Appears to be industry lingo.

Vols de mise en place
- Les opérations réparties entre plusieurs aéroports ou les travaux de maintenance effectués en dehors de la base principale peuvent nécessiter la mise en place d’un avion
- LA MISE EN PLACE À VIDE est le vol qui consomme le moins de carburant, mais qui est aussi le moins payant
http://www.icao.int/icao/en/atb/atbworkshops/2006/workshopfu...

Positioning flights
- Split operations or remote maintenance can require positioning of aircraft
- POSITIONING EMPTY is the cheapest on fuel but most expensive on revenue
http://www.icao.int/icao/en/atb/atbworkshops/2006/workshopfu...

Aircraft Positioning
Moving an aircraft from one airport to another in order to accommodate the next flight. Occurs when an aircraft chosen for charter is not currently at the departure origin for the charter jet trip
http://www.jetrequest.com/aviation_terms/aircraft_positionin...

le shimmy s'est manifesté, un vol d'essai et UN VOL DE MISE EN PLACE avaient été effectués sans problème

A successful flight test and POSITIONING FLIGHT had preceded the occurrence flight when the left main gear developed a shimmy

Il n'a pas été possible de déterminer si le pilote avait pris des photos pendant LE VOL DE MISE EN PLACE et, le cas échéant, si cela avait pu provoquer une distraction ou causer des problèmes de perception et d'évaluation de [...]

It could not be determined if the pilot was taking photos during this REPOSITIONING FLIGHT and whether this could have caused a distraction or contributed to perception errors and misjudgement of height above ground

http://www.linguee.fr/francais-anglais/traduction/vol de mis...
[this site is coming up increasingly frequently and is very useful]


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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-10-31 13:24:29 GMT)
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www.emptyjets.com.au/operator_faq
We realised a need to offer a well established, centralized location for aircraft charter operators to offer their EMPTY POSITIONING FLIGHTS for sale to the general ...

www.saxonair.com/about-us/saxonair-and-the-environment/
Our new marketing tools and operations software highlight the charter fleets location and EMPTY POSITIONING LEGS to enable more efficient use of the aircraft and to ...

www.ebanmagazine.com/mag_story.html?ident=8894
Former RAF and private jet pilot Adam Twidell has launched a network ... for the 40 per cent of private jets on EMPTY POSITIONING FLIGHTS.


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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-10-31 13:31:18 GMT)
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www.pprune.org › ... › Non-Airline Forums › Private FlyingCached
If anybody happens to have their own, or a share in an aircraft at .... EMPTY POSITIONING OF C525 CITATIONJET from B'ham to Ibiza Thurs

www.thebasource.com/april2011.htmlCached
30 Apr 2011 – Despite being withdrawn only yesterday the aircraft has already had all BA ... Boeing 747-436 G-BYGE POSITIONED EMPTY FROM JOHANNESBURG ...

www.thebasource.com/january2011.htmlCached
31 Jan 2011 – However back-up Gatwick aircraft G-STRP POSITIONED EMPTY TO ...

www.thejetstarsource.com/march2011.htmlCached
17 Mar 2011 – Jet Source The unofficial, independent, impartial guide to all things JetStar ... This aircraft had POSITIONED EMPTY TO SINGAPORE as JQ7991. ...

blog.privatefly.com/private-jet-pricing-–-how-does-it-workCached
20 Jul 2010 – Private jets behave like taxis and normally have to be POSITIONED EMPTY INTO THE REQUESTED DEPARTURE AIRPORT. When chartering a private jet, the ...

www.pprune.org › ... › Misc. Forums › Airlines, Airports & RoutesCached
10 Aug 2011 – However last Saturday the aircraft arrived from Turkey on Saturday afternoon and POSITIONED EMPTY TO GLASGOW (757). It then operated ...


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Note added at 2 hrs (2011-10-31 13:32:03 GMT)
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The aircraft must have positioned empty 4 hours before ...