- November 23, 2024
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“Hopefully, we’ll see more manufacturers.”
JOE MANNARINO, city economic director
Ormond Beach Municipal Airport is getting a new tenant, a company that sells light, sport biplanes called Super Petrels that can land on water or land. The company, Super Petrel USA, plans to establish an assembly, sales, distribution and parts support business for the airplanes which are manufactured in Brazil by the parent company, Scoda Aeronautica. They have a three-year lease on a 6,000-square-foot hangar at the airport.
People will be able to view the airplanes, learn about the specs and even fly them at the airport. The company has sold more than 350 aircraft worldwide, including 10 sold in the latter half of 2015.
Ormond Beach Economic Development Director Joe Mannarino, who worked with the company in their relocation, said the small, two-seat airplanes are used for recreational flying.
“They are fairly quiet, comparatively,” he said. The business will add an insignificant amount of air traffic to the airport, he said.
The company did not receive any incentives for locating at the airport, because there are currently only four employees. However, the company has expressed interest in possibly leasing a larger building at the airport for manufacturing in the future, and that could involve incentives based on expected jobs that would be created.
Mannarino said the company considered several airports before selecting Ormond Beach. One of the owners, Brian Boucher, lives in Spruce Creek Fly-in.
Mannarino credits the improvements that have been made to the airport in recent years as helping to attract the company.
“They like the airport and the work that has been done there,” he said.
About $7 million has been spent in recent years on runways and lighting, and there are plans to expand one of the runways to 1,000 feet. Grants from the FDOT and the FAA paid about 95% of the expense.
“Hopefully, we’ll see more manufacturers,” Mannarino said.
Also, Mannarino believes there could be synergy with other business, especially if Super Petrel USA starts a manufacturing operation. They could use the nearby businesses as suppliers.
The Super Petrel airplanes weigh a little less than 800 pounds empty and are about 21 feet long. They can carry two 190-pound occupants and a few pounds of baggage.
Some customers have chosen the Super Petrel as their first aircraft, and for others it is their first airplane, according to the company Website. It’s capable of takeoff and landings in short distances.
Visit superpetrelusa.com.
