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weather , and I said I would return to Florida when I finished college .”
And so he did , at first landing a contract job flying a 10-seater plane back and forth to the Bahamas .
“ When these operators have just two or three small aircraft , maintenance becomes the necessary evil that takes all your profit away ,” Campion said .
He noted that with just a few airplanes , there ’ s not enough work to hire a full-time maintenance mechanic and yet the FAA requires a maintenance program .
“ So I saw that niche and set up a little company that targeted the little charter companies ,” Campion said . “ I got recognition from the FAA that I could provide an acceptable maintenance program and started maintaining the plane I was flying plus another for the company I worked for .”
Soon , another charter company hired him to do the same thing .
More than 43 years later , Banyan Air service has a team of over 200 people working on all kinds of aviation support . Plus , they offer 24 / 7 concierge services for fueling , rental cars , vacation reservations , and more . In addition , they have hangars where people can store their airplanes , and they are a certified FAA repair station for heavy inspections , modifications , upgrades , and installations .
When Campion talks about the hospital project in Nigeria , you can hear the passion in his voice . But he ’ s also just as excited about Banyan Air Service , a little company that started out at a small airport that ended up being an incredible destination in a growing area of the country .
Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport is now the third busiest nonairline airport in the United States .
“ Who knew that as a 25-year-old starting a maintenance shop that I would have ended up being in this airport that is such a great location in this day and age ?” Campion said . “ Right through the pandemic , we saw the best years in history .”
Campion attributes the growth through the Covid-19 pandemic to the many people who moved to Florida . Plus , when airlines took a hit , those who could afford private aviation but couldn ’ t justify it in the past , started buying planes or fractions of planes for use , and Banyan Air was available to take care of them .
“ I ’ m more of an operations guy but I love teamwork ,” Campion said . “ I love putting a team together and then saying ‘ do you think we can do this ? – I think we can do this – are you guys ready to take this on and let ’ s see what can become of it ?’ And it often becomes more than I or my teammates ever thought possible .”
That ’ s what fuels the excitement and the service at Banyan Air . Many of the team have been there for 10 , 20 , and 30-year stints .
“ We ’ ve built a life together pursuing excellence in aviation and trying to make an impact and a difference in the industry ,” Campion said . “ We ’ re not a chain , there ’ s no equity money from a big investment firm . Sometimes I feel like certain sports teams aren ’ t supposed to win but somehow they do . We ’ re doing that in Egbe , and we ’ re doing that at Banyan , and it ’ s exciting !”
Editor ’ s Note : To learn more about Egbe ’ s hospital , visit http :// www . egbehospital . org .
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