Unconventional Approach

King Air Owner Makes His Way in Business and Aviation on His Own Terms

The second landing Jay Vierling made in his newly purchased King Air C90B was at Narsarsuaq Airport (BGBW) in Greenland during the winter. As he describes it, the runway was uphill as well as snow and ice covered, with fjords on the sides and the end of the runway. “When you announce your approach into Narsarsuaq, you must accomplish it; there are no missed approaches,” he explains in disbelief … and relief that he conquered it. “It was the most spectacular and terrifying place I’ve ever flown.”

You could say that Jay has taken an unconventional approach in many aspects of his life. His keen sense for investing in and building businesses, and the path taken to acquiring his King Air are examples.

Dedication and Innovative Ideas

Vierling was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, and still lives in the area today. Graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in Electrical Engineering, his passion was designing computer systems. Straight out of college he worked for a small tech firm that was bidding on a project for Reynolds and Reynolds (R and R), whose business is providing automobile dealerships with professional services and business forms. R and R wanted a computer system that allowed dealerships payroll, accounting, and sales and parts order activities, as well as a customer database encompassed all in one dealer located microprocessor. The company Vierling was employed with was competing against much larger companies such as Hewlett Packard, Intel and Texas Instruments. Vierling explains that he wasn’t in a titled position for his company, but was able to convince R and R that the little guys could deliver. His company was awarded the project, which was worth more than the company itself.

Soon after, R and R purchased the small company and Vierling left to start his own high-tech company – Computer Technology Corporation (CTC). He had a non-compete agreement in commercial business with R and R, so he focused on factory automation computer systems. The business grew and sold through distributorships in the United States and Europe, and had strategic relationships in the Far East. Eighteen years later, Vierling sold the company to Parker Hannifin in Cleveland. He had signed a management agreement to stay on for three years, and after he fulfilled that requirement he left, again preferring smaller companies.

Vierling was interested in buying a small company and using the skills he had learned over the years to help it grow. He thought a good way to find one was to start a consulting company, AEV Capital, which he still has today. Although he grew a successful practice through CEO coaching, management team development and strategic planning, he never found a company he was interested in purchasing.

Then he started serving on a variety of corporate boards and that led him to discovering a steel company to buy in northern Kentucky named Skilcraft. Since he purchased it in 2004 and put a management team in place, the company has quadrupled in size, starting at only 30 people and now employing 120. Other companies have been developed under the Skilcraft banner; the one he is currently most focused on is in the aerospace division making jet engine parts. It has received the supplier of the year award from GE’s new prestigious LEAP engine program two years in a row. The LEAP program is the biggest jet engine program in GE’s history.

Vierling also currently serves as chairman of the board of a South Carolina company called Avtec Inc. that makes command and control consoles for the railroad and airline industries. In the last three years, Avtec has been one of the fastest growing companies in South Carolina, quadrupling its business.

While still managing his consulting business, with clients in Ohio and South Carolina, Vierling has been advising a small company in Athens, Ohio, Sterling Ultra Cold, in which he serves as chairman of its board. The company manufactures ultra-cold freezers (-80 degrees Fahrenheit) for bio-medical research. It has developed a technology based on the Sterling engine that uses one-third of the energy of its competitor’s product, as well as using refrigerant that is environmentally sustainable. The company has grown its business 100 percent per year for the last four years.

When asked what he thought contributed to his business success, Vierling answered, “I learned a lot from the first business I started and ran for 18 years, CTC. It was unusual at the time to have a small, high-tech start-up in the Midwest. We had a lot of bigger and more established competitors and I had to learn a lot in a quick manner to keep up in the industry.” He continued, “I’ve also used the talents of several key employees from that first company and hired them to work at the other companies. I think building strong teams with good employees and developing them through mentoring and letting them feel success has also proven well for me.”

Leaping into Business Aviation

Vierling took the same “gung-ho” approach to becoming a pilot as he did with his businesses. He had flown with a friend in his Piper Archer and says, “As it is with many people who take a flight in a personal airplane – the rest is history; I was hooked. My friend had a partner in the Archer, Ken Grause, who happened to be a flight instructor, and he called me one day and said he’d been looking into my consulting business online. He then asked if he helped me learn how to fly, if I would help him with his company, Technically Advanced Aircraft training.” Vierling’s reply: “Let me think about that … yes!”

He soon became the third partner of the Archer and signed on to be a partner with the other two in a brand-new 2005 Cirrus SR22 GTS. Vierling was still taking lessons and hadn’t received his private pilot license when the trio ordered the airplane. He passed his check ride and flew to Cirrus Aircraft with his partners for transition training in the same month.

Vierling started training for his instrument rating, which he got the following year; a year or two after, he acquired his commercial. “I fell in love with the flat panel avionics on the Cirrus and flew the airplane as much as my two partners combined,” he said. “I also helped a local law firm who had purchased a Cirrus and needed a commercial pilot when I could fit it in my schedule.”

About four years later, it was time for a major engine expenditure, so the partners bought a 2009 SR22 G3 with G1000 avionics and FIKI. Vierling said he had been grounded too many times because of ice so the flight into known icing system was a must-have.

As Vierling’s consulting business grew and he started serving on the boards of various companies, he needed to get an airplane that would carry more people and fly above the clouds without the need for supplemental oxygen. He had researched the Pilatus and decided on the King Air because of the two engines, roominess in the cabin, and the ability to be serviced anywhere in the world, with ample parts support.

One partner had already sold out and Ken, the remaining partner in the Cirrus, had become a Platinum CSIP (Cirrus Standardized Instruction Pilot). Vierling tried to find a new partner for his King Air, but plans kept falling through, so he set out to find an airplane that he could afford and refurbish to his liking. “I thought if I could find one that had a good airframe with the right engines (preferably the Blackhawk engines with less than 5,000 airframe hours), I could restore the rest to my preferences,” he explained.

Mark Rogers of Lone Mountain Aircraft, one of Vierling’s clients, helped him with his search; a 2002 C90B that met Vierling’s specifications was found in Leon, France. “I wasn’t concerned that it was in France because Mark had imported aircraft before and he flew over with me to check it out,” Vierling said. He had signed a purchase agreement from only the information and photos provided by the seller; what he didn’t know was that the photos provided were of the airplane when the seller purchased it. Since then, the King Air had been used in charter operation and was pretty beat up. When he arrived to see the airplane, Vierling found it to be “one ugly, well-used bird.” He insisted they renegotiate and says he left France feeling better than when he arrived!

When he got back home, the first thing Vierling did was warn his wife that when she saw the King Air for the first time, she wasn’t going to like it because it was in rough shape. He assured her that would change.

Making the C90B His Own

At the time of his initial trip to France, Vierling didn’t have his multi-engine rating. Once he signed on the dotted line, he knew he would have to work quickly so he could fly the King Air to the U.S. Since he was used to the G1000 avionics in the Cirrus and planned to have it installed on the King Air, he wanted to train on an aircraft that had it. He located a Diamond Twin Star in Columbus and scheduled the training. Unfortunately, the Twin Star broke down before he could get started. He wasn’t able to find another one in the area, so he waited for the original to come back into service. Vierling said once the plane was available, it seemed like every day the weather was worse than the day before. He was running out of time before he had planned to pick up the King Air in France. “So,” he explained, “Tom Baxter from Capital City Aviation at Ohio State University flew a Twin Star to Cincinnati and moved into my house. We flew twice a day, every day, until I was ready for my check ride.” Three weeks later, Vierling was headed to France to pick up his King Air.

It took four days to bring the King Air back. Along for the trip was his wife, Marielou, his instructor/former Cirrus partner Ken, and David Garvey of Aviation Training Management (ATM), a flight instructor who had many hours in King Airs and experience with trans-Atlantic flights. “David did the hard work of all the flight planning and while I flew the King Air most of the trip, he was there to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid,” Vierling said.

They retrieved the C90B in Leon, stopped in Leeds, England, for fuel and went on to Scotland where they stayed overnight. The next morning, they flew to Iceland and spent the rest of the day sightseeing. The following day was when Vierling experienced the runway in Greenland where they had to stop for fuel, then they overnighted in Goose Bay, Newfoundland, where the snow was piled as high as the top of the windows. The final day, they traveled to Bangor, Maine, where they went through customs and then on to Dayton.

The King Air immediately went to Stevens Aviation in Dayton for a complete renovation – new avionics (G1000), a customized interior and exterior. “I got to do what I set out to do: purchase an aircraft I could afford and have it customized the way I wanted,” he said. “Once it was complete, it looked like it came right out of the factory.”

As soon as the C90B was updated, Vierling immediately started transition training. “It’s a significant jump to go to a King Air from a Cirrus, but a big part of that is getting used to the avionics and since I had already flown with the G1000 that part was a little easier for me,” he said. “Getting used to a much bigger and heavier aircraft, managing the jet engines – there’s a learning curve to that, and flying at a much faster speed and getting used to carefully planning your descent and reaching the runway at the right pace for a controlled landing, were some of the challenges I faced.”

One of the must-haves for Vierling was the Blackhawk engines and they haven’t disappointed him. He said he can cruise at 27,000 feet at 270 knots, which is outstanding for a C90B. The King Air has allowed him to broaden his business; recently he flew with six people from Ohio to the East Coast making two stops. He’s also been able to be more present at the companies he owns or advises. The freezer company located in Athens, Georgia, takes over three hours to drive to, but only 30 minutes by air. “Having the King Air allows me to be there more often,” Vierling said.

In the 14 months that he’s been flying the C90B, he has flown over 300 hours. Using it for 80-90 percent business, Vierling is a perfect example of how to use an aircraft as a tool. It’s anyone’s guess what the next innovative business he guides will be, but he’ll definitely be flying there.