Post by viscount on Feb 2, 2012 11:25:20 GMT 1
AD Aviation Ltd
1998 - 2012
at LJLA 1998, 2001-2012.
1998 - 2012
at LJLA 1998, 2001-2012.
AD Aviation for around 10 years were the only resident executive jet charter company at Liverpool, offering a valuable service to the Merseyside business community.
AD Aviation is part of the Cheshire based AD Group, whose activities embrace CCTV systems for aircraft, transport, smoke detection, together with camera technology, digital video and multiplexes. The company found that to send a small team of executives around Europe, it was cheaper to charter a biz-jet than to fly club class and stay away overnight. Even more convenient to own your own biz-jet, so the aviation executive aircraft business was founded in 1998 by Mike Newton with the acquisition of a single Cessna 501 Citation registered as G-FLVU, capable of carrying upto 6 passengers.
As a new aviation operator, AD Aviation received aircraft management help from Ravenair Ltd, who in summer 1998 were themselves busy moving from Manchester Airport to Liverpool. Newly registered G-FLVU, first appeared at Liverpool on 6th June, however at that time the temporary portacabins and lack of facilties did not suit AD Aviation, so later in the year they moved out to Hawarden. A number of companies in the AD Group have ‘VU’ in their name, this being reflected in the registration choice and company call-sign “Flyvue” with ICAO three letter designator ‘VUE’.
Immediately facilities at Liverpool were available, G-FLVU returned on 18th December 2001 and ceremoniously became the first aircraft to be ‘rolled-in’ into the near £1m Ravenair and Liverpool Business Centre hangar and executive handling facilities. The pace of operations gained momentum, with a second aircraft, this one a Cessna 500 Citation II, N70XA arriving at Liverpool from Bournemouth on 14th March 2002 and then a third, a slightly larger Cessna 550 Citation II G-VUEA arrived via Filton on 9th July 2002. Although busy during summer 2002, N70XA departed on 6th December to operate elsewhere. For 2003 the two aircraft, G-FLVU and G-VUEA were busy all year and were to be widely seen around Britain and Europe, with between May and August destinations including: Altenburg, Amsterdam, Avignon, Auxerre, Bern, Bourges, Cannes, Dublin, Le Bourget, Le Mans, Liege, Lyon, Madrid, Olbia, Perpignan; Aberdeen, Coventry, Edinburgh, East Midlands, Farnborough, Filton, Glasgow, Leeds, Luton, Northolt and Manchester. All this activity was despite G-VUEA being out of service 25th June until 31st July for a respray into a smart new scheme.
After being operated elsewhere for a little over a year, N70XA returned from Farnborough 5th February 2004, bringing the fleet back to 3 aircraft for the rest of the year. Hangarage and maintenance of the fleet is contracted to Ravenair and after a period of maintenance checks with Ravenair, N70XA was resprayed at Dunsfold between 21st February and 21st March to match G-VUEA. Before re-entering company service, N70XA was reregistered as G-VUEZ, with the first flight as such, at Liverpool on 20th May 2005.
The original Citation 501, G-FLVU was not equipped to the same standard as the other two, so on 17th February 2006 it departed to Wick on the first leg of a trans-Atlantic flight for a systems ‘make-over’ in the USA. While away she was re-registered, appearing back at Liverpool from Reykjavik on 22nd April 2007 as G-VUEM, in a smart repaint to match the other two aircraft. At this time AD Aviation’s aircraft were the only biz-jets resident at Liverpool. The aircraft being offered for private or business charter, tailored to meet the needs of executive travel Europe-wide. For the next couple of years the fleet of three aircraft were kept busy, with Liverpool’s ‘European Capital of Culture’ status in 2008 bringing in new clients.
As widely reported in the press at the time, Citation 501 Citation I, G-VUEM, came to grief whilst landing at Birmingham Airport in rapidly changing visibility on 19th November 2010, operating a critical organ transplant flight from Belfast. With a previously immaculate 12 year safety record the injury to the crew and the loss of the aircraft came as a great shock.
From Liverpool six-passenger, G-VUEZ and the slightly larger, eight-seat G-VUEA, continued to be offered by AD Aviation during 2011 for charter Europe-wide. G-VUEA left in late June to be worked on at Cambridge, so for the last 6 months of the year, just G-VUEZ was active from Liverpool. The company built up a large client-base over the years, coupled with Ravenair’s Liverpool Aviation Centre to offer an excellent service to the executive traveller, be it for business or leisure purposes. More on www.ad-aviation.co.uk and www.ad-group.co.uk
On 31st January 2012, AD Aviation moved it’s operation from LJLA to new facilities at Chester. At the time G-VUEA was still away at Cambridge under maintenance (having left Liverpool 29th June 2011), with G-VUEZ leaving Liverpool during the afternoon on 31st January routing to its new home via training at Blackpool.
On, or shortly before 17th April 2012, AD Aviation announced on their website that they were ceasing air taxi charter operations immediately, quoting the heavy cost of implementing new EU regulations and directives as the reason.
Prepared by Brian Jones for nwan forum, posted without feedback from AD Aviation
FLEET LIST
G-FLVU Cessna 501 Citation I briefly at Liverpool 26.06.98 to autumn ’98, to Hawarden
Returned to Liverpool 18.12.01.
In USA on ‘make-over’ to Citation Eagle II specs 17.01.06–22.04.07.
G-VUEM re-registered while in USA. Written-off Birmingham 19.11.10
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N70XA Cessna 500 Citation II operated at Liverpool 14.03.02 – 06.12.02, and from 05.02.04
G-VUEZ re-registered 5.05. To Hawarden 31.01.12.
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G-VUEA Cessna 550 Citation II arrived 09.07.02. To Cambridge for major maintenance 29.06.11.
Still away when company moved base.
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Also two-seater Thorp T.211 G-BYJF is registered to the company, for personal GA use only.
Arrived Liverpool 26.07.99. Last flew during 2009 when grounded with engine problem. Re-flown 2012 and departed for Hawarden.
