Timeless Aviation Original Passes 50-year Milestone as Phillips 66 FBO
/Founded by a man who once worked on General George Patton’s tanks during World War II, Florida AirMotive at Lantana Airport (LNA) has surpassed the 50-year milestone as a Phillips 66® Aviation-branded dealer.
Along the way, the legendary Atlantic Coast fixed base operator has introduced more than 40,000 people – most of them youths – to the wonders of flight.
Its founder, Owen Gassaway Jr., who passed away in 2007, hoped his FBO’s Young Eagles efforts could inspire kids to dream about aviation as he did, flying model airplanes in 1930s as a boy at Morrison Field, now known as Palm Beach International Airport. It didn’t take long for the young Gassaway to make Lantana Airport his “home,” where he worked as budding mechanic fixing bicycles.
Gassaway eventually earned aviation’s prestigious Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award for 50 years of continuous aircraft maintenance service.
His son, Owen Gassaway III, now leads Florida AirMotive, home to nearly three dozen aviation businesses, a still-active CAP chapter and, of course, an enthusiastic Young Eagles program. An economic study estimated that the FBO and the airport contribute $35 million to the local economy.
“Phillips 66 Aviation is proud to have served Florida AirMotive for a half-century,” says Rosemary Leone, Director, Programs Development, General Aviation, for ConocoPhillips. “Their historical importance to both Phillips 66 and general aviation is significant. But it is Florida AirMotive’s commitment to nurturing the future of the aviation industry that’s most impressive.”
Florida AirMotive is supplied by fuel marketer Ascent Aviation Group, Inc., a Phillips 66 Aviation fuel marketer.
Read more about this legendary FBO and its founder at www.phillips66aviation.com, where Florida AirMotive is the featured FBO for September.