Then & Now

“At age 90, he had done everything,” explains Wynn Elliott of his father, Herb, who with wife Arlene co-founded Elliott Aviation in 1936. Herb Elliott died on December 10, following a struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Son Wynn, now president of the Moline, IL-based fixed base operation chain, says his parents took a company from very humble beginnings and grew it into a major FBO, maintenance, and avionics facility.

“It started as primarily a flight instruction company, along with trading in a few airplanes and some charter. It became a formal aircraft sales company, at one time both a Piper and Beech dealership. We’ve continued to embrace the aircraft sales opportunities, but have gone well beyond that with our paint and interior completions capabilities and we’ve become a major avionics company.

Today, Elliott also maintains its bases at Des Moines, Minneapolis, Omaha, and Moline.

Regarding his mother Arlene, Wynn says, “Mom is doing fine. Obviously, a lot of sadness, but a lot of relief, as anyone who has dealt with Alzheimer’s can attest. Her health is good.”