I was wondering if anyone know anything about SATS Air. satsair.com/ I know that they charter SR-22’s from point to point with out charging for dead heading to your location. And I also know that they are based out of Greenville SC. And I think I understand their pricing system.
But what I was wondering was, Do they base airplanes at locations other then Greenville? Do they own there own SR-22’s or is the pilot a owner/operator? And how can I track all of the planes at one time? Or do I have to guess at the flight numbers and check each one (SYK1…SYK2…and so on) Also do they always file IFR?
I will say that this concept of a Air Taxi is unique and I hope it works but I just wonder how it will work. It brings up too many questions for me to ask here but if anyone could help, I would appreciate it.
I wouldn’t have thought to use SR-22s for air taxis, considering being a 4 seater. Using Malibus, Saratogas, or any other 6 seater would make more sense to me.
Never heard of them, interesting. Do they have a callsign?(unlikely) If not you would have to use the N-numbers, and either way you have to look them up individually.
On the “service area” on their website there seems to be 3 different bases, but thats just a guess.
Good luck to them, but I’m not sure how this service is different or better than other charter operations. The cirrus isnt exactly a heavy lifter, so 2 pax and a suitcase would pretty much fill it up.
I fly for a fractional PC12 operator, and my wife works for Linear Air, a private charter and “shared charter” operator currently using C208 caravans. Linear Air has orders for 30 eclipse jets and is having an open house this weekend featuring the eclispe jet at BED (Hanscom) near Boston. A lot of people are putting a lot of money and faith on the line with the VLJ’s but I’m not quite sure what the future holds for them. I read an article recently (cant remember, maybe Flying?) and there are a lot of people who think that there is much more hype than actual substance. That being said, no one really knows for sure, and it is interesting to see how it all pans out.
I’m just not sure that a) the market is there, and b) that the VLJs will fill a liche that is that much different than products currently available, namely charter operators using anything from a Cherokee six to a King Air to a Beechjet, depending on the mission.
We’ll see, I guess.
There have been plenty of products introduced in the past 20 years that defined and developed their own niche; the PC, CD players, VCRs, DVD players, Ipods, etc., etc.
When it comes to the bottom line it’s a matter of T/M, time over money. If a VLJ will carry a client or clients the same distance as the aircraft you listed above in half the time for the same money, it’s a no-brainer which aircraft will rise to the top. However, if the distance travelled is anything less than around 1K NM, you and your PC12 are going to be employed for a long, long time.
cfijames, No I don’t think they have I call sign yet , and the only way I have found to track them is individually like this flightaware.com/live/flight/SYK14 I was just hoping someone else had a better ideal but thanks.
And pika1000, I would have thought that a 6 seater would be better chose but who am I to say.
My first thought when I hear about SATS Air was “What happens when three 200lbs passengers show up for a 2 hour trip in IMC?” It does not sound like a fun day at the office for me.
Althought I do hope they make it, and yes, if the time and money are right one day I may even give them a call.
Yes, they have a call sign, its “Aerocab” and I believe that their aircraft are based at various airports. mostly in the SE US. I’ve been seeing them a lot here lately in Virginia.
I don’t know how many of you are in the NE, but here in NY, the SR-22 is PERFECT. 1 hour to BOS, 30 to PHL, 1 hour to IAD, 1.5 to PIT, MVY, HTO, BID…you get the idea.
XM weather, radio, quiet comfortable, and the biggest selling point for the ‘significant other’ is the PARACHUTE!
Thanks kflyin, I will be looking for that call sign “Aerocab”, and I too live in Virginia (small world hey). Since I have posted I have done some more research on SATS and found out that they have “planed” to service Blacksburg and maybe even base a plane there. I also talked to friend that saw one come into KHLX, he said that they looked like they ran a first rate operation.
I hope SATS is successful and base planes all over the SE. Hopeful one close to me at KHLX.
Hi Monosport,
You’re welcome for the information and it is a small world! I work at ROA approach and we provide the IFR service out of BCB and little old KHLX. My short experience with “aerocab” has been good, they do seem first rate. I’ve worked them departing from BCB,PSK,DAN and LYH.
It seems like a good idea to me and the rate at which were seeing them is growing exponentially. Sounds like a good place to build some quality time, if that’s what you’re looking for!
If you have any questions about ROA, don’t hesitate to ask!
Nice to meet you too, and yes it is a small world. I grow up in the shadow of ROA and my father use to fly out of ROA, Smithmoutain, New London and LYH in the 70’s so the Roanoke Vallay is my old stomping grounds to me.
But no I am not needing to build time, but a friend of mine is looking at SATS Air for a job. And one day I may need to use a “aerocab”. It sounds like a great company.
And thanks, if I have any questions about ROA, you wil be the first person I ask. It is always good to have a controller to talk to.
I work for a small 135 company in Hilton Head. I guess you could say SATSAir is our competetion. Take this into perspective though. I spoke with a mechanic in Charleston, SC a while ago. He said they had a twin Piper land with engine troubles, enroute from somewhere up north and headed to FL for meetings and a round of golf. They called SATS to come and take 3 pilot and 2 passengers the rest of the way. When the SR-22 arrived, they were unable to load all of the luggage, and would have to stop in JAX to refuel because with any more they’d exceed max gross takeoff weight. The stranded pilot and pax opted to rent a car and drive 8 hours to finish their journey.
Our POI is that of SATSAir’s also, and I was up in Greenville, SC (SATS ops base) a while ago to meet for a checkride. I got to meet the chief pilot (who was surprisingly young). Afterwards, the FAA inspector told me SATS operates 16 SR-22s at this time, with plans to have 500 in the next year and 1500 in the next 5 years and to be operating nationwide. Plans also include the Eclipse jet. Base pilot pay is reasonably good as well. Obviously, they receive some major financial support from Cirrus, as I can’t see SATS making a profit at $450,000 purchase price per aircraft.
The manager of the FBO here says that they don’t charge a positioning fee any more either.
An interesting bit of info about the SR-22. Anyone that knows the regs of Part 135 knows that a single engine aircraft is very hard to certify for IFR ops under 135. Normally, you need a redundant electrical system. Its pretty obvious how a twin meets this requirement, but the only singles up to this point that could meet the regulation was the PC-12, TBM 700 and Cessna 208 Caravan…all turboprops.
The SR-22 relying on glass panels, needs not only a backup electrical system to power the glass, but also has the traditional steam gauges in the event that both sources fail.
There is an article about SATS in the new Flying magazine (January 2007 issue).
This is the best issue of Flying in a long time. A lot of news about NBAA and Cessna’s plans of new jets including the CJ4 and a Large Cabin Concept. Also a cover story on the PiperJet, which looks alot like an aerostar fuselage. Anyone remember the Gulfstream Peregrine concept during the mid 80s?
Like any pilot, they examine all available information regarding the flight and make a go/no-go decision.
Thunderstorms are easier to get around than icing, as thunderstorms move and develop in a somewhat predictable way, while icing is harder to predict and harder to map/plan for. You can usually either deviate around the thunderstorm or sit and wait for it to pass.
Yeah, I was just wondering since they will be trying to keep some semblance of a schedule with the Cirrus. Thunderstorms will have to be avoided, and icing will have to be avoided since the Cirrus is not certified for known icing. In a turboprop or jet, they have systems on board to handle these situations, whereas the Cirrus will have to devise other strategies.
Just wondering how a “walk up” air taxi customer will be affected vice a turboprop or jet charter…
