Airport_Business_June-July_2019 - 12

FBO PROFILE

A replica Corsair
hangs inside the Bent
Wing Flight Services
FBO terminal.
BENT WING FLIGHT SERVICES

The Bent Wing Flight Services
FBO added new services such as
a Hertz rental location on site
to improve the gateway to the
community.
BENT WING FLIGHT SERVICES

Bent Wing is providing $80,000 for a new
fuel farm this year.
The third phase is a $1.5 million
grant coming in two years to build a
large corporate bulk hangar adjacent to
the new terminal and we've committed
an additional $800,000 for that project."
Echard said they continued the
military theme inside the terminal.
They have World War II memorabilia on
display; a half-scale model F4U Corsair
hanging from the ceiling of the lobby;
vintage model airplanes hang from the
ceiling for the break room; a 1970s era
F-14 Tomcat Pinball machine in the pilot's
lounge; and a shopette that has vintage
aircraft manufacturer items for sale.
The furniture is also aviation-themed
with Spitfire chairs, which are stainless
steel chairs that look like cockpit seats.
"We've got a Willys World War II Jeep
in the lobby and we've got a reception
desk that I had custom made out of a 1943
T-6 aircraft fuselage," he said. "It has the
wing f lap as the writing area, the mat
around it is the portable runway system
used during the war."
Mickey Baity, president of Friends of

Fernandina Aviation, a non-profit group,
that promotes aviation education in the
community, said the new terminals has
been a great addition to the community
and bring interest from the general public
as well.
"If you haven't been here yet, you
really need to go inside to get the full
effect of it," he said. "Bent Wing has
done a terrific job on the interior part of
it. They spared no expense to outfit the
inside. It really shows and it has become
a very nice facility.

Payoffs hit now
Since it opened, Echard said it's common
to see people stopping to take their picture
outside of the building or bring visitors
to see the facility.
"As a pilot, when you fly over it, looks
like a huge aircraft sitting on the ramp,"
he said. "It's got a nose, it's got a tail, it's
got a huge skylight in the middle of the
building that resembles a cockpit, so when
you f ly over it, it looks very impressive,
when you pull up on the ramp it looks
impressive, when you're in the parking
lot with the tail and the Navy insignia it

12 \ AIRPORTBUSINESS / JUNE/JULY 2019

looks impressive."
Healan said seeing the evolution of
the FBO into an upscale facility while
still harkening back to the roots of the
airport is unique.
"It's the first time I've ever seen one
that looks like an airplane," he said. "It's
the first terminal I've ever seen with a tail.
It kind of raises your eyebrows when you
fly over and you say 'wow, look there,' and
you know where the terminal is."
Baity said the backdrop of the FBO
also helps his group's mission by getting
people more interested and educated in
what the airport does.
"We just helped with the EAA
[recently] to f ly some kids we have
identified to go to a summer STEM
camp," he said. "We brought their parents
out and they went through the building
and onto observation deck.
"You bring people in that don't
normally have any contact with the
airport."
There are 56 T-hangars on the airfield
with based customers along with 20 other
aircraft tied down on the field that are
based customers. Echard said there's a
waiting list of about 60 people wanting
to also move their aircraft to the airport.
"I'm trying to work with the city to
build some additional hangars that would
grow our business," he said. "Being a
resort town helps and we also have a huge
pent up demand for service here, so my
goal is to work with the city and try to
meet that demand."
The unique venue is attracting events
to the facility. Echard said they've hosted
large corporate fundraisers and customer
appreciation events. Fly-in groups are
coming to the facility, such as the Mirage
MMOPA Owners Convention and the
American Yankee Association holding
their national convention in October.
"I hear from transient pilots on a
weekly basis that this is the coolest FBO
they've even been in and that makes me
feel good," he said. "When I hear pilots
tell me this is the coolest FBO they've ever
been in, and these are pilots who fly all
over the world, it makes me feel good." 

Want to see the FBO? Check out this promotional
video put together by Bent Wing Flight Services
to learn more about the facility and the Amelia
Island: www.AviationPros.com/21079944
http://www.AviationPros.com/21079944
Airport_Business_June-July_2019

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