Most companies don’t make it 80 years.
Priester Aviation has.
But according to Chairman Andy Priester, longevity isn’t about protecting the way things have always been done. It’s about recognizing when the business, the customer, and the industry are changing, then being willing to change with them.
In this episode of the Iron Bird Podcast, Dan Harris sits down with Andy to unpack the evolution of one of private aviation’s longest-running family businesses.
Andy shares how a company that started as a flight training school in 1945 expanded into airport ownership, maintenance, FBO services, charter, aircraft management, acquisitions, and now fractional ownership.
But the conversation goes much deeper than company history.
Andy talks openly about returning to the family business after working as an eighth-grade science teacher, learning aviation by being thrown into difficult situations, working alongside his father, and eventually buying the company from him when they realized they shared the same destination but had different ideas about how to get there.
They also dive into Priester Aviation’s acquisition strategy, including what went right, what went wrong, and why Andy believes acquiring a company means very little if you destroy the relationships and culture that made it valuable in the first place.
Dan and Andy also explore where private aviation is heading, from automated charter quoting and AI to jet cards, fractional ownership, emerging aviation technology, and the growing demand for a simpler customer experience.
Through all of it, one idea keeps coming back:
Aviation may be built around airplanes, but successful aviation businesses are built around people.
✈️ Key Topics Covered
- How Priester Aviation survived and evolved for more than 80 years
- Why customer needs shaped the company from the very beginning
- The three things Andy believes every successful business needs
- Why some aviation companies hold onto old business models for too long
- How technology is making private aviation more accessible
- The changing role of charter brokers and operators
- Why long-term customer relationships can matter more than short-term profit
- What Priester looks for when hiring people
- Andy’s transition from eighth-grade science teacher to aviation executive
- What it’s really like working with your father in a family business
- Why Andy eventually bought Priester Aviation from his father
- What Priester learned from acquiring Mayo Aviation, Omni, and other businesses
- Why culture comes first when evaluating an acquisition
- The difference between integrating an acquisition too slowly and too quickly
- Why Priester brought private equity into the business
- How jet cards and fractional ownership reduce friction for customers
- Why aviation customers increasingly want an “easy button”
- How charter operators can improve their “time to yes”
- The case for automated quoting in private aviation
- Why technology should free salespeople to sell instead of simply processing quotes
- What the next chapter of Priester Aviation could look like
🔍 Why This Episode Matters
Private aviation is changing quickly.
Technology is changing how trips are priced and sold. Private equity is reshaping aviation businesses. Customers increasingly expect faster, simpler experiences. And family-owned operators are facing difficult decisions about growth, succession, and consolidation.
Priester Aviation has already lived through decades of change.
Andy’s story offers a look at what it takes to evolve without losing the relationships, culture, and customer focus that built the company in the first place.
Because surviving for 80 years is impressive.
Knowing how to keep changing so you can make it to 100 may be even more important.
