An airboss is that individual who controls
the air show event aviation activities in accordance with the briefed schedule,
applicable waiver, and Federal Aviation Regulations. The Airboss' primary
duties are to direct the air show aircraft and other activities within the
airspace as described in the waiver. The Airboss also has primary
responsibility for airshow operations on the active runway(s) and manages the
use of the runway(s) during the show.
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Why do I need a professional Airboss?
Many things can and do happen during a show and you really
need to have someone who you know can handle the issues. When it goes smooth things are great. When weather, a well meaning
inspector raising concerns, crashes, airspace intruders or
aircraft malfunctions happen
a good airboss will know how to transparently handle the issue while,
at the same time, not forgetting to focus on managing everything else that
is happening.
A professional airboss goes
through training to learn the basics of managing the airspace and the better
ones continually study the regulations around airshows
as well as changing airspace procedures and restrictions. All of the pieces that go into an airshow are handed over to an airboss
when he or she takes control of the airspace.
How that one person directs your show during that period of time can
make the difference between success and failure.
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What kind of equipment do you bring to the show?
We will bring the necessary VHF and UHF communications radios, headsets, antennas and
anything else needed to control the aircraft during your show. All of our equipment performs to the maximum
allowable limits afforded by the FCC for ground based radio
communications. We work with the radio
suppliers to ensure we have the most reliable, economical and portable equipment
for the job.
We don’t
charge you any additional fees to bring our communications equipment to your
show.
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How far in advance do we need to contact you to plan the show?
It is never too early to start. For larger shows the planning sometimes begins 2
years prior to the event. Ideally we like a minimum of 8 months to do a
show assuming there is no jet team participation. This is because a request to a jet team must
be submitted over a year prior to the event.
We can however put together a show in a shorter time frame but pilot
availability can become an issue the longer we go past 8-9 months.
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Can local Civil Air Patrol (CAP) be called upon to
help with the show?
Absolutely, there are many areas where CAP can be used to
assist with crowd control, foreign object debris (FOD) control, and other key functions.
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Can local
businesses be involved? Static displays,
etc.?
We highly recommend that you involve the local flight schools
and FBO as well as any air carriers that might be willing to sponsor and
exhibit aircraft at your show. Fostering
and maintaining a good relationship with the airport community will go a long
way to ensuring your repeated success.
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How many hours of time are typically spent. Is this flat
fee or hourly?
We charge a flat fee based on the typical number of hours we
spend on the services offered. The fee
is always a flat fee so you know exactly what to expect. If we billed hourly the costs would be far in
excess of our flat rates.
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