Palmer aviation and instruction service expands, thrives

PALMER — It’s healthy for a business to have lofty goals, especially if you’re an aviation instructor.

Those pie-in-the-sky expectations is what prompted Ken More and business partner Art Wikle to open Artic’s Air Academy five years ago. What began as a simple instruction service teaching beginning and experienced pilots has evolved into a full-service aviation endeavor, including flightseeing, air cargo service and even catering to international private pilots seeking adventure.

“We have reason to be proud,” More said. “For an out-of-pocket startup to now looking at new lines of potential growth is great.”

It’s a willingness to expand and explore niche markets that has allowed Artic’s Air Academy to grow during a time of economic downturn, he said. In addition to flight instruction, the company also rents planes to pilots from around the globe who are looking to pair their passion for flying with exploration of the Last Frontier.

“A lot of times, there’s a real draw to Alaska,” More said. “One of the fun things that has become a cornerstone of the business is we get a lot of international travel. We have a lot of pilots from the UK, France, Italy. We do extended rental, and these folks will come up from Europe and will come up anywhere from five days to two weeks. They’ll rent a plane and fly it wherever they want.”

It doesn’t hurt to have a foreign aviation journalist in your camp as well.

One client from Switzerland came up two years ago and loved the experience so much he’s been back and has spread the word about Artic’s Air. It doesn’t hurt that he also writes for aviation publications in Europe.

“We had several reservations that second year as a result of him coming up,” More said. “He highlighted us and one of the operators in Talkeetna. It was really cool to see our airplanes and our name in an aviation magazine.”

With a pair of Cessna 172s and a Piper Cub PA-11, Artic’s Air Academy is equipped to handle multiple flightseeing and instruction tasks, More said. But what really makes the company stand out is the extensive experience of its instructors. All of his instructors have a minimum of 2,000 hours of flight experience, More said, and his partner, Wikle, has 12,000 hours under his belt.

“One of the reasons we’re successful is the product and the people we have on our team,” More said. “We don’t subscribe to what’s generally described as the revolving door theory for instructors. Flying up here in this environment, if you can fly here, you can fly anywhere in the world.”

In a place where 82 percent of the state’s transportation is via air, it’s important for private and commercial pilots to not only have quality instruction, but to continue their aviation education. The FAA requires a biannual flight review for licensed pilots, a service that can be taken care of by Artic’s Air, More said.

“We can take somebody from zero hours all the way through to their commercial license,” he said. “In today’s economy, generally the cost is between $6,500 to $7,500 to get a private pilot’s license. But when you think about it, that’s less than the price of a brand new four-wheeler.”

Now that Artic’s Air Academy is aloft, More and Wikle are expanding into another niche market — fuel. They’re set for a Nov. 3 grand opening of K&A Fuel in the old Pit Stop gas station next to the Noisy Goose off the Glenn Highway by the Alaska State Fairgrounds. The event is a co-grand opening with Edmond’s foreign auto repair.

What makes K&A Fuel unique, More said, is that it’s an off-airport fuel outlet that gives pilots and other motorized recreation vehicle users an affordable option to purchasing fuel at the airport.

A lot of people in the Valley have large fuel tanks in the backs of their pickups. They can fill up at K&A and fuel up their planes at the airport.

“I’m shaving a dime off the 100 low-lead (price) and 11 cents off the jet-A (fuel),” More said. “We’ve turned a conventional gas station into an aviation fuel station. We have two grades of aviation fuel and No. 1 heating oil. It’s 24-hour self-service.”

Eventually, More said he’d like to have a truck with fuel that can offer over-the-wing service for private planes.

“We’ll meet them there and give them the same price as the self-service,” he said.

Pilots wanting to rent a plane can do that for $145 an hour, More said, and instruction is another $50 an hour for the instructor’s time.

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.