On Jan. 19, Carver Aero announced it had been selected by the Council Bluffs Airport Authority to be the fixed-base operator for the Council Bluffs, Iowa, airport. Simultaneously, an agreement has been reached to acquire Advanced Air from Lisa LaMantia, the long-term owner and operator of the current FBO and flight school at the airfield.
“The Board selected Carver Aero from several other reputable FBO operators to begin negotiations on a long-term relationship at the airfield,” said Andy Biller, Council Bluffs Airport Authority executive director. “Carver plans to make our airport a magnet for our community and for a new breed of customers as well as a trusted, nationally known place for a stop-over and to refuel.”
Also, CBAA anticipates an agreement with Carver Aero because of its proven engagement and commitment to job creation and workforce training. “The board especially likes the company’s established apprenticeship programs in cooperation with community colleges,” said Biller.
“We are thankful for the trust of the Council Bluffs Airport Authority having been selected to help to operate the FBO and to contribute to the growth of the airport and the community,” said Peter Limberger, chairman of Carver Aero, and co-founder and Chairman/CEO of CL Enterprises, the family holding company for Carver Aero.
These moves mark the beginning of the company’s expansion in the Midwest. “We want to continue providing specialty services for those passionate about aviation, but we’re also looking at an emerging market of new fliers,” said Carver CEO Guy Lieser. “We want to bring that nostalgic sense of wonder back to community airports, even make them the place where families come to enjoy watching planes take off and land. We also believe airports should be major contributors to the local economy, and we are looking forward of becoming a part of the local and regional economic development efforts.”
Carver Aero sees a growing need to serve business customers and everyday families who no longer want to hassle with commercial airlines, TSA and the stress it involves. “We did a thorough survey, and we are seeing an increase in charter services, partly because of COVID-19, but also because people want to fly out of their local airport on their own schedule, with their family and pets and land at an airport near their destination,” said Lieser.
Advanced Air’s LaMantia is excited about the prospective growth of services in Council Bluffs and said the acquisition of her company by Carver Aero will bring added professional and financial resources that will benefit aviators and want-to-be aviators. “We have the largest privately-owned flight school in the Midwest, and Carver plans to expand that service. which will result in better-paying careers, including flight instructors, charter pilots, maintenance crews and avionics technicians,” she said. LaMantia will join Carver Aero and continue to oversee the Council Bluffs operations.
With the recent purchase of two additional Beechcraft King Air turboprops, Carver Aero initially will base a King Air 200 and 350 in Council Bluffs to serve the eastern Nebraska and western Iowa market. Similarly, a fleet that includes a King Air C90, 200, 350, a Pilatus PC12 and a Cessna Citation 560 Ultra jet will be based in Davenport, Iowa, to serve the eastern Iowa and northern Illinois regions. Carver also manages, maintains and pilots a Hawker 750 and two Hawker 400s for customers.
Lieser said Carver Aero is in a hiring mode as well, citing the recent addition of Julie Marrella as Director of Sales and Marketing. Marrella has more than two decades of experience in the general aviation and travel industries.
