Drake Aviation Offers Charter Service

The folks at Drake Aviation LLC in Springdale plan to offer a charter service within the next few weeks. Nathan Griffee, assistant chief of flight instruction for Drake, will be the operation’s pilot.

He said the firm will use a four-seat, 2004 Cessna 182 TG-1000 model aircraft that Drake bought in August. Griffee said the plane has the latest all-digital technology.

Drake expects to receive its Part 135 certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration in mid-March. The certificate will allow Drake to operate as an on-demand charter for passengers and cargo.

Although the firm declined to disclose charter rates, Griffee said they will be “several hundred dollars per hour,” which he added is significantly less than what his neighbor Pinnacle Air charges to use its charter jet service in Rogers.

Founded in 1998 by owner Andrew Sams, Drake Aviation has been at the Springdale Municipal Airport since 1999. Drake operates flight instruction schools out of both the Springdale and Bentonville airports, which will also provide a base for charter service. The firm has 23 employees.

The charter service is meant for shorter trips to places like Dallas, Memphis, Tulsa and Tunica, Miss.