The only fixed-base operator at Jabara Airport for half a century sells to rival
In a bit of a twist, Midwest Corporate Aviation owner Barbara Autry has gone from suing the city of Wichita and its airports director over dealings at Jabara Airport to now selling her longtime business to the fixed-base operator she had tried to keep out.
Dwayne Clemens confirmed he and his family’s Clemens Aviation acquired Midwest.
He said the city already had awarded his company FBO status at the airport in December, “which means you sell fuel to the public instead of just ourselves.”
Previously, Midwest had been the only FBO at Jabara for half a century. Even though Clemens Aviation already had its own FBO status, Clemens said he was still excited to acquire Midwest.
“We’ve always wanted to purchase them. I approached them several times over the years, but this time they approached us.”
He said that was in December. The deal closed Friday for an undisclosed price.
Autry didn’t return requests for comment.
“Normal operations will continue,” Clemens said. “We just hope to service the customers as best we can and create a good business.”
He said “purchasing them just allowed us to expand . . . our customer base and our hangar storage.”
“We’re focusing on several facility improvements.”
That includes adding another 30,000 gallons to their fuel farm.
“In the future, we will need to expand more hangars,” Clemens said.
The hangars, which he said he needs for storage and a paint shop, probably won’t happen for about six months.
Clemens Aviation already had five hangars and got 11 more plus an office facility with the Midwest acquisition.
Autry’s late husband, Marvin, founded their company in 1973 as Jabara’s only FBO. She joined in 1980. The company provided hangar space, fuel and other services to corporate and privately owned aircraft.
Clemens said with the Midwest acquisition, his company now has a combined 200,000 square feet at Jabara.
In 2002, Clemens and his wife, Julie, started their business at Stearman Field Airport, which they own.
They’ve been a commercial operator at Jabara for just over two years and take care of their own fleet of 30 managed jets.
Midwest’s dispute with the city over operations dates to 2017. At issue was the city’s negotiations with Clemens Aviation as an FBO and where it would be located at the airport.
“They didn’t want the competition, which I don’t blame them,” Dwayne Clemens said. “Heck, I wouldn’t either.”
Regardless, he said, the lawsuit was dropped a couple of years ago.
“It’s all old news.”
Clemens and his wife run their business with their children, Alex, Lizzie and Austin, who also are owners in the company.
“I couldn’t do this without the whole family,” he said. “We’re all jet pilots and active aviators.”
Clemens said the Midwest acquisition will help them grow, which is their goal.
“We just love aviation.”
