At 74, successful P.E.I. entrepreneur John Brewer is eager to see another business take off.
"I wanted something new to do and I wanted it wrapped around flying,'' says Brewer.
Brewer and his wife Jean have owned and operated the Anne's Windy Poplars Cottage Resort in Cavendish for the past 28 years.
With the exception of one off year, he notes, business has been very good.
"And last year was really exceptional,'' says Brewer.
Now the long-time pilot is looking skyward for a second business opportunity.
When the couple moved to P.E.I. from Nova Scotia in 1967, Brewer spent his first five years working as a commercial pilot and flight instructor before becoming a tourism operator.
Brewer, who flies his own Cessna Piper Comanche for fun, started work in January on getting his new business off the ground.
Brewer Aviation is being run out of a hangar near the Charlottetown Airport, where Brewer's focus is on buying second-hand planes, fixing them up and reselling them.
He says Brewer Aviation can buy an older airplane with basically the same design as the newer ones, refurbish it and sell the aircraft for about one-third the cost of a similar new plane on the market.
He says the planes should sell in the $150,000 range.
"Most people cannot afford $500,000 for an airplane for fun,'' he says.
Brewer expects to purchase, refurbish and sell four to six planes a year.
He anticipates his mechanic, Deryck Hickox, who has worked on numerous plane restorations, will work with two or three apprentices to get used aircraft in top flying form.
Brewer will take care of the business side of operations while Hickox looks after the planes and the hangar.
Brewer Aviation will also be the Maritime agent for a U.S. company called Just Aircraft to sell kits for people looking to build small short takeoff, two-person planes that are typically flown for fun. Brewer Aviation will also build planes from the kits for its customers.
"It's a fairly big job,'' says Brewer.
He hopes to operate the business for about 10 years.
Twitter.com/GuardianJimDay
FACTBOX
Grounded
Long-time pilot John Brewer says he had a "little mishap'' with his first plane several years ago.
The gas line was not tightened properly before he took the plane up for a test flight.
The engine stopped at about 1,000 feet above ground. He was forced to crash land in a tree.
The plane was a write off, but Brewer and his passenger, a retired Air Canada captain, walked away from the abrupt landing with only bruises.
At 74, successful P.E.I. entrepreneur John Brewer is eager to see another business take off.
"I wanted something new to do and I wanted it wrapped around flying,'' says Brewer.
Brewer and his wife Jean have owned and operated the Anne's Windy Poplars Cottage Resort in Cavendish for the past 28 years.
With the exception of one off year, he notes, business has been very good.
"And last year was really exceptional,'' says Brewer.
Now the long-time pilot is looking skyward for a second business opportunity.
When the couple moved to P.E.I. from Nova Scotia in 1967, Brewer spent his first five years working as a commercial pilot and flight instructor before becoming a tourism operator.
Brewer, who flies his own Cessna Piper Comanche for fun, started work in January on getting his new business off the ground.
Brewer Aviation is being run out of a hangar near the Charlottetown Airport, where Brewer's focus is on buying second-hand planes, fixing them up and reselling them.
He says Brewer Aviation can buy an older airplane with basically the same design as the newer ones, refurbish it and sell the aircraft for about one-third the cost of a similar new plane on the market.
He says the planes should sell in the $150,000 range.
"Most people cannot afford $500,000 for an airplane for fun,'' he says.
Brewer expects to purchase, refurbish and sell four to six planes a year.
He anticipates his mechanic, Deryck Hickox, who has worked on numerous plane restorations, will work with two or three apprentices to get used aircraft in top flying form.
Brewer will take care of the business side of operations while Hickox looks after the planes and the hangar.
Brewer Aviation will also be the Maritime agent for a U.S. company called Just Aircraft to sell kits for people looking to build small short takeoff, two-person planes that are typically flown for fun. Brewer Aviation will also build planes from the kits for its customers.
"It's a fairly big job,'' says Brewer.
He hopes to operate the business for about 10 years.
Twitter.com/GuardianJimDay
FACTBOX
Grounded
Long-time pilot John Brewer says he had a "little mishap'' with his first plane several years ago.
The gas line was not tightened properly before he took the plane up for a test flight.
The engine stopped at about 1,000 feet above ground. He was forced to crash land in a tree.
The plane was a write off, but Brewer and his passenger, a retired Air Canada captain, walked away from the abrupt landing with only bruises.
