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own maintenance department. Almost all of our flights are conducted single-pilot under Part 91 flight rules.”
There are scheduled customer meetings from coast- to-coast or routine site visits; there are also emergency trips. For example, there are times when entire crews need to move quickly from state to state to repair storm damage or respond to other power emergencies.
“My dad or I can be on the plane and sitting in front of the customer in just a couple of hours,” Stacy said. “Our airplanes can get us quickly to a jobsite or to a customer’s office, and they can get our linemen repositioned for emergency work situations.”
The fleet is based at Aurora State Airport (KUAO) and includes a 2010 Challenger 300, a 2007 King Air 350 and a 2008 King Air C90GTi. King Air Model 90s found their way into the Wilson Construction fleet early on, because so much of the company’s work is located in remote locations. Don did the majority of the flying for the company until 2007, when Wilson Construction hired its first fixed-wing professional pilot. Don still flies both the King Airs and Stacy flies the C90GTi.
“The King Airs are perfect at getting us into and out of these smaller airports quickly, efficiently and safely,” Hughes said. “There really isn’t another airplane out there that matches the capabilities of these airplanes.”
The busiest aircraft in the fleet is the King Air 350, which averages about 350 hours per year and has 2,200
6 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
Wilson Construction relies on Beechcraft King Airs to get management and crews to jobsites, many of which are in remote locations in the Pacific Northwest. (GABRIEL MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY)
total hours. It was pre-owned and came with Raisbeck Wing Lockers and Dual Aft Body Strakes.
“It’s pretty hard to find an airplane like the 350 in which you can fill all the seats, fill the cargo compartment and still haul plenty of fuel to get to your destination,” Hughes said.
Wilson Construction added Raisbeck Crown Wing Lockers, Quiet Turbo Fan Propellers and Dual Aft Body Strakes to the King Air C90GTi, which the company flies about 250 hours per year.
“The 90 is excellent for short to mid-range trips,” Hughes said. “It can take us into small airports with limited services very efficiently.”
Hughes said the pilots love the diversity of the flights, because every mission presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities to learn.
“Our Flight Department is a tight-knit group of professionals,” Hughes said. “We all love what we do and enjoy working together. The culture of the department closely matches the company as a whole in that we are not limited by our titles. If there is a need for maintenance, we all help in that capacity. It’s not uncommon to find a pilot, mechanic and the hangar manager working shoulder-to-shoulder to get an airplane washed and prepped for a flight.” KA
JUNE 2016