Page 8 - August 2015 Volume 9, Number 8

Businessman Ron McAlister has owned his 1984 King Air B200 since 2006 and says, “The King Air is the fifth airplane I’ve owned and there will never be another type.”
His third airplane was a Turbo Saratoga. “It was more of a functional, fast airplane and I started flying more,” McAlister said. “Plus, my son was playing college soccer so I’d fly around and watch him play.”
He graduated to a twin-engine airplane when he and a business partner at First Trust Portfolios purchased a Piper Navajo Chieftain, then he made the decision to get what he considered the ultimate airplane.
“We’ve been unbelievably fortunate in life and I’m not going to leave all the money to the kids, so I think I’m going to buy a King Air,” McAlister told his wife. As always, he said, she was supportive.
Creating King Air Academy
King Air Academy is at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport, 17 miles north of Phoenix. It has two custom-built simulators designed off a base of a King Air 200, as well as a recently purchased King Air B90 for flight training and IPC and BFR check rides.
“We purchased the 1968 B90 from a guy who spent a lot of money on it. For example, engine instruments are typically horizontal across the dash, on this B90 they are vertical like the later models. It’s got new avionics: it has a Garmin 530W and a 430W, an Avidyne EX500 and an STEC-65 autopilot, among other goodies,” McAlister said.
McAlister calls the academy a labor of love.
“My idea with King Air Academy began because I had attended other flight schools and was disappointed by the lack of customer service and the wide variance in curriculum and instructors,” he said.
As a salesman and a businessman, McAlister felt he could create a better experience. His wife agreed, telling him, “I think you should do that.”
“The advantage that I have, with an ongoing business that’s been very good to me, is that this is a passion I have that I can invest money in and I can develop it the way I want to,” he said. “I decided to focus on only one airplane: the King Air. This is only possible because of the long history of King Airs and the sheer volume of pilots flying them. Then I had to surround myself with the best people. That’s where Tom and Kevin come in.
“A successful business needs three things. You need to know your business and the business you’re entering, you need the capital to sustain yourself in that business, and then you need to be able to execute your business plan. Tom Clements brings the knowledge, the curriculum and the expertise; I provide the capital strength and the salesmanship aspect; and Kevin Carson is the guy who makes sure all the things get executed.”
King Air Academy at Phoenix Deer Valley Airport has two simulators custom built and designed off a base of a King Air 200.
6 • KING AIR MAGAZINE
OCTOBER 2015