FRYEBURG — The Eastern Slope Airport Authority has announced Western Maine Aviation, LLC as its new Fixed Base Operator (FBO) for the Eastern Slope

WESTERN MAINE AVIATION — is the new fixed base operator at the Eastern Slope Regional Airport in Fryeburg. At left is Western Maine Aviation owner and manager Mary Build, and at right is Matt McFadden, flight instructor and mechanic for WMA. (Ackley Photo)

Regional Airport here.

Mary Build, the owner and manager, has been flying for 20 years and began her private pilot training at the Eastern Slope Regional Airport. She went on to obtain her Instrument, Commercial, Certified Flight Instructor (both CFI and CFII) licenses and is also a Designated Pilot Examiner for Single Engine Land and Sea. She also holds a Multi-Engine Land rating, and is a Federal Aviation Administration Safety Representative.

Mary Build started a seaplane flight school, Naples Seaplane Service, Inc., at the Brandy Pond Seaplane Base in Naples that she has successfully operated for 10 years. She has flown extensively internationally including Alaska, and in June she is participating as a judge in the Air Race Classic (formerly the Powder Puff Derby) for the third year in a row.

Western Maine Aviation will service the surrounding area with an up and running flight school, maintenance shop and charter service. The charter service, scheduled to start in the spring, will use a Caravan on amphibious floats making it possible to pick up passengers at any airport and take them directly to their summer home on the water.

Pilot ground school at MOMS

Western Maine’s private pilot ground school starts on Jan. 20, 2011 at the Molly Ockett Middle School. The class will run every Thursday for eight weeks, for four hours a night. Many up-to-date videos and slide presentations will be used to make the student pilot comfortable with all the educational material to prepare them for the private pilot written exam. This class will be facilitated by Matthew McFadden, an experienced FAA Flight Instructor from nearby Denmark. An Instrument Pilot course will begin on March 31 at the same location, with McFadden as the instructor.

Mary flies a variety of planes from a Cessna 150, 172, 182, 180, 185, 206, Piper Cubs on wheels, skis and floats. She also has time in a King Air 90 and a Kodiak on amphibious floats.

The first 10 students to sign up for the ground school can purchase discounted private pilot literature for just $99. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to fly, now’s the time. Mary and Matt are fulltime instructors at the airport, ready to schedule your flight training. For more information, see the class descriptions and contact information at http://crookedriver.maineadulted.org/ and put the word “pilot” in the search box.

Jet fuel coming

Eastern Slope Regional Airport Manager David Cullinan said he couldn’t be happier having Western Maine Aviation on board as the airport’s FBO.

“The airport’s future has never looked brighter,” Cullinan said on Monday.

He said the airport will offer Jet-A fuel later this year.

“We’re in the process of bringing in a Jet-A facility, this spring,” said Cullinan.

Cullinan said the Eastern Slope Regional Airport prides itself on being a participant in the Angel Flight New England program that offers free medical flights for people of all ages, as well as being a facility for the transfer by plane of organ donations for medical emergencies.

New capability coming

The Eastern Slope Regional Airport is in the process of qualifying for the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) that maximizes airport operations.

“The WAAS offers airports the opportunity to gain Instrument Landing System (ILS)-like approach capability without the purchase of any ground-based navigation equipment at the airport,” according to the Federal Aviation Administration. It helps to achieve minimums as low as 200 feet in height above touchdown and one-half mile visibility.

Said Cullinan, “Between Jet-A, WAAS and Mary (of Western Maine Aviation), we’ve never looked better!”

Build and McFadden encourage anyone who has an interest in flying or pilots and businesses interested in using the airport’s services to call them at 935-4711.