For two decades, Tradewind Aviation has been on the lookout for new opportunities to evolve organically while still offering the highest quality aircraft, crew, and service.
With the private aviation sector continuing to see strong demand, and Tradewind’s own fleet expanding with the recent delivery of our first of 20 new Pilatus PC-12 NGX planes, 2023 has granted us a unique opportunity for investment in our long-term growth. We are embracing the moment by scaling our infrastructure to attract new talent, grow our footprint, and increase our visibility with benefits for business, clientele, and the industry alike.
Specifically, our first forthcoming milestone is our new hangar complex at the Hudson Valley Regional Airport, located just south of Poughkeepsie, New York. Scheduled to go operational early this summer, the 50,000-square foot facility will provide additional space for overflow aircraft from our longtime bases at Waterbury-Oxford Airport in Connecticut and Westchester County Airport in New York.
Comprised of a class A office, hangar, and two-plus acres of ramp space, this new facility will be a boon for Tradewind as well as for the local economy, broadening our recruitment area for pilots, trainees amassing flight hours, and ground crew. The base is conveniently located near Dutchess County Community College, which offers programming in aviation maintenance, aviation management, and flight operations, with a state-of-the-art Aviation Education Center based right at the airport.
The hangar is also just across the Hudson River from RedTail Flight Academy at Stewart International Airport. Inspired by the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators to fight in World War II, RedTail Flight Academy is an important pipeline to aviation industry careers for underserved youth and young people of color. Given the understaffing issues currently plaguing the broader aviation industry and Tradewind’s need for more space as we continue to bolster our fleet and business in and around the Hudson Valley, being in the center of the action in the region is a good move for us.
Our next growth initiative in the pipeline will be the opening of a new satellite headquarters in southeast Florida later this year, where many clients who utilize us for flights to the Caribbean have encouraged us to plant roots. Given that Florida’s share of Tradewind’s Caribbean business has grown from 10% to 50% as of late, a new base in the Sunshine State will prove beneficial to our long-term sustainable expansion plans, and allow us to further elevate our business and flight offerings in this key market.
While launching an operational Florida base was something we considered during our first decade of business, we were not seeing regional demand back then for the high caliber of service Tradewind provides, compared to the success we were seeing in the Northeast. However, Florida’s market for private aviation has vastly matured over recent years, with travelers now seeking a seamless flying experience akin to what our Northeast clientele first sought out ten years ago – that is, an aviation provider which guarantees seats on a modern aircraft from its own fleet, two pilots in the cockpit instead of one, access to limited liability coverage, and more. Tradewind is able to trade on service rather than price, by creating a value proposition that is appealing to new and experienced travelers alike.
The takeaway? Scale matters, but scale at the expense of service is not a sustainable strategy for lasting success in private aviation. Tradewind is rapidly growing due to demand, but also because people recognize that the services we offer are useful to them, and that we will never sacrifice on quality with our growth. With 90% of our new business coming from word-of-mouth recommendations, the visibility that our new hangar in Poughkeepsie and upcoming operational base in Florida will provide is setting the stage for us to keep people talking.