Bombardier demo flight operations
An inside look at efficiency, global reach, and customer-centric use of dedicated company aircraft.
By Rafael Henríquez
Managing Editor
Bombardier relies on a team of pilots and cabin experience specialists who demonstrate the latest Bombardier business jets to existing and prospective customers all over the world.
Time is of the essence. In today’s fast-paced business environment, many companies rely on business aircraft to streamline operations, boost efficiency, and maximize productivity. By using private jets, senior leaders can minimize travel time, access remote locations quickly, and attend meetings without the delays and constraints of commercial air travel.
This agility not only enhances internal operations, but also ensures exceptional customer service, enabling representatives to meet clients’ needs faster and more effectively. For many businesses, a company aircraft is an essential tool to stay ahead in a competitive global market, combining convenience with an elevated level of service.
Bombardier is widely recognized for its cutting-edge aircraft designs, but the company also maintains a robust demonstration flight operations department that plays a key role in managing its global operations and delivering top-tier service to customers and sales prospects. This is why Professional Pilot magazine has selected Bombardier as the flight department of the year 2024.
Leadership
Executive Vice President of Aftermarket Services and Strategy Paul Sislian has been with Bombardier for 17 years, during which time he has held various leadership positions, from overseeing manufacturing to now leading the company’s aftermarket and corporate strategy teams.
“I joined Bombardier in 2008,” he recalls. “I helped during our transformation into a lean manufacturing environment. Later on, I ran the Challenger and Global business, and I served as president of our aerostructures business before being promoted to chief operating officer manufacturing and procurement. And I’ve been heading up the aftermarket business over the past 2 years.”
When Sislian is on the road, he is either meeting customers, visiting bases around the world, and/or seeing suppliers. “I spend a lot of my time visiting our customers, making sure we understand their needs, how they use Bombardier aircraft, and how we can help them better accomplish their tasks,” he explains. “I also visit our own employees in our multiple sites around the world – service centers, line stations, or distribution centers. And I also stay close to our suppliers.”
Sislian’s deep operational expertise and hands-on approach to leadership have been pivotal in shaping Bombardier’s flight operations. As an accountable executive overseeing Bombardier’s demo flight department, he is not only responsible for overseeing a fleet of corporate jets used for executive travel and customer demonstrations, but also plays a critical role in managing customer relationships, particularly in the field of service and after-sales support. He also takes care of the company’s corporate strategy team and the pre-owned aircraft business.
(L–R) Bombardier Demo Flight Ops Chief Pilot Étienne Côté, and Pilots Dennis Yount, Mark Ohlau, and Franco Pietracupa.
Flight operations
Sislian emphasizes the importance of daily communication with his flight operations team to ensure seamless coordination and customer satisfaction. “I’m in constant communication with Director of Flight Ops Salvatore Vicari and VP of Flight Ops and Pre-Owned Aircraft Services Chris Milligan,” he says. “Our aircraft schedule is transparent, so we know exactly where our aircraft are going to be every day of the month, and whether they’re transporting executives, visiting customers, or doing demo flights.”
Bombardier’s flight operations are a central part of the company’s ability to serve its customers efficiently. The company operates a dedicated corporate shuttle using a Challenger 300, ensuring that key executives are able to travel quickly and efficiently across North America. According to Sislian, using Bombardier’s own aircraft for business travel not only saves time, but also allows executives to maintain close relationships with customers.
“We use our aircraft primarily for internal movements, whether it’s executives traveling or VIP customers needing to be transported. We also use 3 aircraft extensively for customer demos – a Challenger 3500, a Global 6500, and a Global 7500,” adds Sislian.
Although Bombardier’s flight operations are based at BDL (Windsor Locks CT), the operation is designed to mirror the company’s global business. With a wide range of service centers, line maintenance stations, and distribution hubs in more than 100 locations, Bombardier ensures that its aircraft are always in close proximity to its customers. This vast network of bases and technicians allows Bombardier to provide timely, high-quality service wherever any of its approximately 5200 business aircraft currently in service need it.
Sislian elaborates on Bombardier’s commitment to its global presence, explaining that the company operates several maintenance and service centers beyond North America and Europe, in regions like the Pacific Rim and the Middle East. By expanding its footprint to over 3 million sq ft in recent years, including new bases in Melbourne and Singapore, Bombardier is making a concerted effort to be present where its customers need them the most.
“We’ve been expanding our facilities, opening new stations in MEB (Essendon Fields, Melbourne VIC, Australia), BQH (Biggin Hill, London, England), and OPF (Opa-locka, Miami FL), and we expanded our XSP (Seletar, Singapore) facility to ensure we provide the right support,” says Sislian.
(L–R) Bombardier Pilot Charles Samuel, Safety Mgr & Pilot David Strassburg, and Pilots Azaad Gunny and Mark Elliott.
Customer-centric approach
A key focus of Bombardier’s flight operations is its dedication to customer satisfaction. Sislian highlights that the flight department is closely integrated with the company’s customer-facing teams, ensuring that aircraft are available and ready for customer demonstrations, VIP transport, and urgent service requirements. “Customer demos are a priority for our aircraft,” he explains. “We have 3 demo aircraft, and they are usually booked up 95% of the time for customer demonstrations. The priority is always our customers.”
Bombardier’s flight operations team works in close coordination with the sales and aftermarket teams to ensure that customer requirements are met. The team’s efforts are also supported by a transparent, well-managed scheduling system that helps track aircraft movements, crew requirements, and special requests, ensuring that no detail is overlooked.
Private and commercial travel
While Bombardier’s corporate shuttle ensures that executives can travel quickly within North America, sometimes international trips may be handled differently at times when long-range aircraft are prioritized for customer demonstrations. For long-haul international travel, particularly when visiting multiple countries or destinations, executives may fly commercial. This balance between private and commercial travel ensures flexibility and cost-efficiency.
Sislian himself often travels internationally for both customer visits and internal meetings. “We do a mix of private and commercial travel,” he says. “We are a private aviation company, so we absolutely use our Challenger 300 corporate shuttle. We also have our demo aircraft available to our executives when it’s time to travel. And when we have many stops planned, we’ll usually fly commercial, especially if we’re going to large international airports.”
Bombardier Global 7500 (L) and Global 6500 on display at HSH (Henderson Executive, Las Vegas NV) during NBAA-BACE 2024.
The team in the flight deck
In the heart of Bombardier’s flight operations, a team of pilots, maintenance experts, and schedulers work in sync to maintain a high level of precision. Their mission is unique – flying some of the most advanced business jets in the world to showcase them to prospective clients. But behind every demo flight, there is an intricate ballet of planning, technology, and safety.
The Bombardier flight operations team consists of a dedicated group of 19 pilots who combine decades of experience in the aviation industry, supported by a maintenance team, in-flight coordinators, and schedulers. Vicari and Milligan lead the department, supported by Demo Flight Ops Chief Pilot Étienne Côté, Demo Pilots Franco Pietracupa and Eric Nordberg, Pilot & Safety Mgr David Strassburg, and Scheduling Mgr Kent Topham.
Côté has worked with Bombardier Flight Ops for 20 years. “I started my career as a flight attendant in the airlines,” he relates. “Eventually, I managed an airport, founded my own training company, and worked for regional operations in Canada. Then, through a friend of mine who worked at the Bombardier training center, I ended up as an instructor pilot in the Challenger program.
After a while, I became a flight test pilot, then a demo pilot, and now I’m chief demo pilot.” Côté holds an ATP license and is type rated in Cessna Citation I, all variants of Bombardier Global Express, Challenger 300/350/3500, Challenger 604/605/650, and Global 7500 aircraft.
Pietracupa joined Bombardier as a sim flight instructor in 2000. He was appointed director of flight training in 2009, and assumed his current role in 2019. He holds an ATP license and is type rated in all Global Express variants, Challenger 300/350/3500, Challenger 604/605/650, CRJ 200/700/
900, and Global 7500.
Topham’s duties include managing and scheduling demo flight operations. He’s been at his current role for 5 years. Before that, he spent 3.5 years at Bombardier in experience management in commercial airline/charter operations, FBOs, and business aviation. He’s a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and holds a private pilot license.
The newest demo flight ops team member is Strassburg, who serves as a pilot and safety manager. An ATP license holder, he’s rated in all Global Express variants, Challenger 300/350/3500, and Learjet 60 XR. He’s been with the company for 2 years – all with the demo team. He has been instrumental in setting a robust process in place for the entire team to work seamlessly with the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) to register many flight records.
Nordberg has been with Bombardier for 28 years. During his time, he was a production flight test pilot for 18 years, and spent 9 years in engineering flight test before becoming a demo pilot a year ago. He has an ATP license and type ratings in all Global Express variants, Challenger 300/350/3500, and various Learjet models.
The fleet
All 19 pilots in the team are highly qualified and familiar with multiple Bombardier aircraft types. Each one of them is certified on at least 2 Bombardier aircraft models, ensuring that no matter the mission, there is always a qualified crew ready to fly.
This versatility is essential, given the variety of aircraft in the demo fleet that represent the latest in business aviation, including the Challenger 3500, Global 6500, and the flagship Global 7500 series – all of which have been manufactured recently and feature cutting-edge technology. “Both Globals and the Challenger 3500 are our demo aircraft, so they are fresh out of the assembly line,” says Milligan. “We only show our prospects the latest and greatest that we have to offer.”
Each aircraft is equipped with advanced systems to ensure safety, comfort, and performance. The Globals, particularly the 6500 and 7500, are fitted with flight decks based on the Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion integrated avionics system, offering a wealth of operational advantages, including advanced navigation, enhanced situational awareness, and safety features such as combined vision system (CVS), which blends synthetic and infrared enhanced vision, allowing pilots to see in low-visibility conditions.
Connectivity is another key selling point for Bombardier’s aircraft. Equipped with high-speed Ka-band Internet provided by Honeywell or L5 by Gogo, the aircraft are designed to meet the needs of a global clientele. This connectivity ensures that passengers and flight crews can stay connected, whether they’re flying across continents or conducting business at 40,000 ft. On the Global 7500, additional safety features include advanced head-up displays (HUDs) and systems that allow pilots to visualize the terrain, runways, and even the underbelly of the aircraft during taxiing.
The goal is simple – to demonstrate the capabilities of Bombardier’s aircraft in real-world conditions, showcasing not just the aircraft’s raw power and performance, but also the safety and comfort features.
There is no typical mission
One of the most intriguing aspects of Bombardier’s flight operations is the unpredictability of each mission. While some aviation roles follow a more regimented schedule, the demo team thrives on the unexpected. There is no typical mission. Schedules may change weekly, and involve flying to destinations all over the world. A typical week may include flights from the US to Europe, Asia, and back again.
Flying aircraft such as the Global 7500 means being ready for long-haul flights that stretch up to 16 hours, requiring meticulous planning and coordination. Each aircraft is moved with precision, ensuring that crews, maintenance teams, and ground operations are aligned to guarantee timely departures, smooth flights, and safe arrivals.
This coordination is key, especially when multiple aircraft are scheduled to be in different parts of the world at the same time. Whether it’s a demonstration in the Middle East, Europe, or Asia, there is little downtime for these planes. And when one demo finishes, another one may begin within hours.
Safety first
“Fatigue management is one of the biggest challenges we face,” explains Vicari. Coordinating flight schedules across time zones and managing crew schedules to ensure that fatigue does not compromise safety is a daily task. The team has implemented rigorous safety protocols to combat this, including using extra crew members when necessary and making adjustments for rest breaks.
This focus on safety extends beyond just the crew. The entire flight department operates under a safety management system (SMS) that goes beyond compliance, focusing on identifying risks, mitigating hazards, and ensuring the entire operation runs smoothly. Pilots, schedulers, ground teams, and even finance and governance teams are all included in the SMS process. The goal is to prevent incidents before they happen, which is why every part of the operation is subject to continuous review and improvement.
Seamless operations
One of the key elements of the department’s success is the collaboration between flight crews, ground handling agents, and various logistical partners worldwide. The operation covers an immense geographical area, with aircraft constantly traveling between diverse regions, so meticulous planning is required to ensure everything runs smoothly.
The team works closely with local ground handling agents in each region to guarantee that every mission is prepared and ready to execute without any hitches. This involves securing all necessary resources and ensuring that the logistics are aligned before each flight.
However, as with any fast-paced operation, things may not always go according to plan. Delays and unexpected changes are common, and the team must be flexible. When schedules shift or passengers are late, the flight department adjusts quickly, reworking plans on the fly to keep everything on track.
Bombardier uses FL3XX for scheduling. It helps the team manage this complexity. In combination with other technology, it ensures compliance with regulations, tracks flight hours, and helps predict potential issues like crew fatigue. With such a tight-knit operation, flexibility and precision are paramount, and the software helps keep everything running smoothly, even when the unexpected happens.
The ideal pilot profile
The department’s focus on quality and professionalism extends into the recruitment and training of its pilots. When it comes to hiring, the team seeks pilots with a minimum of 3500 hours of flight time, but this is just the baseline. Preference is given to candidates who already have experience with the Bombardier product line. However, even if a pilot does not have prior knowledge of the aircraft, they are still considered, as the company offers extensive training to ensure pilots are up to speed.
What sets this department apart is their emphasis on “soft skills.” In addition to technical qualifications, they place great importance on communication, teamwork, and customer relations. A pilot is not just a navigator – he/she must be able to effectively demonstrate the aircraft to potential buyers, work with the crew, and understand the intricacies of the cabin and its amenities.
The department’s hiring process is rigorous and involves a 2-part interview. The first focuses on qualifications and experience, while the second assesses a pilot’s ability to interact in a team and perform under pressure in a simulator evaluation. “A Bombardier demo pilot carries a heavy responsibility,” says Pietracupa. “We believe Bombardier makes the best business jets, and the demo flight ops is the company’s brochure. And our responsibility is to demonstrate the aircraft’s capabilities.”
Côté adds, “We hire pilots who are already qualified as captains. Then we’ll train them to become pilot-in-command (PIC), which is what we call trip captains, and this takes at least 1.5 years just because there’s so many aspects that we need to cover, including product knowledge and cockpit and cabin best practices.”
Bombardier also brings crews to its Safety Standdown to learn about what industry specialists and peers are promoting regarding safety practices. In addition, pilots go through specialty missions training, like formation flying.
Elevating the flight experience
Bethan Williams has dedicated nearly 13 years to Bombardier, currently serving as the chief of cabin experience and lead flight attendant for the company’s demo team. In her role, she oversees a global team of 25 flight attendants who are responsible for delivering an exceptional, personalized experience to passengers aboard Bombardier aircraft.
Williams’s commitment to elevating the cabin experience is evident in Bombardier’s rigorous training programs. All flight attendants undergo a comprehensive 10-day course at the Bombardier Flight Academy, where the emphasis is first on safety, and then on impeccable customer service.
This ensures that every member of her team is equipped to provide a consistent, high-quality service on every flight. Williams’s team also undergoes specialized training, such as culinary courses, pet care, and cross-department collaboration with engineering and interior design teams to ensure the aircraft’s interior is always maintained to the highest standards.
Williams has also made strides in expanding Bombardier’s global reach, establishing a team of flight attendants in Hong Kong to cater to regional needs and cultural differences. By training local crew members, she ensures that Bombardier’s service remains unparalleled, no matter where the aircraft travels.
Beyond her day-to-day responsibilities, Williams is deeply involved in the aviation community. She played a key role in creating Bombardier’s Flight Attendant Safety Summit, an event that brings together flight attendants from across the industry to focus on safety and best practices. “Over the past 2 years, we’ve hosted a flight attendant safety summit,” says Williams. “It’s a 1-day event, and the premise has been taken from the Bombardier Safety Standdown structure. It’s a great event to bring flight attendants together. It focuses on different aspects of safety, like medical aspect, the culinary side, and safety in general.”
A strong foundation
Looking ahead, Bombardier’s flight operations team remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety, performance, and customer satisfaction. As aviation technology continues to evolve, so too will the tools and systems used by the flight operations team. The focus will remain on ensuring that every flight is executed with precision, that every demonstration showcases the aircraft’s capabilities, and that every member of the team is empowered to contribute to the mission’s success.
But perhaps the most exciting aspect of the future is the continued focus on safety and innovation. The manufacturer is on the cutting edge of what it means to fly from point to point around the world. By continually refining practices, implementing new technologies, and learning from past experiences, Bombardier’s flight operations team is demonstrating aircraft to the world while also shaping the future of aviation.