DOT Gives Aerodynamics Tentative OK for Certificate

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Transportation today tentatively recommended issuance of a certificate of public service that will allow Aerodynamics Inc. to provide flights between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

The show cause order U.S. DOT posted on ADI’s docket this morning “tentatively” finds ADI is “fit, willing and able to provide interstate scheduled air transportation of persons, property and mail using small aircraft, and should be issued a certificate of public convenience and necessity authorizing such operations, subject to conditions.”

ADI, incorporated in Michigan, has a corporate office in Beachwood and an operations office in Kennesaw, Ga. It is owned by John and Janet Beardsley, who also own SeaPort Airlines Inc., which does business as Wings of Alaska. Robert McKinney, SeaPort president, CEO and a member of its board of directors, is its CEO.

Dan Dickten, director of aviation at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, said a 14-day period for public comment followed by a 7-day response period follows Monday’s docket posting before DOT approves the service.

“This has been a long time coming,” he said in an email. “Hopefully the airline certification will be awarded before Christmas and we will launch flights in March/April.”

ADI applied for the certificate in June 2014. Based on a fraud finding against its owner and president at the time, Scott Beale, DOT issued a show cause order in February that recommended denying its application for new service and revoking its certification. Since then, the airline has changed its ownership and management to satisfy the agency’s concerns.

The airline responded to several requests for additional information over the past several months.

In addition, according to the order, it responded to concerns raised by anonymous commentators on the electronic docket. With regard to the comments about the company’s financial position, the department said it reviewed information John Beardsley provided and found that the airline has “sufficient capital to conduct its proposed operations without posing an undue risk to consumers and their funds.” The Federal Aviation Administration, in response to comments regarding safety, assured DOT that the airline “continues to operate in a safe manner,” according to the filing.

Based on the written record, the department “tentatively” concludes that ADI is “fit, willing and able to conduct interstate scheduled passenger operations” as a certified carrier but will “give interested parties an opportunity to show cause why we should not adopt as final the tentative findings and conclusions” in the show cause order.

“The Department of Transportation Airline Fitness Office and others conducted a very thorough investigation on the airline and we can now be assured that the ADI/SeaPort daily service between the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and the Chicago O’Hare International Airport for both destination and connecting service meets all the requirements to fly the service,” Dickten wrote.

“With the DOT’s recommendation to award the service with the certificate of public convenience and necessity for interstate air service, they found ADI fit, safe and able to conduct the much-needed daily air service for the Mahoning Valley community,” he said.

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