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Premier Aircraft Sales Opens New Orlando Office

Premier Aircraft Sales Opens New Orlando Office
John Painter, CEO of Air Orlando Aviation, is in the pilot’s seat of a Diamond DA-42 airplane. In the right seat is Painter’s wife, Janet, and behind them is Michael Fabianac, Premier Orlando regional sales manager.

John Painter, CEO of Air Orlando Aviation, is in the pilot’s seat of a Diamond DA-42 airplane. In the right seat is Painter’s wife, Janet, and behind them is Michael Fabianac, Premier Orlando regional sales manager.

By Chuck Weirauch

When Michael Fabianac looks out the expansive windows of the new Premier Aircraft Sales office based at Orlando Executive Airport, he sees a sweeping panorama of the airport and the city of Orlando. He also sees the vision the company had when it chose to establish a Central Florida sales center there. It’s Premier’s seventh aircraft sales point in the country. The company opened the facility in March, offering new Diamond and Mooney aircraft.

“We came to Orlando for a number of reasons,” said Fabianac, Premier’s Orlando regional sales manager. “This area has a tremendous population. Florida has 42,000 pilots, and quite a few are located in Central Florida. Because Orlando is centrally located, I can fly demonstration flights in several nearby cities without any difficulty.”

Another major advantage for the new Premier location is its working relationship with Air Orlando Aviation Inc., located in the adjacent building. Air Orlando is a factory-authorized training and service center for Diamond aircraft. The firm has been operating in Orlando since 1985, and provides a full range of general aviation maintenance for several aircraft types, including Mooney. In addition to its flight school and aircraft rental service, Air Orlando also features an extensive pilot shop and a fixed-motion flight simulator.

Dale Smith, Premier Aircraft Sales public relations manager (left), and Michael Fabianac, in front of their new regional sales office at Orlando Executive Airport.

Dale Smith, Premier Aircraft Sales public relations manager (left), and Michael Fabianac, in front of their new regional sales office at Orlando Executive Airport.

“We’ve had an outstanding relationship with Air Orlando,” Fabianac said. “We have the combination of a great location, lots of active pilots, a Diamond-authorized flight school and a Diamond factory-certified service center. When you put that all together, this is an outstanding location.”

So far, Premier has sold more than 4,000 aircraft since the company began operations in 1985. It’s the exclusive Florida dealership for Diamond aircraft and is now the top dealer in North America for Diamond and Mooney aircraft. Fabianac’s vision is to sell 50 aircraft in 2007 through the Premier Orlando sales office.

In addition to the company’s sales record, Fabianac was drawn to work for Premier because of its experience and reputation in the aviation community, as well as that for Diamond Aircraft.

“People look for more of a consultative approach to help them with their aircraft purchases, and that’s how Premier operates,” Fabianac said. “We’ve also found that people have a great deal of concern about aviation safety. Diamond has the number-one safety record in all of aviation right now, and that attracts a lot of pilots to us.”

John Painter, CEO and owner of Air Orlando, was also interested in partnering with Premier because of its Diamond Aircraft connections and reputation.

Attendees at the Premier Aircraft Sales open house admire a Diamond DA-40 aircraft.

Attendees at the Premier Aircraft Sales open house admire a Diamond DA-40 aircraft.

“In surveying the new aircraft out there, I decided that Diamond Aircraft was very attractive, and I wanted to have an association with them,” Painter said. “We now have a symbiotic relationship. Premier is a customer service-oriented business, and that’s the hallmark of our company as well.”

Painter does have one problem with Diamond Aircraft: Air Orlando doesn’t get many Diamond aircraft owners as service customers. That’s because those aircraft don’t require much service, he explained. Air Orlando has Diamond DA-20 and DA-40 aircraft in its rental fleet, and has a twin diesel-engine DA-42 airplane on order.

Air Orlando provides flight training in Diamond aircraft, and Painter expects that when Premier sells a Diamond airplane, Air Orlando will provide the transition training for the new owners. So far, Air Orlando has provided transition training for about 25 Diamond owners. While the flight school doesn’t provide training for Mooney aircraft, it does for Cirrus and Cessna aircraft, as well as for Schweitzer helicopters, along with some aerobatic training.

At the Premier Aircraft Sales open house, two young pilots dream about flying a Diamond DA-40.

At the Premier Aircraft Sales open house, two young pilots dream about flying a Diamond DA-40.

“The Premier and Air Orlando relationship helps simplify things for folks,” Painter summed up. “Together, we’ll be able to provide the sales advice and support, training and service that customers want, all in one location.”

For more information, call 877-359-7271.

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