Aviation Business Journal 3rd Quarter 2012 - 25

West Star Aviation
Continued from page 23

its FBO and MRO complex at Grand Junction, the company operated a surplus avionics sales business--then located in Hiawatha, Iowa. The operation fit very well into Premier Air Center’s management’s plans for a location convenient to a West Coast customer base. Along with that, it was especially known in the business aviation community for its solid workforce, which carried out impeccable maintenance. “We selected West Star Aviation after looking at several other locations,” said company CEO Bob Rasberry. “We liked the location and the people there. And, the owners wanted to sell to us because they were familiar with our corporate culture and knew we would continue to develop what they had built, rather than tear it down.” Rasberry also noted that the buyers viewed West Star Aviation as “the biggest sleeper west of the Mississippi,” with huge potential. “As luck would have it, we were right,” he said. The acquisition took place on December 31, 2004, and, in the process, Premier Air Center was promptly rebranded West Star Aviation. “We recognized that West Star Aviation was the stronger brand, so it was decided that we would grow the business under that name,” said Swehla. Today, in its 10th anniversary year, West Star Aviation has grown into a six-location MRO company, providing a one-stop shop for most types of corporate aircraft airframe and engine maintenance, including major modifications, avionics installations, interior upgrades, exterior painting, surplus avionics sales, accessory services and window repair. The company operates full service FBOs at the St. Louis Regional and Grand Junction Regional airports. Maintenance-only is carried out at the other four locations-Dallas-Love Field (DAL), Spirit of St. Louis Airport (SUS) at Chesterfield, Missouri; Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) in South Carolina, and at Aspen/Pitkin County (ASE) Airport in Colorado. “Over the years, we have looked at our customer base for large inspections and other heavy maintenance, then tried to build satellite locations in closer proximity to those customers for line work and minor inspections,” said Rasberry. “That is why we selected the locations we did since buying West Star in Grand Junction.” In 2005, within a year of buying the Grand Junction operation, Jet Aviation approached West Star Aviation with an offer to sell its MRO facilities at Dallas-Love Field. “I think they had concluded that their MRO did not fit into their

business plan at that location,” Swehla said. “Today, we have 30 technicians there, who focus on Citations, Learjets, King Airs, Falcons and the Embraer Phenom, mainly doing minor airframe inspections and avionics installations and upgrades.” Along with 250,000 square feet of ramp space, the Dallas facility has 25,000 square feet of hangar space and the capability to accommodate an aircraft up to the size of a Falcon 900. A separate Dallas Airmotive-owned hangar is used for overflow airframe work, as well as line level engine service. The 2009 establishment of the facility at Columbia Metropolitan Airport in South Carolina allowed West Star Aviation to realize its goal of an East Coast presence. There, the company took over an existing 20,000-square-foot hangar. “We chose Columbia Metropolitan Airport after carefully evaluating several candidate locations along the East Coast,” said Swehla. “For what we needed for that market, it appeared to be the best fit.” He pointed out that the operation, which is an FAR Part 145, Class 4 certified repair station, is currently staffed by 10 technicians who provide airframe and avionics work for small to mid-size jets, including Citations, Hawkers and Learjets. Engine support is provided on call by Dallas Airmotive and Standard Aero. Plans call for the expansion of the facility to enable support for larger airframes, with up to 100 technicians. “We will either build or take over an existing hangar at the airport to service aircraft the size of the Gulfstream 550,” Swehla said. The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport location came about in 2010, when FBO Atlantic Aviation asked West Star Aviation to provide AOG services at that airport. Under that arrangement, West Star Aviation works out of a hangar leased from the FBO, but carries out the service independently. In addition to Aspen, West Star Aviation will make road trips to the airports serving the nearby Colorado cities of Rifle, Vail and Montrose to assist any operator in an AOG situation. That, reported Swehla, includes any aircraft, from a single-engine piston to a large corporate jet. “Although there are only three technicians at Aspen, we can easily draw from the large technical staff at Grand Junction, which is less than 80 miles away,” he noted. “Of course, we are prepared to support an AOG from all of our locations, not just Aspen.”

Aviation Business Journal | 3rd Quarter 2012

Aviation Business Journal 3rd Quarter 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Aviation Business Journal 3rd Quarter 2012