ROCKFORD, ILL. – President Kennedy hadn’t taken office yet, and the Beatles were still a small band in Liverpool when Hartzog Aviation (now Emery Air) inked its first deal with Beechcraft as a sales and service center. The company has evolved, and Emery Air, located at Chicago-Rockford International Airport, is now celebrating its 55th anniversary being affiliated with Beechcraft.
Emery Air is the region’s authorized Beechcraft service facility for Barons and Bonanzas. Emery also provides service for King Air, Beechjet, Hawker, Premier and Beech 1900 aircraft, and is certified to work on the Citation 500, Challenger 600 and Lear 40/45.
In 1985, Hartzog Aviation was sold to Beech Holdings (Raytheon Aircraft Corporation). In 2003, Emery Air Charter (which was part of the original Hartzog operation, now owned by Steve and Tina Thomas) acquired the Raytheon facility and the name changed to Emery Air, Inc. The Thomas family continues to operate the company today, and also owns Poplar Grove Airmotive (www.emeryair.net).
