BOSTON – The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) Board today gave the go-ahead to Bedford-based Rectrix Aviation to develop Fixed Base-Operator (FBO) facilities at Worcester Regional Airport and L.G. Hanscom Field. Last Fall Massport issued a Request for Proposals for the development of first-class FBO facilities to support current general aviation activity, attract new aviation business and accommodate future demand. The RFP required the developer to provide FBO services at both airports.

The new Rectrix Aviation FBO will over time add approximately 100 new jobs to Massachusetts including flight crews with salaries up to $105,000, mechanics with salaries ranging between $22 and $50 per hour and FBO customer service and ramp employees ranging between $12.50 and $45 per hour. A fixed-base operator is the primary provider of support services to general aviation aircraft and offers services such as aircraft parking and fueling, maintenance and hangar facilities at an airport. Rectrix’s Worcester facility will include a regional aircraft maintenance facility that is expected to establish the airport as a destination for aircraft maintenance.
“Massachusetts’ public airports generate significant economic activity for all regions of the Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. “By partnering with Recrtrix Aviation, the Commonwealth will enhance services for two of the state’s growing regional airports.”

Under the terms of the proposed lease agreement, Rectrix Aviation will invest approximately $5 million to develop 27,000 square feet of hangar and office space at Worcester Airport and $15 million to develop approximately 96,000 square feet of hangar and office space at Hanscom Field. Each facility will be sized to accommodate the new large corporate aircraft such as the Gulfstream 650 and Global 7000. Both developments are scheduled to be complete in two years and meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification standards as established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

“Massport is an economic catalyst managing its facilities to support economic development. With our ownership of Worcester Airport, we were able to leverage the benefits of both airports to offer quality development programs to meet the demand for business aviation in Massachusetts,” said Massport Interim CEO David Mackey. “Businesses rely on corporate aircraft to conduct business – it’s an extension of the board room. We’re happy to welcome Rectrix Aviation to Worcester Airport and look forward to their continued success at Hanscom Field.”

Rectrix Aviation is a Massachusetts based company with corporate headquarters at Hanscom Field. Rectrix operates two FBO facilities: one at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts and the second at Sarasota Airport in Florida. In 2011, the Sarasota facility was voted by pilots as one of the top 20 facilities in the U.S. In both 2010 and 2011, Rectrix was awarded a Platinum Rating from Argus International, the prestigious aviation operations audit group, for its safety practices and policies.

“As a Massachusetts-based aviation company I cannot tell you how excited we are to be involved in the next generation of the general aviation sector at Worcester and Hanscom. There is an economic resurgence ahead and Rectrix has positioned itself to be in the forefront, and what better place to do so than in the Commonwealth,” said Rectrix President and CEO Richard Cawley.”The labor pool here is excellent and we anticipate the addition of over a hundred jobs over the next few years. Massport recognized this opportunity and is promoting sustainable growth. The new generation of aircraft coming on line is very sensitive to the environment and both Worcester and Hanscom are perfect locations for this efficient growth.”

In a related matter, the Massport Board also approved a term sheet with Jet Aviation, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, to replace one of its existing hangars at Hanscom Field with a new and more modern 40,000 square foot hangar. The replacement hangar will be able to accommodate the newer and larger corporate aviation aircraft that have global reach. The development will include passenger amenities areas, office space, aircraft ramp space and landscape improvements. The replacement hangar will be built adjacent to Jet Aviation’s existing facilities and will include up to 30 new permanent airport jobs.

Worcester Regional Airport serves Worcester County, the second fastest growing county in Massachusetts, along with the Boston Metro West region and the bustling Interstate 495 corridor. Hanscom Field is located in Bedford MA and is a vital link to domestic and international destinations. With its modern facilities, Hanscom is New England’s premier full-service corporate and general aviation airport. A Massachusetts Department of Transportation economic impact study found that Worcester Regional Airport contributes $51.5 million to the regional economy and Hanscom Field $249 million.

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The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) operates Boston Logan International Airport, the Port of Boston, Hanscom Field and Worcester Regional Airport. Massport is a financially self-sustaining public authority whose premier transportation facilities generate more than $8 billion annually, and enhance and enable economic growth and vitality in New England. For more information please visit massport.com.

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Press Release

Bedford, Massachusetts – Rectrix Aerodrome Centers, whose headquarters are located at Hanscom Field in Bedford, Massachusetts, has received a coveted 2011 Pilot’s Choice award. Named as one of the top 20 Star FBO’s in the nation, Rectrix Aerodrome Centers in Sarasota FL (SRQ) is a state-of-the-art facility offering private passenger terminals and lounges, aircrew amenities, superior service and full aircraft handling services.  The Pilot’s Choice Awards give pilots a voice and the chance to vote on their favorite corporate and business aviation facilities.

“The many employees of Rectrix deserve this award as they work feverously to accommodate the needs of our customers,” said Richard Cawley, President and CEO.

Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services, Inc. has been providing the highest level of private jet charter service, aircraft management and fixed base operations since 2005. A full service charter operation, Rectrix Aviation, Inc., allows clients to select flight times and aircraft ideal for their needs. The company utilizes highly experienced crews who maintain the strictest safety standards.

In 2010, Rectrix Aviation, Inc. was honored with a Platinum rating from ARGUS International, Inc. The Platinum rating is awarded to the top air charter operation demonstrating the highest level of safety in terms of flight operations and facility maintenance.

Rectrix Aerodrome Centers opened its first FBO facility in Hyannis MA in September 2005 and opened its Sarasota FBO in 2008. Both facilities offer world-class hangar and office space designed to accommodate large aircraft. In January 2011, Rectrix opened its executive offices and relocated the flight department from Hyannis MA to Hanscom Field, Bedford MA.

For more information, visit www.rectrix.aero.

“Maximum Results and Minimum worry……Rectrix allows me to make the most of my time; every time.”

Bobby Orr

Rectrix Aviation achieved the highest safety rating available:

ARG/US PLATINUM.

What does this mean for you?

Safety – Experience – Reliability

Just ask Bobby.

The experienced and dedicated team of professionals at Rectrix Aviation looks forward to meeting your aviation requirements in 2011 and beyond.

BEDFORD — Business travel is bouncing back at Hanscom Field.

More corporate executives, engineers, and salespeople flew in and out of Hanscom last year, with takeoffs and landings of business jets up 7 percent compared with 2009, mirroring modest improvements elsewhere in the economy.

“We’re a barometer for what’s going on in the regional economy,’’ said Barbara Patzner, Hanscom Field airport director. The field, built by the US Army Air Corps before World War II, houses 79 business jets, along with 11 helicopters and 266 single-engine, twin-engine, and turboprop planes. Hanscom Air Force Base, now a research and development facility, is also there.

Business aviation is on the rise around the country, with the number of trips up about 10 percent last year, following a dismal 2009 in which operations fell by almost a third. Business travel on commercial airlines is also increasing, with business-class spending up 60 percent in the third quarter, according to American Express Business Insights, the analytics arm of the credit card company.

E-Dialog is among the local companies using Hanscom more often these days. Executives from the Burlington-based e-mail service provider chartered four trips out of Hanscom last year, double the number they went on in 2009, as revenues rebounded.

“There’s nothing like a face-to-face meeting,’’ said Arthur Sweetser, chief marketing officer for e-Dialog. “There’s just an urgency that requires us to be present to show that we’re resolved to fixing a problem’’ for a client.

The cost to hire a private jet is comparable to what e-Dialog would pay for commercial airline trips for its executives, but the time saved, Sweetser said, “hands down’’ makes charters a more efficient mode of travel.

E-Dialog flies on Linear Air of Concord, which has four Eclipse 500 jets at Hanscom. Linear Air’s traffic fell by half in 2009 as companies “hunkered down’’ and the Eclipse manufacturer went into bankruptcy, said Bill Herp, Linear president. Last year, business doubled, Herp said, and he expects 2011 to be even better as more clients turn to the smaller, less expensive jets his company flies.

Linear’s four-passenger jets, known as “very light jets,’’ cost companies about $1,500 an hour to charter, compared to around $5,000 an hour for a 10-passenger jet at Hanscom.

Business is also up at Rectrix Aviation Inc. of Hyannis — by about 15 percent — and it just opened a spacious office at Hanscom. The charter company also added a new jet to its Hanscom fleet in September and hired three additional pilots.

But with memories of the recession still fresh, clients are adopting a more frugal approach to business travel, said Richard Cawley, Rectrix president. They’re making multiple stops with a single charter, instead of flying back to Hanscom between meetings, he said, and are filling planes with more executives and salespeople since it doesn’t cost more to add passengers

“They’re trying to accomplish a lot more on each trip,’’ Cawley said. “A lot of our customers, I would say they’re midsize businesses, so it’s very important for them to watch their dollars.’’

Business jet travel has become more crucial for companies in the past year because of all the airline cutbacks during the recession, said Ed Bolen, president of the National Business Aviation Association. With limited or no commercial service in some communities, private jets are often the most convenient — and sometimes the only — way for companies to get to a location.

But that doesn’t mean the public considers them practical. Already seen as a sign of corporate excess, business aviation was the source of great outrage in late 2008 when the heads of GM, Ford, and Chrysler showed up in corporate jets to ask Congress for a $25 billion bailout. And there’s no denying the first-class accommodations on corporate jets. On a $35 million Gulfstream G450, business executives can conduct meetings in leather seats at a shiny conference table, wine glasses hang upside down in a kitchenette, couches fold out into beds, and the bathroom is stocked with Aveda toiletries.

But jet operators say many of their clients are midlevel managers from midlevel companies.

“I think there’s a sense that it’s a luxury, that it’s not a necessity, that it’s rock stars and fat cats that are flying around on these private jets,’’ said Herp. “Our clients are not fat cats and rock stars, they’re three business people flying to Elmira, N.Y., to close a deal.’’

Regardless, many companies are reluctant to talk about their jet travel. Liberty Mutual Group declined to discuss the aircraft it owns at Hanscom; the Kraft Group, EMC Corp., and Raytheon Co. did not return phone calls about the planes they keep there.

There are nearly a third more jets housed at Hanscom than just three years ago, and the air field is approaching capacity. “We have a waiting list of aircraft that want to come into Hanscom,’’ said Thomas Kinton, executive director of Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Hanscom.

Massport is planning to turn a ramp area into as much as 400,000 square feet of new hangar space and convert an empty 18,000-square-foot-hangar used for early aeronautical research into a facility three times its size to accommodate more jets, including bigger aircraft that can fly nonstop to China.

But local preservation groups have filed a lawsuit appealing the Federal Aviation Administration’s approval of the plan, saying the historic hangar should be preserved and the increased air traffic activity will adversely affect the area, namely the nearby Minute Man National Historical Park and Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.

Katie Johnston Chase can be reached at johnstonchase@globe.com.

(HYANNIS, MA—November 17, 2010) –

“We are very appreciative and would like to thank CCYP for their recognition,” President and CEO Rich Cawley said. “As Rectrix continues to grow as a business, we are happy to have the opportunity to give back to our community.”

Each year, CCYP honors a business that supports its mission to connect, engage, and advance the emerging workforce and future leadership of Cape Cod. Rectrix received the award for its support and involvement in CCYP’s Back to Business Bash. Rectrix donated their Aerodrome Center in Hyannis and the staff’s time to make CCYP’s largest annual networking event a success.

“Every year we award a business that we think embodies CCYP’s mission of connecting the future leadership of Cape Cod. We chose Rectrix because the company has been extremely supportive of our organization as well as our annual Back to Business Bash. Rectrix provided the space for the event and was extremely generous with its staff. Rectrix rose to the challenge to make this 500-person networking event successful,” said Moira Noonan-Kerry of CCYP, “Without Rectrix this event would not have been possible.”

About Rectrix

Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services, Inc. has been providing the highest level of private jet charter service, aircraft management and fixed base operations since 2005. Rectrix Aviation, Inc. is a full service charter operation allowing clients to select flight times and aircraft ideal for their needs and to fly with experienced crews who maintain the strictest safety standards. In 2010, Rectrix Aviation, Inc. was honored with a Platinum rating from ARGUS International, Inc. A Platinum rating is awarded to the top air charter operation that demonstrates the highest level of safety in terms of flight operations and facility maintenance. The Rectrix Aerodrome Centers in Hyannis, MA (HYA) and Sarasota, FL (SRQ) are state-of-the-art facilities offering private passenger terminals and lounges, aircrew amenities, and full aircraft handling services.  For more information, visit www.rectrix.aero.

In addition to the new hires, Rectrix will announce the opening its newest location at LG Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA with a grand opening celebration in the new year. Also on the calendar for January at Rectrix’s Sarasota, FL facility is “Stilettos & Jets,” an event featuring a static display of Rectrix’s aircraft, designer shoe boutiques and local food and wine.

“It’s an exciting time for Rectrix, and it gives me great pleasure to announce the appointments of these three individuals to Rectrix Aviation,” said Cawley. “Adding the talent of these three individuals to our already exceptional team is a truly gratifying for myself and the entire staff.”

James Hausch, Vice President of Operations and Chief Operating Officer

Hausch has been with Rectrix Aviation since its inception in 2005. Hausch had previously served as President/CEO Rectrix’s Aviation Division until 2006 where he served as an advisor to Rectrix while also consulting for multi-national, Fortune 500 companies, aircraft manufactures, and the United States Department of Defense. Hausch is a graduate of the California Air College and will bring over 40 years of aviation experience back to Rectrix.

Tim Olmstead, Director of Operations

Olmstead, a graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University, brings to Rectrix Aviation over 34 years of aviation experience. Over that span, Olmstead has held positions with the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. DOT/Federal Aviation Administration. In total, Olmstead has tallied 10,875 hours of flight time over his career. Olmsted was an Aircraft Commander on C123, C130, and C5 in support of the U.S. military’s domestic and international operations, and was awarded forty-two decorations for operational and combat service. Olmstead will establish governmental and internal policies under his new position at Rectrix Aviation.

Stephanie Sisca, Scheduler/Dispatcher and Charter Sales Coordinator

Sisca, a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, brings with her 10 years of diverse aviation experience. Sisca started her career as a Flight School Coordinator and Line Service Technician and later advanced to Aviation Research Analyst, Charter Sales Coordinator, and Client Services and National Sales Manager. Sisca will bring her customer service experience to Rectrix Aviation as the new Scheduler/Dispatcher and Charter Sales Coordinator.

About Rectrix

Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services, Inc. has been providing the highest level of private jet charter service, aircraft management and fixed base operations since 2005. Rectrix Aviation, Inc. is a full service charter operation allowing clients to select flight times and aircraft ideal for their needs and to fly with experienced crews who maintain the strictest safety standards. In 2010, Rectrix Aviation, Inc. was honored with a Platinum rating from ARGUS International, Inc. A Platinum rating is awarded to the top air charter operation that demonstrates the highest level of safety in terms of flight operations and facility maintenance. The Rectrix Aerodrome Centers in Hyannis, MA (HYA) and Sarasota, FL (SRQ) are state-of-the-art facilities offering private passenger terminals and lounges, aircrew amenities, and full aircraft handling services.  For more information, visit www.rectrix.aero.

On this new site, Rectrix plans to build additional hangars to house large business class jets such as the Gulfstream 650. Rectrix is also exploring options for a FAA Part 145 repair station and self-service fueling area. The new construction will be adjacent to its Hangarminiums™, privately owned hangar spaces customized to fit an owner’s needs, and the Rectrix Aerodrome Center, where amenities include concierge services and aircraft maintenance.

“This new lease and expansion will give us the opportunity to increase our customer base, support the local and regional economy by creating jobs, and meet the growing needs of our customers,” said Fiona Duddy, Vice President of Business Development for Rectrix. “This truly is significant for Rectrix, and shows our continued commitment to this community.”

About Rectrix

Rectrix Commercial Aviation Services, Inc. has been providing the highest level of private jet charter service, aircraft management and fixed base operations since 2005. The company was recently awarded the prestigious Platinum rating by ARGUS International, Inc. for its rigorous high safety standards. Rectrix Aviation, Inc. is a full service charter operation allowing clients to select flight times and aircraft ideal for their needs and to fly with experienced crews who maintain the strictest safety standards. The Rectrix Aerodrome Centers in Hyannis, MA (HYA) and Sarasota, FL (SRQ) are unique and immaculate facilities offering private passenger terminals and lounges, aircrew amenities and full aircraft handling services. For more information, visit www.rectrix.aero.