Aviation Business Journal 1st Quarter 2013 - 35

Night arrival into PDK at Epps’ ramp and lobby.

plus 21 NATA Safety 1st certified line
service employees. The technical
staff includes an FAA designated
airworthiness representative (DAR).
Eight customer service employees
liaison with the technical staff, as well
as handle other customer matters.
A branded Shell fuel dealer, Epps
Aviation dispenses both Jet A and
avgas. Fuel is stored at its own aboveground fuel farm, which consists
of two 20,000-gallon tanks for jet
fuel and two 15,000-gallon tanks for
avgas. “Approximately 70 percent
of all fuel sales are to transient
customers,” Epps reported. “Thus, the
decline in airport operations has had
a major impact on fuel sales. In the
Atlanta area, airport operations have
declined and PDK is down 35% from
peak levels, and 2012 has shown a
further decline of approximately 5%.
Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2013	

Along with fuel sales and
maintenance, Epps Aviation has
built upon its aircraft sales heritage
as a Pilatus distributor for Pilatus
Business Aircraft Ltd — specifically
for the Southeastern United
States (Georgia, Florida, Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas)
and the Caribbean — since 1996.
“We saw the Pilatus PC-12, a
single-engine, pressurized turboprop,
as a very promising opportunity,” said
Epps, who refers to the aircraft as a
“turbine Suburban” and her favorite
plane to fly. A commercial, multiengine, and instrument-rated pilot,
she currently flies a Beechcraft F-33
Bonanza.
The Pilatus business, she
explained, varies depending on
production and allocation. “Last
year,” she said, “we sold four, and

for the prior three years we sold six,
seven, and nine PC-12s respectively.”
Along with its dealership, Epps
Aviation offers general aviation
aircraft brokerage and resale, as well
as aircraft management. Currently,
the managed fleet is made up of five
aircraft, including a King Air B200,
Pilatus PC-12, Challenger 604, Citation
V and Citation X. The company also
holds a Part 135 charter certificate
under which it operates two Pilatus PC
12s, a King Air B200, a Citation V, and
a Citation III — all company-owned
— as well as a Piper Meridian under
outside ownership and management.
The charter operation, which employs
21 pilots, has an ARG/US Gold and
Wyvern certification.
“Charter is probably one of
the most challenging areas of our
Continued on page 37

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Aviation Business Journal 1st Quarter 2013

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