Founded

1964

Headquarters

Dallas

Key People

Greg Arnold, chairman and CEO

Number of Employees

About 800

Phone Number

(972) 807-7879

Website

TAC Air

TAC Air

TAC Air, a Dallas-based FBO chain, provides ground and concierge services, contract fuel, and hangar/office space at 16 locations in 11 U.S. states. TAC Air is one of four businesses under the Truman Arnold Companies corporate umbrella.

Founded in Texarkana, Texas, in 1964 by Conoco (Continental Oil Company) agent Truman Arnold, TAC built a chain of Road Runner–branded gas stations, which were reportedly the first in the petroleum industry to offer self-serve gasoline with a major oil company brand. With its Conoco fuel distribution and marketing business expanding in Arkansas and east Texas, TAC purchased its first aircraft, a Cessna 402, in 1976. Ten years later, the company acquired its first FBO in Texarkana, Arkansas (twin city of the identically named Texas municipality), rebranding it as Road Runner Aviation.

By 1989, the Road Runner chain had grown to include 123 gas stations in seven states, which were sold that year to Total Petroleum. With the purchase of the largest inland petroleum storage terminal in the U.S. in 1990, TAC concentrated on expanding wholesale petroleum marketing with its TAC Energy division and reached $500 million in sales revenue.

In 1991 Road Runner Aviation became TAC Air, which acquired nine more FBO locations over the next decade. After Arnold’s son Greg became CEO in 2003, he continued the TAC Air expansion with additional acquisitions of one FBO every two years from 2005 through 2009, plus two FBOs in 2013 and one in 2020.

All of TAC Air’s 16 FBOs offer Phillips 66 aviation fuel and ground-handling services. Several also provide hangar space for transient or stored aircraft parking, aircraft maintenance, concierge services, crew cars, and government contract fuel. All of the FBOs participate in the Cleanflying Coalition, implementing best health practices in business aviation.