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PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: From Kodiak Island to Coney Island, Security gets you there Offering exceptional service, safety and value in Alaska since 1985, Security Aviation has earned its wings Mara Severin PNA Contributing Writer
Mike O’Neill had long been involved in commercial aviation in Alaska when he set his plans to launch an exceptional air charter company in motion. “I wanted to provide something better than you usually find with the typical Bush carrier operation,” says O’Neill, founder and president of Security Aviation. “I wanted to begin a commercial aviation company that had a greater emphasis on safety and customer service.”
In 1984, he commissioned feasibility and market surveys that indicated a definite need in Alaska for the kind of service-oriented airline he had in mind. Strength through diversity He began with two airplanes but soon realized he would have to acquire additional aircraft to serve his desired clientele.
“The oil companies heard about me,” he says, “but they were interested in turbine (jet engine) aircraft.”
O’Neill acted quickly. When Security Aviation received its FAA Part 135 Certificate in spring of 1985, the fleet consisted of a Cessna 310 and a Piper Chieftain. Within two years, O’Neill added two Cessna Conquests and a Cessna Citation to meet the needs of his expanding client base.
“We tend to cater to the upper 40 percent of business and government travelers and that calls for a diversified fleet,” says O’Neill. “Our passengers might be flying to somewhere on the Kenai Peninsula or they might be flying to New York City. These vastly different kinds of trips require very different types of aircraft.” Safety in numbers — flight hour numbers As its name implies, safety is of paramount importance to the team at Security Aviation.
Prominently displayed in the passenger waiting area is a safety directive penned by O’Neill that firmly sums up the company’s policy: “To all Pilots and Staff: There is no flight that you have to make. If you have any reservations about the weather, aircraft load, aircraft mechanical condition, runway condition, or your own ability, do not make the flight. There will be no pressure by me, staff, or any client to push a pilot into anything that is not safe. This policy applies to all flights, even those of an emergency nature.”
The safety record of any airline relies heavily on its pilots and O’Neill is sure that he has the best.
“Our hiring standards are among the most strict in the industry,” he says.
Security’s least experienced pilots have logged between 8,000 and 9,000 Alaska flight hours while several of its more experienced pilots have as many as 40,000 to 50,000 hours under their belts.
If pilots are a crucial element to safe aviation, then so, clearly, are the planes they fly.
Security’s maintenance budget far exceeds the industry average, further enhancing the company’s reputation for safety.
This safety formula, comprised of a strict safety directive, stringent hiring procedures and exceptional equipment maintenance is clearly a formula for success. So successful, in fact, that Security Aviation boasts the Federal Aviation Administration among its clientele.
In 1998, Security was further recognized by the FAA when it received the First to the Future Award from the Alaska regional office. This award was bestowed in recognition of 15 years of safe flying and the company’s support of FAA safety initiatives.
“We’ve never had an accident,” O’Neill says. Ready when you are The FAA is not the only flying expert to choose Security Aviation.
“They do a really nice job taking care of business,” says Bryan Peterson, contract administrator at Elmendorf Air Force Base. “They always provide pleasant, safe and secure flights for our military personnel throughout the state. They are very professional and I give them a lot of credit.”
Besides government agencies, the bulk of Security Aviation’s business comes from the oil and construction industries. While many of these flights are routine, a large percentage of Security’s workload consists of emergency — or as O’Neill calls them — “spontaneous” trips.
“We’re staffed for 24-hour response to a variety of situations,” he says. “An airline will call on us to send their mechanics out to fix a plane. It might be sitting on a runway full of passengers.”
The environment also can benefit from the company’s preparedness. “We do frequent work with the oil companies,” O’Neill says. “We fly emergency response crews to the locations of leaks and spills.”
Some emergencies are more urgent still. “We frequently fly organs for transplant,” O’Neill says. Giving flight to the flightless In addition to oil and construction industry executives, military personnel, engineers and emergency crews, Security specializes in another kind of VIP passenger.
“We do a lot in the way of animal transport,” O’Neill says. “We’ve moved walrus pups to California and a sea otter pup to its new home at the Vancouver Zoo. We’ve also moved a number of animals to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.”
Recently, Security Aviation was instrumental in helping to repopulate a Russian island with once-endangered Aleutian Canada geese. The geese were wiped out by artificially introduced foxes brought in by fur farmers. They make an easy target because they are flightless at certain times of the year.
A Security plane flew 18 of the geese that ended up in Magadan, Russia, where plans were made to breed them and release them into a fox-free environment. Security takes the wait out of airport ‘security’ While the geese had little idea of what their tickets cost, Alaska businesspeople are all-too aware of the expense of air transportation in the state.
“The first question people always ask is how the cost of chartering a flight compares with the cost of an airline ticket,” O’Neill says. The cost to charter a plane for two or three people is always greater than airline tickets, but this is a short-sighted analysis of cost-effectiveness, he says.
“It’s cheaper only if you don’t weigh in the value of the time that you save and for the people we transport,” he says. “Time is money.”
And with Security, the time savings can be tremendous. With a charter flight, air safety precautions do not lead to delays. There is no need to arrive at the airport two hours before flights to deal with security concerns.
“Ten minutes after you park your car, your plane is taxiing or taking off,” says O’Neill.
You can schedule your stay at your destination for only the time you need to be there.
“On a basic airline, in order to make it in time for a 3 o’clock meeting, you might have to be on a 7 a.m. flight. Then, if your meeting is running long, you might be looking at your watch, nervous that you’ll miss the flight back,” says O’Neill.
If you’re flying Security, your plane will be waiting for you. You won’t be waiting for your plane.
“Our pilots are instructed to be ready to depart 20 minutes prior to schedule. If our passengers are ready to go early, then we go,” O’Neill says. “We might add 15 minutes of free time to someone’s day. For some people, getting home 15 minutes early is a really big deal.”
When choosing an airline, a wise consumer factors in many things — convenience, cost-effectiveness and safety. Security Aviation’s exceptional service and impressive track record make it an obvious choice for the business or pleasure traveler.
Still not convinced? Then ask the flying experts — the FAA, the Air Force and, of course, the geese.
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