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• 2002 – Several large accomplishments at Epps: o Appointed Cirrus Authorized Service Center o Formal Non Destructive Inspection programs
established for teardown work on P-3, S-3, C-130
and F-22 aircraft
o P-38 “Glacier Girl” returns to flight on October 22
• 2005 – Epps’ 40th anniversary
• 2007 – Pat Epps honored as John P
“Jack” Doswell Award winner during the
NBAA Convention in Atlanta
• 2011 – Pat Epps honored twice:
o Harrison Ford Aviation Legacy Award winner at 8th Annual Living Legends of Aviation event in Beverly Hills, CA
o Inducted into Georgia’s Aviation Hall of Fame in Warner Robins, GA
• 2013 – Pat Epps mourns the loss of his and his com- pany’s biggest supporter, his wife, Ann Hailey Epps
• 2015 – Epps Aviation 50th Anniversary
In 2019, Epps Aviation hosted the Super Bowl and then in 2020 gave its customer terminal building a substantial facelift. These days, the business is run by Pat’s children. His daughter Elaine is president, while her sister Marian handles finances as CFO. And their continued growth
through customer satisfaction is their top priority, evi- denced by Epps Aviation’s accomplishment of the ARGUS platinum rating for its charter business.
We all love the stories of visionary people and compa- nies who through a unique mix of grit, smarts and luck come to be known as household names. And the formula for getting there isn’t always the same. In fact, it’s usually different in every case. For Pat Epps, a man who never envisioned himself as an aviation business owner, much less one who has shaped the industry in myriad ways, the path for success was a long and winding road. Sometimes the stars align, and the coalescence of opportunity and strategy takes form and shapes up to meet a unique need or offer a new way of doing something. That’s called inno- vation. An appropriate synonym for that buzzword could be “Pat Epps” – a living legend still talking aviation at his growing FBO in Atlanta.
Lance Phillips is an aviation professional, writer, pilot and photographer. He is executive director for the Pinnacle Air Net- work and owns Phillips Aero Services, an aviation marketing services provider. You can contact Lance at lance@phillip- saeroservices.com.
Yingling
January 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 21