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By 2011, Atlantic Aviation had acquired Flightcraft and rebranded its FBO businesses. However, the main- tenance side of the operation retained the Flightcraft name. They wanted to build a future-proof business, and Brent Fraser was again back to lead the way. Flightcraft built new hangar facilities and left the 1950s-era wooden arches behind them.
According to AIN at the time, Fraser said, “Through conversations with colleagues, I became aware that Atlantic Aviation wanted to strengthen and build the maintenance, repair, and overhaul portion of the busi- ness, so I aggressively approached them about playing a key role in that effort. I always loved the area and the company; I watched them for ten years, waiting for such an opportunity to arise,” he said.
“The day I walked in the door, my singular goal was to make Flightcraft the only show around.” To do that, Fraser drew on his experience as Hawker crew chief at the KC Aviation facility in Westfield, Mass., during the 1990s. He told AIN, “I was part of an aggressive program that saw that business grow from 10 employees to several hundred. It was done by extremely hard work, never saying no, and with the determination that if we weren’t able to specifically help a customer, we made sure to find a way to get it done.” He employed the same strategy at Flightcraft and “the growth we’ve experienced to date underscores its importance.”
Through Fraser’s leadership, Flightcraft has grown from its two locations in Portland and Eugene, Oregon, to include another facility at BFI, Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington. BFI was established to serve a market of fleet operators, but technicians from Oregon can travel to Seattle to take care of any needs at any location.
Currently, Flightcraft maintains classic Dassault Falcon jets, along with Textron Aviation’s King Air and Citation lines. Mr. Fraser said, “We’ve done more than just expand our capabilities to service Falcons; we’ve brought some of the most knowledgeable technicians available to lead the way. We offer full capabilities to keep any flight de- partment in the air. We support our customers through decades of combined skills to give you unmatched quality in work, pricing and on-time delivery.”
In addition to Falcon support, Flightcraft is a Textron Aviation authorized service center (ASC) and a Citation- certified repair station with AOG support all day, every day. Their team is made up of experts, with the 500 series Citation line having more than 20 years of Citation-heavy maintenance experience.
It is evident that now, just as in the 1940s, Flightcraft is a shining example of innovation and determination. Through ownership changes, market changes and industry changes, the leaders at Flightcraft have made the right decisions and have found new avenues to success, solving problems in unique ways. That is actually the definition of innovation.
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January 2024 / TWIN & TURBINE • 25