IMPulse Volume 2, Issue 4 - Fall 2011 - IMP Group

Fall 2011 I M P u l s e Volume 2, Issue 4
Business Aviation—Market Viewpoint: Innotech‐Execaire’s Andrew Pearce
The Innotech‐Execaire Aviation Group—
which has decades of experience performing
a variety of completion, maintenance, repair
and overhaul services—is also Canada’s authorized
sales representative for Cessna Aircraft.
Recently, Andrew P. Pearce was appointed
to grow the company’s aircraft sales
presence in Europe, the Commonwealth of
Independent States and the Middle East.
In assessing the used aircraft market as
summer was about to begin, Pearce noted
that the mood at May’s EBACE conference
was optimistic. “We have clearly bounced,
the bottom for most types is gone now, and
we are on the way back up, on a slow and
steady climb.”
One of the growing markets for previously
owned business airplanes is India, said
Pearce. A while back, aircraft buyers there
were primarily interested in medium‐size jets.
But as India has become a larger global economic
player, there is increasing interest in
ultra‐long‐range airplanes capable of reaching
Europe, the U.S. and the Far East, he explained.
Russia is ”on the way back” and the market
in the Middle East is “somewhat active,”
added Pearce, but he said Europe remains
“predominantly stagnant.
But there are
signs of some green
shoots.”
Long‐range,
young, low‐time
airplanes are “the
market’s engine at
the moment,” according
to Pearce.
As these airplanes are being snapped up,
prices are starting to firm. In one or two
cases, Pearce said values for 2009 and newer
models are even increasing again as the supply
has dried up, and he is seeing a “natural
progression” back into slightly older types.
For example, a shortage of Gulfstream G450s
has created more interest in young GIV‐SPs.
The activity is “relatively thin, but it is coming.”
Pearce sees “uneven demand” for other
types of business jets. In general, midsize
and mid‐cabin aircraft are “still struggling.”
And prices for early Citations and Learjets are
still soft as a substantial number of these
vintage aircraft remain on the market.
Canadian Restaurant & Foodservice News: Season’s Leslie Hull
Pearce fears that some of these older airplanes
may never be sold, as some countries
that used to be a natural outlet (India and
Nigeria, for example) now restrict the registration
of aircraft that are more than 15 years
old.
“In the past, I have seen that once people
start moving into well‐priced airplanes, everybody
who is capable wants to move in. On
this occasion, however, there are lots of influences
that are making those people think
twice. People and companies are taking a
very realistic view of what their travel needs
are and what their financial and political
status allows. However, they are clearly educated
to the benefits of corporate aviation
and will return or enter the market at a time
they see it.” Consequently, Pearce predicts
the market recovery will be a “far steadier
climb out” rather than a rapid rebound.
reprinted from
the July 2011
Business &
Commercial
Aviation
magazine
Printed on 100%
Recycled Paper
Thanks to her grandmother—who successfully
owned and operated three fish and chip
restaurants in Harbour Grace, NL—Leslie Hull
knew what she was getting into when, at 17,
she signed her application for Nova Scotia
Community College’s cooking program.
With 21 grandchildren, she sure was able
to keep her labour costs down,” jokes Hull.
“Seriously though, even at a very young age,
it was amazing to watch her juggle those
properties with such skill and maintain a
household. I saw the long hours she put in.
Come to think of it, it probably should have
scared me off. But for some reason I liked it
all the more.”
Hull received her Red Seal in 2007 and,
once out of school, soaked up all the experience
she could, usually at the expense of her
weekends. “I always found it more interesting
to go work in a kitchen on my days off
anyways,” she chuckles. “It was a good way
to see what everyone else was doing and
continue learning.”
With that work ethic, it wasn’t hard for
Hull to make a name for herself. After stints
at both Five Fishermen and the Prince George
Hotel, she followed Chef Luis Clavel to Seasons
by Atlantica Halifax where she is currently
the executive
sous chef, a position
she both adores and
takes immense pride
in.
“People always
talk about how hotel
restaurants are mediocre,”
she says.
“but I can assure you
that at Seasons we
really push all the boundaries, doing everything
from molecular gastronomy to sous
vide, to making everything from scratch.”
While there is an obvious danger in pushing
the boundaries too far, Hull says that
chefs should have some fun and get creative—and
the safest way to do so is to keep it
simple and follow some tried, tested and true
tips.
“There are a few things that really help
when you’re pushing the boundaries a bit,”
she explains. “First, you need to support
local farmers and product. People respect
that because it’s the right thing to do and
they will give you a little room to play for
6
doing it. Second, you need to utilize all the
available product, and not just expensive
foods. Rather than going out and buying
truffles or fois gras, you can take something
as simple as an apple and make something
beautiful out of it. Lastly, you need to focus
on flavours. Preserve the natural flavor of
the food at all costs.”
As fun as thinking outside the box and
creating unique dishes can be, it shouldn’t
give up‐and‐coming chefs the wrong idea
about classic techniques.
“I think that as much as molecular gastronomy
is popping up everywhere, kids need to
focus on the basics of cooking before they
start to experiment,” she explains. “A good
braise, poach and simmer, the old school
techniques, are imperative to being a good
chef. And it’s the good chefs who get the
green light to push the boundaries.”
reprinted from
the May 2011
Canadian Restaurant
&
Foodservice
News