{"id":3333,"date":"2016-01-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-01-18T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skiesmag.com\/features\/flying-fast\/"},"modified":"2016-09-14T09:11:40","modified_gmt":"2016-09-14T13:11:40","slug":"flying-fast","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/features\/flying-fast\/","title":{"rendered":"Flying Fast"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fast Air manages Gulfstream G150 business jets that are chartered for flights throughout North America and to Europe and the Caribbean. Gulfstream Image<\/font><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When Manitoba-based pilot Dylan Fast founded Fast Air in 1995, his mind was on job security. His initial business model provided charter flights on one turboprop aircraft. Twenty years later, he\u2019s at the helm of Winnipeg\u2019s largest fleet of business aircraft, operating nine King Airs, managing six private jets, and running a successful maintenance business and a booming medevac operation. <\/div>\n
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\u201cI was flying a [Piper] Cheyenne for somebody . . . and he didn\u2019t have a lot of work,\u201d Fast told Skies<\/i> during a recent visit to the company\u2019s facility in Winnipeg. \u201cI looked at the Winnipeg market and I saw there were really no turboprops for charter here, and it was job preservation because he didn\u2019t have work. So I said, \u2018You know what, let me start a charter company.\u2019 There was no vision that I was going to have 90 employees and 16 or 17 aircraft and all these divisions. That wasn\u2019t what it was about, it was job preservation!\u201d<\/div>\n
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Just a few short years into the business, Fast had purchased four aircraft and was quickly learning to explore every opportunity that came his way. He stocked up on Beechcraft King Air 200s for charter operations, launched an internal maintenance shop, and when the opportunity presented itself through a jet owner who wanted an aircraft chartered out, Fast ventured into the aircraft management world. <\/div>\n
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No two days are the same for Fast Air pilots, who fly throughout North America, as well as to Europe and the Caribbean. Fast Air Photo<\/font><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
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Despite the company\u2019s quick and successful growth, Fast has remained grounded. When telling stories of the company\u2019s successes through the years, he speaks in terms of \u201cwe\u201d and \u201cus,\u201d rarely taking sole credit for the accomplishments that have made his business so successful. Fast Air is a family business at heart, and its achievements are shared within the tight-knit group. <\/div>\n
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\u201cWithout employees you have nothing. They are everything,\u201d he said. \u201cI really try to keep it a small company mentality, I really do. If I can\u2019t do that, I\u2019m not even interested in being in business  . . . I have many customers tell me, \u2018You know, you obviously are doing things right because people are so friendly and so happy here.\u2019 That\u2019s extremely important to me.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Fast Air\u2019s inviting and friendly attitude is reflected in the atmosphere when customers enter the company\u2019s private terminal near Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport. The facility is welcoming, comfortable and personal, and it\u2019s what keeps customers returning. <\/div>\n
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Fast Air\u2019s private terminal near Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport is warm and inviting. Fast Air Photo<\/font><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
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Fast Air\u2019s charter aircraft run regular missions to Northern Manitoba communities for private and public organizations. The company also transports general contractors and engineers to work sites in tough-to-reach locations. But the pilots also fly across North America in the company\u2019s King Airs, or to Europe and the Caribbean on externally-owned and Fast Air-managed Gulfstream G150 business jets. <\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re getting a lot of charter customers now on the G150s. They\u2019ve been really busy with charters, which is great,\u201d said Fast Air pilot Shane Griffin. \u201cThe furthest I\u2019ve gone so far is Saint Martin in the Caribbean . . . It was over seven hours of flight time, so that was really neat.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Griffin has been with Fast Air for five years and flew medevacs and charters on King Airs, before advancing to his current position as a Gulfstream pilot. \u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful airplane, it\u2019s got a great avionics package, and it\u2019s very comfortable,\u201d he told Skies<\/i>. <\/div>\n
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In addition to the eight company-owned King Air 200s, Fast Air manages a King Air 350, the three Gulfstream jets, two Westwinds, and a Hawker aircraft. <\/div>\n
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Most of the company\u2019s King Air 200s are upgraded with Garmin G1000 avionics suites and Centex Aerospace HALO 250 kits. Fast Air Photo<\/font><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
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Anthony Dyck, Fast Air\u2019s general manager, said the convenience factor of flying Fast Air is a big attraction for customers. The company\u2019s terminal is completely private, allowing customers to fly at any time of day and maintain anonymity, if desired. The company takes a personalized approach with each of its clients and strives to build lasting relationships.<\/div>\n
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\u201cA lot of our corporate jet pilots have been here anywhere between five and 15 years, so a lot of the time you\u2019re getting the same pilot flying you over and over again and you sort of get that little bit of a relationship built,\u201d he explained. \u201cA lot of our owners know which pilots are flying them, and they know them on a personal level because they\u2019ve flown with them so many times. There\u2019s a big comfort level.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The relationships that Fast Air builds with its customers give the company an edge when it comes to retaining charter business in Winnipeg\u2019s small, yet competitive, market. A lot of the company\u2019s new business comes from word-of-mouth messaging, sales and logistics manager Shelley Gerbrandt told Skies<\/i>. <\/div>\n
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Fast Air\u2019s private terminal allows its aircraft to depart at any time of day, creating an extra level of convenience for its passengers. Fast Air Photo<\/font><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n
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Each client\u2019s experience is customized, from what kind of snacks are on board, to complimentary car washes upon their return. Gerbrandt said those little things are why people stay so committed to Fast Air.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThey\u2019ll work their schedule around ours sometimes if they want to fly,\u201d she said. \u201cThey won\u2019t even ask anybody else, they\u2019ll work around what we have available. That always makes me happy.\u201d<\/div>\n
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As the company\u2019s charter business continues to grow with more international flights, the maintenance side of the business has increased as well. Fast Air\u2019s internal maintenance team recently equipped six of its King Air 200s with Garmin G1000 avionics systems, and five are now equipped with Centex Aerospace\u2019s HALO 250 kits, which allow for an increased gross weight capacity of nearly 1,000 pounds.<\/div>\n
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\u201cYou can pretty much take full fuel on most trips, so for up north it\u2019s brilliant,\u201d said pilot Shane Griffin of the HALO kit upgrade.<\/div>\n
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Safety is top of mind with Fast Air, so the upgrades have allowed the company to make huge strides in giving its clients peace of mind when they step into an aircraft.<\/div>\n
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Fast Air pilots also feel the benefit of operating more sophisticated equipment as weather in Manitoba, especially moving north, is far from predictable.<\/div>\n
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Pictured here is Fast Air\u2019s first and highest-flight time King Air 200. Andrew Moir Photo<\/font><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cPilots are able to know exactly the conditions they\u2019re in, the situation they\u2019re in, and focus more on the flying,\u201d said Dyck. \u201cIt\u2019s common across the fleet, so when a pilot gets out of one King Air and steps into another it\u2019s the same avionics suite. Everything is where it was on the last plane that they flew, so it\u2019s a comfort level and you get into a rhythm . . . that adds huge value to the customer\u2019s sense of safety.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Fast Air is the first facility in Canada to install a Garmin G1000 avionics system in a King Air 200, and sees the upgrade as a new growth opportunity for its maintenance department. As always for Fast Air, growth is linked to opportunity, and with the added skill set of the maintenance department, third-party conversions have presented themselves as a natural progression. <\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re doing more Garmin installs, working on other people\u2019s aircraft,\u201d said Fast. \u201cI like growth that\u2019s controlled and we know exactly what we\u2019re doing . . . I want to make sure we do it well and that when we do it, the customers we attract are also happy with it.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Providing value to customers is at the forefront of this philosophy, and all avenues of growth for Fast Air. Chad Roberts is customer projects coordinator and a Fast Air maintenance veteran who spent three days at Garmin\u2019s facility studying the G1000 system, gaining the knowledge to provide top quality work.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic system. I think a lot of people are looking to do upgrades to their aircraft and the guys that we\u2019ve got doing it are really, really good,\u201d he said. \u201cWe feel pretty confident we\u2019re turning out a great product when it\u2019s done and people are happy, so that\u2019s what we would like to get into a lot more.\u201d<\/div>\n
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When it comes to growth, Fast takes a somewhat unconventional approach to business. He tries not to look too far ahead, instead focusing on how the company can do things better within its current offerings. By zeroing in on day-to-day activities, the company can watch opportunities come to it, rather than chasing them. <\/div>\n
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One of the biggest catalysts for growth came when Fast Air established its medevac operation 12 years ago. Today, the operator has four King Airs dedicated to the operation and medevac bases in Norway House, Thompson, Island Lake, and Winnipeg, Man.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s all about opportunity. We saw an opportunity, a niche market for that. We had an extra King Air and it\u2019s one of those things you don\u2019t know until you try, but we did our research and opportunity came there, and so that\u2019s what we did,\u201d said Fast. \u201cEverything we do is aviation, but part of that is not aviation, it\u2019s medicine. So that was a big step for us.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Dylan Fast\u2019s mind was on job security when he founded Fast Air in 1995. Now, he\u2019s at the helm of Winnipeg\u2019s largest fleet of business aircraft. Fast Air Photo<\/font><\/i><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Fast is humble when it comes to the future, as the company strives to keep its family mentality and small-company approach towards its customers and employees.<\/div>\n
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\u201cDylan looks after his clients very well and therefore we all follow that rule,\u201d said Gerbrandt. \u201cWhat I find is we just need to get the people in the door and once they\u2019ve been in here, we always have repeat customers.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Even now that Fast Air maintains the largest fleet of business aircraft in Manitoba, Fast has bi-weekly company barbecues and Christmas parties on his schedule. Each employee Skies<\/i> spoke with referenced their co-workers as family and spoke of Dylan Fast with the highest regard.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt really is very much a family atmosphere,\u201d said Roberts. \u201cThere aren\u2019t too many companies you can go to and have the president come onto the floor and he\u2019ll be teasing someone about, you know, the truck they drive because there\u2019s that personal relationship. Yet when you look at the size of the operation we have, we\u2019re not that small.\u201d<\/div>\n
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A testament to its entrepreneurial founder and enthusiastic team, Fast Air raises the bar for charter operators in Winnipeg.<\/div>\n
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\u201cCustomer focus is huge,\u201d concluded Dyck. \u201cYou want to be different than everybody else . . . when our customers step onto a Fast Air aircraft, they know they\u2019re stepping onto a Fast Air aircraft.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Attention to detail and a family atmosphere earn respect and repeat customers for Winnipeg\u2019s Fast Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3333","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-aviation","entry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/3333","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/features"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3333"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3333"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/skiesmag.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3333"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}