Tom Foley, chairman and majority shareholder of Stevens Aviation, has taken over the day-to-day running of his company and, at a briefing Tuesday, he set out his plans for progress and expansion.

Stevens Aviation, a well-established Beech King Air service provider, services both the civil and military fields from seven major locations. However, as Foley noted, by the end of 1998, the company had not succeeded in reaching the goals it had set for itself and so, with the agreement of all concerned, he stepped in to move things forward. In response to questions about how long he might stay at the top, Foley replied, "Well, actually, I'm kind of enjoying it now and I plan on sticking around for quite some time."

The bulk of Foley's business background is in the world of finance and venture capital, but, as he pointed out, he is no stranger to aviation. "I've been watching over this business for 10 years now, but I've also been a PPL for 28 years. I have about 3,000 PIC hours and right now I fly a Folland Gnat."

In fact, Foley's Gnat T.Mk 1 jet trainer is quite a historic aircraft having once been the lead aircraft in the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatic team. His is more than a mere warbird, however. With full IFR and airways avionics he uses it as a working aircraft to get to meetings around the U.S.
According to Foley, jets will play an important part in Stevens' future business as the company develops its expertise in the turboprop market, providing maintenance and support for light business jets such as the Beechjet, the Hawker family and for Cessna Citations. Stevens has set up a one-stop shop for painting and modification, which Foley described as 'state-of-the art.' "No one can do a better paint job than us," he said.

Much attention is focused on Stevens' venture to upfit King Airs with new powerplants, provided by Orenda Recip Inc. Larry Baker, Stevens' head of operations, said that since the new STC was being handled by Orenda, Stevens was in a 'chicken-and-egg' situation with the aircraft concerning orders. But, he said the industry was poised and waiting for certification.

Two aircraft have been dedicated to the flight test program being run in Mojave, CA, and serious testing will begin in the next few weeks. While Orenda is looking at several applications for its new engines, Stevens will be concerned solely with the King Air and expects to handle anywhere between 50 and 150 conversions.

Stevens will also continue to work with the U.S. military C-12 fleet, an activity that provides 15% of its current business. The aviation company handles maintenance and support for the U.S. Air Force, as well as the navy and army C-12 fleets. Right now it is rebidding for both its navy and air force contracts.

Foley said the military work is important not only in itself, but because it allows Stevens to support facilities and personnel at its most modern facility (at Donaldson Center Industrial Airpark, Greenville, SC), which is also available for civil contracts.

By Robert Hewson