McConnell claims Serco (formerly RCA GB 1929) has been using HSBC to launder money for the Northolt Black-Hand drug cartel since 1929 when the late Duke of Windsor bought the first plane for the King's Flight and allowed the Northolt ground staff to bypass UK customs control.
Black Hand* – Lloyd's Register of captains or journeymen with Privy Seal "Licenses to Kill, Burn, Bribe" for the City of London's Honourable Artillery Company 1537; the Master Mariners and Air Pilots (formerly GAPAN) 1929, and The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts 1638 – whose alumni include U.S. Presidents James Monroe, Chester Alan Arthur, Calvin Coolidge and John F. Kennedy and – perhaps – Barack 'Down Low' Obama.
McConnell alleges that in 1962, the late pedophile Lord Privy Seal and then commander of the Honourable Artillery Company, Lt. Col. Edward Heath, outsourced the U.K.'s 4-minute warning system, the NPL cesium clock and Telstar timing to Serco whose Black Hand staff at Northolt can now spot, shoot, snuff, spin and spoil drone and drug operations in the United Kingdom and United States to within 1 μs of each other (previous efforts were only accurate to 2,000 μs).
McConnell claims that Serco's Black Hand captains blew up the ATFE offices in the Murrah Federal Building in 1995 and used his sister Kristine Marcy – the former Senior Counsel for the Detention and Deportation of the INS – and the SABRE booking system to integrate Con Air and NetJets with the Queen's Flight for the transportation of passengers and drugs out of Northolt.
McConnell claims Serco used HSBC loans to set up a Black Hand drone navigation service with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) at Northolt in 1998 while its National Visa Center agents set up a ground-staff drone network at FAA Contract Towers for the 9/11 sleeper cells in America.
McConnell claims that HSBC financed Warren Buffett's purchase of the NetJets operation in 1998 so that fractional NetJets owners (cf. the Bin Laden Group) could take man-in-the-middle positions during the hijackings of 9/11 and Serco could use NetJets planes modified at Northolt to control Boeing drones for the "first live-broadcast mass snuff film in human history."
McConnell notes that Serco's banker used accounts maintained in 2007 by Sinaloa front companies in the Cayman Islands to pay an Oklahoma aircraft company for the purchase of a Super King 200 plane later impounded by Mexican cops while being used fly in two tons of cocaine from Venezuela.
McConnell invites rebuttal of his allegation that some decades, Serco's dirty banker HSBC has been laundering money for the Black-Hand operatives who use SkyNet communications with the Queen's Flight, NetJets and ConAir planes to fly missions – and renditions – for the Northolt Drug Cartel.
Prequel 1: #2266: Marine Links RCA King's Flight Treason To RAF Northolt Black-Hand Blitz, Serco NetJets Death Of Dahl
Prequel 2: RAF Northolt
After Laundering $800 Million in Drug Money, How Did HSBC Executives Avoid Jail
Trailer - Con Air (1997) - YouTube
Serco... Would you like to know more?
"HSBC Got Away With Buying Cocaine Plane
While the Justice Department was busy prosecuting American HSBC customers for tax evasion, it has taken no action against the bank for nearly five years.
The U.S. Justice Department is shocked, simply shocked by recent press reports that the megabank HSBC aided Americans in evading taxes.
But, here is what really is shocking: DOJ has known about the tax-evasion allegations for nearly five years.
And DOJ took no action against HSBC even as it prosecuted bank customers for their part in the same schemes.
This rank unfairness by the folks at the place called Justice was compounded three years ago after the feds caught HSBC laundering $881 million in drug cartel money and actively concealing illegal dealings with Iran and North Korea.
A money-laundering investigation as big as the bank itself ended with a deferred prosecution agreement that allowed HSBC to escape criminal charges and suffer only a fine.
This while the DOJ was jailing non-bankers by the dozen for laundering drug money, including cash from the Sinaloa cartel, which had been a prime HSBC co-conspirator. Two men at a car dealership who took cartel cash for automobiles got serious prison time.
HSBC got a pass on helping the Sinaloa bunch acquire an airplane that was used to smuggle drugs by the ton.
In the meantime, the same shameful principle of letting the big bank skate and going after the little guy was at work in the tax-evasion cases.
DOJ aggressively prosecuted private citizens such as a New Jersey businessman who was lured into a tax scheme by HSBC and a Virginia doctor who sought to avoid paying taxes on money his deceased mother had stashed in a secret HSBC account in Switzerland.
But neither the bank nor the particular bankers were ever charged.
And, as dictated by DOJ policy on uncharged parties, HSBC and its executives were never so much as named in court papers and proceedings.
Even as the doctor, Andrew Silva, pleaded guilty to tax evasion in in June 2010, the government termed HSBC only as “the International Bank."
"The reason that the government did not disclose the name of the banker, the bank… in our proceedings is because I don't think we, as the government, are supposed to do that," the prosecutor told the judge during the sentencing in Alexandria federal court. "We have no objection, and there is no reason why the defendant cannot say who it is, it is not a secret, but I think we are just not, we, the government, are not supposed to put it in pleadings."
The doctor got probation, in part because he had agreed to cooperate with the government, though nearly five years later no charges have been brought against anyone else in the case.
A New Jersey businessman named Sanjay Sethi also received probation after pleading guilty in June 2012 to a tax-evasion scheme that court papers say was conceived and proposed by HSBC—which again was named only as “the International Bank."
The criminal complaint charges that the bank “marketed offshore banking services for U.S. citizens of Indian descent," encouraging them "to open undeclared bank accounts in India."
More than $1 billion in cash was moved by HSBC from the cartel's Mexican hometown of Culiacán to New York between 2006 and 2008.
Sethi opened such an account in India in 2001. He received a call the following year from someone identified in the complaint as U.S. Banker A, a senior vice president at the New York office of the International Bank.
U.S. Banker A allegedly set up a meeting between Sethi and someone identified as U.K. Banker A, a London-based "high-ranking executive of the International Bank" who headed a division "focused on developing and serving clients worldwide with ties to countries in south Asia."
Not long afterward, Sethi met with U.K. Banker A in the International Bank's New York offices and discussed opening another undeclared account, this one in Switzerland.
"U.K. Banker A told Sethi that the undeclared account would allow Sethi's assets to grow tax-free and that the bank secrecy laws in Switzerland would allow Sethi to conceal the existence of the account," the complaint says.
Sethi proceeded to stash $3.4 million in an HSBC account in Switzerland. Neither he nor the bank could have foreseen that an HSBC computer analyst turned whistleblower in Switzerland would hack into the bank's computers in 2008.
This self-styled "Edward Snowden of bankers" subsequently furnished French authorities with the details of thousands of secret accounts.
In 2010, then French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde passed the pertinent information on to the United States and other countries. The Americans on the “Lagarde list" apparently included Sethi and Silva.
All this was known to the U.S. Justice Department as it completed an unrelated money-laundering investigation targeting HSBC.
The probe resulted in a 13-page “criminal information” that actually named HSBC, charging it with dodging sanctions against such countries as Iran and North Korea, as well as laundering at least $881 million in drug proceeds.
Much of the narcotics money originated with the Sinaloa cartel, and the total may be much higher. More than $1 billion in cash was moved by HSBC from the cartel’s Mexican hometown of Culiacán to New York between 2006 and 2008.
But while the complaint named the bank, it made no reference at all to particular bankers.
And before the charges were even filed the feds worked out a deferred prosecution agreement with HSBC.
The bank got off with paying a $1.26 billon fine and agreeing to anti-money laundering precautions overseen by a federal monitor.
Among the smaller narco money transfers the bank facilitated was from a pair of HSBC accounts maintained in 2007 by Sinaloa front companies in the Cayman Islands. The money went to an Oklahoma aircraft company for the purchase of a Super King 200 plane that was later impounded by Mexican cops while being used fly in two tons of cocaine from Venezuela.
The idea that HSBC and its officers escaped any criminal liability for helping the cartel acquire an airplane becomes all the more galling when you consider what happened to the top executives of JM2 Auto Sales of Orlando, Florida, after they took cartel money for automobiles.
In December 2012, the same month the government granted the deferred prosecution agreement to HSBC, the president of JM2, Joel Torres, and the vice president, Eladio Marroquin-Medina, were found guilty of money laundering. Torres got 40 months in prison. Marroquin-Medina got 72 months.
In 2013, a Mississippi woman named Bridget Michelle Bland was sentenced to 60 months in prison for laundering drug proceeds by setting up a trucking company.
In 2014, a California truck driver named Adolfo Pulido was sentenced to 50 months in prison for transporting $1.5 million in cash the old-fashioned way across the border from Mexico. That is 50 months more than anybody at HSBC received after the bank moved hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of cartel cash into the United States.
And a non-banker does not have to launder drug money to be prosecuted. A Syrian rabbi in Brooklyn was arrested for washing non-narco cash through religious charities in 2009.
The ordained Protestant priest who headed HSBC from 2006 to 2010, Stephen Green, was never charged despite the mountains of drug money. He proceeded on as Lord Green to become Britain’s trade minister and has written a book calledGood Value: Reflections on Money, Morality and an Uncertain World.
"The truth is that the value of our business is dependent on the values with which we do our business," he actually opined. "Values go beyond 'what you can get away with.'" The criminal information against HSBC was signed by the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District, Loretta Lynch, who is now the nominee to become the next attorney general.
But the deferred prosecution agreement was marshaled by then-Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer in Washington. Breuer subsequently acknowledged that in his view, HSBC was essentially too big to jail.
"Had the U.S. authorities decided to press criminal charges, HSBC would almost certainly have lost its banking license in the U.S., the future of the institution would have been under threat, and the entire banking system would have been destabilized,” Breuer told a press conference.
His boss and the person ultimately behind the settlement, Attorney General Eric Holder, said much the same to a Senate panel three months later. He presented too big to jail as a corollary of too big to fail.
"I am concerned that the size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if you do prosecute, if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy,” Holder said.
The continuing outrage about the HSBC deal must have caused Holder to fret that if he was once known as a champion of civil rights, he might go down in history as an abettor of criminal wrongs by big banks.
He made a pronouncement in a DOJ video.
"There's no such thing as 'too big to jail,'" Holder declared.
As Holder prepares to depart, DOJ is pressuring four megabanks—but not HSBC—to plead guilty to felony charges of manipulating foreign currency rates. There is talk of actual people being indicted, but only relatively low-level traders. Holder will almost certainly leave with a perfect record of not having busted a single senior banker.
That is not a record that Loretta Lynch would likely hope to match as she awaits her all but assured confirmation. Lynch has already indicated the deferred prosecution agreement on the money laundering does not preclude HSBC from being prosecuted for other crimes, tax evasion among them.
"I want to reiterate, particularly in the context of recent media reports regarding the release of HSBC files pertaining to its tax clients, that the Deferred Prosecution Agreement reached with HSBC addresses only the charges filed in the criminal information, which are limited to violations of the Bank Secrecy Act for failures to maintain an adequate anti-money laundering program and for sanctions violations,” Lynch said in a letter submitted Monday in response to a series of written questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee. She went on, "The DPA explicitly does not provide any protections against prosecution for conduct beyond what was described."
She added, "Furthermore, I should note the DPA explicitly mentions that the agreement does not bind the Department’s Tax Division, nor the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division."
Lynch seemed unaware that only the news reports about the DOJ tax files are new and that the DOJ has had the details since 2010.
Equally not in the know was Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who had been very vocal in her disapproval when HSBC got off with only a fine for the massive money laundering.
On Tuesday, Warren spoke with renewed outrage in a statement to The Guardian, one of the news organizations at the forefront in reporting the tax-evasion charges. "The new allegations that HSBC colluded to help wealthy people and rich corporations hide money and avoid taxes are very serious, and, if true, the Department of Justice should reconsider the earlier deferred prosecution agreement it entered into with HSBC and prosecute the new violations to the full extent of the law,” Warren told the newspaper.
Wait until she and everyone else find out that the DOJ has already prosecuted Dr. Silva and the New Jersey businessman Sethi for tax evasion without moving on HSBC."
"VANCOUVER, B.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 24, 1995-- MACDONALD DETTWILER(TSE: MDA ) MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd., in a teaming arrangement with
SABRE Decision Technologies, has won a contract from the Department of National Defence. The contract is to supply the Canadian Armed Forces with a passenger reservation and flight operations system.
MDA, as prime contractor, will provide project management, training and ongoing support services from its Ottawa office. SABRE Decision Technologies will develop and customize a partition of the SABRE(TM) system for the project, while SABRE Canada will provide local marketing and account support. SABRE Decision Technologies and SABRE Canada are business units of AMR Corp.'s The SABRE Group.
The contract provides MDA with a per-use fee based on the number of passengers boarded over a minimum of three years. "This is the first contract under our new strategy of offering innovative financial terms for world-class computer systems and services", said David Caddey, MDA's vice-president, Space and Defence Systems. "The per-use fee makes this contract cost-effective for DND and gives MDA significant benefit." MDA provides technology-based solutions and services in the Earth information, air navigation, defence applications and data communications markets worldwide.
Joseph Saliba, senior vice-president of SABRE Decision Technologies of Dallas/Fort Worth, said, "our system allows the Canadian Armed Forces to keep minute-by-minute track of its aircraft, to assign passengers to those aircraft, to monitor weather patterns and more." Reet Muur, president of SABRE Canada, Toronto, added, "This agreement is an example of SABRE's worldwide reach and commitment to expansion outside of the travel and transportation industry.""
"Traci Capparuccini Airline Specialist at The Air Travel Group
Orlando, Florida Area
Airlines/Aviation
Senior Travel Coordinator/CRC Analyst
NetJets
November 2004 – July 2009 (4 years 9 months) Provided "World Class Service" to NetJets' external and internal customers via email and telephone. Interfaced with all NetJets' companies, departments, and affiliates. Used SABRE to book all travel needs while utilizing corporate contracts to minimize company expenses. Accessed up to 6 computer systems on a daily basis to do tasks. Previous
Besa Lighting Co,
United Air Lines,
TS 24
Education
Valencia Community College"
"The background of Netjets: Netjets is based in Woodbridge, NJ. Raynor B. Reavis joined NetJets Inc. in September 1998 as Senior Vice President of Sales. In this position, he is responsible for the sales of the NetJets ® fractional ownership program in the U.S. Prior to joining Executive Jet, Mr. Reavis was Vice President of Marketing and Sales Support at Gulfstream Aircraft, Inc. Before joining Gulfstream, he was Senior Vice President of Sales at Raytheon Aircraft (->) and British Aerospace, where he was responsible for worldwide sales of the Hawker 800 and 1000 aircraft. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President of Sales for Simuflight Training International, which provides advanced simulator-based training to pilots and maintenance technicians for business jet aircraft. Reavis is a former United States Marine fighter pilot who served in Vietnam and on both the East and West Coast in active duty fighter squadrons. He is a graduate of Baylor University with a Bachelor's degree in business administration and economics.."
Sources: www.prweb.com/releases/2002/5/prweb37976.phpwww.netjets.com/index.asp"
"Brian J Walton Aviation Engineer & Expert Witness
1995 to date …
Serco Group plc, RAF Northolt
Senior BAe 146 Crew Chief
Operate under The Military Aviation Authority (MAA) & Maintenance Approved Organisation Scheme (MAOS) rules.
Fly on the BAe 146 CC2 of No32 (TR) Squadron, RAF (an amalgamation of The Queen's Flight and 32 Squadron RAF) as a civilian Engineering Specialist. Duties include setting up the aircraft and testing all systems. Carry out all servicing and rectification and solely responsible for engineering standards whilst away from base.
Fly worldwide on Royal/VVIP Tours, often for extended periods and was the engineer on all of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s BAe 146 tasks for approximately six years until his retirement from flying.
Responsible for training and annual assessment of all the new BAe 146 Crew Chiefs, ensuring they continue to meet exacting engineering standards. Accompany Test Pilots on full Air Tests on an annual basis and on any Air Checks. Carry out diagnosis, rectification and functionals of all systems, including ground running of the engines and APU, also take part in hangar servicing of the BAe 146 at all levels up to C check.
Completed all the manufacturers BAe 146 training courses, Airframe, Engine, Electrics, Avionic and SEP10 Autopilot course."
"The first aircraft ordered specifically for transportation of the Royal Family, two Westland Wapitis, were delivered to No. 24 Squadron at RAF Northolt in April 1928. Between 1929 and 1935 the Prince of Wales purchased 13 aircraft. Although the RAF maintained at least one of these aircraft for a time the Prince of Wales eventually became solely responsible for the aircraft. When the Prince ascended to the throne in 1936 as Edward VIII, The King's Flight was formed as the world's first head of state aircraft unit.[1] In contrast the first flight of a sitting U.S. president was in January 1943. This unit initially used the King's own de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide; however this was replaced in May 1937 by an Airspeed AS.6J Envoy III.
The outbreak of World War II in 1939 led to the replacement of the Envoy III with an armed Lockheed Hudson. A de Havilland Flamingo was added to The King's Flight in September 1940.
In 1942, The King's Flight was disbanded and its responsibilities transferred to No. 161 Squadron. No. 161 Squadron was an operational military squadron, involved in the dropping of supplies and agents over occupied Europe throughout the War.[2] The King's Flight was reformed on 1 May 1946 at RAF Benson with a single aircraft, a de Havilland Dominie.
As The Queen's Flight from 1952, the unit operated a variety of aircraft for the transportation and pilot training of members of the Royal family, including Vickers Viking, Avro York, de Havilland Heron and Devon, Westland Whirlwind (helicopter), Douglas Dakota (for Royal Visit to Nepal 1960), de Havilland Canada Chipmunk, Beagle Basset and Hawker Siddeley Andover aircraft.
On 2 November 1977, Queen Elizabeth II travelled for the first time aboard Concorde (aircraft G-BOAE). Her Majesty then flew from the Sir Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados, to London Heathrow, England.[3] That occasion was also the first visit by a Concorde aircraft to Barbados.[4] The 'Alpha Echo' aircraft in which The Queen had travelled, was the last Concorde to fly supersonic to Barbados on 17 November 2003; a delivery flight to the Barbados Concorde Experience museum where it remains on display.[5][6]
In 1983 the RAF leased two BAe 146 aircraft to assess their suitability as replacements for The Queen's Flight's Andovers.[7] The trial was a success and three VIP-configured BAe 146-100s entered service with The Queen's Flight (as BAe 146 CC.2s) from 1986 as the flight's first jet aircraft. In 2002 one of these BAe 146s was sold as surplus. These jets, also known as the BAe 146 Statesman, have a specially designed Royal Suite cabin. Although the civilian BAe 146-100 has 70-94 seats, the two BAe 146 CC.2 are configured for 19 or 26 passengers in comfort.[7] These aircraft have a large passenger space compared to a mid-size business jet. The cabin space is over 700 square feet (65 m2) and is almost as large as the smallest Boeing Business Jet which has 809 square feet (75.2 m2). Most mid-size business jets have less than 200 square feet (19 m2) of cabin space. The 6'6" ceiling allows people to comfortably stand, and because of the aircraft's size and defensive equipment, this is the aircraft that is the first choice for domestic or European trips.[8]
The Royal Squadron[edit] On 1 April 1995 The Queen's Flight was merged into No. 32 Squadron RAF to become No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron. Its BAe 146s and two Westland Wessex HCC.4 helicopters moved from Benson to 32 Squadron's base at RAF Northolt. This ended the RAF's provision of dedicated VIP transport aircraft; the aircraft of 32 Squadron are only available to VIP passengers if not needed for military operations. This was declared officially in 1999, with the Ministry of Defence stating "the principal purpose of 32 Squadron [is] to provide communications and logistical support to military operations; the Squadron's capacity should be based on military needs only; and any royal or other non-military use of... spare capacity is secondary to its military purpose."[9] The effect of this declaration was to radically reduce the charge per hour to the royal travel grant-in-aid for flying in an RAF jet, because now only the variable costs of the flight were expensed to the royal travel budget.
The squadron also has six smaller British Aerospace BAe 125 CC3 jets, which seat a maximum of six passengers.[10] The last of these jets was delivered in February 1984.
The squadron provides air travel for members of the Royal Family. However, on 1 April 2010, the hourly rate for journeys by HM The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales was increased dramatically from £1,138 for a BAe125 and £1,846 for a BAe 146, to £9,997 and £13,086 respectively.[8] No journeys were undertaken under these arrangements. After alleged pressure from the Prince of Wales, on 1 December 2010, the rates were reduced (BAe 125: £4,000 and BAe 146: £5,000 per flying hour).[11] Under these higher prices, the Royal Family only flew twice on military jets in fiscal year 2010-2011.[8] The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall flew the BAe 146 to Madrid and Lisbon in March 2011 (4 flight hours), and one non-itemised flight was taken on a BAe 125 (1 flight hour).[12]"
"RAF Northolt (IATA: NHT, ICAO: EGWU) is a Royal Air Force station in South Ruislip, 2 nautical miles (3.7 km; 2.3 mi)[1] from Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, west London. Approximately 6 mi (10 km) north of London Heathrow Airport, the station also handles a large number of private civil flights.[2] Northolt has one runway in operation, spanning 1,687 m × 46 m (5,535 ft × 151 ft), with a grooved asphalt surface.[1]
Northolt pre-dates the establishment of the Royal Air Force by almost three years, having opened in May 1915. Originally established for the Royal Flying Corps, it has the longest history of continuous use of any RAF airfield. Before the outbreak of theSecond World War, the station was the first to take delivery of the Hawker Hurricane. The station played a key role during the Battle of Britain, when fighters from several of its units, including No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron, engaged enemy aircraft as part of the defence of London. It became the first base to have squadrons operating Supermarine Spitfire aircraft within German airspace.
During the construction of Heathrow Airport, Northolt was used for commercial civil flights, becoming the busiest airport in Europe for a time and a major base for British European Airways. More recently the station has become the hub of British military flying operations in the London area. Northolt has been extensively redeveloped since 2006 to accommodate these changes, becoming home to the British Forces Post Office, which moved to a newly constructed headquarters and sorting office on the site. Units currently based at RAF Northolt are No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, the Queen's Colour Squadron, 600 (City of London) Squadron, No 1 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit, the Air Historical Branch and the Central Band of the RAF. The station has also been used as a filming location for productions made at Pinewood Studios.
…
Since 1 June 1998, station commanders have served as aides-de-camp to Her Majesty the Queen.[49] The station received the Freedom of Entry to the London Borough of Hillingdon on 11 May 2000. This allowed military personnel to march through the borough in full uniform, an honour granted by the council in light of 2000 being the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and the 85th anniversary of the opening of RAF Northolt. The neighbouring RAF Uxbridge station had received the same honour in 1960.[50]"
"RAF Northolt mulls plan to boost bizav activity
by Charles Alcock
- January 8, 2008, 11:13 AM
Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering plans to allow 30- or 40 percent more business aviation traffic at the Royal Air Force’s London-area Northolt base. At the same time, newly formed Northolt Business Aviation is preparing to offer unused air force hangar space to corporate operators. ..
Maintenance for other based and transient civil aircraft is available from Serco, which is bidding to provide support for the NetJets operations at Northolt. The JAR 145-certified operation already provides support for the two BAE 146s and six Hawkers operated by the Royal Air Force to transport members of Britain's royal family, as well as government ministers and officials. This operation falls under the auspices of the RAF's No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron, which was formed from the 1997 amalgamation of the Queen's Flight (then based at RAF Benson) and 32 Squadron’s government flight department.
The MoD is planning to build a new hangar next to the Northolt operations building, which doubles as a terminal for business aviation. The new building would mainly house The Royal Squadron’s aircraft, but will offer additional capacity for corporate operators.
Separately, the RAF is evaluating possible replacement aircraft for the 146s and Hawkers. Options being considered include the Gulfstream V and Bombardier Global Express, both of which could provide significantly greater range than is possible with the existing fleet.
Ground handling for business aircraft is provided by Northolt Handling, a joint venture between Regional Airports (owner of London-area Biggin Hill and Southend Airports) and Serco under a four-year license that started in July 2001. It will provide handling for the NetJets aircraft and already provides other visiting operators with ad hoc covered aircraft parking in Northolt’s Hangars 5 and 6.
Slots at Northolt are available strictly by prior arrangement, with the official deadline for requests being 3:30 p.m. on the preceding day. In some instances, Northolt Handling is able to secure slots on somewhat shorter notice since it works with the RAF controllers on flight planning for civil movements.
Northolt Handling manager Robert Walters told AIN that the average number of movements each day is around 30, a number that peaked as high as 50 during busy periods last year. The FBO now has almost 150 regular customers.
The airfield's official opening hours for civil flights are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays. Based operators can sometimes get permission for flights outside these hours and on weekends, provided the airfield is open for military operations at the time. When a slot is not available, Northolt Handling tries to redirect flights to its sister airports at Biggin Hill (12 mi southeast of London) and Southend (37 mi to the east and open 24/7).
Northolt's main runway is 5,525 ft long, which allows larger business jets such as the Falcon 900 to take off fully loaded. Larger aircraft such as the Boeing Business Jet can also use the airfield, but are limited by pavement-strength issues to around a dozen movements per year.
Landing fees go directly to the RAF and are among the most costly in the London area. A GIV operator, for example, would pay around £1,100 ($1,700). RAF Northolt currently collects almost $2 million in civil landing fees annually and is ranked as one of Britain's most commercially viable air force bases.
Handling fees are charged in the following four mtow categories: £90 ($140) for up to 10 metric tons (22,046 lb); £120 ($186) for between 10 and 20 metric tons (up to 44,092 lb); £150 ($233) for between 20 and 40 metric tons (up to 88,184 lb); and £180 ($279) for aircraft over 40 metric tons. The Northolt landing fee covers use of a ground power unit and lavatory service for the aircraft. The handling fee covers all other ground services.
Northolt Handling currently has three staff members besides Walters, and it is about to add another. Supplementary baggage handling can be provided by RAF personnel during busy periods. In addition to Serco, which now manages the RAF's visiting aircraft servicing operation, line maintenance and repairs can be conducted by Jet Aviation, which dispatches mechanics from its Biggin Hill operation.
Visiting aircraft generally have to purchase fuel from RAF supplies at somewhat elevated prices. For based aircraft, and by special arrangement, fuel can be supplied
by Air BP."
26 January 2012
The Royal Air Force and Naval Air Command have awarded service group Serco contracts worth £130 million.
The Multi-Activity Contracts (MACs) are for a range of operational support, engineering and training services.
Serco successfully rebid its RAF Northolt MAC to provide aviation and engineering facilities and logistics support. Included is maintenance and associated support for the 32 (The Royal) Squadron, as well as at various satellite stations in and around London.
The three-year Northolt MAC starts in April 2012 and has options to extend for a further four years. Total value if extended would be around £70 million.
Also successfully rebid is the contract for aviation and engineering facilities and aircraft support at Royal Navy Air Stations Yeovilton and Culdrose. The contract "complements our maintenance and support services currently provided under a separate contract to the Merlin helicopter fleet at RNAS Culdrose", Serco said in a written statement.
The three-year Yeovilton and Culdrose contract also starts in April, with a possible two-year extension. Total value over five years would be around £40 million.
Last November, Serco won a new MAC for RAF Valley on the Isle of Anglesey, North Wales, where the Navy and Air Force train jet pilots. RAF Valley is also the headquarters of the military’s Search and Rescue Force and the RAF Mountain Rescue Service.
The five-year RAF Valley contract starts in April and has a total value to Serco of over £20 million.
The recent contracts extend Serco's operational support to cover 29 UK military bases, Christopher Hyman, chief executive of Serco Group, said. Services range from aircraft engineering and training programmes, as well as asset and infrastructure management. Other news for Thursday, 26 January 2012
Serco keeps military base contracts"
Yours sincerely,
Field McConnell, United States Naval Academy, 1971; Forensic Economist; 30 year airline and 22 year military pilot; 23,000 hours of safety; Tel: 715 307 8222
David Hawkins Tel: 604 542-0891 Forensic Economist; former leader of oil-well blow-out teams; now sponsors Grand Juries in CSI Crime and Safety Investigation
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