Story ID: 
FBOs Consolidate at Oregon Airport
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Butler Aircraft Services, which has been in operation for more than 70 years, was acquired by Leading Edge Aviation at Roberts Field Airport in Redmond.
Word Count: 223
Leading Edge Aviation, which operates two FBOs in Oregon, has acquired Butler Aircraft Services, its competitor at Roberts Field Airport in Redmond. The purchase of Butler, which has been in operation for seven decades, makes Leading Edge the sole provider at the airport and increases its leasehold from four acres to nearly 10.

Nearly all of Butler's former FBO staff moved to Leading Edge. Included in the transaction was Butler’s 6,000-sq-ft terminal, which the company will rent to an aviation-related firm, said Leading Edge president and CEO Brad Fraley. Leading Edge also acquired three hangars totaling 34,000 sq ft, which more than doubles its existing aircraft storage space and allows it to shelter aircraft up to a Bombardier Challenger 604. It plans to begin construction next year on a new 25,000-sq-ft hangar.

With the acquisition, the company now operates two fuel farms on the field with its quartet of jet-A tankers and pair of avgas trucks. Fraley expects his facility, which handles all of the commercial fueling on the airport, to pump approximately 3.5 million gallons of jet-A this year. Butler’s parent company, Butler Aircraft, will continue to provide aviation services to government agencies in support of forest firefighting.

Leading Edge's other FBO is located at Bend Municipal Airport, where it also operates a Part 145 repair station.