| Cole Aviation began operations in 1994 utilizing a two
airplane hangar as a combination of a flight school and
aircraft maintenance facility. The sole employee was
the owner, Joseph E. Cole. Cole divided his time
between general aircraft maintenance on the flight school
aircraft and a limited number of general customer aircraft.
In 1997, Mr. Cole began maintaining several Mooney aircraft
for a local aircraft sales organization. Over time
because of the time and effort put into learning about
Mooney aircraft, Cole began to draw more Mooney owners as
customers for maintenance. Most of this additional
business was a result of word of mouth testimonials by
satisfied Mooney owners. In 2001, Cole made a conscious
decision to discontinue the flight school operation and
concentrate on air craft maintenance. Because of the
number of Mooney aircraft he was maintaining, Cole started
making preparations to move toward specializing in the
maintenance of Mooney aircraft.
In 2003, in order to support the growing business, Cole
Aviation relocated to a larger hangar that would accommodate
five to six aircraft and provide sufficient office space,
parts storage, and shop support.
To support the growth of the company, a system of
staffing was developed that would provide three different
levels of skill. The top level would provide
supervisor/senior maintenance and FAA Aircraft Inspector
capabilities; the next level would be staffed by personnel
with the FAA Aircraft Airframe and Power plant
certification; and the final level would be for entry level
until qualified to move up the A&P training phase.
Additionally, one of the requirements specifies mechanics
would also be qualified pilots in order to fully communicate
with aircraft owners and evaluate the operations of the
aircraft from the owner/operator view. Also, by
having qualified pilots on staff, a pick up and delivery
function could be accomplished for aircraft coming in from
other locations for maintenance.
Last but not least, Cole Aviation has become a certified
Mooney Service Center. |
