Falcon Executive Aviation in Mesa,
Arizona, enjoys a thriving business teaching
private, commercial, and instrument
students with Cessna and Piper aircraft.
But Falcon Executive decided to take a
chance.
After careful consideration, this Arizona
fi xed-base operator (FBO) chose to add
a light-sport aircraft to its inventory. Vic
Hannig, Falcon’s sales manager, and a
friend, Larry Vaughan, researched the LSA
fi eld and selected the Allegro as an excellent
value.
How successful was this decision? When
EAA held a Sport Pilot Tour at Falcon Field
last February, EAA’s Ron Wagner and I
visited with Vic and his chief fl ight instructor,
Matt Miller. Vic left no doubt in our minds
that their decision to embrace sport pilot
training was a good one. When asked if
the Allegro was robbing business from the
Cessna and Piper fl eet-that is, were hours
fl own in the Allegro merely replacing hours
that would have been fl own in the Cessna
or Piper aircraft-Vic said, “No. It’s new
money.”
The words “new money” were magical. It
was exactly what we wanted to hear. LSA are
much more likely to prosper in fl ight schools
if they do not displace activity on other
aircraft. Schools have major investments
in their GA fl eets and can’t ignore them.
That a major FBO like Falcon Executive can
profi tably use the Allegro without harming
its existing business means it can be (and
is!) satisfi ed with its LSA purchase and will
perhaps look to add more LSA.
Vic said Falcon Executive’s Allegro fl ies
70-80 hours a month, a fi gure Falcon
considers competitive and justifying of its
purchase.
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