The Best of All Worlds

Since 1992, King Aerospace has carved out a unique niche by combining decades of experience supporting the country’s most critical government and military aircraft in service, including the U.S. presidential fleet, with a growing portfolio of services for Boeing Business Jets (BBJs) and other corporate and VIP aircraft

That overlap between those markets has become one of King Aerospace’s greatest strengths. Chief Operating Officer Sam Jackson credits company Founder and President Jerry King’s prior experience running a large VIP aircraft maintenance and completions center before founding his own company more than 40 years ago.

“This isn’t a segment of the aviation maintenance world that you just want to jump into,” Jackson said. “Customers expect no issues, no faults, no discrepancies. They expect a perfect aircraft rolling out.”

That is also true when supporting military and government aircraft used in missile testing, the nation’s nuclear program and special operations in hostile environments, among other missions. Precise standards, demanding regulations and multiple, rigorous inspections are all part of ensuring optimal quality and readiness. 

“We provide that same commitment to our corporate customers,” Jackson continued. “That includes a ‘no excuses’ approach to quality and to taking ownership. It’s all in this company’s DNA.”

Or, as King himself often says, “Our job is to make a significant difference in the lives of others. We just happen to work on airplanes.”

Where The Worlds Meet

King Aerospace has also earned a strong reputation in the Boeing Business Jet operator community. Jackson noted the company counts more than 60 percent of the total U.S. BBJ market as customers.

“We ensure that they have a reliable and quality aircraft, and we also help them see what might be coming down the road,” he said. “That helps them operate their fleets not only safely, but also efficiently.”

That forward-looking support can range from promptly addressing service bulletins and regulatory issues to long-term planning decisions affecting aircraft upgrades and operations. “We continue to refine our expertise in that area,” Jackson said. “That’s a good thing for us, and it only gets better every day.”

Ron Soret, the company’s senior director for special projects, sees that crossover firsthand with the King Aerospace “Road Show,” a dedicated team that works on-site at customer locations to support specialized aircraft projects. “The requests that we’re seeing come through require us to be adept in both fields,” he said.

For example, one recent assignment involved major structural repair work on a military platform alongside interior refurbishment work on a VIP aircraft operated by the U.S. government. Projects like these require technicians capable of moving seamlessly between military maintenance work and high-end
interior refurbishment.

“Besides the mechanical, structural and avionics skills needed for the majority of the programs,” Soret noted, “we also have to be able to draw from some of our [business aviation] resources to work on interiors and maintaining some of these VIP aircraft assets that belong to our government.”

The result is an organization able to blend military precision with corporate aviation responsiveness. According to Soret, the overlap between government and business aviation customers is often closer than many people realize. 

“Many of the military aircraft we work on are based on civilian platforms,” he said. “The work we do is not mutually exclusive to either the government or the commercial side.”

Making A Positive Difference

While King Aerospace offers maintenance, repair and interior refurbishment services for a wide variety of private jets, the company is also known for its premier paint services on aircraft ranging from Citation jets to executive transports, including the U.S. presidential fleet.

The company has also expanded its collaborative approach within the BBJ market, including its recent hosting of a BBJ Operators Forum that brought together operators, pilots, maintainers and technology providers in an informal setting to discuss operational challenges, maintenance issues and future upgrades.

“Anytime you can get a group of people together who have a common theme in any realm of life that you can learn from someone else, it’s always a good thing,” Jackson said. “We’ve managed to create an environment where customers can openly share both successes and frustrations.”

Those discussions also help operators make smarter long-term planning decisions. “Sharing ideas is always a good thing,” Jackson said. “When you bring together diverse opinions and diverse viewpoints on tackling a problem, you can sit down and discuss ways to resolve the situation while also making gains.”

King emphasized the company’s success in both the private and government aviation sectors is driven by “King Kulture,” rooted in the fundamentals of servant leadership. “Our mission is to make a positive difference for those we employ, those we serve and those we encounter,” he added. “It’s not about sales or growth, but about living the principles and values we profess.”

“Our goal is to stay hungry and humble at the same time,” Jackson added. “You get to the size of [the country’s largest aerospace and defense companies] and you’re not near as nimble as you once were.

“Well, we are that little guy,” he concluded. “The Titanic can’t avoid an iceberg, but we’re that 27-foot Mercury with two 250s on the back. We can zip around an iceberg pretty quick.”