As rough as 2009 was for most companies, Thomas “Mike” Mickel Jr.’s industry had it bad.
Mickel owns Dominion Aviation, an aviation services company based in Chesterfield County that provides aircraft refueling, maintenance and management and charter services. The company also flies local executives and who want to avoid the hassles of commercial airline travel.
Back in 2009, Congress was not happy that auto executives flew to Washington on private planes. Never mind that they had an entire industry to fix and that sitting in the Detroit airport was probably not the best use of their time.
On Saturday, Richmond BizSense chatted with Mickel about the value of charter flights, his background in the aviation industry and how pilots can avoid turbulence.
Below is an edited transcript.
Richmond BizSense: How did you get into the flying business?
Mike Mickel: I grew up in private aviation. My father flew prior to serving in WWII, and my mom took flying lessons. It was a family hobby. I started college at Hampden-Sydney and then transferred to VCU. I flew for Piedmont Aviation while in school, which was the general aviation division of Piedmont Airlines, which became USAirways. When I was a senior, Piedmont sold the Richmond division. I decided to start my own charter business. I was 22.
RBS: What’s the customer base? Who are the clients who charter or own private aircraft?
MM: We used to do about 95 percent of our flying with businesses. Now that’s closer to 70 percent. A lot more people are utilizing private aviation for personal travel. They are tired of dealing with commercial airlines, especially while on vacation.
RBS: What makes the business flier decide to forgo commercial travel?
MM: It’s really a business tool. The majority of our charter business is small and mid-size companies that are privately held. The leadership at those companies realizes it’s a business tool just like using trucks for distribution. Think of the typical executive, or a lawyer and their billable rate. Saving time to them is saving money, and when you consider what their time is worth, the cost of the charter becomes much less significant.
People think of these aircraft as lavish. That’s a misconception. They are work stations in the air. I see people get on a plane, have meetings while traveling , then go to a meeting to conduct business, back home with their families at night and in the office the next day.
We can fly to 4,500 airports that aren’t served by the airlines. Take Beckley, W.Va. There is no way to fly there without private aviation, and it would be almost impossible to travel there, conduct business and get back to Richmond in one day. We used to fly Richmond Times-Dispatch reporters to Blacksburg for the football games in order to get the photographers back to develop their photos.
RBS: Do you still get in the cockpit?
MM: I do fill-in work when my guys need a day off. My pilots think flying is a workday, but for me, I feel like I’m taking a day off.
RBS: Charter aircraft were seen as a symbol of the financial excesses of the economic bubble, in particular when the CEOs of the auto manufacturers flew charter to Washington before asking for a government bailout. What was that like for you?
MM: I was very disappointed that the auto execs sat there and got whipped by Congress instead of defending their use of corporate aircraft. I can tell you, when Lee Iacocca was under pressure to get rid of his corporate jet, he said he couldn’t save Chrysler without it.
RBS: How is your business doing?
MM: Our sales are coming back. In 2009, our gross revenue took a hit, probably like every other industry. However, we remained profitable by managing the bottom line, cutting expenses and improving efficiencies. In 2010, we continued on an upward swing.
RBS: Do pilots know how much passengers hate turbulence?
MM: I can speak for my pilots: When you charter an airplane from Dominion Aviation, we look to ensure the whole experience is a pleasant one. We give passengers a weather briefing and tell them to the best of our knowledge what the conditions will be like. When passengers are better briefed, they handle it better. I don’t like surprises, and neither do they.
Sometimes, our pilots can sense when someone is a little nervous and might not fly the most efficient altitude. It may take an extra 10 or 15 minutes, but it’s a smooth ride. But to answer your question, yes, our pilots are aware of it.
Aaron Kremer is the BizSense editor. Please send news tips to [email protected].
As rough as 2009 was for most companies, Thomas “Mike” Mickel Jr.’s industry had it bad.
Mickel owns Dominion Aviation, an aviation services company based in Chesterfield County that provides aircraft refueling, maintenance and management and charter services. The company also flies local executives and who want to avoid the hassles of commercial airline travel.
Back in 2009, Congress was not happy that auto executives flew to Washington on private planes. Never mind that they had an entire industry to fix and that sitting in the Detroit airport was probably not the best use of their time.
On Saturday, Richmond BizSense chatted with Mickel about the value of charter flights, his background in the aviation industry and how pilots can avoid turbulence.
Below is an edited transcript.
Richmond BizSense: How did you get into the flying business?
Mike Mickel: I grew up in private aviation. My father flew prior to serving in WWII, and my mom took flying lessons. It was a family hobby. I started college at Hampden-Sydney and then transferred to VCU. I flew for Piedmont Aviation while in school, which was the general aviation division of Piedmont Airlines, which became USAirways. When I was a senior, Piedmont sold the Richmond division. I decided to start my own charter business. I was 22.
RBS: What’s the customer base? Who are the clients who charter or own private aircraft?
MM: We used to do about 95 percent of our flying with businesses. Now that’s closer to 70 percent. A lot more people are utilizing private aviation for personal travel. They are tired of dealing with commercial airlines, especially while on vacation.
RBS: What makes the business flier decide to forgo commercial travel?
MM: It’s really a business tool. The majority of our charter business is small and mid-size companies that are privately held. The leadership at those companies realizes it’s a business tool just like using trucks for distribution. Think of the typical executive, or a lawyer and their billable rate. Saving time to them is saving money, and when you consider what their time is worth, the cost of the charter becomes much less significant.
People think of these aircraft as lavish. That’s a misconception. They are work stations in the air. I see people get on a plane, have meetings while traveling , then go to a meeting to conduct business, back home with their families at night and in the office the next day.
We can fly to 4,500 airports that aren’t served by the airlines. Take Beckley, W.Va. There is no way to fly there without private aviation, and it would be almost impossible to travel there, conduct business and get back to Richmond in one day. We used to fly Richmond Times-Dispatch reporters to Blacksburg for the football games in order to get the photographers back to develop their photos.
RBS: Do you still get in the cockpit?
MM: I do fill-in work when my guys need a day off. My pilots think flying is a workday, but for me, I feel like I’m taking a day off.
RBS: Charter aircraft were seen as a symbol of the financial excesses of the economic bubble, in particular when the CEOs of the auto manufacturers flew charter to Washington before asking for a government bailout. What was that like for you?
MM: I was very disappointed that the auto execs sat there and got whipped by Congress instead of defending their use of corporate aircraft. I can tell you, when Lee Iacocca was under pressure to get rid of his corporate jet, he said he couldn’t save Chrysler without it.
RBS: How is your business doing?
MM: Our sales are coming back. In 2009, our gross revenue took a hit, probably like every other industry. However, we remained profitable by managing the bottom line, cutting expenses and improving efficiencies. In 2010, we continued on an upward swing.
RBS: Do pilots know how much passengers hate turbulence?
MM: I can speak for my pilots: When you charter an airplane from Dominion Aviation, we look to ensure the whole experience is a pleasant one. We give passengers a weather briefing and tell them to the best of our knowledge what the conditions will be like. When passengers are better briefed, they handle it better. I don’t like surprises, and neither do they.
Sometimes, our pilots can sense when someone is a little nervous and might not fly the most efficient altitude. It may take an extra 10 or 15 minutes, but it’s a smooth ride. But to answer your question, yes, our pilots are aware of it.
Aaron Kremer is the BizSense editor. Please send news tips to [email protected].
Mike does a great job at DA. He will bust his rump to make things right for his clients.
Top notch service; from a top notch company and owner.
Keep up the good work Mike.
Jay Nichols
Handcraft Services
Great article on Mike and Dominion Aviation. Both the man and the company have been a joy to do business with during the years I have hangared my Bonanza at Chesterfield. Dominion has always treated me fairly, but it is Mike’s integrity that gives us pilots peace of mind miles above the ground.