Page 5 - January 2022

Levi Stockton, founder and president of Advanced Air, LLC.
(Photo by Heather Leven Photography)
Controlling Destiny
Pilot Levi Stockton is building a West Coast aviation empire
by MeLinda Schnyder
From flying and managing one Beechcraft King Air in 2005 to directing a fleet of 23 aircraft and the operations of the flourishing Hawthorne (California) Municipal Airport, Levi Stockton is skillfully navigating his career and the growth of a company he convinced four real estate investors to support when he was 23 years old.
The pilot-turned-entrepreneur is the founder and president of Advanced Air, LLC, which formed in 2005 and is now considered to be one of the fastest growing business aircraft operators in the country while operating among the largest managed aircraft fleets on the West Coast.
“The first full year after we got our charter certificate we flew 125 hours total, and today we probably fly at least that many hours on a holiday weekend,” Stockton said. “When we started, I quoted every trip and flew every trip single pilot; we really didn’t have any other employees. Now we have a team of 130 employees and 60 pilots, and every flight has a crew of two.”
Advanced Air owns or manages 23 aircraft and counting; in addition to seven King Air 350 models, the company’s roster includes Pilatus PC-12 single-engine turboprops, Learjet 75 light jets, Bombardier Challenger 300 nine-passenger jets and 30-passenger Dornier 328 regional jets.
JANUARY 2022
KING AIR MAGAZINE • 3