1, All the aircraft apart from CL300 operate in and out of LCY but none are officially based there. I imagine the first will be at STN / FAB and LTN
2, Beleive there are 7 Mustangs owned by LEA, 1st coming early next year, and three others to be managed by the company ! certainly a big expansion with 10 new a/c.
3, All crews based at STN on paper, this is apparently likely to change for Legacy and Challenger crews. Mostly crews will be looked at with experience for the Mustangs, I hear all the the first courses will be from within for quick(er) commands and experience on Citations. Then various newby's (experienced/instructors etc) will fill the gaps. I guess at 1.5/2 crews per aircraft.
4, Good company to work for. Company management have there heads screwed on and seem to operate a fairly well oiled machine. Like all companies people have gripes and certain things / departments need to improve. Pilots are looked after from within and outsiders are welcomed with experience or grow through the ranks with no experience. I would def class within the top three charter companies in the UK with TAG & Gama.
With a rather large expansion over the next two years with the Mustangs and some large aircraft the company is likely to grow fairly quickly and this will hopefully improve other T&C's for the crews. Biggest lack being loss of licence and healthcare etc missing. Pension aswell but most companies offer a pretty poor one these days ?! LEA has been growing at a steady rate over the last ten years and I beleive they will continue to do so.
As for the market niche ... who knows ? I think there is plenty of room for these 'entry' level aircraft to fit into the market, and quite clearly so do all the manufacturers (Cessna, Eclipse, Embraer to name a few). I hear through the grapevine that LEA have sold one of the CII's and the others should be phased out over the next yr/two. Many charters in CJ's / Bravo's etc have 1/2 pax on relatively short sectors. It won't be good for 4 pax to Milan or Nice although I don't know the specs & range. However in time these might be more like NJ aircraft and left down route ?
Life's a Beach
