Freshbook Feature
Camber Aviation's Tom Chatfield talks about
why retained guidance is a very smart decision for owners undertaking a
VVIP project.
Thomas Chatfield / CEO Camber Aviation Management
"You have to ask...how do you want this aircraft to grow with you over time?"
The Fine Art of Customer Guidance through Design Integration, Completion & Delivery.
By: Richard Roseman
As a general rule, I make it a practice not to feel too sorry for billionaires. But on the few occasions I have, it's been with clients that were genuinely under the impression that slipping into a new VVIP aircraft was going to be like ordering their prior couple of Gulfstreams. Other than the fact that they both have wings, an interior and can get you to and from various points on the globe, they literally have nothing in common, at least from a purchasing and completion standpoint.
© 2022 Camber Aviation Management, Pierrejean Vision and Kestrel Aviation Management
Today I sat down with one Thomas (Tom) Chatfield. Mr. Chatfield is the CEO & founder of Camber Aviation Management in Squamish, British Columbia – and perhaps more than anyone in the world, he has an acute understanding of the very stark differences in these two purchases. Camber is a highly specialized company that takes buyers exactly like the ones I described above, and assists them through the very complex and often dicey enterprise of ordering a new Boeing or Airbus for conversion to VVIP. Without such help, these projects are fraught with a series of inherit issues that will not only take the fun completely out of the process but spin your head around with stress and lay a series of financial and schedule impacts at your feet, before the project even gets off the ground. The only way to successfully navigate the acquisition and certainly the design and completion of a green VVIP, is with seasoned guidance – and that guidance is the precise expertise upon which Camber’s reputation has been built.
I started my conversation with Mr. Chatfield by asking him to take us through the standard process with one of his customers, giving us an insight into what sorts of questions and conversations he has with a new customer embarking on this journey.
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“Well first, I should explain that if you have a customer who has suddenly found a green aircraft available in the next couple of months let's say, and they want to crush it and try to get the aircraft designed and into completion in that very short window, you may have to give them the bad news and say...well, listen I'm sorry but that's just not possible and certainly not in your best interests. The worst thing you can do in that case, is to simply tell the client what they want to hear and then pay for it later by forcing everything through a firehose... which is of course where things begin to go wrong."
Ok, but assuming you have the proper lead time, which in the case of ordering a new Boeing or Airbus, normally provides an adequate rollout to get these things established – then what?
“So then, the first thing we have to do is it look at things sequentially before we even prepare to bring the aircraft in. The first thing you must do is understand what the customer is looking for... and that's a series of conversations. You have to invest the time right in the very beginning - get them to articulate what they want, and that takes a bit of psychology usually and it also takes some time for that person to get used to you. For example, it's one thing for your customer to say... “Well, we usually travel with four people down to the Bahamas for casual vacations.” Ok, that's great but there's much more to it than that. It’s different than deciding you're finally going to buy that new Lambo EVO you've been drooling over. These are far more complex animals, and they involve not only the mechanics, but a host of emotional and practical questions.
It can be as simple as hearing... ‘Ok, well I am going to be a grandfather soon.’ So behind that then follows other questions, like how do we design this aircraft in such a way that it's meaningful now but will also be meaningful for you in the future when you’re traveling with young children - making sure they're comfortable and their parents are as well, just as an example.” Can we not create a children’s bedroom that later on when they hit 12, 13 or 14 we, in the middle of a C-check say, we pull that out and install a private office?
So, I think we really have to spend time with all clients to make sure and open up all the possibilities and considerations for how they want to use the aircraft, what their lifestyle is like and a myriad of other criteria that will ultimately go into the design and build of the aircraft; in many cases things they’ve never considered on their own. You have to ask; how do you want this aircraft to grow with you over time?
And so, once we have some of that groundwork laid, we can of course recommend any number of designers that are well suited to them, but we also want to get answers to questions like ‘What do I like to do, what does my partner like to do and what do my family and guest like to do on board?’ For example, a customer might say we want to have a formal dining area and we want to have a large screen on the bulkhead in case we want to watch a movie. Well, OK but when was the last time the entire family watched a movie together? It's not going to happen that often because the luxury of today's choices means everybody is likely to want to watch something different. The classic sort of Norman Rockwell painting of six family members all snuggled together with popcorn - in most cases it's not happening, right?
The classic sort of Norman Rockwell painting of six family members all snuggled together with popcorn - in most cases it's not happening, right?
So, most people whether they're young, or older, still enjoy things together maybe but focus on things suit their own interests. Each have electronic devices around them and so I think, for the most part, the large monitors on the wall are passe’. In times gone by, and we can all remember this, you had monitors mounted on every bulkhead and they were usually situated at awkward viewing angles. So, instead we might recommend a small monitor on the wall with Airshow (or similar application) indicating flight-path and other basic flight data. But I think beyond that what you want to do is have some really great streaming content that can be utilized by each occupant, independently.
For example, we've been working with a couple of very interesting manufacturers from the transportation industry that have developed shoebox size units that basically have 3 terabytes of content on it. So, with an aircraft, you upload the content on the ground - which eliminates that inordinately expensive KU and KA band streaming, in-flight."
I used this opportunity to ask if he meant that media rooms were also ontheir way out in modern VVIP aircraft. Part of that of course has to do with the size of the aircraft and therefore available room, but Chatfield had a deeper answer to offer.
“I think the idea of having a media room, again given the room, is also a good idea but do we still want that huge permanent monitor mounted on the wall? No. It simply isn't necessary within the current technology sphere. We now have flexible screens that can roll out of a headliner - extremely high-resolution beautiful screens, but no longer adding all the weight or thinking of the space in single use terms.
That then allows you to still have a classic sort of media room where perhaps the family does want to gather and enjoy a movie for a cinema experience, but to also have the flexibility of a second, or even a third utilization for the space. New emerging technologies open up big possibilities and break older paradigms. And that's part of our job, to make sure each new customer is aware of new innovations and how they can dramatically affect the design and ultimate enjoyment of their aircraft when it's completed.
So, certainly the next thing important to all customers, is food and galley. In this regard, many clients will simply say ‘well we need a microwave, a convection oven and a refrigerator.’ OK, well you've covered about 50% of the basics - but what are you cooking? Do you want to have a chef on board? Or maybe you have a flight attendant that enjoys cooking. Foods always taste better freshly prepared, versus something that’s been sitting in a foil pack for 24 hours, right? But regardless the answers, in general terms we usually recommend two ovens on the aircraft and the three classics to choose from are: steam oven, dry oven and inductive. And depending on the aircraft, you can plug and play these very easily. Iacobucci makes an incredible inductive oven as an example. Also, getting back to the food itself, if you're cooking with grease for example or you're grilling fish, you’ll definitely want to have a system that's going to rapidly take that air OUT of the cabin. A two or three zone air system is incredibly good at putting that curried Asian fish stew smell, all the way back into your bedroom! it's not what you want to do, so we have to address those issues way up front.
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Another important topic is emergency equipment. As an example, we need fire extinguishers on board of course. But if you’ve gone onto a Gulfstream aircraft or some of the others, you'll often see a fire extinguisher mounted on a wall with a big sign on top, saying ‘fire extinguisher’. I get it...I really do, but what we did for example on our Airbus A-220 Corporate Jet concept, which worked exceptionally well, is we had two emergency equipment locations in the cabin strategically located - basically drawers at the bottom of two cabinets. You open the drawer up and everything was placed there in their own cut outs. The same is similar with exit signs. There are always better ways of meeting regulatory requirements but in a way that is not obtrusive or aesthetically offensive.
So, I'm saying those are some examples of what we look at, little things that I think are brilliant ideas that we've learned over time.
Conceived by Kestrel Aviation Management and developed with Pierrejean Vision and Camber Aviation Management
A-220 Cabin Concept
© 2022 Camber Aviation Management, Pierrejean Vision and Kestrel Aviation Management
Also, in the same way we don’t want our betrothed getting cold feet, neither do we want this for our flight attendants. Galleys almost always have hard surface floors and therefore are quite cold at altitude and it’s where they’re going spend much of their time. So, we always speak to our owners about this as well and generally recommend floor heat in those areas.
Also, in the same way we don’t have guests to our homes come through the garage or the kitchen, we try to avoid the same thing in aircraft as much as possible. So, you can either make the aesthetics of your galley look really cool with a clean appealing buffet, or if you can't, we recommend hiding it with a pocket door. And there are other considerations that address the same concerns. Basically, if your crew is comfortable and warm and they feel good, the cabin service is going to reflect that. it's just human nature.
Moving to the classics, where do I sleep on the airplane? Again, this becomes a very important thing depending on the aircraft and what kind of sleeping requirements you're going to have. If I get invited over to your house, I’m pretty sure you're not going to give me your desk chair to sleep in, right? As a good host, I’m seriously hoping you're going to be a little bit kinder to me.
So, I'm always shocked when I walk into some airplanes and I say, OK great, you can carry 14 people. But if only ten of those can sleep, what do the other four do? Are they gonna stand around? “Like it's not fair you know!” he laughs. “So, yes, how to sleep your passengers – comfortably - is a big consideration, especially on long flights.
Which is a good segue to really my biggest pet-peeve - and that’s seats. How truly awful most of them are on VVIP airplanes. I mean a lot of kids have been put through college on the backs of some of these old, outdated seat platforms. I have a sort of funny comparison that you may have heard me say before and that is...’they're really just Lazy Boys, right? And if you take the Lazy Boy from the 70s and you compare it to the Lazy Boys of today, the only difference is that in the 70s, you would ask your partner to change the channel and now we have a remote’. In some ways, that’s about all that's progressed for many of the chairs that still wind up on VVIP aircraft. Cabin design is being limited by the seats that are currently available. Suffice to say, this is an area begging for improvement!"
When asked about the recently popularized inflatable berthing systems, Chatfield replied:
“If I want to go camping, I'll put on my red checkered Plaid jacket. It’s a solution he admits, and of course they’ve found a market. But it’s not a long-term solution. In general, he says: “I believe if you have certified seating for 12, you should have seat spaces for at least 30% more people which means people can get up and sit in a different location to be able to have a conversation with someone else or simply retreat to a more private space. In most cases, unless you really know somebody very well, you don’t want to spend eight hours looking at the same person. It becomes uncomfortable for both of you.”
Agreed. Can you talk to us about shower systems? I know the big consideration of course is weight...fresh and gray water, plumbing etc. I know Boeing used to have a system that recirculated the same 50 gallons over and over. Any thoughts?
“Well, you know Jeff Bonner’s group (JBRND) have some really good shower designs. I think you're sort of looking at two things. One is the mechanics, and one is the aesthetics, right? So, from that mechanics POV, I just accepted an aircraft recently and when I took a look at the water system, it was hugely complex. What they were trying to do and we're able to achieve was a recirculation of ‘hot’ water continuously within the lines which means that when I go to wash my hands at the sink or get in the shower, hot water is there relatively quickly. So, I think that's a very good idea but unfortunately nobody that I know of has found a simpler way to do it. I think a supplier like Monogram or others perhaps, have an opportunity to create something better and bring it to the marketplace.
As for the Boeing system, recirculating the same 50 gallons – and cut the weight down that way, I think customer acceptance of that is still a ways away. It’s a good idea from a practical standpoint but most customers aren’t ready for that yet. So, we have to ask the customer, how many showers a year, let’s say, will you be taking and is the trade-off of weight (which of course impacts range) worth it? Often when forced to examine the question, the answer is no. But in some cases, they just want it to have the ability to wash and refresh before landing. In that case, we go find them the best system out there at that moment."
Let’s talk contagion abatement, or air filtration for a minute. I'm a pretty big fan of ACA, a great company with a pretty amazing product. Can you tell us how you counsel your clients here in a post COVID world?
“Sure, so the classic air filtration is a simple HEPA filter on board, but then we also now have the plasma ionization system from ACA as you mentioned. Basically, what you're doing with that is you're able to take the mildew and bacteria and of course a very high percentage of the viruses out of the air that's recirculating through the cabin. So yes, I'm a big fan of that system too. I think it's a great solution and yes, this is always a part of our conversations with the customer. Obviously, in the last two years it’s a conversation that’s come to the forefront and I think owners are now willing to pay for it because in the past it didn't mean as much. But now that narrative has all changed and people want to protect their families and guests, regardless of price. The reality is, that with a system like ACA’s, your breathing cleaner, far less contaminated air in your aircraft, than on the ground, if you're in a city."
This is where we drew our very enlightening conversation to a close - and so we’ll leave the completion oversight portion for another installment, but suffice to say, the business of purchasing and converting a transport category aircraft to VVIP is not something to enter into lightly...OR without expert guidance.
Mr. Chatfield and his company, Camber Aviation Management have a global reputation in this uniquely specialized field and they’re finding a growing market for their services – unfortunately earned on the backs of many bad experiences in prior decades when offerings like Camber’s, were largely nonexistent.
Mårten Hedlund, President Wall Street Luxury Europe
“It is with great pleasure that we announce our new cooperation with Camber Aviation Management. This cooperation is our direct response to the increasing number of requests to assist our UHNWI clients in their purchase and creation of their larger private jets. As proven by Camber’s recent winning of the “Best Private Jet Cabin Design – Concept” at The International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2021, they have some of the best expertise in the business and, combined with our additional financial and operational solutions, we now feel that we are a complete partner to our private jet clients”, says Mårten Hedlund, President Wall Street Luxury Europe
