“Fly With The Best”

Mind Set of the Jet Set

Why do Jets land in Renton?

 

Where the jet lands involves many decisions concerning weather, runway length, availability of services and facilities.  As such, Boeing Field is a much better option for most jets, especially larger ones.  Boeing Field has a runway twice as long as ours, a precision approach, and several very good FBO’s.  These factors make it a sure bet that the flight will go as planned and will be on schedule.

A major factor in the decision, safety and weather considerations notwithstanding, is the destination of the passengers.  Pilots choose Renton when the passengers find our airport more convenient than Boeing Field.  If your destination is one of the Eastside Communities, landing in Renton may well save you time.  But there's a catch.  If, after flying all the way across the country, your pilot now tells you that you have to land at Boeing Field because of weather, all your travel arrangements will have to be rearranged and you will probably be late for your meeting. 

 

“Build it and They Will Come” ?

 

There is one thing I ‘m sure we’ll agree on.  The last time you or I got on an airliner, we didn’t choose our destination because we liked the airport.  Did you say “I feel like going to Las Vegas, but Sacramento has such a beautiful airport terminal.”?  The point I’m trying to make is that building a Corporate Aviation Center is not going to attract jets from all over the country.  But not having a suitable facility to accommodate them arguably gives Renton a black eye and misrepresents our wonderful city to influential people who choose to visit and do business here.

 

“Don’t Build it and They Will Leave” ?

 

Not building a Jet Center will not make the jets go away. The jets come to Renton for reasons decided upon by their owners.  Pro-Flight Aviation has and will continue to reactively service these important customers, ahead of our competition. We inform late night arrivals about the noise issues, but are not “able” to refuse them service. Remember, one of our main profit centers is fuel sales, and jets need a lot of fuel.  Please, don’t misinterpret this as poor airport citizenship, but realize it is just part of what our family business relies upon for a portion of our income. Pro-Flight has made a conscious decision not to actively promote this segment of our business. We believe this to be a responsible alternative for the community.

Why Would Anyone Own A Business Jet?

 

The decision to fly somewhere by business jet is an expensive one.  Remember, it’s not just the price of the plane.  If you’re going to buy a jet, you’ll need a pilot and co-pilot, fuel, insurance, maintenance, and a place to park.  Justifying this kind of expenditure to the Board of Directors, or your spouse, means you better have an upside to your argument. 

A Hawker 700 Business Jet

There are two primary reasons to fly by business jet:  time and security. Traveling in this fashion allows you to avoid the long security lines, and land at airports closer to your actual destination.  Since 9/11, many companies insist their key executives utilize business jets because of increased safety concerns and to maximize time savings of these well compensated individuals.

 

Getting to look cool, making your friends jealous, and annoying people on the ground are all just part of the deal. Seriously though, these affluent people do not want to attract bad publicity by their activities. Our experience shows they will help alleviate the noise issues they help create, given a well managed process. But this requires that each individual pilot be informed of this process by the FBO servicing them during their visit. Pro-Flight feels this is an important part of a forward thinking solution, and is willing to assume this responsibility as part of our management proposal.