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Aviation service realizes man’s childhood dream of skies

KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette IPT135 Aircraft Charter Service, a subsidiary of Energy Aviation, offers charter flights out of Williamsport Regional Airport. Above, the service’s Beechcraft King Air 200 Turboprop plane.

IPT135 Aircraft Charter Service is off the ground and flying to provide those in need of immediate flights to and from the area.

A subsidiary of Energy Aviation, IPT135 was introduced this month, providing a single aircraft that can haul up to seven passengers.

The seven-day-a-week, 24-hour flight service at Williamsport Regional Airport can provide flights throughout the U.S. and Canada, according to Jim Taylor, general manager of Energy Aviation.

“We are set up and fully operational,” he said. “It’s a bona fide business tool.”

The service, he noted, is particularly beneficial for the business person or traveler who needs an immediate flight out of or into the local area.

Need a last-minute flight from Williamsport to, say, Denver? Taylor’s Beechcraft King Air 200 Turboprop aircraft can make it there.

With limited commercial air flights in the area, Taylor sees his charter service as a real godsend for travelers, especially those in need to get somewhere fast.

IPT135 employs two full-time pilots with more than 50 years of flight experience combined with over 3,500 flights and 13,000 hours in the air.

Charter services locally have come and gone over the years, but Taylor is excited about bringing IPT135 to travelers.

Taylor’s father, Jim Taylor Sr., a pilot, was heavily involved in the air industry and for a time ran his own charter service.

It was his father, who taught him how to fly.

Not surprisingly, Jim Jr., who grew up in Montoursville near the airport, spent a lot of time there, dreaming of flying.

“I loved being at the airport,” he said.

He fondly recalled talking to the old World War II pilots who were sometimes around and has always been attracted to the romance of aviation.

After being out of the industry for a while, he felt compelled to return to it.

Taylor said he’s confident of his investment in the charter service.

“It will pay off and provide a service for the Susquehanna Valley that was needed,” he said.

Energy Aviation, the fixed base operation of IPT135, was launched in 2013.

It employs 17 people and includes flight training, management, plane maintenance, sales, fueling, hangar services and other operations.

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