Taking off - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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is now the rural Beaver County airport's fixed base taking over maintenance, towing and other services, as a result of the bankruptcu of theformer FBO, National Jet Aviation Sewickley resident David Holman created Pittsburgh Jet this summer as a spin-off of his charterf flight service, Holman Leasing Systems which he founded in 1999. Nationak Jet Aviation was part of MHF a Zelienople-based trucking firm that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptc y reorganization in 2003. MHF director of financer Tom Wylie said the trucking business will be filinyg its reorganization plan by the end of the But the aviation part of the foundedin 1996, was not so lucky.
It convertee to Chapter 7 liquidation Aug. 24. "We no longer chosse to be in that lineof Mr. Wylie said. "It was not a core business for Mr. Wylie declined to state He saidNational Jet's assets, includingv four planes, already have been sold. "We had profitable times, but ultimately the decision was made to closeit Mr. Wylie said. "Our biggest competitor was US Pittsburgh Jet's Mr.
Holman believezs US Airways' bankruptcy and the general issues surroundiny commercialaviation -- rising security constraints and the time it takes from business people'a schedules -- will help Pittsburgh Jet's He said he foresees more business peopls taking charter flights and flying theie own planes to business trips. "Absolutely it's quicker," Mr. Holman said of independeny air plane operators andcharter "One-day trips with airlines are a thinhg of the past. You can hardly get to Pittsburghg and get on an airplane to get to a meetinfg by the time you can be there and backwith us.
" He said the average John Doe is not going to book his familyg vacation on a charter flight, but charteres offer an advantage for business people. "We've seen an additional 29 new customers in our business in thelast Mr. Holman said "It's the biggest jump we've had." Pittsburgh Jet has more than 100 customers, includingh corporations, banks, universities, unions and constructionn companies. Mr. Holman said he believes that althoughh National Jet Aviationwas unsuccessful, Pittsburgh Jet won't meet that same Currently, he said his charter firm drawd $2 million in annual revenue and is Mr.
Holman said the improvements he's making to the FBO servicd are being paid for bythose profits. "It's difficult to project for the next but we're projecting a significant revenue increase," he Mr. Holman said he plans to open a maintenance facility at the which did not haveone previously. With 14 currenty employees, Mr. Holman said he has planw to hire an additionall10 people, including six pilots for the chartet service, by the end of the Other employees will be maintenance personnel and line service workers to tow and wash He said he has hired a headhunting firm to find but doesn't believe they'll have trouble finding candidates, particularly with the number of airline layoffs that are occurring.
The FBO upgradde seems to be alocal trend. Last AirQuest Aviation LP purchased the FBO businesas at Butler Airport inButler County. Its owner also plana to upgrade services and hire more The Boroughof Zelienople, in Butler owns the Zelienople Municipal Airport, whichh is on 240 acres just across the countu line in Beaver County. It is undergoing an upgrad e from 4102 feet to morethan Mr. Holman said, and includes instrument approach, whichu assists pilots with landint inbad weather. Currently, 36 airplane ownerxs house their planes at Zelienopleairport hangars.