Erie Air Service finds home in Port Clinton

PORT CLINTON - A new era of aviation has come to Port Clinton through Erie Air Service, which offers charter service with jets out of Erie-Ottawa International Airport.

Erie Air Service, which began operations in November, was formed through a collaboration between Jim Kreutzfeld and Griffing Flying Service.

Kreutzfeld was inspired to impact the local charter service when COVID-19 shutdowns caused an increase in charter demand. Griffing already offered charter service with its King Air B200, a twin turboprop airplane which has a range of 1,200 miles and a maximum occupancy of nine people. With the increase in demand, Kreutzfeld knew Port Clinton needed something more.

“When COVID hit, it became more problematic to fly on airlines. Griffing already offered charter service in addition to island air service. In the winter, they are the only source of taking supplies to the islands,” Kreutzfeld said.

Although the King Air is ideal for the work it does, it wasn’t always available or a good fit for every flight.

“No plane is perfect for every need,” Kreutzfeld said. “When COVID hit, I talked to Griffing about the higher demand for charter business. We discussed how we could expand the charter business here locally.”

Kreutzfeld’s answer was to supply Griffing with three more planes, including two jets.

“That’s where I stepped in and offered a spectrum of planes,” Kreutzfeld said.

Kreutzfeld supplied three planes, Griffing Flying Service agreed to operate and manage the charter service, and Erie Air Service was born.

Citation II is one of the jets in the fleet

In addition to Griffing’s King Air, the Erie Air Service fleet includes two jets. The Hawker 800XP midsize jet has a top speed of 500 mph and a range of 2,500 miles. It can accommodate two pilots and eight eight passengers. The Citation II is a light jet with a top speed of 400 mph and a range of 1,200 miles. The Citation can accommodate two pilots and seven passengers.

Although it is the smallest aircraft of the fleet, the Cirrus SR22 piston single engine airplane is defined by luxury. NASA aerodynamic engineering was employed in the design, and the Cirrus comes equipped with a full airframe parachute. It has a top speed of 200 mph, a range of 750 miles, and can accommodate one pilot and three passengers.

“It’s the most popular single engine, general aviation aircraft on the market. It’s comfortable and has good visibility,” Kreutzfeld said. “There’s sometimes an initial hesitancy about flying in a small plane, but once you fly in one of these, the hesitation is gone.”

Kreutzfeld invested in two hangers at the airport

In addition to supplying planes for Erie Air Service, Kreutzfeld also invested in two hangars at the airport. The older of the two, which was built in 1960, was remodeled to commercial quality. The hangars, which are also managed by Griffing Air Service, provide storage space for transient traffic.

Overall, Erie Air Service is helping aviation — and its business dollars — stay local.

“By Griffing now having the jet flying capability, more commerce can remain local as opposed to being outsourced to national firms,” Kreutzfeld said.

Thanks to Erie Air Service, Port Clinton aviation customers are experiencing a new era of convenience and luxury.

“Talking to people who charter with larger companies, they say it’s like a taxi service. You never see the same pilot twice, and they can experience long delays,” Kreutzfeld said. “With Griffing, if you charter a plane, you charter that plane. If you charter it for 7 a.m., it will be waiting for you at 7 a.m. If you fly multiple times, you’ll get to know the pilots. That personal service is what Griffing is striving for.”

Erie Air Service and its planes are operated by Griffing Flying Service which can be reached at 419-734-5400 or flygriffing.com.

Contact correspondent Sheri Trusty at sheritrusty4@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Erie Air Service, based in Port Clinton, has 4 planes including 2 jets