Getting Some Air Time
Local entrepreneur hopes charter flight business will take off with business executives
In the business world, time is money. And time spent getting to the airport, waiting in line to check luggage, plodding through security and waiting at the gate for commercial air travel can get mighty expensive.
But if you've got the coin, and understand the value of your time, Ken Brown, owner of Skyline Flight of Spencer, has a better option.
Brown, or any of his four pilots, will pick you up at any of the dozens of small, local airstrips in the region and take you to just about any destination, city or region in the Northeast, and back again, in a fraction of the time of commercial air service, and with a lot less hassle, Brown says.
Ken Brown, owner of Skyline Flight of Spencer.Commuting Nightmare
Brown started Skyline Flight after his frequent business trips back and forth from Worcester to Harrisburg, Pa., as a software consultant, prompted him to buy a small Cessna aircraft in the mid 90s. He did so after realizing that driving, or, alternately, flying commercial to Philadelphia, then arranging transportation to Harrisburg, took the same amount of time.
After obtaining his pilot's license and buying a small affordable plane, he said his commute time was cut from seven and a half hours down to a little more than two.
Additionally, the convenience of flying from small airports that he could virtually see from his offices in both locations more than made up for the cost.
"To fly from a little airport literally in sight of Worcester and Harrisburg, and to know within five minutes exactly when I would get there, was awesome," Brown said. "That predictability was so key. No matter where you're going, there's almost always a small airport closer to your destination than a larger commercial hub."
In 2003, Brown upgraded from his Cessna to a brand new, far more modern Cirrus SR22 aircraft, which cut his regular commute to and from Harrisburg to about an hour and a half.
Flying out of Worcester Airport, Brown said he received numerous comments on his sleek new plane. Someone suggested he use the plane for charter trips, and so was born Skyline Flight in 2007.
Brown operates Skyline Flight under the charter license of Eagle Air, an operation run out of Worcester Airport that flies a larger, twin-engine aircraft than his single-engine, four seat (including the pilot) Cirrus.
Tight Federal Aviation Administration guidelines mandated Skyline to run under the license of Worcester-based Eagle Air. Such arrangements are fairly common, Brown said.
Small regional or commuter service offered by large commercial airlines is often technically operated by a smaller charter company, he explained, in order to save regulatory cost and hassle.
While the larger craft operated by Eagle Air are faster in the air, Brown said that their larger size dictates different, longer pre-flight procedures. For short and medium trips, the Cirrus proves faster doorstep to doorstep.
Reservations on Skyline can be made months or minutes prior to a trip, Brown said.
The Financials
Currently operating only one aircraft, Brown said Skyline is not yet profitable, though it is "on the cusp."
When Brown started officially offering Skyline flights at the beginning of this summer, business was brisk, with plenty of travelers to summer destinations like Nantucket, the Cape and coastal Maine.
Predictably, business has dropped off since then, and Brown said the company's next step is to fill the "island travel" void with business travelers, which has met with limited success.
"We need to be utilized more," Brown said. "We're getting there. We're starting to learn about the ups and downs of the business."
Brown said his best customer is one who understands the value of his or her time. People who have flown charter flights before understand Brown's sermon about time being money, and are most often the customers he attracts.
But Brown admits it is difficult to convince the business traveler accustomed to the routine of commercial flight of the value of his business.
Where Brown hopes to make his sale is on touting the economies of scale he brings to the business traveler.
"With most commercial flights, you're renting the seat," Brown said. "With us, you're renting the aircraft."
Brown said with one aircraft, he is flirting with profitability, and will start to make money with two or three planes, which is where his future lies.
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