Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

Aircraft Performance Group (APG) is here at ABACE 2016 (Stand P135) to help business aircraft operators in China learn more about the company’s runway analysis and performance calculation software and how that can help pilots maintain proper margins of safety. APG is also introducing the new Enterprise version of its iPreFlight software, which integrates with operators’ back-end computer systems to manage delivery of performance dispatch information to pilots’ iPads.

 


“Our customers fly globally and are located in all parts of the world,” said APG CEO Mike Caflisch. “We see opportunity in the Asia market. For us, it’s all about the safety factor. The more we can get a dialogue going and usage of these types of tools to promote the notion of safe operations through performance and weight-and-balance [calculations], the more it adds to the ability to have safe operations. That’s always our message.”

 


Caflisch is optimistic about the business aviation market in China. “It continues to be a little slow,” he said, “given the politics of China and ownership restrictions and the perception of business aviation in that market. I think that’s slowly starting to dissolve.”

 


For customers all over the world, he added, “We spend lot of time doing training, both theory and regulatory compliance, and product training on iPreFlight. Probably our most important work is educating people on why they need to do runway analysis and performance calculations, and how our tools and services allow you to comply with those operating regulations. A lot of what we do is advocacy and education around [business aircraft] performance.”

 


APG’s iPreFlight software combines weight-and-balance calculations with runway analysis so that dispatchers and pilots can determine the maximum allowable payload for takeoff at a particular airport as well as view takeoff and landing performance numbers such as V-speeds, amount of runway needed, emergency return V-speeds and a graphical depiction of wind components.

 


APG’s runway analysis takes into account, according to the company, “declared distances, runway slope, obstacles, weather conditions and more” to make the iPreFlight calculations in accordance with regulatory requirements. Using APG’s engine-out departure procedures, operators can realize an increased maximum takeoff weight. The APG database includes more than 8,550 airfields and 2,400 engine-out departure procedures.

 


Users can automatically receive weather conditions via the Internet to make the calculations, or if Internet access is not available (for example during flight) when landing performance needs to be updated, iPreFlight also allows manual input of pertinent weather conditions.

 


Once all the data is entered, the user can generate a Flight Book, which includes the runway analysis, weight-and-balance, takeoff and landing data card, weather and notams. The flight book can be shared via email or messaging services with dispatchers and other crewmembers.

 


“Each iPreFlight app is essentially tailored to the aircraft [that the user] operates,” said Caflisch. “It’s configured based on his specific version, what mods he may have and flight manual supplements he’s approved to use. [Those are all] included in the performance model.”

 


APG has created databases for almost all business aircraft, ranging from King Air turboprops to large-cabin jets and VIP Boeing BBJs and 767s (and it also serves airline customers). “The King Air is about the low end in the business aviation market,” he said, although the company is considering adding a version of iPreFlight for single-engine turboprop pilots.

 


The new Enterprise version of iPreFlight integrates the software with customers’ computer systems, so that companies with their own dispatchers can create Flight Books and push them to pilots’ iPads. Pilots can still modify the Flight Book if needed.

 


Generally, customers with five or more aircraft will benefit from using the Enterprise version, according to Caflisch. “It saves a lot of preflight calculations,” he said. “The pilot gets into the airplane, opens the iPad and already has the Flight Book with the particulars for his flight, company documents, performance calculations, weight-and-balance, etc.”

 


Here in China, there are some challenging high-altitude airports where pilots can benefit from help with performance calculations. But even for more typical airports, there are still changing conditions that must be accounted for, Caflisch explained. “Part of the process that we push is you need to check performance on every departure. When you get into challenging airports with mountainous terrain or airspace restrictions, it’s more important to put yourself in a position where you’re safe if something bad happens.”

 


Those interested in iPreFlight can download the app for a free trial subscription. “It gives them a no-obligation chance to check out the app and put it through its paces,” he said.

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