Today we’d like to introduce you to Elliot Mintzer.
Hi Elliot, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I had spent 20 years in the building materials industry, and then in 2008 as a senior level executive the housing crash took place that wiped out my position and my entire division.
Having time on my hands I always wanted to learn how to fly and my favorite TV show was WINGS… I always wanted to be Joe Hackett, I thought how cool would that be to have a plane and fly little short hops for business or pleasure.
So, I went to learn how to fly and during conversation with colleagues in the building materials industry I started getting requests to fly people to different places job sites, bid meetings, construction projects, etc.
Being that I didn’t have a commercial pilot’s license all I could do was put the requests and aircraft together so I created my first company which was MySky Aviation Solutions and that company handled brokering of charter flights… putting people together with aircraft.
As I continued my pilot education, I received my commercial certificate and my instrument certificate. I then had the opportunity to manage an airplane which now turned MySky into a management company.
Learning more about the market and realizing that there was something missing I decided to begin my own charter operation to help fill a void… That happened in 2012 and I started with a TwinProp Baron 58, a cell phone and a website then never looked back to building materials again
As business began to grow and clients in the construction industry that I used to sell building materials to now became air travel clients, I knew that we had to increase to a bigger aircraft and that began our relationship with the Pilatus PC12, the number one rated turbo prop in the world.
Fast forward to 2019 and after running a very successful company with five PC12 and generating over $3 million annually in revenue, it was time to sell that company as my wife and I decided it was our time to start a family.
We still wanted an aviation business but just not on the large scale that we had previously..So TRYP Air Charter was born.
My wife, Victoria and I live in plant city with our two month old twin baby girls (Makynlee Lou and Tynsleigh Reese) and our golden retriever Charlie.This is where my wife grew up and wanted to raise our children… What a great town with a friendly environment we couldn’t be happier here with country living at its best.
TRYP Air Charter now serves Florida with a focus on local business and Bahamas travel. To this day, people ask did you always want to have a charter operation…. The answer is I never dreamed of it…it happened organically and couldn’t be more blessed that it has…it’s definitely what I was meant to do and I love applying my sales and marketing background to aviation but most importantly I love to fly every chance I get and I love flying the Pilatus PC12
Interacting with business people, interacting with people as they’re going on vacation to the Bahamas, it really is the best job in the world we invite everybody to learn more about us and #TakeTheTRYP.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have always been challenges… Anytime you deal with a government regulatory agency they will always be some hiccups but we’ve also had to deal with pilot shortages, shortage of aircraft, and most recently COVID-19.
We’ve been impressed with MySky Aviation / TRYP Air Charter, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
MySky Aviation is a Charter broker, aircraft management, consulting company. It’s a threefold operation where we put people and aircraft together that want to use private air travel.
We manage aircraft for businesses and personal individuals that want a turnkey solution, and we consult with businesses and individuals on how to utilize private air travel in their every day business and personal life
TRYP Air Charter is a certificated FAA on demand air carrier that utilizes aircraft for personal or business use. I’ve been doing this for about ten years now and what people know about us is this… That we always, without a doubt, do the right thing… We always are transparent… We always put safety first… Most importantly we love aviation. We are known for being THE PC12 Operator in the southeast.
If anyone is looking for this type of aircraft they know who to call… And that would be us. What are we most proud of? Again we do this because we love aviation.
My dad always taught me “follow the dream, the money will come” and this venture has been no exception.
Our brand is fun and exciting, it’s safety rating is impeccable. We provide a valuable service for businesses and personal travelers to get where they need to go utilizing the best means out there. What sets us apart is how we treat our clients and our team members…
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
One of the things in aviation is everybody really wants to help you succeed… They encourage you they provide advice and that drives success
We have a charter coordinator, Jessica Bullard who does an amazing job and works long hard hours to see that the clients get the absolute best experience they ever could imagine from flying with us. My wife Victoria, who handles Logistics/Accounting, and honestly just dealing with me 🙂 :-)… She keeps us grounded when we need to be and soaring high when it’s possible… Our business would not be what it is today without her and without Jessica.
Then you have our pilots… Who specialize in the aircraft that we fly, who are trained to the highest standards, and honestly love flying and enjoy meeting and being around people in business and on vacation.
It’s a pretty cool job to fly to the Carolinas, or the Bahamas, even an SEC college football game on Saturday… And get paid for it…yes we get paid to fly airplanes for a living and it doesn’t get any better than that.
Pricing:
- Our aircraft runs $1100 per hour
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.flytryp.com
- Instagram: @iflytryp
- Facebook: TRYP Air Charter
- Twitter: Iflytryp
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