Page 28 - Index

WHO:
Mark Molloy
Co-Founder
and President, Partners in Aviation
Former Regional Sales Director, Beechcraft
HOMEBASE:
Chicago, Illinois
RATINGS:
Multi-Engine; ATP; BE-300/1900 Type-Rating
HOURS:
4,000+
by Rebecca Groom Jacobs
1. Can you describe your start at Beechcraft? What about the products/ brand kept you hooked for 34 years?
When I started, Olive Ann Beech was still there. When you came to the factory to pick up your new airplane, the highlight of the day was lunch with the Grand Dame of our industry. She brought a touch of elegance to the process and made sure each customer knew how much they were valued. Also, we were a very tight Beechcraft family. It was a work environment that is hard to duplicate today.
The typical customer buying a new King Air was a small businessman who took a huge risk somewhere along the way. Picking up their new airplane was a proud moment for them. The quality of those customers, many of whom remain friends today, made it easy to want to stay hooked that long.
2. In your opinion, why is the King Air still a success today – more than 50 years after its introduction?
Because Walter and Olive Ann got it right when they focused on cabin comfort. Most new designs today are moving the focus back to the cabin at the expense of some performance. Embraer, HondaJet and the new designs from Textron all are coming to market with this mindset. Today, if you can tout the bigger cabin cross-section, flatter-floor and larger entry door, you stand a very good chance of being the market leaderinyoursegment. Topspeed(Lear,CitationX)hasgivenwaytocabincomfort, and that is what the King Air has always been about.
26 • TWIN & TURBINE
October 2018