June 02-- Bill Christiansen always knew he wanted to be a pilot.
"I learned to fly in high school in New Jersey," he said. "I wanted to be an airline pilot, but my mother said I needed a college education, and OU (University of Oklahoma) had a flight school."
Christiansen is the owner and founder of Christiansen Aviation, the fixed-base operator, flight school and Cessna Aircraft dealer that is celebrating its 40th anniversary in business at Jones Riverside Airport.
In commemoration of the anniversary, Christiansen and his employees are hosting an open house Saturday at the company hangar at 200 Lear Jet Lane from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., and holding a drawing for introductory flying lessons.
The open house is free to the public.
Christiansen graduated from OU and then served in the Marines. After that, he said, he was looking around for a site to open a flight school and found a small building to rent at Jones Riverside.
"The pilot count was good in Tulsa, and it turned out Tulsa was a great aviation community," Christiansen said.
Although he didn't know it at the time, Tulsa has occupied a prominent position in the aviation industry since the mid-1920s.
Beginning as a stop for barnstorming pilots after World War II, Tulsa evolved into an all-weather stop on cross-country air mail routes between Chicago and Los Angeles and then into a hub on transcontinental commercial flights.
In 1928, Tulsa civic leaders established Tulsa Municipal Airport, and oilman W.G. Skelly founded Spartan School of Aeronautics.
The energy and aviation industries have been linked in Tulsa ever since, officials said.
Business was good in the early years at Christiansen Aviation, but in 1974 Christiansen ensured its future by affiliating with Cessna Aircraft Co.
"The most important thing Cessna had going for them was that they had small single-engine planes and also made multi-engine corporate aircraft," Christiansen said. "Cessna covered the whole gamut of general aviation airplanes, and it also has been very supportive of parts requirements. When I became a dealer for them in 1974, it was my first real hope that this would be a long-term business."
The late-1970s brought major turbulence, however, when interest rates topped 19 percent, double-digit inflation became a fact of life and an oil embargo sent fuel prices soaring.
"Things gradually got better, but Cessna stopped producing single-engine airplanes in 1986, which improved the value of used aircraft," Christiansen said. "We always had a flight school -- it's not a large revenue producer -- but it can develop possibilities for (future) airplane sales."
In lean times and prosperity, there are always candidates for flight training, Christiansen said.
"Aviation gets in your blood. People have a passion for it," he said. "Being a pilot doesn't mean you have to work for an airline. A lot of them want to go into corporate aviation or fractional aircraft ownership."
At the turn of the century, Christiansen brought one son, then another, into the business.
Bryan Christiansen, who has been with the company for 12 years, and Ken Christiansen, who's been aboard nine years, jointly manage the fixed-base operation, fuel services and hangar facilities.
"The business will be in good hands -- probably better than it's been in the last 40 years," the elder Christiansen said, laughing.
Today, aircraft leasing is an important part of the business, Christiansen said.
The company leases 200 aircraft across the country to flight schools and university flight training programs, including Oklahoma State University, Tulsa Community College, Auburn University, Eastern Kentucky University and Florida Institute of Technology.
Through the years, Christiansen has watched technology, terrorism and economic forces transform general aviation.
"In 1972, a gallon of avgas (aviation fuel) sold for 48 cents; now, it's $5," he said. "In 1981, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk sold for $25,000; today, it's a little over $300,000. With 9/11 and the tightening of airport security, a lot of business people have looked for an alternate way of travel. For business owners," corporate aircraft "are another tool in their shed to improve their business, and it is a more sensible way to fly."
Christiansen said his renting of the small building at Jones Riverside Airport in May 1972 was "one of the great decisions I've ever made in my life."
"Tulsa's an aviation city," he said. "It's got a low cost of living, a great quality of life and great people."
Christiansen Aviation
Founded: May 1972
Business: Flight training, aircraft rental, aircraft leasing, maintenance, new and used Cessna aircraft sales, pilot supplies and fixed-base operator
Location: 200 Lear Jet Lane, Jones Riverside Airport
Employees: 45
Aircraft: More than 200
Source: Christiansen Aviation
D.R. Stewart 918-581-8451
Copyright 2012 - Tulsa World, Okla.
