ATA Execujet’s new fixed-wing Part 135 operation is likely to succeed, if its rotorcraft Part 135 operations are any indication. The company’s helicopter fleet currently includes a Eurocopter AS 355 TwinStar, Bell JetRanger and Bell LongRanger. The department also manages a Bell 407 for a private owner. Three rotorcraft pilots share the approximately 1,200 hours of flying time per year. ATA Execujet’s helicopters perform electronic newsgathering, aerial photography, powerline inspection and corporate charter services for Indianapolis-based companies.

ATA Execujet’s Indianapolis location also allowed the rotorcraft to land a unique contract as the microwave uplink for in-car cameras at major auto-racing events in the Midwest, including the Indy 500. “The in-car cameras do not have the power to transmit to ground units,” said Moebius, “so we position a helicopter above the raceway to receive and process the signals from all six in-car cameras on the racetrack, then transmit the signals back to the trailer on the ground, where they process the feeds a second time.”