OUR HISTORY:

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RONALD D. RYAN

Ronald D. Ryan moved to Wichita in the fall of 1968 to accept a position as Chief Pilot for Jack P. DeBoer Associates, Inc., an apartment development organization with operations throughout the United States. 

The flight department began with a single Cessna 310 and grew to include a Cessna 210, another Cessna 310 and a Lear 24B jet aircraft. In 1972, Jack P. DeBoer, a real estate developer, and Ron Ryan began a Part 135 Jet Charter Service, DeBoer Aviation, based at 1600 Airport Road, Wichita, Kansas, with a Lear 24B, formerly used by DeBoer's apartment development organization.  The structure consisted of approximately 8,500 square feet of space. Ron Ryan was Chief Pilot and part owner of this newly formed jet charter service.

One of the first customers Ron Ryan convinced to use this jet charter service was a customer of Learjet's who had just purchased a new Lear but would not get delivery for three months. That three-month charter contract established the financial foundation for the company. After two years at DeBoer Aviation, a flight was operated for George Ablah, a local real estate developer. To George, the ability to travel between several points in one day and work on a real estate transaction in one city, with a banker in another city, a buyer or seller in a third city and still be home at night with his family was very valuable. George Ablah became interested in the development of DeBoer Aviation, and he eventually became a major stockholder. In 1975, Ron Ryan and George Ablah became fifty-fifty partners as the sole owners of DeBoer Aviation, and the name was changed to Ryan Aviation Corporation.

Prior to coming to work for Mr. DeBoer, Ron Ryan, an Iowa native, was a trained tool and die maker employed by Western Electric, a subsidiary of the Bell system. He worked his way up through the ranks; and with additional training, he was promoted into engineering.  Ron developed a love for flying and eventually made a career decision to become a professional pilot. He has over 20,000 flight hours to his credit and has flown corporate, passenger, Emery, and United Parcel Service aircraft for his company.

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