Flying Private to the Party

I’m sure that we are not the only ones breathing a sigh of relief at the close of the first decade of the 21st century. While there were some great highs over the course of the last 10 years, 2009 proved to be the year that separated the true power players from the amateurs just getting their toes wet. Proudly reporting that we made it out alive and will live to see another prosperous day, we have bid adieu to last year and are ready to celebrate all of the successes that 2010 has in store. With the Super Bowl bringing sports fans to Miami on February 7, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics beginning on February 12, New York’s famed Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week taking up the tents at Bryant Park from February 11 to 18, and the 82nd annual Academy Awards taking place in Los Angeles on March 7, it will be a season full of celebrations. For our elite audience of jetsetters, we have the 411 on your best bets for arriving in style to strut the red carpets at each of these world-renowned events.

82nd Annual Academy Awards

Los Angeles
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center

This year’s awards show, though moved back one week, will retain its same locale at the famous Kodak Theatre. If you aren’t a resident of the City of Angels, might we suggest flying your Hawker 700 or Challenger 601 into the Van Nuys Airport (VNY). But before the pilot signals that it is time to fasten your seat belt, here are some of the stats:

Van Nuys Airport (VNY)

• The 730-acre property can be found on radars in the San Fernando Valley just more than 20 miles from LAX and approximately an hour from downtown Los Angeles, if the traffic is behaving that day.

• Owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports and dedicated solely to noncommercial aviation, so much traffic flies in and out of VNY that it is estimated to be one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world, with 400,000 annual takeoffs and landings.

• Welcoming as many major celebrities as Teterboro in New Jersey, the Van Nuys Airport offers five major FBOs: Castle & Cooke Aviation, Clay Lacy Aviation, Maguire Aviation Group, Signature Aviation, and Pentastar.

• Perhaps as famous as some of its celebrity passengers, VNY has shown up in episodes of Alias, 24, and throughout various seasons of HBO’s Entourage.

Super Bowl XLIV

Miami
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sun Life Stadium

Competing in Super Bowl XLIV at Miami’s Dolphin Stadium will be the AFC’s Indianapolis Colts versus the NFC’s New Orleans Saints. The stadium garnered quite a bit of attention this past season, as a celebrity minority owner campaign flooded the headlines. Stars like Serena Williams, J.Lo and Marc Anthony, Jimmy Buffett, and Emilio and Gloria Estefan all lent their support and their funds to drive fans and fame to the venue. Whether you are flying private to Miami to support your team on Super Bowl Sunday or touching down to share the spotlight with the many A-list celebs who are sure to be strolling up and down Ocean Drive and Collins Avenue, your first stop will most likely be at the Miami Executive Airport.

Miami Executive Aviation/Opa Locka Executive Airport (OPF)

• The good news is that OPF is just five miles from Dolphin Stadium, in case you are flying in just for kickoff. But for those who plan to throw caution to the wind and stay a while, OPF is 16 miles from Miami Beach, seven miles from MIA, and 13 miles from downtown.

• The airport offers full FBO service with no landing fees and is identified as second-string relief to MIA.

• The U.S. Coast Guard Air/Sea Rescue Station based at OPF sees the most traffic for that branch of the military.

Kendall Tamiami Executive Airport (TMB)

• Though considerably further away from the action, Kendall Tamiami Airport, located in South Dade, is home to one of Aviation International News’ top five FBOs in the country, FalconTrust Air (at Fort Lauderdale Executive, Banyan Air Service ranked in the Top 10).

• More than $12 million in improvements have been invested into TMB since 1995.

• In addition to hosting several full-service FBOs, the airport also collaborates with NASA and SATS on top-secret aviation programs and also hosts FAA 141 flight schools and a plethora of other programs.

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week

New York City
February 11 to 18, 2010
Tents at Bryant Park at Sixth Avenue and 41st Street

Though this catwalk extravaganza started out as an industry-only event for designers, fashion writers, and models, the rising fame of the fashionista and the designers she adores has brought worldwide attention from the general masses to the runways in New York City, Milan, and Paris. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week still adheres to an invitation-only policy and is not open to the general public, but we know our readers and understand that they are at the top of those VIP invite lists. When flying into NYC for the big event, insiders know that Teterboro Airport is just as much of a venue to see and be seen as nightclubs like Avenue and Rose Bar at Gramercy Park Hotel. Everyone from Donald Trump to Paris Hilton to Oprah Winfrey to Sting has been spotted taxing down the runways at Teterboro.

Teterboro Airport (TEB)

• Technically in the New Jersey Meadowlands, Teterboro is only 12 miles from midtown Manhattan, making it a favorite with the famous.

• FBOs include Meridian Teterboro, Jet Aviation, Atlantic Aviation Services, Signature Flight Support, and First Aviation Services.

• It is such a prominent airport for private aircraft that when Gulfstream considered the design of the new G650, weight restrictions were put in place to keep the plane at 99,600 pounds, just enough to fly in under Teterboro’s 100,000-pound limit.

• Claiming 827 acres, Teterboro offers 90 acres of hangar space and offices and 408 acres of runways, while the remaining 329 acres remain undeveloped.

2010 Winter Olympics

Vancouver, Canada
February 12 to 28, 2010

This will be the third time that our neighbor country to the north has hosted the Winter Games, yet this is the first time it will take place in the province of British Columbia. While most of the action on the ice (hockey, speed, and figure skating) will take place in Vancouver proper, the west side of town will see action on the slopes, including snowboarding and aerial skiing. For speed enthusiasts, Whistler Blackcomb is where many of the legendary black diamond courses can be found, and as such will also be a hot bed of Olympic activity. Whichever airport you choose for landing, make sure to check the rules and regulations first (www.2010airportreservations.com), as strict security measures will be in place dictating everything related to private air travel before, during, and after the games. In the U.S., Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho (BOI) as well as the airports in Spokane, Washington (GEG) and Reno, Nevada (RNO) have been identified as the three U.S. gateway airports.

Boundary Bay Airport (ZBB)

• Centrally located in the Metro Vancouver area known as Delta, BC, it is less than 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, and only a 15-minute limo ride from the Vancouver International Airport.

• ZBB offers a full-service FBO with all of the amenities one would expect, including leather furnishing and a 42-inch LCD television.

• A quick flight from Boundary Bay to Pemberton Airport will be the best form of transport from Vancouver to Whistler for the black diamond slope activity.