In 1926, the 69th U.S. Congress realized the potential of aviation in our country. They understood how expanded commercial endeavors and a framework for safety, along with an explicit promotional imperative, were critical to the United States’ competitiveness in the world. The Air Commerce Act of 1926 defined who was to do what, when, where, why and how much it would take.
A burgeoning industry was taking shape in the 23 years following the Wright brothers’ first flight. Many of the early aviation stakeholders were airmail carriers and barnstorming entertainers who had returned from World War I flying military surplus equipment. The airmail routes and operators who flew them went on to form the fledgling airline industry. But it was the group of barnstormers, sometimes moonlighting as charter operators offering point-to-point flying services (mostly without any real support), who had the vision to develop the business and general aviation environments.
It’s interesting that our 69th group of senators and representatives decided not to overwhelm the young aviation industry with rigid rules or excessive penalties for breaking them. Instead, they wisely instructed the Department of Commerce to oversee what they knew was the next era of commercial interstate and later international flying activities, driven by air traffic and the ground facilities supporting it.
In 1928, just two years after the Air Commerce Act was signed into law, one of those barnstormers opened up shop in Albuquerque, New Mexico. There was an old, dusty hangar at Oxnard Airfield from which William P. Cutter worked using a newly coined term – fixed-base operator. Cutter served the community by providing charter flights throughout the Southwest, enabling ranchers and businesspeople to make deals in the 1930s. During that timeframe, the Cutter family brought two sons into the world, William R. (Bill) and Sidney, born in 1932 and 1934, respectively. And as the threat of a world war became a reality, Cutter Flying Service began training U.S. Navy pilots at Albuquerque’s West Mesa Airport.
The Allies celebrated victory in Europe in May 1945. A couple of years after that, in 1947, Cutter provided an example of the calculated growth that his business would become known for, now into the 21st century. He wagered that a move to Albuquerque’s Kirtland Field, now Albuquerque International Sunport, would spur and sustain his company’s expansion well into the future. A special relationship was built at the same time. Cutter would become a Beechcraft dealer and authorized service facility.
The two young Cutter brothers would follow their father’s ambitions, learning to fly early and later serving in the military during the 1950s. Once back in civilian life, Bill made another calculated growth move, this time out of state. Cutter opened its doors in Phoenix, Arizona, at Sky Harbor Airport in 1959. A little later, the family navigated a severe blow as William P. Cutter passed away in 1963. Sidney took the reins, remaining in Albuquerque until 1974. The mid-70s would find Sidney pursuing other personal ambitions while his brother Bill took control and continued Cutter’s own manifest destiny. He saw that further developing the company’s maintenance services, aircraft sales teams and charter footprint would be the way forward. The 1990s saw more of the same with the Deer Valley, Phoenix location opened in 1997, followed by San Antonio, Texas in 1998.
In September 2002, Bill’s son, William W. Cutter, became the president of Cutter Aviation. Known to all simply as Will Cutter, he has continued expansion in Texas, Colorado and Arizona. Will is proud of his upbringing in the family business, telling of his early years cleaning hangars and airplanes, learning all he could about selling and keeping customers happy. By 2014, the company had 250 employees and reached nearly $100 million in sales tracking to exceed $130 million from sales of the new HondaJet in 2015.
Sadly, on December 11th, 2018, Bill Cutter passed away. He was honored as a lifelong advocate for general and business aviation. “We acknowledge his devotion to professionalism and customer service, which equaled his passion for the industry, his good humor, grace and charm will not soon be forgotten” (AIN). Bill was prominent in the industry and at his family’s businesses up until the day he left us, even attending Cutter’s 90th anniversary celebrations at NBAA in Las Vegas in 2017. A life-long aviation enthusiast, Bill learned to fly sitting on his father’s lap and became an ATP-rated pilot in fixed-wing, helicopter and lighter than air aircraft, along with achieving several jet and turboprop type ratings. As an aviator, he accumulated thousands of hours during his life, with his most recent flying being in his treasured 1944 Beech Model 17 Staggerwing.
At the end of 2021, I had a chance to travel to Phoenix and sit down with Will and get to know his staff at the Sky Harbor location. I wanted to get an idea of some of the challenges facing the business today and what they’re doing to overcome them. Just as so many businesses are finding it difficult to find and retain good employees, Cutter is in the same position. Aviation is unique, too, because of the high level of skill needed for in-demand pilots and maintenance technicians.
The first thing out of Will’s mouth as I sat down in his office overlooking Sky Harbor’s runway and mountains behind the airport was, “Our employees are the most important aspect of this business. And we don’t just say it, we invest in them. We invest in training, we invest monetarily through bonuses, benefits and industry-high pay rates. And we’re always growing, so personal growth opportunities are high.” Cutter’s CARE (Cash and Recognition for Everyone) program is a profit-sharing plan whereby a percentage of the company’s profits are divided equally among all
employees each month. “Some months, that doesn’t add up to a whole lot, but I like to be there to hand out the checks. That’s part of the fun side of the business.” The company’s AERO program also offers bonuses based on employee seniority in addition to matching their 401k contributions.
Regarding suppliers, Cutter Aviation shows how much it values long-term relationships, maintaining long and healthy partnerships with Dallas Airmotive, now StandardAero, and Aviall, now Boeing Distribution, and Phillips 66. Fuel is a large part of Cutter’s business. “Phillips 66 is a favored fuel brand for pilots, and we have an 80-year history with them, so it’s a good fit.”
Aircraft sales are the bread and butter of Cutter’s revenue pie. And just like their valuable relationships with other vendors and suppliers, the OEMs who manufacture the aircraft they sell are extremely important to them. Will also spoke about each of his inner circle of leaders at the company headquarters: Marketing, HR, Charter, Sales, Finance, Service & Support – all of them of equal importance.
I had a chance to talk to Will’s daughter, Anna Cutter, too. She’s an Alabama Crimson Tide grad with a degree in interior design. Anna’s done some work in her degree field, but I could sense real enthusiasm while discussing her increasing leadership in the family business. She and her brother Will D. Cutter, who is now leading Cutter’s acquisition and startup of its newest facility in Georgetown, Texas, just north of Austin, are poised to continue the family tradition of growth and strategic industry leadership. When I asked about sibling rivalries and competitiveness between the two, she simply smiled and said that she and Will D. have the same business goals in mind and that they are great friends and colleagues. You can usually find Anna at Cutter’s Addison Airport facility in Dallas providing sales support for the robust charter business.
Cutter recently brought on a new CFO, Peter Hokanson, to help guide the financial side of Cutter’s goals. Peter is a veteran of Honeywell and other aviation companies, and when asked about any challenges to Cutter reaching its goals, he said that they’re working hard to keep up with demand, which has only grown in the last two years. Peter acknowledged, “We’ve had some of our best quarters financially recently, and we don’t see it slowing down soon. So, we’re focused on serving our customers and taking care of our employees and hiring the best new people where needed.”
Heather Wahl, PHR, is a relatively new addition to the leadership team. She’s a professional who takes her mission seriously managing Cutter’s personnel needs, but her approach is unique and sometimes considered outside the box. Her focus is on taking care of their customers by ensuring employees’ needs are met.
Genaro Sanchez is a marketing professional charged with directing Cutter’s vast marketing efforts. Marketing tells a brand’s story, provides awareness for new promotions and products, and helps to fine-tune the company’s messages. But marketing facilitates the building of relationships with customers, and sometimes it provides the first touch-point. And it’s evident how important the role is to Will Cutter – Genaro’s office is right next door to the president’s.
As they approach 90 years servicing their business aviation customers, Cutter Aviation’s current location lineup looks like this:
Charter
ADS – Dallas Addison Airport
PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor
FBO Services
ABQ – Albuquerque
COS – Colorado Springs
DVT – Deer Valley, Phoenix
GTU – Georgetown, Texas
PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor
PRC – Prescott, Arizona
Maintenance
ADS – Dallas Addison Airport
APA – Denver, Colorado
PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor
SAT – San Antonio, Texas
Aircraft Sales
ADS – Dallas Addison Airport
APA – Denver, Colorado
CRQ – Carlsbad, California
PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor
SAT – San Antonio, Texas
SNA – Orange County, California
What started as a barnstormer’s way to help support a burgeoning industry defined by a new set of commercial laws in 1928 has become a household name in general aviation. Cutter now employs over 275 aviation professionals, with more than 30 on the way at their sixth FBO in Prescott, Arizona. Revenues in 2021 topped $250 million. Cutter Aviation’s tagline is “leading the business of aviation,” and from what I can see, the southwestern United States has fully acknowledged the Cutter family’s leadership for many years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
