UK-based jet charter start-up Kudos Aviation is awaiting its air operator's certificate. Its operations manager Yve Moore talks to Working Week about her role in keeping the company in the air
How did you become interested in aviation?
I was a mother with two children, self-employed and working from home running a soft furnishing business. I decided that I needed to do something for myself, and in 1997 I decided to learn to fly. I've been hooked on aviation, and poor ever since!
How did this lead to working in the industry?
I started working part time at a flying club at Southend airport, where I learnt to fly, running the operations desk and encouraging students, wanting them to get same enjoyment out of flying I did.
I became aware of a vacancy for an air traffic control assistant and I thought: "I'd like to do that!" I spent the next two years working at the fixed base operator and as an assistant in the control tower. It was really satisfying helping pilots, and the based aircraft operators at Southend would often call us at the FBO for advice and help with flight plans and routings.
One local operator Trans Euro Air was seeing growth, and in 2005 offered me a job running its operations department. Its main business was the ad hoc cargo market, and I soon learnt how to dispatch a flight from confirmation to airborne in under 60 minutes, including the flight planning and handling arrangements. After that I worked with London Executive Aviation as a duty operations controller. It was there that I found out how demanding the executive charter world really is. By comparison, freight never complained if the catering wasn't up to scratch! Then earlier this year I moved to Kudos.
What's your role at Kudos?
I was brought in to get the jet charter side up and running. We are now putting the finishing touches to our operations manual to satisfy the civil aviation authority, so instead of "piggybacking" on another operator's AOC, we can have our own. Hopefully that will happen in the next few weeks, when I will be responsible for everything from crew records, flight time limitations, crewing, and that's all before the aircraft gets off the ground. Once we become operational I will be responsible for everything from obtaining handling, slots, flight planning, arranging catering and trying to keep brokers, crew and passengers happy. Attention to detail is important as schedules can change by the minute.
Describe a typical day for an ops manager
No two days are the same, that's what makes it exciting! The next job could be a medevac flight, or a businessman urgently needing to get somewhere in Europe. I'm keen for us to have locally based pilots so that if necessary 90 minutes after a signed confirmation we can be airborne.
I'd like to promote Southend airport as an alternative to other London airports, because it avoids London terminal manoeuvring area congestion and there are no slot restrictions. It is about 65km (40 miles) east of the crucial business district of London and operates 24/7.
What do you enjoy about being an ops manager?
Not the paperwork but the fast pace. I like seeing a job go through from start to finish. If you have satisfied customers at the end of the day, then you know you have done your job well.
What's been your most memorable moment?
I cut my teeth flying around as a pilot's assistant on a King Air B90 at night, in freezing conditions and on days off! It gave me an insight into what pilots had to deal with down route. It was an invaluable learning aid. As a result I could understand and anticipate just what would make their lives easier and safer.
Source: Flight International
