Professional Pilot, May 2017

Nashville Memphis New Orleans Our routes City Route Expansion City Route to book 1 trip at a time as typical of charter with the advantage of having the ability to fly unlimited as a member We didnt invent this model were just putting it in place in the Southeast where its needed explains Jim Lawson director of operations and training How MySky works Each member may hold a set number of reservations depending on membership level There are 3 of these tiers to choose from 1 Platinum allows the member to hold 2 reservations or legs at a time for 1750 month 2 Black allows 4 reservations for 2250 month and 3 Crimson permits 6 reservations at 3000 month The higher the number of reservations the further out you can book After flying 1 leg of a trip once they land members are eligible to reserve the next leg via email text or phone call Its as easy as that The company is also developing an app to simplify booking even further with a reserve fly repeat concept Its a self regulating program with no 32 PROFESSIONAL PILOT May 2017 Charlotte Atlanta Jacksonville Miami Tampa hidden fees for booking changing or canceling a flight Just simplified travel Members can conceivably fly every day for 1 set price MySky routes are JAX Jacksonville FL to JQF Charlotte Concord Regional Concord NC JAX to PDK DeKalb Peachtree Atlanta GA and a JQF PDK pair These routes are currently flown on demand while the company continues to build its membership base MySky requires a 750 refundable deposit with an annual commitment 3 month minimum and 60 day cancellation notice To ensure ample seat availability MySky is only enrolling 100 members per city The initial phases have 2 aircraft running 3 city pairs per day morning afternoon and evening all to destinations under 90 minutes Future routes will expand MySkys reach to Tampa Miami New Orleans Memphis and Nashville And eventually the company may consider expanding to the mid Atlantic as the need arises At the destination FBO a MySky concierge meets each passenger to help streamline check in boarding car rentals etc Our goal is to provide a very personalized stressfree and luxurious experience both during the flight and on the ground says Mintzer While this business model is unique its not new It has been demonstrated to work with the right leadership right aircraft and right routes The team at MySky is very deliberate and calculated in how they approach growing the company In addition to using data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics BTS which shows where and how people move MySky is continuously studying what others have done both right and wrong and that way they determine the best course of action Through mathematical analysis and study of the demographics we believe MySky is exactly what business travelers on the East Coast need In fact its long overdue declares Mintzer The team at MySky expects a bright future with the addition of bigger aircraft possibly jets Mintzer and his key team members are examining the possibility of adding equity partners Theyre looking for the correct investor ideally a patient sophisticated person who will be the right fit to help take the company to new heights Jim Lawson co owner and director of operations Growing up in the Top Gun generation Jim Lawson always dreamed of becoming a Navy fighter pilot He began flying in 1987 while still in high school and enlisted in the Navy upon graduation After 3 years he was accepted to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis MD where he graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering and was then selected for flight school Lawson earned his Naval Aviator wings in 1998 and served as a Lockheed P3 Orion patrol plane commander He was also a training readiness and operations officer Lawson left active duty in 2007 joined the Naval Reserves and began his civilian career His military equivalence qualified him to move directly into a chief pilot position with a Part 135 activity In that position he managed 24 pilots 9 aircraft and various team members and he also learned the skills of Part 135 MySky routes are JAX Jacksonville FL to JQF Charlotte Concord Regional Concord NC JAX to PDK DeKalb Peachtree Atlanta GA and a JQF PDK pair These routes are currently flown on demand while the company continues to build its membership base