A Business Aviation Pioneer
George J. Priester is remembered as an aviation visionary, who foresaw its valuable role in transportation and corporate travel early on.
By trade, George J. Priester was a locomotive engineer for the Chicago and Northwestern Railroads, but he always loved airplanes. He soloed in 1928 at 20 years old, became an Instrument Instructor Pilot for the War Training Service in 1938, and then, following the war, founded a flight training school for military veterans in 1945 at Palwaukee Airport (PWK), Illinois. More than 1,000 pilots ultimately attended the school.
Developing Palwaukee Airport
Over the next decade, he retired from the railroads and expanded his flight school into a charter operation. While most people focused on the profitability of selling airplanes, Priester saw the business potential in providing aviation services and bought Palwaukee Airport to start an FBO in 1953.
His son Charlie Priester, who was involved with the family business from a young age, helped grow his father’s company, George J. Priester Aviation Service, into one of the Midwest’s leading aviation organizations and airports. The Priesters are credited with developing much of Palwaukee Airport (now Chicago Executive Airport) into what it is today.
Expansion and Transition
From 1953 to 1986, they expanded the airport from five employees on 108 acres and gravel runways to 200 employees on 300 acres with expansive paved runways. It went from hosting around 60 aircraft to more than 400. Palwaukee Airport became the busiest privately owned airport in the world.
But, in 1986, after 33 years of building one of the nation’s finest airports, the family decided to sell the airport to the neighboring communities of Wheeling and Prospect Heights. After the sale, Priester Aviation continued as a service provider offering FBO, maintenance and charter services.
Investing in Aircraft Management
By the early 2000s, the family saw their jet charter and aircraft management business expanding and invested additional resources to become the preeminent choice in aircraft management and jet charter. A deal was struck with Signature Flight Support, and Priester sold both their FBO and maintenance businesses.
Today, we are one of the industry’s largest and most experienced family-operated aircraft management and charter solutions providers, dedicated and driven by partnerships and customer-focused relationships. Throughout our organizations – Priester Aviation, Mayo Aviation, Hill Private Aviation, and Stubbs Aviation Advisors – we build on our history as George J. Priester Aviation serves as the unifying parent company.