West Coast Aviation Services

Last updated
West Coast Aviation Services
West Coast Aviation Services Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Call sign
—WCCWEST COAST
Founded1987
AOC # DCUA716B (West Coast Worldwide); GSPA467E (West Coast Charters) [1]
Subsidiaries
  • West Coast Charters
  • West Coast Worldwide
Headquarters Santa Ana, California, United States
Key people

West Coast Aviation Services is an American charter airline and aircraft management company based in Santa Ana, California. Founded in 1987 by Gary Standel, it offers charter flights, aircraft management, maintenance, and fractional aircraft ownership programs, operating from facilities at John Wayne Airport and Long Beach Airport. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Gary Standel founded West Coast Aviation Services in 1987. [2] It began as a regional charter and aircraft management company, later adding FAA‑certified maintenance and fractional ownership programs. By the mid‑1990s, it had established an in‑house maintenance division and by 2006 was operating as an FAA Part 145 Repair Station. [4]

By 2005, the company operated eight jets and 17 turboprops and was the only Orange County-based fractional air service. [5]

In 2007, the Orange County Register described the company as the largest air charter company headquartered at John Wayne Airport. [6]

In 2012, GippsAero appointed West Coast Aviation Services as its authorized dealer for the western United States. [7]

In 2016 and 2017, the company expanded its charter fleet by adding several new aircraft models, including the Piaggio Avanti EVO and Citation M2 business jets. [8] [9] [10] [3]

Services

Fractional ownership

West Coast Aviation Services started fractional ownership programs in 2001. [4] The company manages operations and maintenance for fractionally owned aircraft. [2] By 2017, most aircraft in the charter fleet were fractionally owned rather than company-owned. [3]

Aircraft charter and management

As of 2017, it operated charter services with a fleet of over 35 aircraft based at John Wayne Airport. The company also provides aircraft management services. [11] [3]

Maintenance

The company's maintenance division operates a 30,000-square-foot facility in Long Beach, California. The company also maintains a 17,000-square-foot line maintenance facility at John Wayne Airport for its charter fleet. [4]

Fleet

The fleet of 35+ includes 12 Beechcraft King Air turboprops, 8 Piaggio P.180 Avanti EVO aircraft, 6 Bombardier Challenger 604s, and 2 Beechcraft Premier 1A aircraft, among other aircraft. [3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FAA AOC & Operator Information" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  2. 1 2 3 Cziborr, Chris (March 14, 2005). "Standel: California Aviation Bug Gave Rise to West Coast Charters". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hughes, Paul (February 27, 2017). "Charter Airline's $64M Italian Job". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  4. 1 2 3 "MRO Profile: West Coast Maintenance". AIN Online. 2006-10-05. Archived from the original on 2023-10-11. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  5. ↑ Gittelsohn, John (2005-12-30). "Charters Serve a New Jet Set". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  6. ↑ Gittelsohn, John (2007-02-09). "Economy Measured by Private Jets". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2025-07-25.
  7. ↑ Pope, Stephen (November 27, 2012). "GippsAero Names West Coast Dealer". Flying Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-23.
  8. ↑ Jackson, Paul (2016-11-01). "Piaggio Boosts Sales, Options, Services". Aviation Week. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  9. ↑ Trautvetter, Chad (2016-11-08). "Piaggio Scores Order for Five EVOs from West Coast Firm". AIN Online. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  10. ↑ Spruce, Terry (2017-05-15). "West Coast Aviation adds first ever Avanti EVO to charter fleet". Corporate Jet Investor. Retrieved 2025-10-24.
  11. ↑ Gittelsohn, John (2007-02-10). "Fancy flights on the ascent". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
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