TAC Air Adds Eighth FBO to Stable

Truman Arnold's Texarkana-based TAC Air has acquired Sky Harbor Air Service, an Omaha FBO, its eighth such facility. All eight are Phillips 66 Aviation Performance Centers.

TAC Air's other FBOs are in: Lexington, KY; Shreveport, LA (two); Amarillo, TX; Fort Smith, AR; and Greenville, SC.

"Right now, we are about the fifth or sixth largest corporate FBO chain in the country," said Jim McPhaul, the company's aviation division VP. "We are coming on strong," he said. "We are operating just under the business-growth radar-the stealth operation in flight services. We are building a network of FBOs in second-tier markets-one million in population or smaller-which are sometimes overlooked and under-served, and are also key locations to serve customers on transcontinental flights," he said.

TAC Air also operates five of its own aircraft in FAR Part 135 charter operations. They include a Challenger 601, two Beech King Air B200s and two Beech Baron 58s.

"Running our own aviation and charter business helps us better understand the needs of our FBO customers," McPhaul said. "In fact, our FBO business grew out of our need for flight department support. Our planes and pilots got such poor service in Texarkana that we just bought the FBO."

McPhaul said TAC Air now generates more than $30 million in annual revenues from fuel sales, charter, maintenance, hangar and ancillary ground services.

"This fiscal year, we will pump more than 20 million gallons of into-plane, and more than 10 million gallons of retail Phillips 66 pre-blended Jet A and avgas fuels system-wide," he said. In the past 18 months, TAC Air has spent millions of dollars remodeling all of its facilities; and has changed its logo and re-imaged its facilities, from offices and letterhead to fuel trucks and uniforms, McPhaul said.

"We want customers to know they are in a TAC Air facility when they land."

By Arnold Lewis