Elliott Aviation

What It Is: A family-owned, and globally known general- and business-aviation services company with three Midwest U.S. locations. 

How It Grew: In 1936, flight instructor Herb Elliott founded Elliott Flying Service in DeWitt, Iowa. With the help of company bookkeeper/high school sweetheart (and soon wife) Arlene—also a pilot—the firm sold 13 airplanes in its first year. After Herb served as a civilian pilot for the military in World War II, Elliott Flying Service established a pioneering Piper and Beechcraft dealership in Davenport, Iowa. In the late 1940s, it added maintenance to aircraft- sales and flight-instruction services. The company opened a location in Des Moines in 1958, moved its headquarters to Moline, Illinois in 1961, and debuted a Minneapolis facility in 1972. The couple became nationally known for their leadership role in business aviation. Their son Wynn assumed the company helm in 1993 and its named changed to Elliott Aviation in 1995. A completions center and a paint facility opened in 2003 and 2008, respectively.

What It Offers: 

Services. One-stop service for jets and turboprops, including aircraft sales (Elliott Jet Sales), appraisals, paint, interior design and refurbishment, airframe and engine maintenance and overhaul, and accessories and parts sales.

Aftermarket avionics retrofits. Among the largest providers of cockpit and cabin avionics upgrades, the company claims installations of more Garmin G1000 retrofits than all other aftermarket providers combined.

STCs. In the last decade alone, Elliott has developed more than 85 STCs for modifications for   aircraft made by every major fixed-wing manufacturer.

FBOs. Elliott operates FBOs at all three of its locations.

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Notable Achievements: Arlene Elliott was a pioneer in aircraft financing, convincing regional banks to extend loans to private buyers and helping to expand business aviation throughout the Midwest.

Quote: “[Herb Elliott] frequently expressed his belief that the most important word in the dictionary is imagination.” —Don Herrman, friend and former Elliott employee

Recent News: In February Elliott announced the signing of an industry-leading 15^thpreorder for the forthcoming Garmin G5000 retrofit for Citation Excel/XLS.

FAST FACTS

Founded: 1936

HQ: Moline, Illinois

Employees: More than 350

Chairman and CEO: Wynn Elliott

Website: elliottaviation.com