Piedmont Aircraft takes over maintenance facility at SOP

Piedmont Aircraft has inked an agreement to assume operational control of the aircraft maintenance operation at Moore County Airport (SOP) at Pinehurst/Southern Pines, N.C., effective Sept. 1. The maintenance facility, which up until now has been operated by the airport authority, will now be known as Piedmont Aircraft Services.

“This is an opportunity that makes excellent strategic sense for Piedmont Aircraft,” said Tom Mekis, CEO of Piedmont. “In the course of our aircraft sales and management business we need to have numerous aircraft inspections conducted that we have always had to outsource. We now have our own in-house facility to conduct some of these inspections, and can apply the same experience and professionalism to our maintenance shop that we offer our aircraft sales and management customers.”

Piedmont plans on expanding the current maintenance capabilities of the facility, which traditionally has serviced primarily piston-powered aircraft, to include turbine-powered aircraft. Mike Weeks, an experienced aircraft maintenance facility manager, will serve as Vice President of Piedmont Aircraft Services and lead that expansion.

Moore County Airport has one 5,500-foot runway and offers easy access to the famed Pinehurst Resort, with one of the finest golf courses in the world, as well as multiple other world-class golf resorts. In 2014, Pinehurst will host both the Men’s and Women’s US Open Golf Championship.

“We’re delighted to have Piedmont Aircraft handling the aircraft maintenance at SOP,” said Steve Borden, Moore County Airport Executive Director. “It’s a company with a reputation for excellence and our customers will be well served.”

Piedmont focuses on a core market of mid-size, turbine-powered Beech and Hawker aircraft. The company offers turnkey pre-owned aircraft acquisition, management, financing and sales consulting. Piedmont recently  was part of Landmark Aviation, acquired when the Carlyle Group purchased and combined the assets of Piedmont-Hawthorne Aviation, Garrett Aviation Services and Associated Air Center under the Landmark umbrella in 2004. Encore Aviation acquired the Landmark Aviation FBOs and previously owned aircraft business from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise in 2008 and opted to focus on the FBOs. Piedmont was then formed by Tom Mekis who had served as Vice President of Landmark’s aircraft sales, charter, management and MRO divisions. The firm has offices in Winston-Salem and Charlotte, North Carolina, and Leesburg, Virginia.

For more information: 800-259-1940 or PiedmontAircraft.com