As new Cirrus-based air taxis (SatsAir and ImagineAir, to name two) and Eclipse-based air taxi hopeful DayJet populate the Southeast, Alpha Flying – better known under its fractional program name PlaneSense — is stretching its wings to the south. The 11-year-old fractional and largest operator of the Pilatus PC-12 is expanding. It currently operates 28 tried and true (and top-selling turbine) Pilatus PC-12s and manages the virtual palindrome of 82 pilots who fly them from one single pilot base in Manchester, N.H.. That base will move in the fall to an 84,000-sq-ft facility in Portsmouth, N.H., with the addition of two new bases — one at Atlanta Peachtree/DeKalb and another at Fort Lauderdale Executive. Last year, Alpha Flying added 35 pilots, 12 mechanics and 12 schedulers. Growth is expected to continue, supplemented by its new Southeastern haunts. The company serves the U.S. east of the Mississippi, as well as Canada and the Bahamas, and is accepting resumes for pilots.
