The remarkable
opportunities engendered by the advent of the FAA's new Sport Pilot
rule are attracting important new entrants into the flying
business. Integrity Brands, a Boston-based investment organization,
has announced a new business initiative aimed at the emerging Sport
Pilot market. This initiative represents an exciting new entry into
recreational aviation, by an investment organization known for its
record in creating value in consumer brands and branded specialty
retail businesses. Integrity Brands has formed a new business
called American Sport Flying. American Sport Flying has a unique
mission: to become the pre-eminent, national branded destination
for sport flying, for both new and existing pilots.
According to John Pound, Founder of Integrity Brands and
American Sport Flying, "With the advent of the Sport Pilot Rule, we
see a tremendous opportunity to literally reinvent recreational
flying in the United States. Clearly, there is an immediate
opportunity to bring many existing pilots back into recreational
flying. Beyond that, we believe this rule provides the engine to
rebuild sport aviation, bringing thousands of new people into the
sport of flying. The goal of American Sport Flying will be to
provide the sport flying experience directly, both to existing
pilots, and, ultimately, to a new generation of recreational
pilots."
"American Sport Flying will offer a new business model in the
recreational aviation arena," Mr. Pound continued. "We are going to
build a national brand that stands for grassroots sport flying in
America. We are going to market our brand in a way that educates a
new generation of Americans about the joys, accessibility, and
safety of sport flying. American Sport Flying will connect both new
pilots and returning pilots directly with a carefully developed set
of tools, information, and services, through which they will be
able to pursue the best of sport flying -- in a way that is
consistent, safe, and meets high standards for customer
service."
American Sport Flying
will provide its services through a modern multichannel model. A
Web portal, that will go live on September 1, will serve as a
national entry point, through which both returning and prospective
pilots can connect to sport flying. Pound reports that www.americansportflying.com
will provide a unique mix of information, products, and services to
prospective sport pilots, beginning with proprietary guides that
will offer unique "how to" assistance so that new and returning
pilots can pursue sport flying economically and safely. The Web
portal will become the place to go to learn about sport flying and
access key sport flying products and services, including
instruction, rentals, and sales of sport airplanes. Members will
also be able to connect with other sport pilots, join fly-outs, and
receive discounts on a wide variety of sport flying products and
services.
In the second phase of the business model, American Sport
Flying's "virtual airport" at www.americansportflying.com,
will link to real, bricks-and-mortar local airports throughout the
country. American Sport Flying Centers, located at carefully
selected airports, will offer the front line services needed by
both returning and new pilots who are joining the sport flying
movement. These centers will, in the spirit of modern branded
specialty retail, offer the customer a wonderful experience - one
that is consistent, safe, and highly consumer friendly. They will
provide instruction, rentals, and aircraft sales and service, to a
consistently high standard, defined and maintained at the national
level.
Mr. Pound said, "You will see that the American Sport Flying
brand will have a very specific viewpoint. We are here to offer new
and returning pilots a flying experience, and flying products, that
represent the best that sport aviation has to offer. American Sport
Flying Centers will draw on the wonderful grass roots traditions of
Sunday morning flying in America, and bring those traditions into
the modern era. We will champion values such as friendliness,
openness, professionalism, and high levels of customer service. The
American Sport Flying Centers will be well-designed, pleasing
environments in which pilots and their families can access the
sport flying experience."
Considerable talent has
coalesced around American Sport Flying. Mr. Edward S. Downs, former
President and CEO of SkyStar Aircraft Corporation, and more
recently, President of SkyStar Aircraft's Sport Plane Division, has
been named as President of American Sport Flying. According to Mr.
Pound, "We needed a leader in aviation whose background spans all
aspects of what Sport Pilot has to offer. Ed has almost 50 years of
left seat time under his belt, and vast experience in the business
of aviation, including certification experience on planes including
the Boeing 747 and the Lockheed L-1011. Ed also served a tour of
duty in Washington, D.C., representing airline interests in our
nation's capitol. His sophisticated perspective, experience, and
leadership bring a unique expertise to American Sport Flying."
Ed Downs, long active in the Sport Pilot movement, approaches
this new challenge in his typically enthusiastic manner. Mr. Downs,
like Mr. Pound, has broad and high-reaching goals for the business.
He said, "In this exciting time, with the great opportunity opened
up by the Sport Pilot Rule, we intend that American Sport Flying
accomplish not one, but three, key missions. First, we want to
build the best national destination for sport flying, for existing
and new pilots alike, both in terms of our Web site, and our
selected airport facilities. Second, in so doing, we want to help
set a high practical standard for the implementation of the Sport
Pilot Rule - to honor and champion its letter and its spirit.
Third, we want to re-introduce the sport of flying into American
culture. We want to create a new national constituency for sport
flying and rekindle the magic of flying among consumers and the
public at large."