Today, Perry Worth Elementary Kindergarten classes enjoyed a fun filled, educational day at the airprot!  Carl Winkler, did a fabulous job teaching them all about the different types of airplanes.  He showed them all the moving parts of a Piper and explained to them why they were very important in the flight of the aircraft.  The kids were so very well behaved and had a great interest in learning about aviation and flying airplanes!  Maybe this trip will inspire some of these kids to one day become a pilot!!  Aviation education at a young age is important to continue the growth of general aviation, we always are willing to host field trips for our local schools and organizations.  Thanks again, Carl for a wonderful event!

Lawmaker Highlights Small Business Impact From Aircraft Tax-Change Proposal

March 19, 2013

The possible negative consequences from altering the tax-depreciation schedule for general aviation aircraft were recently highlighted by Rep. Todd Rokita (R-4-IN) during a hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2014 budget.

At issue was an amendment to a bill, sponsored by House Democrats, which would have altered the depreciation schedule for non-commercial aircraft purchases from five years to seven years. The White House has repeatedly called for an end to what the president terms the “corporate jet tax loophole,” asserting the adjustment would yield $3 billion in additional revenue over the next 10 years.

In the March 13 hearing in the United States House of Representatives Budget Committee, Rokita said the proposed amendment sought to “demagogue” business aircraft users, and would’ve harmed small business owners and general aviation pilots operating their aircraft on a variety of missions.

“We get some kind of satisfaction out of saying that they don't pay their fair share,” he added.

Rokita, himself a commercial pilot, then displayed a photo of Dan and Andi Montgomery, owners of Indiana fixed-base operator Montgomery Aviation, which supports general aviation operations including medical flights, airborne search-and-rescue, disaster relief, and law enforcement and agricultural support roles.

“Do they look like globe-trotting, jet millionaires to you?” he asked rhetorically. “They're small business owners.”

Watch Rep. Rokita's Comments in Support of GA Small Businesses

Rokita reiterated that any estimated gains from the depreciation schedule adjustment would be offset by the profoundly negative impact to all general aviation, including business aviation, which contributes more than $150 billion annually to the economy and employs more than 1.2 million Americans. Businesses relying on general aviation would be hit with increased capital costs, he added, as well as a drop in aggregate demand, manufacturing employment, and the number of GA service providers.

“When we demagogue the ‘jet-tax loophole’, and those people who might benefit from a simple business depreciation schedule, you might think about the real face of general aviation and the people who work in it who serve this country, and who we'd really hurt,” Rokita added. The amendment was ultimately voted down by the committee, by a vote of 17 to 22.

NBAA Senior Vice President, Government Affairs Lisa Piccione welcomed the groundswell of support from congressional lawmakers for the industry.

“Our Association is gratified by the support our industry has received from elected officials like Rep. Rokita and others in the House and Senate, who recognize that general aviation is an essential tool for citizens, companies, and communities across the country,” she said.

Article Originally published by NBAA - http://www.nbaa.org/admin/taxes/depreciation/20130319-lawmaker-highlights-small-business-impact-from-aircraft-tax-change-proposal.php

There are only a few things in life to which we can ascribe no true price.  Learning to fly is one of those things.  It is priceless.  The absolute joy, the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and the exhilaration at being able to escape your earthly bonds is indescribable.  It is the adventure of a lifetime; we at Montgomery Aviation Inc. would like to invite you to experience first hand.

But, flying should not be just a dream.  The practicality of being in charge of your own travel destiny, whether you own your own plane or choose to rent, general aviation, opens doors that only pilots have access too.  Montgomery Aviation Inc. and its flying club, “Eagle Flyers” holds your key to this whole new world.

Just think of it, possessing the ability to drive to an airport convenient to your or business, park for free within walking distance of your hangar, climb aboard your personal aircraft, take off and fly to the destination of your choice, on your schedule, and then return on your schedule.  Let’s replay that.  No parking fees, no waiting in the parking lot for the shuttle bus, no tickets to buy, no checking in, no metal detectors, no having to take your shoes off, no having to empty your pockets, no having to wait in long lines to board, and no departure delays at busy airports.  When you fly yourself the rules change.  It takes me 15 minutes to pull the plane out of the hangar, by the time you board a commercial airline, I’m 200 miles on my way.  Add in the time you’ll waste getting out of your destination airport and I’ll travel 400 miles.  I can beat a commercial airline fromIndianapolistoAtlantain the time you waste getting in and out of most commercial airports.

We are looking for people like you, people who seek out ways to improve their lives.  We have the means to introduce you to the dream.   Montgomery Aviation’s, “Eagle Flyers” is one of the few flight schools to offer training in new Cessna  and Cirrus aircraft.  Eagle Flyers, is a Cessna Pilot Center & Cirrus Pilot Training Center with the areas most experienced flight instructors.  All of our training staff are professional pilots with thousands of hour of experience.    Our instructors are not building time to go elsewhere.  They have time.  They instruct because they love aviation and the satisfaction of sharing the dream with new pilots.

Realize the dream.  Call me at 317-769-4487 or visit our website at

http://www.montgomeryaviation.net/Eagle-Flyers/

Schedule a flight and experience the dream, it’s easier than you think, in fact if you can qualify for a Indiana Driver’s License you can fly our Sky Catchers.

Sincerely,
Carl J Winkler III VP

In early November, the Aviation Association of Indiana (AAI) announced its 2012 Indiana Airports' Economic Impact Study.  The study evaluated the economic impact of the 69 public use airports in Indiana that are part of the state's official State Aviation System Plan.

The study found that Indianapolis Executive Airport contributes over $430 million in annual economic output and creates and sustains nearly 2,400 jobs with a payroll of nearly $125 million annually in Hamilton and Boone counties.  In total, Indiana’s 69 public-use airports, as part of the State’s Aviation System Plan, contribute $14.1 billion in economic output and create and sustain more than 69,000 jobs in Indiana. 

You can read the report published by AAI, Conexus Indiana, and INDOT HERE.

You can also view the press release by Indianapolis Executive Airport HERE.

Numerous media reports have been done on the study and feature Dan and Andi Montgomery:

Zionsville Times Sentinel (partial article - full article only available in print edition)

Indianapolis Star (paid archive file)

Inside Indiana Business (video)

Aviation International News featured Montgomery Aviation as their FBO profile for the month of December.  This is a great honor and wonderful exposure for the FBO and the Montgomery's.  The article covers the long history of the airport and how Dan and Andi have dedicated their lives to the growth and success of the FBO and airport.  You can read below the entire article or click this link to go to AIN website: http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2012-12-02/fbo-profile-montgomery-aviation

FBO Profile: Montgomery Aviation

AVIATION INTERNATIONAL NEWS » DECEMBER 2012

by  CURT EPSTEIN

While the operators of some FBOs may feel as if they live at the airport, Dan and Andi Montgomery of Indianapolis Executive Airport’s (TYQ) Montgomery Aviation actually do. Dan, who has been at the northern Indianapolis airport (formerly known as Terry Field) since 1989, is currently the airport manager. He and his wife, Andi, also own and operate the lone aviation services provider on the field. The couple also manages the FBOs at two other Indiana locations: Frankfurt Municipal Airport and Grissom Airbase, a joint-use military-civil facility.

Dan had served at the airport as its maintenance provider, and in 2000 the couple offered to take over management of the ramshackle FBO run by the private airport’s owner as well. They moved their family onto the field and began to offer service whenever it was required. When they took over, there were 40 aircraft based at the airport, half of them gliders and the remainder a mix of flyable and un-flyable piston-engine airplanes. That first year, the couple sold 50,000 gallons of fuel. In 2001 the FBO welcomed its first based business jet, owned by someone who is still with them and now owns a Learjet 45XR and a helicopter.

Opportunities for Growth

In 2003, when the original owner of the airport retired, Hamilton County purchased and renamed the field. That same year Montgomery completed its first 18,000-sq-ft corporate hangar and office building, which quickly filled to capacity. The new structure allowed the FBO to vacate the old terminal, referred to as “the shack.” The number of based aircraft continued to climb, and three years later the Montgomerys added an 8,000-sq-ft terminal and another 18,000-sq-ft hangar as part of a nearly $2 million upgrade. They also added an 18,000-sq-ft canopy.

Today the nontower airport, which sees some 60,000 operations a year, is home to approximately 100 aircraft, including 22 business jets, a GIII among them, and the Avfuel-branded location will pump more than 700,000 gallons of fuel this year, according to Andi Montgomery. The FBO occupies a footprint of eight acres and can accommodate aircraft the size of a Boeing BBJ. The location also offers a flight school and a Part 145 maintenance station that can handle engine changes and Phase I to IV inspections on Cessna Citations. The business is also half owner of charter provider SolutionsAir, which operates a Citation I as well as a pair of King Airs and a Pilatus PC-12.

The FBO’s fuel farm can store 24,000 gallons of jet-A dispensed from either a 5,000-gallon tanker or a renovated military truck that can hold 8,000 gallons. For avgas the location offers a self-fueling option or the services of a 4,000-gallon tanker.

The FBO is open generally from 5:30 a.m. until 9 p.m., but having its operators living on the airport provides benefits for customers. “We post those hours, but I tell people just tell me when you are coming and we’ll be there,” Andi Montgomery told AIN. Among the amenities offered are free Wi-Fi throughout the terminal, crew cars, WSI weather and a computer-equipped pilot lounge/snooze room with showers. The FBO also has two conference rooms that can seat 12 and eight people respectively, and onsite car rental.

The Montgomerys believe in community involvement and the need to show the best face of general aviation to the neighborhood. To that end, the company has provided its light- and sound-equipped canopy as the venue for many local events, including an annual Downs Syndrome Indiana fundraiser, aero club dinners and concerts. Once a year, a local church even celebrates Mass under the shelter, followed by a pot-luck picnic. Around Halloween, part of one of the FBO’s hangars hosts a safe “trick or treating” party for local children, who are treated to such fun and games as a candy drop and taxiway rides on the FBO’s World War II-vintage truck. Andi Montgomery sees exposing guests to aviation as a side benefit: “Those kids come in and play in half the hangar, but they are looking at the jets and the helicopter.”

During last year’s Super Bowl, the facility found itself swamped with more than 60 business jets and the Montgomerys were forced to turn away business, including one well known pilot/actor. When one potential customer was told beforehand that there was no more parking space for a large jet, the customer said he would fly his King Air to the game instead. The location scrambled for equipment such as chocks to accommodate the surge, and more than 100 volunteers turned out to help. Local restaurants were on hand greeting arriving guests with appetizers, as others steered them to the Super Bowl desk and then out to the 100 rental cars and 30 limousines at the terminal’s front entrance. On Super Bowl Sunday Indianapolis Executive was the second busiest airport behind Indianapolis International. That day Montgomery Aviation recorded 92 operations, including 30 jets that landed, unloaded their passengers and returned later to pick them up after the game. A bonus, according to Montgomery, was the evening temperature, which dipped just low enough for all those parked aircraft to require de-icing before departure.

The new Cessna 162 Skycatcher N6055Z, has arrived at Eagle Flyers Flight Club at Indianapolis Executive Airport in Zionsville, IN.  This is the second Skycatcher to join the Eagle Flyers fleet making Eagle Flyers the only club in the region with two Skycatchers available.  What makes this even more exciting is the fact that several flight students have joined Eagle Flyers as partners in ownership.  These students have seen the value that learning to fly can bring to their business and personal lives, and thus have purchased shares in Eagle Flyers I, the company that owns several of the aircraft available in the Eagle Flyers fleet.  A group of students and owners traveled earlier this week to the Cessna Factory in Independence, Kansas to pick up the Skycatcher and had the opportunity to get a tour of the factory where the Skycatcher, Skyhawk, Skylane, Stationair, and Citation Mustang are all produced.  It was a great time, a great tour, and an exciting adventure for some of our students who became owners.  We will be sharing some of their stories individually over the coming days.  Check out some pictures from the trip below:

 
Carl Winkler pilots his Piper Comanche with new Eagle Flyers owners Charlie Hunter and Kent Ward

Bobby and Pat pilot a Cessna 310 en route to Independence, KS with Maxwell Tyler, David Conway, and Sean White onboard

Arrival at the Cessna Factory in Independence, KS

Maxwell Tyler inspects his new Cessna 162 Skycatcher

Carl Winkler, Charlie Hunter, and Maxwell Tyler at the Cessna Factory - Timeline of Cessna history behind them

Kent Ward in his new Cessna 162 Skycatcher - the newest addition to the Eagle Flyers fleet\

Maxwell Tyler in the new Skycatcher

Dave Conway and Maxwell Tyler get ready to takeoff for Indy Exec from Independence, KS - they make the trip over two days to make the 5 hour trip a little easier.

Eagle Flyers flight school is a certified Cessna Pilot Center near Indianapolis offering flight training for sport, private, instrument, and commercial certifications.  Eagle Flyers has the region's most diverse aircraft rental fleet including two new Cessna 162 Skycatchers, several Cessna 172 Skyhawks, a Cessna 182 Skylane, a Cirrus SR20 and SR22, and a Beechcraft Bonanza for rent.  Eagle Flyers prides itself in employing experienced, top-notch instructors who share the same passion for flight instruction as their students do for learning.  

Congrats are in order for NATA President, Jim Coyne.  He is retiring after a wonderful 18 years as President.  Dan and Andi Montgomery are very involved in NATA and wish him a happy retirement and they will miss him!  Pictured here is Dan with Jim and his wife Holly at the AvFuel party at NBAA.  

Again, congratulations on your retirement, Jim!!

This month's edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine has a large feature focusing on the 75th Anniversary of the Piper Cub.  Longtime friends of Dan and Andi Montgomery, Steve and Jo Alcorn took the trip of a lifetime ferrying a Piper Cub from Bedford, IN to Winter Haven, FL.  The entire trip was detailed in the magazine and is now available online:

http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2012/november/f_cub.html

Andrea “Andi” Montgomery is the vice president of operations and functions as the chief financial officer for Montgomery Aviation, Indy Executive Airport’s full-service fixed base operator.

During Montgomery’s tenure, Montgomery Aviation expanded its facilities to include two 18,000-square foot hangars, central Indiana’s only covered ramp and an executive jet center terminal with corporate offices, conference rooms, pilot lounges and flight planning centers. The company also added two additional locations – Frankfort Municipal Airport in 2005 and Grissom Aeroplex in 2008.

The full-service fixed base operator provides aircraft services from maintenance, de-icing and fueling, and concierge services such as rental cars and hotel accommodations for passengers and crew. Montgomery Aviation also provides a full Cessna pilot & Cirrus training center flight school, Eagle Flyers Inc.

Andrea Montgomery is currently vice president on the Aviation Association of Indiana board and will be the next president. She serves on the board of the Boone County Economic Development Corp. and the Zionsville Economic Development Commission, National Air Transportation Association, Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the executive committee of the Westfield Chamber of Commerce.

About this time10 years ago, Indianapolis Executive Airport secured their 1^st new business for Hamilton County.   We noticed a Minnesota Utility was flying their jet into Indianapolis International Airport.  I telephoned them and actually talked the CEO about using our airport.   He was a nice fellow looking to move their auto business to Indianapolis.  I shared with him what we were doing with Indy Exec and that Hamilton County should be considered for their headquarters.  Their next trip to Indy they landed at Indy Exec we sent them to look at the north Meridian corridor and Adesa has been here for 10 years now.

They have about 380 employees most of them settled in the Carmel area, two of their executives own aircraft based at Indy Exec.  I estimate their average salary may be about $50,000 per employee that means they may have payroll of about $19 million.  Hamilton County’s option income tax (COIT) is 1% thus this company adds about $190,000 a year to the county’s budget.  That’s about $1.9 million over the last 10 years.

The AAI, Aviation Association of Indiana, publishes a bi-annual report on the economic impact the states airports have on their respective communities.  We’ve been busy at Indy Exec. When Dan & Andi Montgomery took over Indy Exec in 2000, the economic impact was about $3 million which grew to $88 million on the last report.  The past reports were based the economic impact of capital spending.  The recent report was based on the number of employees each airport supports and their respective payroll in the community.  The economic impact of the income spent in the community is more significant than capital spending.

Indy Exec has 16 businesses that base their aircraft with us, however about 190 companies use the airport.  I estimate the airport supports about 2,500 employees in these 190 companies.  I estimate the payroll for these 2,500 employees may be about $125 million.  The COIT on this payroll is significant.

Although, I’ve only commented on the COIT figures, the employees supported by the airport will likely be paying property taxes and their employers will be paying property taxes. The payroll is often larger than the capital expenditures thus the economic impact a very large number.