“P.F. Flyers has been servicing aircraft in the Upstate since 1999. We thrilled to have them based at GMU”, stated Airport Director Joe Frasher. P.F. Flyers is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 145 Repair Station certified to work on aircraft instruments and radios as well as many other things. “Many aircraft used out of and in to GMU, and other airports in our region, still need to have avionics installed. P.F. Flyers can help aircraft owners meet the compliance date,” Frasher added.
Almost all aircraft, flown in the U.S., will be required to have a GPS based tracking avionics device by 2020. The device, called an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) OUT, sends positioning reports from the carrying aircraft OUT to air traffic controllers and others. Why? Our nation is going to a new air traffic control system, called NextGen. It will replace radar signals that are currently used for tracking flights. Also ground interference, land forms (like mountains) and distance from reporting radars do not affect GPS data, which makes it more accurate. GPS technology reduces the time between positioning signals which will help lower energy costs by enabling air traffic controllers to manage traffic more efficiently. This advancement is predicted to result in less fuel consumption and time savings for passengers.
Aircraft owners can opt to also have an ADS-B IN installed which gives the pilot information coming IN to the aircraft from the NextGen system that includes other aircraft positions and extra items like weather and navigational data. For more information about NextGen and ADS-B, please see: https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/
P.F. Flyers earns Cirrus Service Center designation.
“About 20 Cirrus Aircraft are based at GMU. They are a popular choice for those looking to purchase a new, or relatively new, aircraft. I think, in part, due to the fact that they come with the first FAA certified aircraft parachute safety system,” Frasher observed.
“We had a popular Cirrus Service Center at GMU, Douglas Duncan Aviation. After the owner passed away, the shop closed and many Cirrus Aircraft owners had to look to other airports for factory repair work. We are very pleased that P.F. Flyers will be filling this void, not just for our based aircraft, but also for those who want to come to Greenville for their repair work”, Frasher added.
“Aircraft owners that are based at airports without an authorized service center will many times look to find a nice place to visit or conduct business while their aircraft is being serviced”, stated Ian Pruden, Vice President of P.F. Flyers. “If they are here for just an hour or two, GMU has several things to do on the field. They can eat at the Runway Cafe, visit the MHCC Military History Museum or take their kids to play at the aviation-themed, Runway Park. If they are here longer, GMU’s location, just three miles from Greenville’s award winning downtown, is a great location for visitors to find great things to do while their aircraft is being serviced. Greenville is a hard location to beat because of our unique restaurants, museums, BMW Performance Driving School, and Swamp Rabbit Trail!” Pruden declared.
P.F. Flyers is an authorized Cirrus Service Center; and Aspen, Garmin, JPI and L3 Dealer. For more information about P. F. Flyers please visit http://pffly.com/ or contact Ian Pruden at 864-252-4289 or
The Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) is the busiest general aviation airport in South Carolina and is a self-sufficient entity with financial strength that doesn't rely on local taxpayers for funding. GMU is home to Greenville Jet Center, the largest Fixed Base Operation (FBO) in the state, as well as more than 15 other aviation-related businesses creating 547 jobs that annually contribute more than $68.8 million to the Upstate economy. For more information about GMU please visit http://www.greenvilledowntownairport.com or contact Joe Frasher at 864-242-4777 or
