AOPA Fly-In
Well we made it through our first trade show, and am glad to say we had a blast doing it !!! The hours spent putting together brochures, line cards, entry forms for our P.F. Chang’s gift card drawings (more on that later), not to mention swag were well worth it. Although we’re hopeful that our participation in the trade show was able to bring a few more customers into the Advancetech family, the best part by far was simply talking to people who share the same passion for aviation that we do. I spoke with old friends I hadn’t seen in ages, and spoke with new friends whom I’d never met but knew my father, Chuck Pittenger, who founded Advancetech over thirty years ago.
We were happy to represent a handful of companies at our table who Advancetech has distinct relationships with. We are proud that we have earned the trust of companies like Raisbeck Engineering, Blackhawk Modifications, and Ice Shield to name a few who have made us authorized dealers and installation facilities for their products. We were also happy to represent Monterey Pacific Executive Charter, a local 14 CFR Part 135 charter company whose Beechcraft Baron Models 58 and G58 and Cessna Model 550 Bravo Citation we are the Director of Maintenance for.
The most asked question asked of both Bob and myself at the show was, “I see you specialize in turbine aircraft and your mechanics are FlightSafety trained. Can you work on my Bonanza or Cessna 182 or Piper Comanche?” Each time my answer was the same. We haven’t forgotten where we came from and our Beechcraft Bonanza and Cessna 182 customers are just as important to us as our King Air and Citation customers.
In addition to all that was happening at our booth, as previously mentioned, we had the people who were kind enough to stop by complete a form for a drawing for one of four $50 gift cards to P.F. Chang’s China Bistro. There was a good amount of participation, and we thank everyone who took the time to fill out the entry form. I’m certain our winners, Brian Vicente, Don Ingalls, John Massey and Candice Tuttle will enjoy their meals (try the Chilean sea bass !!!). Congratulations to all four winners.
They say the first one is the hardest, and, now that it’s behind us, the big question is will we do another. During the AOPA Fly-In we were asked by two different local air shows to participate at their events…the Hollister Air Show on Father’s Day weekend, and the Wings Over Watsonville air show on September 5. My answer is very simple. It’s all about the pride I have in my company and the people whose aircraft we maintain. I feel Advancetech has a lot to give to the general and corporate aviation communities. Our staff and maintenance crew are professional and highly trained. Our labor rate, when others are hitting $135/hour, is fair and reasonable. Most of all, we take the commitment we have to safety and the dedication to our customers seriously…a commitment that shows itself by the loyalty of its customers.
Finally, I’ve posted a few pictures from our experience at the AOPA Fly-In. Hope to maybe see some of you in Hollister, CA next month and in Watsonville, CA in September. If you would like to speak with us before then, or are in the neighborhood and want to stop in for a not-too-bad cup of coffee, just let us know.
Bruce…