Feb. 23--Keith Fauvie is not your typical snowbird retiree, content to move to Savannah and put his energies into golf, boating or beachcombing.
He's running his own charter airline.
Fauvie and his wife, Candice, decided to start KC Chartaire soon after relocating to Savannah from Atlanta three years ago. Now they're ready to get the business "off the ground" and will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the Sheltair Aviation terminal. A ceremonial ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 11 a.m.
"When I decided to retire, my wife demanded I start something like this," Fauvie said, "because otherwise I'd drive her crazy."
Fauvie can fly as many as seven passengers in his Rockwell Turbo Commander 690B. The propeller plane has a range of 1,000 miles and can fly as high as 31,000 feet at a maximum speed of 265 knots, or 305 mph.
The airline services Canada and the Continental United State. Fauvie plans to add the Bahamas and the Caribbean soon.
Fauvie is a retired commercial airline pilot. He captained planes for a United Airlines subsidiary for 10 and a half years. Prior to that, he spent 15 years as an air-traffic controller.
His experience in both the tower and the cockpit means "everybody feels safe," said Candice, a retired flight attendant.
Savannah is an underserved market with plenty of potential, the Fauvies said. KC Chartaire is the only Savannah-based charter airline, in fact. Charter companies will run flights out of Savannah but bring the planes in from other airports, like Augusta or Charleston.
"Having an operator here is a boost to the general aviation makeup in Savannah," said Gary Murkowski, general manager of the Sheltair Aviation terminal.
The Fauvies are targeting both business and pleasure customers, as well as cargo. Daytrips ferrying multiple employees of a company to cities like Atlanta for a business meeting is a major potential source of business. Guys' golf trips or girls' shopping trips are also possibilities. The Fauvies received inquiries last fall from Savannah Georgia Bulldogs fans looking to fly to Athens on game day.
"What you're paying for is convenience -- you don't have to deal with the airport hassles and we operate on the passengers' schedule," Keith Fauvie said. "And if you have to fly five or six people someplace, a charter can actually make sense economically."
IF YOU GO
KC Chartaire Open House
10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday
Sheltair Aviation terminal
100 Eddie Jungemann Drive
* Ceremonial ribbon-cutting to be held at 11 a.m.
Copyright 2013 - Savannah Morning News, Ga.
