Flightstar

OUR HISTORY

Flightstar has been in business as the Fixed base Operator at Champaign-Urbana’s Willard Airport (KCMI) since December of 1978 and is the only Fixed base Operator to have ever operated at the airport. Starting out with just a flight training operation, an airplane, three employees, and operating out of a construction trailer, Flightstar has grown into a well respected full-service FBO facility employing over 120 remarkable people.

Flightstar’s facilities encompass nearly half of the airport. Its 10,000 square foot corporate terminal facility and 127,000 square foot maintenance facilities are state of the art and are easily on par and in many ways better than the finest facilities in the country. Flightstar’s FBO operation can be subdivided into 1) line operations, 2) flight operations, and 3) maintenance and avionics operations.

AVIATION SERVICES

Flightstar’s line operations encompass meeting, marshalling, and parking of transient and locally based aircraft, all fueling operations at the airport, towing and hangaring in Flightstar’s 6 hangars as well as the University of Illinois’ Institute of Aviation’s hangars, baggage handling, de-icing, ground handling air carrier charters (such as football teams), in addition to providing all customer services.Flightstar’s flight operations are divided into aircraft management and aircraft charter.

Flightstar currently manages one Falcon 20F-5, one Falcon 50, two Learjet 40’s, three Learjet 45XR’s, one Learjet 70, one Global Express 5000, and one Global Express 6000. Most of these aircraft are available for passenger charter flights. In addition, a King Air 200 and two King Air C-90A’s are also available for charter. There are four full-time flight schedulers, a staff of thirty full-time, FlightSafety trained, professional pilots and one cabin attendant. Access to this level and quality of private aviation is unheard of for a community the size of Champaign-Urbana.

Flightstar’s maintenance and avionics operation is further subdivided into a general aviation division and an airline division. The general aviation division handles all of the needs of our own managed aircraft as well as the maintenance needs of outside customers. Our technicians are very experienced in all types of general aviation aircraft and they excel in the care of Global, Challenger, Learjet, Falcon and King Air aircraft. Flightstar’s airline maintenance division is unique in FBO operations. It provides in-depth, overnight maintenance on Embraer Regional Jets each night 7-days a week, 365-days a year. In addition to maintenance, Flightstar also performs programmed deep cleaning of those same air carrier aircraft.