Many operators, especially those transitioning into high-performance business aircraft, are often confused about the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements for operating in special use airspace. This includes the United States’ Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM), the North Atlantic’s Minimum Navigation Performance Specification (MNPS), Europe’s Basic Area Navigation (B-RNAV/P-RNAV), and the oceanic Required Navigation Performance (RNP-4/RNP-10).
In 2006, Christy DeYoung, an RVSM expert working for Cessna Aircraft, saw a need to educate operators about special use airspace. So she founded Jet RVSM Services, LLC to provide professional guidance and RVSM manual drafting assistance in order to obtain required approvals in a reasonable amount of time.
“Obtaining FAA approvals to conduct flight in RVSM, MNPS, B-RNAV/P-RNAV and RNP-4/RNP-10 airspace is a daunting process,” DeYoung says. “Few operators have the expertise or time to properly prepare a compliant RVSM manual.” Jet RVSM educates operators on FAA requirements at no charge and offers expert consulting and manual drafting services for a fixed fee.
DeYoung is a full-time RVSM expert who has worked with every FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) and International Field Office (IFO) while facilitating more than 600 RVSM approvals for Part 91 and 135 operators.
“Unfortunately, there are some part-time, inexperienced consultants out there selling poorly drafted, cut-and-paste manuals without any follow-up to facilitate approval,” she says. “There is little standardization between FAA offices or even between inspectors in the same office. So using a cut-and-paste manual can result in significant delays. In addition, I believe it is very important to work with the operator closely after shipment of the manuals and until issuance of the operator’s approval. It boils down to ethics and concern for the customer’s aircraft operation and business.”
Jet RVSM reduces operator frustration during and after acquisition, DeYoung says. “Existing RVSM approvals for aircraft become invalid upon change of ownership or operator. Until the FAA issues a new approval, flight operations must be conducted below Flight Level 290 or above Flight Level 410, which affects fuel usage and speed of the aircraft. The FAA has 60 days to review a new application, but the process is very slow and fraught with pitfalls that can delay approval past 60 days, especially for foreign-based N-registered aircraft.
“Ideally the RVSM application/manual process should begin during the final stages of acquisition, roughly 14 to 30 days before closing,” DeYoung says. Jet RVSM has worked successfully with brokers and sales organizations to smooth the RVSM process for customers, and can also assist with short-term, or temporary, RVSM approval for international deliveries of N-registered aircraft.
DeYoung says her company can help brokers, dealers, OEMs and other sales organizations maintain long-term customer relationships by assuring smooth transition to RVSM airspace operations following an aircraft acquisition. “Operators who only find out after acquisition that they cannot conduct flight operations between FL290 and FL410 without special FAA approval tend to become frustrated and angry,” she says. “Starting the process early solves most of the problems.”
Jet RVSM Services, LLC, has been an associate member of the National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) since Spring 2011. According to DeYoung, “We joined NARA to better understand the broker/dealer market. Networking with the best in the business has been a great pleasure and we’ve enjoyed seeing old friends and making new ones as we strengthen our business relationships in the aircraft sales marketplace.”
For more information about Jet RVSM Services, visit their website at JetRVSM.com or call 877-538-7876.