Published in the summer 2011 issue of MyLIFE magazine
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHAD KOERBER
The toughest thing about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a success!
– Irving Berlin
“We must be doing something right,” suggested Chad Verdaglio, chief executive officer and president of Sawyer Aviation, an aviation company with headquarters at Scottsdale Airport. “For the past 50 years, Sawyer has, indeed, been avant-garde in its approach to becoming the oldest, most established, full-service aviation company in the Southwest, servicing its clients in the areas of charter, training, aircraft sales and aircraft management.”
With the current angst concerning commercial aviation (with its seemingly never-ending threats) and all the airport fuss prior to boarding a plane, has Verdaglio seen an increase in the number of requests for information dealing with private aviation training or charter-jet service?
“Definitely,” was his response, given with notable emphasis. “Our charter service has access to a full spectrum of aircraft we can utilize to meet a client’s travel needs. And we feel the price is extremely competitive. For instance, an eight-passenger charter jet for a three-day business trip—or an aircraft for a weekend getaway to Las Vegas—is available for as little as $2,000.”
With its recent addition of a 2011 Hawker-Beechcraft G58 Baron, Sawyer Aviation can now claim it has the newest charter aircraft in Arizona, maintaining a long-standing reputation of being “ahead of the curve at all times.”
Current destination favorites, according to Verdaglio, are “Southern California, Cabo San Lucas, Vancouver, Las Vegas and other locales in the United States. And we’re looking to expand our service to the European market in the near future. We have the right aircraft to fit one’s mission—and his or her budget.”
That mission can, from time to time, belong to a well-known political figure, a prominent business executive or a celebrity.
Given its 50-year legacy, Sawyer can gently boast that pilots of Air Force One are former graduates of its pilot-training program, which has the newest fleet of aircraft in Scottsdale. Most of its state-of-the-art aircraft are well-equipped, with synthetic vision and autopilots capable of coupled approaches. Even the FAA chooses Sawyer Aviation when its personnel need to fly somewhere.
Sawyer’s Cessna Pilot Center, a certified FAA testing center, offers an online training course, which allows for vivid, flexible, interactive ground training to make learning much easier. Plus, Sawyer’s flight training department offers all airplane pilot and instructor ratings.
Ever thought about owning your own plane to fly when you want, where you want, to enjoy being above the clouds heading for your singular destination? If so, you’ve come to the right place—as the saying goes.
Sawyer Aviation has accumulated years of experience in arranging for the sale of an aircraft to its clients. The business has a unique and singular ability when it comes to acquiring aircraft for its clientele and offers professional financial guidance so clients can take full advantage of available tax benefits.
Once you have a plane, Sawyer doesn’t forget you. “We make it easy to own an aircraft,” Verdaglio said, “by taking care of everything from crew hiring, hangar space, a fuel discount program, maintenance tracking and scheduling and managing warranty claims, to keeping the aircraft databases and subscriptions up to date.”
One of Sawyer Aviation’s notable achievements has been its media thrust, as an aviation expert, in extolling the safety of current-day aviation as the safest form of transportation.
Another notable achievement is the company’s Internet presence. Sawyer is No. 1 in the world for gift certificate sales through a combination of marketing presentation, a wider range of options and ease of purchase with an online option. In addition, the firm’s social media activity connects charter clients and students to create awareness and broaden horizons. The Internet also makes private aviation more attainable and provides a vivid glimpse into that aspect of flying. And Sawyer Aviation’s blog addresses various topics within aviation.
Sawyer Aviation is a prime example that success does, indeed, breed success.
DISCOVER FLIGHT
Sawyer’s Discovery Flights have become extremely popular with the firm’s clientele.
EXPLORER DISCOVERY FLIGHT has become what the name implies. One of the reasons we fly is to explore and travel effortlessly by air. To actually go somewhere without being bound by roads. What better place to go from the Scottsdale Airport than one of the most famous airports in the world—the Sedona Airport, located on a majestic sandstone plateau in the middle of Oak Creek’s red-rock canyons.
CAPTAIN DISCOVERY FLIGHT is Sawyer’s most popular and best-selling discovery flight. The Sawyer instructor will take you through the wide world of aviation, showing you how an airplane works and why you see contrails in the sky in the same place day after day.
CADET DISCOVERY FLIGHT is Sawyer’s most economic aviation experience. It’s perfect as a first step for a budding young aviator, and it makes the world of aviation accessible to nearly everyone.
For more information, visit sawyeraviation.com or call 480.922.5221 (or use the toll-free number, 877-FLY-SAWYER).
