FLYING HIGH Ultra-lux jet refurbishment gives high rollers comfort in the skies By MARY K. WILLIS PHOTOGRAPHY By DIANE BRADFORD AND SUBMITTED Broward Design A Gulfstream Media Group Publication A N D ELECTRONICALLY REPRINTED FROM MAY 2006 VOLUME 6 / NUMBER 5 A R C H I T E C T U R A L R E V I E W T T here was once a time when commercial air travel was quite glamorous. Stewardesses, as they were called then, were statuesque beauties, sashaying up and down the aisle with perfectly coordinated suits and hair sprayed to perfection with Aqua Net. Pilots were heros, rulers of the uncharted territory in the sky and some of society s most eligible bachelors. People dressed for their flights, and working your way through security never included a strip search. As we all have undoubtedly experienced, things are just not what they used to be in the air travel industry. Manicuring scissors and cigar cutters are forbidden items, and bra underwires have been known to incite minor security emergencies around the country. Flight attendants have replaced the beauty queens, function replacing form as service takes a back seat to simply getting the job done.
Eddie Ima knows his way around a plane. He s been in the jet refurbishment business for more than 30 years IT S A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITY, IT S NOT LIKE PUTTING A CAR TOGETHER. -EDDIE IMA Desperate to regain a bit of that in-flight flair, it is no surprise that many air travelers of today are shunning the inconvenience of commercial air travel and are opting instead for private charters, a fact that has business booming for Fort Lauderdale-based Hop-A-Jet Worldwide Jet Charter. In their quest for airborne luxury and style to match that in the rest of their lives, these clients rely on the company s 28 years of industry experience in their search for security, safety and service. But that s not where the business ends. The company has expanded on this simple premise to fulfill a need it itself had to maintain the quality and style of its own fleet, the latest trend in the luxury living business. It has become a fullfledged jet refurbishment business that services jets from private collections as well as other charter companies. Eddie Ima, one of the founders of the jet refurbishment business within Hop-A-Jet, boasts more than 30 years in the business of jet refurbishment. Over those years, Ima has fine tuned his craft. In a business that is far from an exact science, it has taken all that time to become the expert that he now is. It s a lot of responsibility, Ima said. It s not like putting a car together. Aesthetics are always important in the field of interiors, but when your interior is airborne, there s quite a bit more to it. FAA approval is required on all pieces being installed, requiring a number of tests and procedures assessing the air worthiness of the part. For example, seats
Three businessmen enjoy the comforts of flying in style.
Workers make sure every detail is perfect in the refurbished jets. and carpets must pass a burn test. The use of materials inside the aircraft is somewhat limited, moving toward more natural fabrics rather than silks and synthetics. The veneer on all cabinetry must also be burn-tested to avoid an overly flammable wooden sheen. But once the details are ironed out, once everything has been meticulously logged and catalogued and the FAA has allowed production to continue full steam ahead, the real fun can begin. Clients, or more often their wives, can select the fabric and color of their choice for their seats and floorings, draw a picture of the style of seat they have in mind and wait patiently while the Hop-A-Jet refurbishment staff creates their dream cushion from scratch, sewing everything in house and by hand. The days of the standard gray seat cover have passed. Ima has seen the trend move from a dull gray to a more chic tan and, now, on to a unique combination of blues and tans. When he leaves, it looks just like the picture, Ima said. Everything in the airplane can be plated with the precious metal of your choice, the most popular being 24-karat gold. Some, however, opt for less ostentatious choices, like a chrome or nickel plating to give an elegant yet decidedly modern edge. But regardless of your personal choice, Ima said with a laugh, the finished product looks so good that there is an ongoing problem with passengers stealing plated pieces out of the planes, anything from ashtrays to cup holders. And they don t stop there. These aircraft can be stocked with the finest crystal and china to complete the in-flight experience. No plastic cups to hold your champagne. When you are paying the price, you want nothing but the very best. Spiff it up a bit, or so Ima says. One of the interior projects the Hop-A-Jet staff has recently redesigned is a future member of its own fleet, the Challenger 601. Adding a few bells and whistles on top of the 1980s-era flying machine, Ima and his crew worked to make room for a conference table and four additional seats. The table was engineered to be electric, allowing it to raise and lower as needed as well as to form a bed if necessary. Pull the seat back, get your little pillow and crash, Ima said, although not literally of course.
Clients jetting from city to city can enjoy a luxurious and relaxing trip aboard a refurbished Hop-A-Jet plane.
Juicing up the interior with a few of the modern comforts, Ima and his crew also added two 19-inch televisions and a phone. The technology possible at such heights is perhaps the most amazing innovation, with game stations such as the Playstation and X-Box now very common additions. Everything is done by hand in the jet refurbishment hangar of Hop-A-Jet. From mold making to fiber glass repairs, the staff creates each piece by hand. In fact, parts are only ordered as needed. Each interior is individually crafted to suit its own particular needs. It gives you a lot of pride, and that s what you look forward to, Ima said. And the Challenger 601 is only considered a semi-refurbishment project in Ima s mind. Full refurbishment projects can take three times as long, although still only about a six-week span of time. At any given moment, the company can have several refurbishments occurring at once within the confines of the hangar. The interiors are created outside the body of the plane and only when they re com- EVERYTHING IS DONE BY HAND IN THE JET REFURBISHMENT HANGAR OF HOP-A-JET. FROM MOLD MAKING TO FIBER GLASS REPAIRS, THEIR STAFF CREATES EACH PIECE BY HAND. pleted is the plane brought on location for the installation. All of this may not seem amazing to anyone who has redesigned the inside of a home or yacht, but before you judge, take into consideration the amount of space you are working with inside of an airplane. The center aisle of the aircraft is the only standing room, and the width of the space is just as limited. The average charter plane in their fleet can seat only about eight to 10 passengers, noticeable smaller that the average Boeing 747, and there s no air-conditioning inside the jet, where electricians soak in their sweat while rewiring the plane. The hangar that houses all their operations is only air conditioned in certain areas. The rest of their office is completely unventilated. A quick tour around the facility is enough to make you beg for a gallon of ice water. But these dedicated few work hard for the joy of that end product. And so the glamour of the air travel industry has returned, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. For a hefty fare, customers can travel the world in privacy and in style. So break open the champagne, and sprinkle the caviar onto that fine china. Just a few miles below, the world passes you by in the blink of an eye. You almost wish that the flight didn t have to end. Now wouldn t that be a change? Posted with permission from Broward Design Volume 6 / Number 5 Copyright Gulfstream Media Group 2006. All rights reserved.