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| Commenced operations | 1937 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Erie-Ottawa International Airport | ||||||
| Headquarters | Port Clinton, Ohio | ||||||
| Website | www.flygriffing.com | ||||||
Griffing Flying Service, Inc. is a privately owned aviation company based in Port Clinton, Ohio. It operates on-demand passenger flights to islands in Lake Erie, as well as air charter services to the U.S., Canada, and The Bahamas. The company also provides flight training, aerial tours and aircraft maintenance.
Griffing Flying Service is a family-operated business. Founded in 1937 by Harry Thomas Griffing, a former truck driver, [1] by 2016 it was headed by Harry Thomas Griffing Jr., with Harry Thomas Griffing III as its chief pilot. The latter is the third generation of pilots in the family. [2]
After seven years of negotiations, Griffing took over a rival, Island Airlines, in 1992. The deal included the rights to delivery agreements with the United States Postal Service and United Parcel Service. [3] It had 18 employees and a fleet of eight aircraft in 2012. It then operated the 133-acre (54 ha) Griffing Sandusky Airport in Sandusky, Ohio but was preparing gradually to move its base to Erie–Ottawa International Airport in Ottawa County, where it had in any case operated during the winter since 2008. [4] The move was completed by 2013. [2]
In 2016, the company was named Business of the Year by the Ottawa County Improvement Corporation. [2]
Fleet
Griffing Flying Service flies a fleet of small propeller-driven airplanes, including: [5]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| King Air B200 | 1 | 8 |
| Britten-Norman Islander | 1 | 8 |
| Piper Saratoga | 2 | 5 |
| Piper Archer II | 2 | 3 |
| Piper Cherokee 140 | 1 | 3 |
References
- ^ "Griffing Flying Service" (PDF). Erie-Ottawa International Airport Newsletter. March 2015.
- ^ a b c Denton, Jessica (March 10, 2016). "Griffing Flying Service takes OCIC's "Business of Year"". Port Clinton News Herald. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- ^ Lis, John (September 24, 1992). "Sandusky firm buys Erie Islands air link". Toledo Blade. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- ^ Payerchin, Richard (June 29, 2012). "Griffing moves flying business to Ottawa County". The Morning Journal News. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
- ^ "Aircraft Fleet". Griffing Flying Service. Griffing Flying Service. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
