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The Company operated as an FAR Part 135 jet charter division through 1980, then acquired a part 121 operational certificate. At its peak, this corporate jet charter service included seven business jet aircraft (some owned by Ryan) and others on a lease back program. Starting in 1980 with the 121 certification, the fleet built up to eight B-727s operated for Emery, eight B-727s operated for UPS, three B-727 passenger aircraft Ryan operated as Ryan International, plus five B-757s operated for UPS. Raymond E. Thomas, presently Vice President of Technical Services, began his employment with the Company in 1972 in the Maintenance Department. By 1979, Ryan's Maintenance Department had become a significant profit center. As a result, in 1979 the Company completed its first major expansion of its facilities. This was a 14,000 square foot, high-roofed hangar in Wichita in which Ryan performed maintenance on all types of business jets. |
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In January 1994, the FBO assets were sold. During Ryan’s ownership, the Wichita FBO was open for business 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year, with full service needs for any corporate aircraft. A Customer Service Representative was available during business hours to help customers with fuel orders, catering, rental cars, and to coordinate maintenance, cleaning, and hangar services.
The Company FBO specialized in maintenance of all kinds of turbine powered aircraft including Learjet, Cessna Citation, and Beechcraft King Air aircraft. The maintenance facility was a Federal Aviation Administration Certified Repair Station for both maintenance and avionics and was an Airwork Service Center for Pratt & Whitney and Garrett engines. A spare parts inventory of several hundred thousand dollars was augmented by inventory stockpiles of the major aircraft manufacturers also located in Wichita. Ryan's all-around maintenance capability and hangar facilities were unequalled at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport. All of Ryan's mechanics were Airframe and Powerplant certified mechanics and were trained to handle any problems which could have arisen on large or small jet aircraft. Services included fueling, maintenance service checks, on-call maintenance, overnight maintenance, aircraft cleaning, and lavatory services. In 1981, the Ryan Aviation corporate jet business could no longer be contained in the two existing hangars. Ryan was also looking ahead to other expansions and purchased a company, then called Flo-air International, which was located in two hangars directly to the south of Ryan's existing operation. Flo-air International, an international aircraft ferrying service, was closed down and the hangars were remodeled to house additional Ryan corporate jet operations and offices. The combined facilities gave the company approximately 45,000 square feet of hangar facilities and 15,000 square feet of office space at its fixed base location in Wichita. As time went on, Ryan was forced to find additional office space in order to expand the airline services. In November 1985, the Ryan International offices relocated from the airport facilities to one floor of an office building in downtown Wichita, the Centre City Plaza building, where the company occupied 11,500 square feet of office space.
Several Ryan International Boeing 727 mechanics were stationed at the Wichita FBO facility. Because of aircraft parts availability at the Wichita Stores, various maintenance functions were performed on Boeing aircraft at the FBO. Ryan maintained the capability in Wichita of performing all maintenance on the Boeing aircraft, short of "C" and Heavy Maintenance checks, which require extensive downtime in an enclosed facility. This heavy maintenance was contracted to major airline contractors. Currently, Ryan maintains an inventory of over ten million dollars worth of Boeing 727 parts previously located in Dayton and Indianapolis. At one time or another, maintenance or line service work was performed for all commercial air carriers that flew into Wichita, Kansas. Ryan's on-call maintenance people were prepared to handle almost any form of emergency -- be it corporate or air carrier needs.
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RYAN
AVIATION
This
large, heated hangar handled large corporate aircraft such as the Grumman
Gulfstream aircraft. Emery's Boeing 727 aircraft and Ryan
International's Boeing 727 and 737 aircraft have been in this hangar
for maintenance and FAA evacuation training exercises.
Flight
line service and fuel sales were consistently the FBO's major profit
source. Several hundred thousand gallons of fuel were pumped each month
into the air carriers servicing Wichita as well as the corporate and
private aircraft Ryan fueled. Ryan's
ground services included fueling, parking, storage, cleaning, lav
services, and de-icing of private as well as commercial aircraft in
Wichita.
Ryan's
FBO also maintained a complete avionics shop which had the equipment and
skilled technicians to service most electronic or avionics systems in
operation. The FBO was equipped with extensive facilities to facilitate
transient pilot convenience. Included in those facilities were flight
planning, a smoking and non-smoking pilot lounge, shower facilities and
Flight Data Center. Ryan was the only FBO in Wichita with private
parking garages for tenant and customer parking.
