Corporate Air – an FBO Treasure Trove of Customer Services and Community Support in Vero Beach Florida

Corporate Air operates the Premier FBO on the Treasure Coast of East-Central Florida at the Vero Beach Regional Airport (KVRB).

Corporate Air has been in operation for over 32 years and has excelled in serving the business aviation community as a NATA Safety 1st operation with Certified and Trained PLST personnel. They have recently incorporated a new safety management system anticipating an ISBAH level 1 audit in the near future. It is the preferred FBO by the Corporate Aircraft Association (CAA), most fractional operators and our wonderful military aviators when they visit “Where the Tropics Begin”.

The Indian River Chamber of Commerce recently awarded Roger Pridgeon, President and CEO of Corporate Air, Inc., the annual “Best New Commercial Construction” award for Corporate Air’s new $2.5 Million Dollar Passenger Terminal Facility on the west ramp of the Vero Beach Regional Airport. Corporate Air is in the middle of a major expansion adding an additional 100,000 square feet of ramp and parking and several additional hangars to the west of the new Passenger Terminal.

Corporate Air annually provides one of its 17,000 square foot hangars for the American Red Cross Annual Hurricane Hangar Party. The Staff and Volunteers of the “Coast to Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross” join with local exhibitors to provide preparatory information on ways for the community to protect themselves and their families each year as the hurricane season approaches. This year students from the local Charter High School modeled Red Cross uniforms from the early 1900’s as attendees enjoyed live music and refreshments and participated in a silent auction to raise funds for the local chapter.

This year the Boys and Girls Clubs of Indian River County have invited the community to attend the Eighteenth Annual Angels Dinner at “Camp Angel Acres” in the Corporate Air Hangar. The Company provides its big hangar for the annual event to meet the kids and have cocktails and dinner in a casual event that highlights the kids and serves as a major fund raising event to help the Boys & Girls Clubs of America create great futures for the next generation of our leaders through encouraging education.

Corporate Air and staff provide the hangar to assist them in set-up and tear-down for the event at no charge as a community service.

Mr. Pridgeon has served on the Children’s Home Society of Florida Board of Directors for 10 years and the Board Chairman for the last two years and he was recently honored with a philanthropic award at their annual meeting. The award presented by the President of the Children’s Home Society said in part – “With our greatest appreciation, we recognize Rodger Pridgeon & Corporate Air, Inc. for your remarkable dedication to our children, and the programs and services that help them thrive. You have taken our mission and made it your own, and for that, we are truly grateful. We are proud to partner with you as we build bridges to success for children. Thank you for your unwavering support”.

Mr. Pridgeon and his wife, having previously adopted a child, was honored by the presentation and “thanked all who had given their time, efforts and funding to aid in our continuing effort to better the lives of children without families.”

To learn more about Corporate Air, visit http://www.corporateair.net.

Westjet Air Center: A Soaring Passion for Flight Runs in the Family

What began in 1975 as a job for Linda Rydstrom has turned into a multigenerational family business and a pillar in the Rapid City community. That is Westjet Air Center, the lone FBO at Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP). The business has been family-owned and operated by Linda and her husband Don – along with their daughter Miranda (Rydstrom) Maleki – for more than 40 years. Today, Linda and Miranda are majority owners, making Westjet one of the few FBOs that are female-owned.

All three of the Rydstroms are commercial pilots and, combined, have more than 100 years of experience in aviation. They bring a unique perspective to operating the business, and they know what makes a stellar FBO as each of them truly understands every aspect of the industry.

The Test of Time

During the 40 years of the Rydstrom’s ownership of Westjet, they’ve seen a handful of other FBOs open for business and close at RAP. Perhaps it’s their facility, their offerings or their impeccable customer service, but Westjet has proven to stand the test of time.

Just a few years ago, Westjet completed a full renovation, which included a brand-new executive terminal, a new 10,000-square-foot hangar and an expanded maintenance area. The new facility is designed to feel more like home than an airport and offers the convenience and amenities to match. Westjet offers a warm, cottage-like lounge complete with a stone fireplace, quiet rooms for resting, a pet relief area and a kids’ play room. In fact, Westjet recently had the opportunity to serve Air Force Two, and the White House staff commented that the facility was one of the nicest they’ve seen.

The FBO also offers a full maintenance department – on call 24/7 – and line services, offering quick turnarounds. They utilize the NATA Safety 1st Training Program to ensure proper care and handling of aircraft. Forty percent of their employees are U.S. military veterans.

But aside from their amenities and capabilities, the Westjet team really pride themselves on offering superior customer service – something Linda says is a result of the Rydstroms each having spent years as commercial pilots.

“We cater to everybody – not just corporations but also individuals who fly with their family and even pets. As commercial pilots, that’s something we learned how to do,” says Linda. “We feel our flying experience helps us truly understand the needs of all of our customers, and that gives us a competitive advantage.”

It’s that flying experience and perspective that the Rydstroms want to share with all of the Westjet employees. That’s why Westjet provides flight training to employees free of charge, which the vast majority of employees take advantage of. This service is provided by Miranda’s flight school – Plane Training, LLC – which she opened adjacent to the FBO in 2016.

Making an Impact on the Ground

Not only is the family instrumental in the aviation industry, but they’re incredibly active in the Rapid City community and especially passionate about inner city children and students.

For the past 10 years, the Rydstroms have hosted a Christmas party for the kids at Canyon Lake Elementary School, a Title I School in Rapid City, which Linda attended for four years in the 1960s. In 2017, the family provided 450 students with gifts, distributed by local police officers, firefighters and members of the National Guard. This year, the family looks forward to donating more Christmas gifts as a part of their 10th annual donation event in December 2018.

Westjet is also a proud supporter of Youth & Family Services Kids Fair, for which they’re one of three major sponsors. For 24 years, Kids Fair has provided children in the Rapid City community with a safe place to be active and engage in fun, hands-on activities while spending time with their families.

“People don’t realize the impact aviation can make in the community,” says Linda. “There’s way more to aviation than affluent people flying jets around. Where would we be if we didn’t have air ambulances? How would companies like Amazon, UPS or FedEx transport goods and services? Those are just two examples, but we certainly want to do our part to help our community.”

Westjet has been a Phillips 66® Aviation branded FBO since its founding in 1957, one of the longest Phillips dealers in the country and the sole provider of Phillips 66 fuel for all airlines serving Rapid City. They proudly participate in the Partners-Into-Plane Contract Fuel Program, Phillips 66 WingPoints® Rewards Program, and the Phillips 66 Aviation Wings® Card program. For more details on programs and offers that Phillips 66 provides FBOs, click here. To learn more about Westjet Air Center Inc., visit www.westjetair.com.

Deadhorse Aviation 100,000+ Accident Free Hours

Safety Milestone at the Deadhorse Aviation Center

Arctic aviation facility achieves impressive 6 years of operation – incident free.

Anchorage, AK – October 16, 2018 – The Deadhorse Aviation Center (DAC) would like to formally recognize the DAC staff for the outstanding achievement of working well over 100,000 incident free hours since it became operational in 2012. The achievement is even greater when you consider that the DAC, our clients and contractors have been incident free since its initial construction in 2009.

Located in Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope of Alaska, the DAC operates in a harsh and relentless Arctic environment, and serves as the main hub for ConocoPhillips and BP’s crew changes. Shared Services Aviation safely brings approximately one thousand passengers per operational day with their Boeing 737, Casa, and Otter aircraft commuting between Anchorage, Deadhorse, Kuparuk, and Alpine.

The DAC also supports various other operations on the North Slope serving as full service home base for short and long-term projects. We want to recognize the companies currently performing work in the DAC; NAMS, ConocoPhillips, BP, ICE Services, GCI and the US Military; your safety leadership has been vital to this milestone.

“I attribute DAC’s success and strong safety culture, in large part, to the collaboration between our team and DAC’s great contractors and clients,” says Rick Fox, CEO of Fairweather, LLC who is part owner and operates the DAC, “as well as our shared commitment to operational performance without compromise, to the safety and well-being of people and/or assets.”

The DAC is frequently upgrading the facility to provide a safe environment to its valued employees and customers. Prevention through design concepts was considered in tackling one of the leading causes of injuries, through the installation of the first heated Jetway on the North Slope. This engineering control eliminated weather exposure and significantly reduced slip, trip and fall risk during boarding and deplaning.

Six incident free years at the DAC have been the result of an unwavering commitment to safety from its employees and leadership. The DAC Safety culture lives through every task planned and safely performed, every time a job is stopped to reassess for unforeseen changes, through every safety conversation held between its employees, whenever safe performance is achieved and recognized. The DAC is proud to recognize the people behind this outstanding achievement, and extends our gratitude to the staff and clients of the facility.

“The DAC has adopted many of our partner’s safety best practices,” says Tim Cudney, Director of the Deadhorse Aviation Center, “and we continue to follow the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO); this milestone shows that the effort and focus has paid off, and continues to do so.”

A member of the Edison Chouest Offshore group of companies, Fairweather is an Alaskan company founded in 1976 providing premier support services to Alaska’s natural resource industry.  Fairweather’s operations include the Deadhorse Aviation Center – a multi-faceted aviation facility located on the North Slope, supporting the Arctic’s expanding oil and gas industry onshore and offshore. The DAC is wholly owned by Offshore Support Services, LLC (an Edison Chouest Company), Fairweather, LLC and the Kaktovik Iñupiat Corporation.

For additional information, contact Fairweather at (907) 346-3247 or visit www.fairweather.com.