New York Jet Corporate Flight Center is among the latest FBOs to join the Phillips 66® Aviation network of branded fixed-base operators (FBO). But, the third-generation, family-owned company behind it, known as Mid Island Air Service, has been a part of the aviation world since 1946. In fact, the company is celebrating 75 years of history rooted in its connection to Long Island, which stands as one of America’s most beloved aviation communities, in part, for being home to the first-ever recorded flight in 1896.
“We have an incredible aviation community in Long Island,” Vincent Basile, Mid Island director of sales, said. “We have many, many aviation attributes and a lot of aviation history.”
Among the attributes of Long Island’s aviation history is the rise of Mid Island Air Service as an iconic symbol of the community’s love for the sky. Mid Island began as a flight school in a potato field, where owner and aviation pioneer Louis Mancuso would sell tractor gas to a local farmer— in addition to aiding the war effort by helping pilots learn to fly. As word spread that there was a nice “grass strip” to park some planes near the airport, Mancuso cleared enough land and formed an airport alongside his Mid Island Flight School, achieving his life-long dream of owning his own airport.
But that was just the beginning.
Within five years of opening, Mid Island Air was servicing 25-30 airplanes annually and growing fast. Though Mancuso has passed on, he and his wife Connie recently were inducted into Long Island's Air & Space Hall of Fame for their contributions to the aviation community—cementing a legacy that will live on for many more generations to come.
Today, Mid Island retains the same family spirit of its early years, but on a grander scale. Under the leadership of award-winning aerobatic pilot and Mid Island President Michael Mancuso, CEO Louis Mancuso Jr. and General Manager Gail Mancuso, the company has become a Long Island leader in aircraft sales and flight training, producing some of the most confident, safest and well-educated pilots in the industry.
More than 50 dedicated Mid Island employees proudly serve the local aviation community, operating on nearly 30 acres of facilities spread across the company’s two full-service FBO locations—Brookhaven Airport (KHWV) in Shirley, New York, and Long Island MacArthur Airport (KISP) in Ronkonkoma, New York. The company serves 85 tenants and caters to both corporate and general aviation, in addition to providing the U.S. military with about 50,000 – 80,000 gallons of fuel each year.
Despite obstacles brought on by the pandemic, the Mid Island team ended 2020 strong and poised for growth. In fact, Mid Island is just weeks away from celebrating the grand opening of its latest 34,000-square-foot hangar at KISP Airport. The new facility will be the largest hangar the company owns and operates; and it is already at capacity with a number of medium- to heavy-sized jets all being placed in the building under a corporate jet management oversight.
The new facility adds to the already 200,000 square feet of hangar space that Mid Island currently boasts across both of its locations. This includes more than 150,000 square feet of hangar space at KISP Airport—accommodating more than 30 aircraft, with individual heated and unheated hangars, as well as tiedown space for more than 50 aircraft. In addition to the luxurious space, all of Mid Island’s hangars come fully equipped with a team of trained employees providing personal concierge services, private charter needs, quality maintenance and aircraft services, brand-name Phillips 66 jet fuel and avgas, and much more.
“We are a true FBO in the sense of the definition of FBO,” Basile said. “And, we’re excited to be a part of the Phillips 66 family. We feel like we’re back home again.”
When asked what the company has planned for its 75th anniversary, Basile said that the New York Jet team really wanted to do something special to thank the business and corporate aviation community. As a result, New York Jet will be offering Self-Serve 100LL fuel at KHWV at 75 cents over cost for the month of March, followed by another generous discount through the month of April. From March 1 – April 31, all JetA fuel at KISP will be discounted to compete with the lowest contract prices available at the field. In addition, all purchases larger than 1,000 gallons, as well as all top-offs, will receive a free bottle of wine.
Current fuel prices and an opportunity to reserve New York Jet’s brand-new Mercedes crew car can be found at www.nyjet.com.
To learn more about New York Jet and Mid Island Air Service, visit nyjet.com or midislandair.com.