 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1959; 66 years ago (1959) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | March 26, 2018; 7 years ago (2018-03-26) (acquired byCalifornia Pacific Airlines) | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Destinations | 3 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kennesaw, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||
| Key people | John and Janet Beardsley (owners) | ||||||
| Website | http://www.flyadi.com/ (redirects to CP Air) | ||||||
Aerodynamics Inc., also known asADI, was an American charterairline that began offering scheduled services subsidized by theEssential Air Service program in 2016 under a codeshare agreement withGreat Lakes Airlines. It was purchased in 2018 byCalifornia Pacific Airlines, when the airline officially shut down.
The airline was based inKennesaw, Georgia and the airline's website claims it was founded in 1959.
The airline filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy re-organization in August 2013.[1] The company had also owned a large contract maintenance operation atOakland County International Airport which was shut down in 2012.[2]
Business Aircraft Group, Inc.'s CEO M.L. (Mike) Hoyle provided the DIP financing along with establishing a new company who performed the "stalking horse" duties to bring ADI out of bankruptcy. Hoyle held the position of Chairman for 12 months following ADI's emergence from bankruptcy before divesting his interest in ADI.
In 2015 the airline was purchased from its former owner Scott Beale by John and Janet Beardsley. The Beardsleys also ownedSeaPort Airlines which filed for bankruptcy in February 2016.[3] Seaport was later shut down and liquidated that September.[4]
At the end of 2017 Aerodynamics was purchased byCalifornia Pacific Airlines, a startup regional carrier based inCarlsbad, California inNorth San Diego County. The purchase included Aerodynamics' fleet of four planes and its contract serving Pierre and Watertown.[5]
The airline first applied and was selected to operate subsidizedEssential Air Service flights toKearney, Nebraska;Scottsbluff, Nebraska; andPierre, South Dakota in 2015. Later theUnited States Department of Transportation blocked its authority to operate those flights because of concerns over owner-operator Scott Beale's fitness to operate the airline and his history of defrauding suppliers.[6] This ultimately triggered the purchase of the company by the Beardsleys and the DOT later restored the airline's operating authority.
The airline operated its first scheduled flight betweenYoungstown–Warren Regional Airport inYoungstown, Ohio andO'Hare International Airport inChicago on July 1, 2016. The flights were operated under acodeshare withGreat Lakes Airlines as Great Lakes Jet Express, with ADI expecting that this arrangement would allow them to take advantage of Great Lakes'interline agreement withUnited Airlines for connections in Chicago. However, United refused to honor that agreement as Great Lakes did not at that time offer any flights of their own to Chicago. The service ceased abruptly on August 17 of the same year, less than two months after it started.[7]
The airline began Essential Air Service flights fromDenver International Airport toPierre Regional Airport with onward continuing service toWatertown Regional Airport (inWatertown, South Dakota) on August 15, 2016.[8] These flights were also operated under the Great Lakes Jet Express branding, but in this case the interline agreement was honored by United, as the flights were handled like regular Great Lakes flights in Denver as it was Great Lakes' largest hub.
In 2017 the airline bid for EAS flying under the name "SkyValue Airlines."[9]
On March 26, 2018, Great Lakes Airlines announced that operations would be suspended effective at midnight. However, certain segments of the company continued to operate, including Great Lakes Jet Express flights to Pierre and Watertown in South Dakota.[10] Ground employees handling ADI's flights became employees of ADI, although Great Lakes continued handling ADI's ticketing for a time.
On May 29, 2018, ADI was purchased byCalifornia Pacific Airlines. For a few months it did business as California Pacific on the Pierre/Watertown route, as well as California Pacific's intended markets out ofMcClellan–Palomar Airport. However, in December 2018 CPA suspended its West Coast operations, and in January 2019 its EAS operations were abruptly shut down as well, leaving Pierre (the capital of South Dakota) and Watertown without any scheduled commercial air service.[11][12]
Aerodynamics, Inc. operated a fleet ofEmbraer ERJ-145regional jet aircraft with 50 seats.[citation needed]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer ERJ-145 | 4 | − | Configured to seat 50 passengers |
| Total | 4 | − |
ADI operated scheduled flights to the following destinations :
| Operating base | |
| Focus city | |
| Future destination | |
| Terminated destination |
| Country (state/province) | City | Airport | Begin | End | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (Colorado) | Denver | Denver International Airport | 2016 | 2019 | |
| United States (South Dakota) | Pierre | Pierre Regional Airport | 2016 | 2019 | Essential Air Service |
| United States (South Dakota) | Watertown | Watertown Regional Airport | 2016 | 2019 | Essential Air Service |
| United States (Illinois) | Chicago | O'Hare International Airport | 2016 | 2016 | |
| United States (Ohio) | Youngstown | Youngstown–Warren Regional Airport | 2016 | 2016 |
