Looking to Bring a New FBO Brand

Moving Ahead - Sarasota and Beyond
The idea for Rectrix Aerodrome Centers, says Cawley, actually was conceived on a cocktail napkin at a restaurant several years back in Sarasota, where Dr. Russell has other interests. The airport fits well with the Rectrix vision, says Cawley. It is an airport surrounded by new development and it remains a secondary airport, compared to Tampa and other airports in the region.

“We have a model — secondary airports,” explains Cawley. Over the next several years he expects the Rectrix brand to growth to as many as seven locations.

At Sarasota, the company had hangared its aircraft as a subtenant of Dolphin Aviation, with which it now competes. Where obstacles were put in the way at Barnstable, says Cawley, officials at Sarasota-Bradenton have welcomed new development on its airfield.

“Sarasota, in my opinion, has the finest airport staff and management of the 23 airports I have visited,” he says. “This is a very good airport.”

The person brought on to oversee the construction and hiring for each new FBO location is William J. Weibrecht, C.M., who has both FBO operations and airport management experience. He is the former director at airports in Martha’s Vineyard and Pittsfield, MA.

Weibrecht says the company selected Sarasota-Bradenton because it was being underutilized by business aviation. “Some of the other operators are a little bit landlocked and weren’t doing the development,” he says. “There had been several discussions about the sale of existing businesses. Those didn’t work out, but the need was still there. So here we are.”

The new FBO complex here encompasses some eleven acres, including eight acres of concrete ramp. It has eight hangars of varying sizes, most of which will be sold as Hangarminiums. Two hangars adjacent to the FBO terminal will be used for transients.

Condo tenants will be large and small corporates. “One hangar may have four owners,” explains Weibrecht, “and for those four I’ll provide all the services. They can pick and choose from a menu what they need from us.”