Castle Aviation Reaches New Heights on a Long Flight to Success

GREEN — Michael Grossman loved planes as a child in Buffalo, pleading with his father to take him to the airport. He watched Sky King on television and developed a desire to fly.

That desire never went away, and on Friday, Grossman will reach a new high when his company, Castle Aviation, unveils a $6 million hangar and offices at Akron-Canton Airport.

It's been a steady ride — with a couple of rough pockets — since he opened the company in 1984 as a medical transport provider. In 1986 he changed the name to Castle Aviation and in 1988, acquired his charter certificate.

Along the way, he expanded Castle's freight business, building a reputation in the industry as he went. Business was good and growing.

Then came the recession of 2008. For a time, the company consolidated, relocating for a year and a half at Akron Executive Airport. But when business picked back up, Castle moved back to Akron-Canton AIrport.

"It's been a steady increase since 2009," Grossman said. "Customers and people out there recognize when you have survived."

Grossman's company has done more than survive — it has thrived.

In late 2009, the company had 13 employees and seven airplanes. Almost 11 years later, Castle employs 65 people, with 26 full-time pilots and 17 maintenance workers. It operates 22 planes from Saab 340s to Piper Aerostars and Cessna Caravans and owns half of those. On Friday, the company sent a crew to Texas to pick up its latest Saab 340.

Last year, Grossman said, the company topped $10 million in revenue. Since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, passenger traffic has slowed dramatically, but the freight end of the business has helped the company stay on course. About 70% of its business involves freight, Grossman said.

The ribbon-cutting Friday is the culmination of an idea that started in December 2017. Grossman discovered an opportunity during an Akron Canton Airport board meeting.

"I had no idea a hangar could be built here," he said Friday at the new building. "That started the ball rolling."

In May 2018, he bought the Whiskey Ranch restaurant at the site, better known as the 356th Fighter Group. The building was in poor condition and is currently being renovated for Castle's offices.

On July 20, Castle received its occupancy permit for the new hangar, now stuffed with Castle aircraft. It's a 50,300-square-foot structure, making it the biggest hangar at the airport, he said.

In the late 1980s as Grossman was building his company, he held a meeting with SCORE, the service corps of retired executives.

"I had a meeting with a bunch of the guys," he said. "Their advice was never to shave my mustache."

He didn't, and It remains today, incorporated into the company's logo — a pair of airplane wings that resemble Grossman's mustache. His nickname, to those familiar with him, is "Stache."

Grossman said the company has built up a reputation for reliability.

"After 36 years, people know us and, number one, they trust us," Grossman said.

Grossman said passenger flights are gradually increasing for Castle and for the airport, but he expects it will be a long climb to get back to pre-COVID passenger business.

With the new hangar and offices, all of Castle's operations will be under one roof. Up until Tuesday, the company used four different hangars for its planes, Grossman.

While COVID affected Castle and Akron Canton Airport's business, it also created some opportunities.

Corporate Recruiter and Director of Marketing Vanessa Cicora said that four years ago, the company was receiving less than 50 resumes a month from pilots. That's was up to 177 in July, including pilots from major airlines.

"They see that Castle is still moving forward," she said.

It's moved forward enough that the company is able to give back, Grossman said. He flies missions for the Veterans Airlift Command, an organization that offers free flights for veterans that have been injured. Grossman has piloted the bulk of 140 missions, but other Castle pilots take part.

The veterans' stories are inspiring, Grossman said, and the story of one early passenger, in particular, inspired him.

"It gave me hope that there are good Americans and dedicated Americans," he said.

At the ribbon-cutting Friday, airport President and CEO Ren Camacho and Green Mayor Gerard Neugebauer will help lead the celebration. The efforts of both men, Grossman said, were instrumental to the success of Castle's $6 million project.

Grossman, now in his mid-60s, said he has no plans to retire, but he definitely wants to slow down a bit. With Vice President David Combs as second in command, Grossman said he and his wife are spending more winter time in Florida.

But the love of flight will never go away, he said.

"One day I had a plane ride and it was like, 'I gotta do this,' " he said. "... I always wanted to fly."

Alan Ashworth can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.

———

Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.