyear blimp Air Crew member of the National Aeronautic Association Has a home at the world s largest flying community - Spruce Creek Fly-in, Florida Aviation journalist reporting on aviation and space events in the USA such as Space Shuttle and rocket launches - has been security approved to cover Presidential visits to Cape Canaveral as part of The White House press corps Publisher / editor of a specialist bi-monthly online aviation and motorsport magazine Holds business and media visas for the USA Page 4

5 About FAI World Records General: The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, FAI - The World Air Sports Federation - was founded in 1905 and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is the governing body for all air sports world records, including the two classes of World Speed Records which could be set by your airline, namely: Speed over a Commercial Airline Route Speed over a Recognised Course The National Aeronautic Association, based in Washington DC, is the National Airsport Control Organization (NAC) representing the FAI in the USA. The NAA is the organization which certifies aviation records set by US citizens and residents, initially as US National records, and if requested and subject to compliance with FAI Sporting Code rules, as World Records. In the UK The Royal Aero Club is the NAC representing the FAI with a similar role to that of the NAA. The FAI World Record logo - pictured above right - is a prestigious logo reserved for use only by individuals who have set a recognized FAI World Record, by the owner of the aircraft used to set the world record or by sponsors who supported the setting of the record. In addition to being able to use the FAI World Record logo, the FAI presents world record diplomes to the pilot/s involved. Your airline could obtain duplicates of these diplomas to make publicity presentations, for example, to airports involved in the record, to tourism organizations in the destination city / country etc, to maximize marketing potential. Steve Wood, with his unique record setting achievements, is the ideal person to act as your airline s Ambassador for Aviation Records at such publicity events. As mentioned above, there are two type of World Speed Records which one of your airplanes could set. The Speed over a Recognised Course offers the fastest potential speed as by careful planning and the use of timing at altitude at ATC fixes rather than take-off / landing times, results in a faster headline speed. However, this type of record can only be set in limited circumstances - ie: repositioning or delivery flights. The alternative, the Speed over a Commercial Airline Route record, uses take-off and landing block times to calculate speed. There are two key aspects to setting a FAI World Record - dealing with the logistics and flying the record flight. If the logistics have been resolved correctly then the flying part should be straightforward. Steve Wood both resolved the logistics and flew the flight for each and every one of his 101 world records and 377 national records. As a result he is a unique position knowing the tricks of the trade of how to deal with the complexities of the FAI Sporting Code and the ATC system. No other person in the world has set as many aviation records. FAI World Records could be set by your airline on a number of occasions: competitive routes, new routes, ferry flights of new additions to the partnership s fleet, repositioning flights, special flights like Honor Flights for Vets are just some examples. Interestingly, Gulfstream regularly sets FAI world records to promote their products to the high net worth market. YOUR airline could benefit significantly from setting FAI World Records... Page 5

6 About FAI World Records The Details: Importantly, no additional flight costs should be involved in setting records - the flights will already be taking place. Indeed it could be argued that greater efficiency resulting from detailed pre-planning of the record flights could actually reduce fuel costs of the flight. Marketing opportunities should play a key role to determine the routes targeted for FAI World Records. It could be to publicize a new route or to promote the delivery of a new aircraft. Or it could be to gain a competitive advantage. In all cases, detailed logistical experience of setting FAI records is essential. The complexities behind setting a FAI World Record by your airline can be illustrated by taking a competitive route as an example. In outline here s what needs to happen:. 1. Your marketing department decides that this route would be ideal to set FAI World Records to promote your airline against its competitors on this route. 2. It is determined that the only one record can be attempted - Speed over a Commercial Airline Route (SCAR). However if the flight was for repositioning then a Speed over a Recognised Course (SRC) could be attempted instead. The reason for attempting a SRC record is that a faster headline grabbing speed could be achieved, as working within the FAI Sporting Code, start & finish timings can be recorded at altitude, overhead ATC fixes, where there are no speed restrictions. A SCAR record uses block times to measure average speed. 3. The Director - Aviation Records (DAR) coordinates with marketing to decide a date window for the record. DAR then works with meteorologists to determine the best weather day opportunity - ie; when the winds aloft are likely to be more favorable for a faster record speed. 4. DAR consults with air operations to ensure the cockpit crew assigned to the flight apply for FAI Sporting Licences at least 2 weeks in advance. DAR lodges record attempt papers. 5. DAR determines the most appropriate fixes to use for timing if a SRC record is being flown, and in any event works with your airline s dispatchers to allocate the appropriate route of flight. 6. DAR contacts ATC at both the departure and arrival facilities to arrange for the fix timings for a SRC record. For a SCAR record DAR obtains ACARS information from despatch. 7. DAR keeps marketing / media departments updated with the record details for maximum media exposure when the record flight takes place. 8. If the record is critically important, as in this case, DAR should be on the flight to coordinate matters in real time with the Captain and crew to minimize any delays from ATC route changes. 9. The record flight is completed. The Captain and crew, DAR, the local station manager and media relations meet with TV and press media at the arrival gate to publicize the records. 10. DAR completes the FAI paperwork. Awaits ratification of the records for further publicity. Page 6

7 Benefits of Setting FAI World Records It s all about motivation and marketing opportunities... Motivating your airline s senior management to recognize the concept and benefits of setting aviation records Motivating marketing & media departments to grasp the benefits of record setting Motivating cockpit crews to set the records - their names appear on the records Motivating air operations and chief pilots to get behind the record attempts Motivating media departments and local station managers to generate publicity before, during and after the record flights Motivating the cream of recruits to join your airline - world records will help significantly There are two key potential benefits of your airline setting FAI World Records: 1. To increase revenue yields per flight for flights to / from the destination airport, particularly from premium market customers, following the setting of the world record. Increased cargo revenue would also be a target. Setting world speed records also shows customers care about on time performance, aiming to match or exceed their competitors performance Setting records in key markets will enable beneficial media opportunities to be developed. The first opportunity is when a record is set, this can then be followed by a second, more major, media opportunity when the record is ratified and FAI Record Diploma received. FAI World Record logos can then be displayed on the record setting aircraft. A plaque featuring the record details could also be created to be displayed inside the aircraft to boarding customers. It is also suggested that a Records section is added to your airline s website to promote the world records your airline has set. This could also be linked into social media operations - for example, passengers on record setting flights could use this aspect to themselves promote the record. This could be expanded to include a Travel section with the aim of publishing travel features linked to the world record destination. This would attract more customers to fly to / from the destination on your airline. It would be a useful marketing tool to increase route profitability. 2. To promote your airline to prospective recruits so that the cream of the crop are encouraged to join your airline. Your airline may also wish to become corporate sponsors of the National Aeronautic Association, which in turn would provide benefits related to record setting - such as a 10% reduction in record fees, plus free NAA membership and FAI Sporting Licenses for record setting pilots. Airbus and Boeing, are both NAA corporate members. It would also be beneficial in promoting your airline to the pilot community. Page 7

8 The Proposal It is proposed that your airline: 1. Employs FAI World Record holder Steve Wood, as a consultant / Director - Aviation Records (DAR), to develop and manage a 5 to 10 year strategic program to embrace the setting of FAI World Records as a significant cost effective means of generating additional marketing and media exposure to promote your airline as the World s premier record setting airline. Doing so would create a competitive advantage over your airline s main competitors, as Steve Wood s record setting credentials are unique in aviation history - he s a true record setting expert Through the DAR, establish a compact management function to develop record setting opportunities within the organization. 3. Use your airline s media relations functions, to develop media opportunities centered around the record setting. Create a series of additional web pages on your airline s website promoting the record setting achievements, past, present and future. This should also be linked into the DAR authoring travel features to promote your airline s flights to / from the World Record destinations. 5. Joins the National Aeronautic Association as a corporate member to support NAA s mission of advancing the art, sport and science of aviation. By doing so your airline would become NAA s first corporate member airline alongside their key aircraft suppliers, Airbus and Boeing - which would offer your airline a competitive advantage over rival airlines. 6. Develops an addition to pilot uniforms for those pilots who set FAI World Records for your airline identifying these pilots to their peers as world record holders. Something similar could be developed for cabin crew who have flown on the record setting flights. The costs involved are minimal compared to the benefits. NAA & FAI sanction and ratification fees range from $1555 for a Speed over a Commercial Airline Route record to $2610 for a Speed over a Recognised Course record. The fees for The Royal Aero Club in the UK being involved for pilots with UK licences, are likely to be lower than the fees charged by the NAA. Even taking into account costs involved with managing the world record program, the overall cost of setting a world record would be minimal compared to the very significant increased revenue and profitability potential. Setting aviation World Records would be a highly cost effective opportunity for your airline... Page 8

9 Simulated FAI World Record Logos on a Record Setting Aircraft Photo: American Airlines Page 9

10 Job Description: Director - Aviation Records Description: Responsible for globally organizing the setting of FAI World Records and National Aviation Records. Based at, with home working. Coordinate aviation records at multiple levels with marketing, media, communications and air operations departments. Responsible for the logistics of setting aviation records. Coordinate with FAI in Switzerland, the NAA in the USA, the Royal Aero Club in the UK and other FAI NAC s. Generate news stories in multiple media formats centered around the aviation records for internal and external media outlets. Manage the setting of aviation records from start to finish. Qualifications: Must be self-motivated and have a demonstrated ability to work on an independent basis. Wide experience of aviation records and in particular how FAI World Records can be set. Must possess a strong ability to communicate with all levels of the organization, including senior management, both verbal and written. Strategic thinking with the ability to be flexible with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously/effectively and work in a fast-paced, changing environment with continuous attention to detail. Strong experience with MS Office Suite and home working computer products required. Demonstrated initiative, desire to take ownership of problems and to solve them creatively. Ability to effectively build relationships with diverse groups of people throughout the organization and with external customers. Some international travel will be required with the ability to work a varied schedule, including nights, weekend and holidays, and be willing / able to work from home. Have the right to travel to / from countries around the world and attend business meetings and report on aviation news events in the UK and USA, with editorial and journalistic experience. Qualifications must include a college degree or its equivalent being able to read, write, fluently speak and understand the English language. Detailed knowledge of air operations, ideally with current pilot qualifications. Page 10

11 Additional Information As mentioned previously, Gulfstream is a keen proponent of setting FAI World Speed Records to promote its products. The photo below shows Gulfstream's Hall of Records in Savannah, Georgia: Between May 1 & 3, 1976, Pan American World Airways Boeing 747SP-21 Clipper Liberty Bell, N533PA, departed New York s John F. Kennedy International Airport, on a record setting around the world flight. Under the command of Captain Walter H. Mullikan, the airline s chief pilot, the flight crew included co-pilots Albert A. Frink, Lyman G. Watt, and flight engineers Frank Cassaniti and Edwards Shields. The airliner carried 98 passengers. The flight set a new speed record for a flight around the world, eastbound, and three speed records for commercial airline routes. Photo below: Page 11