Historically, private aviation has almost exclusively belonged to the realm of the ultra-wealthy. Our mission at Tradewind Aviation is to expand the accessibility of private aviation and provide mobility solutions to our clientele at an approachable price point. By building one of the world’s largest privately owned fleets of Pilatus PC-12 aircraft and employing them regionally, we have been able to keep our operating costs low and pass these savings along to our clientele. As a result, we’ve been able to expand our footprint into new regions where there’s a need for the time-saving aviation services that serve as the bedrock of the Tradewind brand.
Buying new aircraft is always a major investment for any airline – and for a self-sufficient, privately owned and operated airline like Tradewind, the investment is that much more significant. With this in mind, our team put a lot of thought and planning into our business growth strategy before committing to a $100 million deal in early 2022 with Swiss aircraft manufacturer, Pilatus Aircraft Ltd., to more than double the number of PC-12s in our fleet.
As our fleet expands and we grow our operations, our goal remains to continue to provide business and leisure travelers with the best flight and customer experience possible. We purposefully have chosen to expand Tradewind’s operations in the Northeast US and our services in the Caribbean, as well as launch a new Southeast base of operations near Palm Beach, Florida. Meanwhile, our move into the Southeast US market is a direct response to demand from our growing clientele base in the region and meeting the market gap for convenient, streamlined private aviation service within Florida, as well as from the US to the Bahamas and beyond. The 20 new Pilatus PC-12 NGX turboprops we purchased two years ago are precisely the best tools to help perform these functions at the highest level.
Tradewind’s relationship with Pilatus dates back to our company’s founding in 2001. At this time, my brother David and I chose to focus our operations on regional flights from New York’s metropolitan area to nearby Northeast leisure destinations frequented by the affluent, with high concentrations of weekend homes. Our first PC-12 aircraft, acquired in 2003, enabled us to bring this vision to life and allowed Tradewind to carry passengers in pressurized, air-conditioned comfort, with two pilots in the cockpit for added peace of mind for those onboard and for our team on the ground.
David and I have long admired Pilatus for their company ethos and values focused on private control, building and maintaining strong, long-lasting relationships, and underlying commitment to the concept of ‘underpromise and overdeliver.’ Through these key business principles, their company reminds us of our own, and we’re proud of our decades long partnership.
For Tradewind, the main defining characteristic of the PC-12 turboprop is its efficiency. With advanced design elements – including a new PT6 engine by Pratt & Whitney Canada, and an electronic propeller and engine control system, the new PC-12 NGX aircraft allows us to operate with superb fuel efficiency at lower altitudes over short distances, which are the heart and soul of the regional air service Tradewind provides.
Consider, for instance, the following transportation scenario for corporate travelers within the state of Florida, where Tradewind’s new Palm Beach base houses six PC-12s. For a group of eight executives headed north from Fort Lauderdale for a sales meeting in Fort Pierce, they could travel by car – but this would require at least three contracted vehicles for the 110-mile drive, and no less than two hours in traffic each way on the notoriously busy US I-95 highway.
Meanwhile, the same group could cover the 90 nautical miles between the two cities in just 30 minutes in a mid-size Performance Class-B aircraft, landing at Treasure Island Coast International Airport three miles from the business district of Fort Pierce. Aside from geographic convenience, most private aviation companies use aircraft that have to fly at much higher altitudes than a PC-12 to achieve peak efficiency. This causes the aircraft to burn more fuel on the way up, and remain in the most efficient zone for less time. In turn, this will see higher operating expenses for the air carrier, who will then charge travelers higher rates to cover the cost.
Another example may include a family of Floridians who reside in Lake City in the north-central part of the state, and are looking to vacation in Marsh Harbour in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas. Reaching the popular destination via a commercial airline would require an hour-plus drive east to Jacksonville International Airport – or an even longer drive west to Tallahassee International Airport – followed by a flight to Nassau in the Bahamas, and then yet another flight to Leonard Thompson International Airport in Marsh Harbour. With the all-too-common friction and hassle of flying commercial, not to mention the airport experience itself – finding parking, lengthy wait times at check-in and TSA, long walks to the departing gate, etc. – this would be a significant time, energy, and cost commitment.
Meanwhile, a Tradewind PC-12 could fly the family from Lake City Gateway Airport, set just a few miles from the business district, directly to Leonard Thompson International in Marsh Harbour. With a total flight time of about one hour-and-thirty minutes, in conjunction with a streamlined, efficient experience at each airport, the family would be able to start their vacation before their commercial-air alternative has even boarded in Florida.
All this to say, the key to our ongoing expansion in the Northeast and Southeast US, as well as the Caribbean, is showing business and leisure travelers the total value of flying with Tradewind. While the cost of a flight on one of our PC-12s lies between that of commercial air and other private aviation companies, our superior service combined with the maximum time and cost-savings we provide our customers is what truly sets us apart. This includes seamless sales interactions, in-flight catering that can be tailored to individual dietary preferences and needs, extensive pilot training which has won us partnerships with major airlines such as JetBlue Gateways and United Aviate, and the knowledge that we will always have our own aircraft ready for clients’ on-demand needs.
Through our latest expansion, Tradewind now offers private service within 300 nautical miles of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and just launched a new scheduled flight to Virgin Gorda from San Juan in November 2023, along with resuming our scheduled service to Anguilla in December. In the Southeast, we currently offer private regional service over 350 nautical miles of our base in Palm Beach, including all of The Bahamas, and throughout the Caribbean. And in the Northeast, we are continuing to offer private service within 300 nautical miles of Westchester County Airport, as well as scheduled service to a range of similarly situated destinations including Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard.
It’s all thanks to the Pilatus PC-12 – the flight our clients deserve for the air service they need.
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