Time Pieces would like to do a little bragging... for a good reason. They are announcing the sale of its first vintage fractional franchise.

Organized to handle the tremendous amount of interest generated by its initial press coverage, Time Pieces has now started after its goal of "a franchise in every state." Bob May and Ron Dillard will operate the new Time Pieces Franchise location at Creve Coeur Airport, located in St. Louis, Missouri, with a nostalgic Piper Cub. 

Bob, being both a retired TWA and Navy pilot that was carrier qualified in T-6's, has also operated many businesses in the St. Louis area and looks forward to utilizing his skills on a venture that promotes general aviation. 

Ron, a former Army pilot, currently a pilot for Anheuser Busch with a history of flying and selling cropdusters, often gives rides, in his Citabria, to kids with a passion for aviation. The two of them decided a Time Pieces Franchise was the best way to continue the availability of tailwheel aircraft at a time when tailwheel rentals have all but disappeared and together they plan to grow the business while having fun.

Ginger Davidson, President of Time Pieces, states that "Creve Coeur Airport is a focal point for vintage aviation in the area and is therefore a perfect location for a Time Pieces operation." Creve Coeur Airport, a privately-owned public-use airport located 30 minutes west of Saint Louis City, is home to one of the greatest collections of vintage aircraft in the country.

In April 2003, Time Pieces started operations at Mt. Comfort Airport (MQJ), Indianapolis, Indiana. By eliminating the hassles of vintage aircraft ownership, the company created a program that allows more pilots to experience the thrill of "stick and rudder" flying while potentially saving many aircraft from the status of hangar queen or even worse, static display in a museum. 

"One of my main goals was to keep vintage aviation alive" said Ginger Davidson when asked about her reasons for starting the company. "It's virtually impossible to rent these great aircraft anymore and therefore the machines and pilots with skills to fly them are disappearing rapidly. 

One day I realized that the expense of owning such an aircraft just for an occasional flight didn't make sense and that it was the costs associated with sole ownership that was quickly leading to the extinction of what I call true flying. The only practical solution to the problem was shared ownership, better known as fractionals."

When asked about the companies recent expansion, Davidson said the following," After the initial press coverage, there were so many requests for the program, I was forced to look at expansion solutions that would allow growth while maintaining safety and quality.
Additionally, I had to find a way to finance the operation. This led me to the idea of franchising. It allows for a quality and safe expansion of the business with an onsite management team holding a vested stake in the success of the operation. I'm really excited about the future of the program." Another goal of Time Pieces is to be known for a quality product over a large geographical area. 

"Aviation suffers from a lack of standardization at its core," says Davidson. "I like to use McDonalds or Starbucks as examples; many people go there because they know what they will come away with. You don't have that in aviation. What you have is a pot luck system with individual operators at every airport. Time Pieces plans to correct this issue.

FMI: www.iflytimepieces.com