Have you ever been stranded in the Salt Lake City airport trying to fly into Sun Valley? Have you ever had to drive to Boise to catch a flight, adding an extra two to three hours of travel time to your trip? Have you ever had to be shuttled to or from Twin Falls due to cancellations or delays at the Hailey Friedman Memorial airport? Sun Valley is notorious for its remote location, unpredictable weather, limited flight schedule and difficult landing. But the Sun Valley Air Club (SVAC) is one organization offering solutions.
A member-based air charter broker, the SVAC offers not only regular routes for members, but also includes the option of privately chartering one of their aircrafts (including a Pilatus PC-12, often referred to as “a flying SUV”). Platinum, Gold and Founding Memberships are available, each providing their own specific benefits and perks (at a price, of course).
As of now, routes will include Seattle, Oakland, LA area, Palm Springs and Denver (to serve as connecting points for flights east) and there is talk about adding Las Vegas, Portland, San Diego and Santa Barbara to the list.
Norman Nie, founder of the SVCA explained, “There’s a lot of talk about how important increased air service is to the future of the Wood River Valley. This Air Club offers a great option for particular segments of our community that have the means to pay first class or charter fares.”
Private charter flights between Sun Valley and Palm Springs, for example, would be $2810 on the Pilatus aircraft (which has seven seats) or $4250 on the Lear (which has eight seats and twice the speed of the Pilatus).
In addition to being able to land and take off on relatively short runways and having a large cargo door and storage capacity, the efficiency of the Pilatus PC-12 allows SVAC to have as few as three passengers on a flight and cover the direct operating costs. SVAC also plans to have a Learjet 60 and a couple Saab 340b in the fleet.
But the most important feature of SVAC flights is reliability. A good percentage of commercial flights into or out of Sun Valley are canceled, delayed or diverted due to weather. But with the SVAC, in most weather events, the crew will wait with the passengers until the weather clears and flights can resume.
Members can request and confirm flights online or can call the Club Flight Concierge up to a year in advance. When enough passengers can be grouped for a flight, the members are notified and the flight scheduled.
This Wednesday, July 24, from 5pm to 7pm, the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft will be the centerpiece of the SVAC’s Hangar Open House. Atlantic Aviation is providing its terminal hangar at the south end of the Hailey Friedman Airport. Attendees will enjoy appetizers by Zou 75 and receive promotional items and information from SVAC.
“We wish to welcome our new Platinum Members as well as meet prospective members at the beautiful terminal that will serve as our departure and arrival gate,” explained Nie.
Pubic briefings about the details of the SVAC are held weekly through August 8, 2013 on Thursdays at 10am at the YMCA in Ketchum.
For more information, contact Juli Miller at 916-717-4118 or juli@svairclub.com or visit www.svairclub.com.
