AIN STAFF REPORT business Lightbusiness aircraft MAKING DO WITH LESS IS STILL A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN THE ALTERNATIVES aircraft Looking to expand its franchise and better serve some of its mem- transportation to its practitioners, and will likely attract more interest bers, the National Business Aviation Association announced plans last as people and companies consider scaling back their transportation April to hold an event aimed specifically at the owners and operators costs in lean times. of light business aircraft, a category the association loosely defines as The eight people we profile in these pages operate a broad variety those weighing less than 20,000 pounds. In the intervening months of aircraft in the LBA segment, from a piston twin to turboprops and the world economy has been racked by convulsions, and NBAA’s LBA small business jets. These people all share two common attributes: exhibition & conference, scheduled for this month in San Diego, was they enjoy flying (most up front, a couple in the cabin), and they one of the victims, along with the association’s ABACE event in Asia recognize the huge advantage they hold over business travelers who slated for last month. drive or cling to the failing airline model and all its frustrations, The LBA event will be absorbed into the big annual convention inefficiencies and wasted time. We encourage you to pass this feature business and meeting, to be held in October in Orlando, and while the event on to anyone considering taking the plunge into business aviation, for the owner-flown crowd might have failed to stand on its own two just as these eight people took the step that launched their journeys feet this year, this segment of business aviation still provides unrivaled of a thousand miles (NBAA IFR reserves, 100-nm alternate). –N.M. aircraft ANDY REARDON: attend to in those areas, so I had the need, engines, so I wanted a good, sound air- flight department and a member of the BARON 58 OWNER-PILOT and the desire, to get in and out of a lot of frame and I’d take it from there,” recalled FlightSafety board. “Both these guys went small towns.” It worked out “quite well” Reardon. It was a project. He stripped the to bat for me and vouched for me as a pilot and Reardon started by renting Cessnas, airplane and put on two new IO-520s, with the company’s risk management but it wasn’t long before he developed an new fuel cells, Garmin GNS 530/430 department, and that helped me cut enduring allegiance to piston-powered coupled to the autopilot, and EGT moni- through some of the red tape,” Reardon Beech airplanes. tors. “I had had wonderful luck with recounted. “In a lot of companies that’s a In 1988, Chicago-based Reardon IO-520s and stayed with those rather than barrier. At TTX [the company from which bought an 11-year-old Bonanza A36 switch to the IO-550s. If you take good Reardon just retired as CEO] a couple of listed for sale in Van Nuys and kept it for care of the IO-520, it’ll go forever. I had the directors raised their eyebrows at my a year before switching in 1989 to a 12- flown other people’s turbos and had lis- flying, but I said, ‘Look, I’ll buy $2 million year-old Baron 58. “I had the 58 for five tened to their maintenance stories. Turbos in insurance coveragebusiness and have the com- years until Illinois Central was bought are great, but at annual time you have to pany pick up the portion of the premium out, then went back to an A36 and put in be prepared to pay for all that heat. The that I fly for business.’ Above $2 million it a new engine and prop. After that came a 58 is a great machine, and maintenance is was covered expressly by the corporate 1980 Baron B55 bought in 1995. Some- modest in the overall scheme of things.” travel and liability policy, so it dovetailed one from North Carolina saw it, liked it Reardon has always maintained his air- nicely with our company insurance.” aircraft and offered a modest premium over the plane to the highest standards: “I was Illinois Central’s main line was from price I’d paid. I took the offer and right acutely conscious of canceling a trip and away bought a 1977 Bonanza V35 in then having somebody say that maybe if I’d RAYTHEON BEECHCRAFT 1996.” He had that for seven years, but flown the airlines I wouldn’t have canceled two things drove Reardon to hunt for out. If there’s a sniff of something wrong, I BARON G58 Like many owner-pilots, Andy Rear- another Baron: he and his wife had get it repaired. I depend on that airplane, Type 1+4/5-seat piston twin don had the passion for flying before he bought a home in Cape Cod in 2003 and and out of at least a thousand trips and Engines Two Teledyne Continental got the idea to fly himself to business decided they needed more power and about 2,800 hours as PIC, I’ve had to can- IO-550s, 300 hp each appointments. Reardon started flying more capacity; and one of TTX’s prime cel only one due to a maintenance issue.” Max cruise speed 202 kts while head of the law department for the facilities then was in Pontiac, Mich. “I Some companies frown on the notion of Max altitude 20,688 ft Illinois Central Railroad, got his license needed a good solid twin with de-icing a pilot-employee flying a small airplane on Max range 990 nm in 1986 and retired as CEO of railroad boots, hot props and a hot windshield to business travel, and Reardon encountered (NBAA IFR, 100-nm alternate) equipment leasing company TTX at the keep jumping back and forth over Lake this resistance initially at Union Pacific. Max takeoff weight 5,500 lbs end of last year after 33 years in the rail- Michigan year-round,” reasoned Reardon. However, he had two saviors in the com- Single-pilot capable? Yes road industry. They went looking for one with a pany: one was Jerome Given, “a great trial Takeoff field length* 2,300 ft “Given that Illinois Central had facili- great airframe and found a 1981 model. lawyer for Union Pacific with a wonderful Typical equipped price new $1.1 million ties all the way from Chicago to New “I’d had enough experience with other reputation out in Omaha,” and the other *Sea-level standard conditions, max takeoff weight Orleans, there was always business to people’s avionics and other people’s was Curt Smith, head of Union Pacific’s 20aaAviation International News • March 2009 • www.ainonline.com JACK COOPER: lites, missile guidance systems, radar with him. “I had flown before I got my getting to the airport two hours early. I MERIDIAN OWNER-PILOT microwave and data processing systems. license, but of course I didn’t get to log use it as much as I can.” “I’ve got stuff on Mars, stuff in that,” he said. Cooper’s employees also enjoy the satellites, the space shuttle, all the Although he loved flying, Cooper was benefits, he said. When he and his Boeing equipment; pretty much any- forced to take a hiatus when his children engineers schedule meetings with the thing that flies, we have a part in were young. “We had children, and my Rockwell Collins engineering group in someplace,” Cooper said. In addition wife decided that perhaps it was a good Cedar Rapids, Iowa, they often use the to the major OEMs, Rockwell Collins time for me to stop flying and get rid of Meridian to travel. “We leave in the and Lockheed Martin are among my motorcycle,” he said. “Then about 12 morning, we’re there in an hour and 15 HiSonic’s largest customers. The com- years ago I started flying again.” minutes, and we can meet with them pany has been supplying Rockwell His return to flying coincided with all day and come back, instead of Collins since 1962, and Lockheed some changes he decided to make in spending five hours on the road and Martin since 1980. the business structure of his company. having to spend the night,” he said. Cooper has been with HiSonic since “I had just gotten rid of my represen- “We also go to Dallas. That’s a pretty 1984, when he purchased the company tatives around the country, so I easy turn for us.” from the original owner, Wayne Bone- decided I was going to do all the sales Cooper said he might consider getting bright. Before the sale, he owned a myself,” Cooper said. At the time, an airplane with longer range and more Jack Cooper, a Piper Meridian share of Jack Cooper Transport, an auto HiSonic employed five sales reps. “I power sometime in the future, but for owner-pilot and president of Olathe, transport carrier that his grandfather went out and bought a Cessna 182. I now he’s content to keep his Meridian. Kan.-based HiSonic, describes the ben- founded in 1928. In the early 1980s moved up to a 182 retractable, a 210, “Time-wise and convenience-wise, the efits of his aircraft in one word: Cooper sold his share to an uncle. He and then I moved up to a Piper benefits are tremendous.” –J.H. tremendous. continued working for the company for Mirage.