FBO Profile: OK3 Air, Heber Valley Airport

In naval aviation parlance, the term OK3 (the underline serving as a sort of exclamation point) indicates absolute perfection when grading an aircraft carrier landing, so it’s not surprising that former U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet pilot Nadim AbuHaidar selected OK3 Air as the name for his FBO when he acquired the former Wasatch Aero Services at Utah’s Heber Valley Airport (KHCR) 15 years ago. With fewer than one in 200 carrier landings receiving a grade of OK3, the name represents a constant reminder of the level of service the company aims to provide. “Our tagline, if you will, is professionalism, precision, and pride, so that ties into our customer service mentality,” he said. “This is a business that doesn’t lend itself to sloppiness.” Aviation is in AbuHaidar’s blood: his grandfather was Pan Am’s first aeronautical engineer, and his father founded cargo carrier Trans Mediterranean Airways.

A gateway to the Park City and Deer Valley ski resort area, KHCR is eight miles from the nearest gondola, and its 6,900-foot main runway was recently resurfaced. The FBO has an 8,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal with a passenger lobby, 10-seat A/V-equipped conference room, business center, on-site car rental, pilot lounge/snooze room, flight-planning room, shower facilities, and crew cars. Reflecting its owner’s military background, an additional pilot dining/recreation area on the second floor is decorated as an officer’s club/pilot ready room, complete with dart board, pinball machine, TV, squadron memorabilia, and even an authentic chair from an aircraft carrier ready room. As it rolls out the welcome mat, the FBO favors arriving guests with gift boxes of goodies from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, while crews can participate in the FBO’s own pilot incentive program. As they make purchases of services or fuel, they can select OK3 Air apparel from the company shop.

Making Room for Larger Aircraft

The facility occupies 10 acres on the airport and has 35,000 sq ft of heated hangar space for aircraft up to a GIV. One 10,000-sq-ft hangar houses the FBO’s Part 145 repair facility, which specializes in turboprops and is the main Pilatus service center for the region, able to handle virtually any inspection level or repair with the exception of engines, which are shipped out for work. The company’s avionics shop handles all major brands and is transforming a 2,000-sq-ft area in the maintenance hangar into an avionics showroom, where customers can “push the buttons and play with the demo units,” according to AbuHaidar, who believes that customers bringing their aircraft in for major checks might want to use the downtime to update their cockpits as well.

The location is home to some 90 aircraft, 12 of them turbine-powered, including four light jets (a CJ1, two Mustangs, and an Eclipse) and a mix of turboprops (King Airs, PC-12s, and a Meridian). Negotiations are under way to construct a hangar capable of sheltering the latest class of ultra-long-range business jets. “There’s certainly demand,” said AbuHaidar, noting that during the height of ski season the ramp is packed with Globals and G650s and the likes. “In the winter we need storage facility for airplanes up to that size.”

Last year, Vail Resorts bought the Park City ski resort and merged it with a neighboring ski area to form the largest ski resort in the country. While the area of late has been experiencing tremendous high-end home and hotel development, it is no longer wholly dependent on the white stuff for its fortunes. “The saying in this town is that people come for the winters; they end up staying for the summers,” AbuHaidar told AIN, as he ticked off at least six top-tier golf courses built within a 25-mile radius over the past decade. “Our peak season is summer as much as winter now.” Majestic scenery, one of the country’s largest network of mountain biking trails and pristine trout streams help round out the summer attractions.

The FBO, which sees approximately 30,000 operations a year, is staffed by up to 20 workers during the peak season and is open from 8 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. seven days a week, with after-hours call out available. It’s NATA Safety 1st and Avfuel trained line technicians pump nearly 400,000 gallons a year from OK3 Air’s 20,000-gallon fuel farm, which is served by two jet-A tankers (5,000- and 3,000-gallon) and one 2,000-gallon avgas truck.

Each January, the growing Sundance Film Festival provides another bump in traffic over the standard peak demand, according to the company. “I would say Sundance is probably a 25-percent boost for that month just in the aggregate line service fuel sales,” AbuHaidar said. “We can have 30 to 40 jets on the ramp overnight.”