Aero Charter Inc

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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. John J. Morgenthaler Jr.

John Morgenthaler, Sr. and Bob Thomas founded Aero Charter in March of 1978. Each individual bought $500 of Capital Stock. They bought a typewriter, leased a Beechcraft Baron 58 from an individual, obtained a charter certificate and commenced commercial service. Trips were few and far between for the first couple of months, but increased steadily. John flew full time while Bob, who was employed with a local company, flew weekends.

In February of 1979, Bob left Crown Zellerbach to also become a full-time employee and active principal with John. Two aircraft were being utilized and a third Baron was acquired by the spring of that year. In 1980, Aero Charter brought in its first turbo prop, a Cessna Conquest 441. This was followed a short time later with a Beechcraft King Air 90. Revenues grew from around $100,000 to $800,000 by 1981.

By 1983, Aero Charter had four Barons, one Chieftain, four King Airs and had plans to expand into the jet market. Sales revenues had surpassed $1,000,000 and a Pegasus with bold-type print was incorporated for the logo.

In November 1983, Aero Charter acquired its first jet and commenced jet charter service the following summer. During the period of 1983 through 1986 the Aero fleet released two Barons and three King Airs and acquired an additional jet. The Tax Reform Act of 1986 forced a business plan which required Aero Charter to actually own aircraft since it was less desirable to be a passive owner of an airplane as an investment. In spite of this, Aero Charter prevailed with the addition of the larger aircraft and the ability to find aircraft for customers around the nation. Sales increased to over $2,000,000.

The period between 1986 and 1992 was a time of reorganization and consolidation. Aero Charter reduced its fleet and concentrated on maximum utilization. This resulted in more efficient use of the aircraft.

In 1984, Aero Charter became the exclusive carrier for the organ harvesting teams. Aero Charter had transported organs since 1979. The majority of these transports were for Kidney transplants. With the arrival of new anti-rejection drugs, heart transplants became almost commonplace and lungs and livers soon followed. Aero Charter dedicated itself to meeting the transport requirement of the Mid America Transplant Association. It was necessary to keep aircraft available for the organ center; therefore, the pursuit of new charter business decreased. On-demand charters and the exceptional cooperation and flexibility of existing clients enabled Aero Charter to meet the rigorous demands of the transplant teams. The transplant business was terminated in 1995 when Arch collaborated with MTA to combine patient transfer and transplant transport. Aero Charter was unable to compete due to the cost of acquiring dedicated air ambulance aircraft and relocating to Lambert Field. These were two of the parameters set in the "Request for Proposal."

In 1990, John Morgenthaler commenced transferring his ownership to his son John J. Morgenthaler, Jr. John became the Vice President and was in charge of accounting and finance as well as sharing the responsibility with Bob for company growth.
In 1992, Aero Charter began making plans to build its own facility at Spirit of St. Louis Airport. After delays caused by the "Flood of 1993," a 12,000 square foot hangar and 6,000 square foot office complex were completed.

By 1995, Aero Charter owned and operated two Barons, one Chieftain and one King Air 200. In addition, it was managing and leasing two Sabreliner Jets. Four additional jets were also under operational control for commercial service: two in Toledo, Ohio, the third based at Spirit and the fourth in Stuart, New York. Sales revenues were $3,900,000.

In 1997, Aero Charter sold its facility and leased the ground adjacent to the main south runway. This would cut down the taxi time for the jets and allow for a larger facility. A 24,000 square-foot hangar with 10,500 square feet of office space was completed in August of 1998. Additional acreage is leased that will allow for two more 24,000 square-foot hangars to be built.

In January of 2000, Aero Charter once again became the exclusive transportation company for Mid America Transplant Services and the organ harvesting teams. Sales revenues now exceed $6,000,000. Aero Charter's fleet currently consists of nine Sabreliner Jets, one King Air 200, one Merlin IVC, one Piper Chieftain, one Cessna 414AW, and two Beechcraft Barons.

Aero Charter enjoys an excellent reputation for reliability and service. Our safety record is unblemished. The key to its success is that no matter what the task, a solution to our clients aviation needs will be achieved. Aero Charter focuses on being the one source for any aviation need. Aero Charter has a bright future on the horizon and that future appears very exciting.

[The above was written in 2000.]