SMITHFIELD- Blue Line Aviation, North Carolina’s largest flight school, has announced plans to immediately cease all investment in their previously announced expansion in Johnston County.
Those expansion plans which have now been scrapped included a hotel, an additional flight school building, a dormitory and other flex space on land that sits adjacent to Johnston County (JNX) Airport. Blue Line Aviation invested significant funds to purchase, plan, annex, and rezone a 14 acre parcel, company officials said.
According to a press release from Blue Line founder Trey Walters, the flight school now recognizes that the JNX Airport cannot support the additional growth that the expansion would provide. This comes on the heels of an intensifying legal battle between Blue Line and the Airport as well as the FAA finding the Airport in violation of multiple Grant Assurances designed to prevent discriminatory practices, Walters said.
As a result, the company is canceling the development project at the Johnston County Airport, putting the land up for sale, and putting its development dollars and energy into a new location.
“We are disappointed that the dispute with the Johnston County Airport has led to mistreatment of our company, which is a tremendous asset to the community. Unfortunately, their actions leave us unable to invest a single additional penny at this location as well as require us to cease expansion hiring and relocate jobs and resources to another location. We hope that the airport authority will reflect on its actions and treat other investors better in the future.” Mr. Walters stated in the news release.
“While we were optimistic about our future growth in Johnston County the unfortunate reality left us no choice. We are going to take our lessons learned here and invest our future growth efforts elsewhere into a location that shares in our vision of excellence, innovation and integrity.”
More details on Blue Line’s new location and fleet expansion will be released in the coming weeks, Mr. Walters added.
Blue Line Aviation is located at 3149-B Swift Creek Road in Smithfield, and was established in 2012. It is one of only a few flight schools in the world to provide quality flight training programs at an accelerated pace. In less than six months, students can go from no experience to fully confident and certified pilots, fully prepared for a career in aviation.
This is disappointing for our community but I understand the need to do this from a business perspective.
Cannot wait to hear the full story on this one. What exactly did the airport do that caused this situation to happen? Tax payers want to know!
I guess they didn’t pay off enough to the good ole boy network. Shame, I’ve talked to people in the company and they are nice people and that business would bring a lot of money to the economy not to mention taxes. Then it seems their airport wasn’t up to spec either.. once again joco politics at it’s best
Apparently they didn’t get enough incentives and tax dollars from the citizens of Johnson county to pad their pockets. I’m tired of giving my tax dollars to business. If a business can’t make it in there own, they don’t need to be in business.
100 percent correct!!
Apparently the powers that be for the airport decided to pocket the grant money instead of widening the tarmac at the airport to provide additional parking as they had promised Blue Line they’d do in their agreement with Blue Line to expand.. That is why the FAA got involved…
Can’t blame them, if you are treated poorly there is no sense in investing in that area. What a shame for our community.
I won’t miss their students flying all over the place all day and night.
Agree!!! Same at my house! Noise from their planes is bad
Or crashing and running off the runway….
As a neighbor of the airport…..I’m thrilled that this deal fell through!
FDT that’s the first time you said anything that makes any sence
That would be sense.
FUFDT, at least I make sense. You on the other hand………
The plan was NEVER going to go happen. The blue line owner was trying to leverage himself to the county to get rid of the Jnx director and board. He is about the most unprofessional person I’ve ever seen. If he has such disdain for the airport I’m sure the county would allow him to get out of his lease and let him leave. Childish.
As a tenant and former business owner at JNX this is very welcomed news. This individual came to JNX thinking he will eventually run the airport and it did not happen. Wish him well in his future endeavors but will be glad to see him go.
Would be great to hear the other sides of the story.
GOOD!!! Bye, bye Baby! Not a single OG Joco resident wanted you here anyway!
I am very disappointed, however, the hand-writing was on the wall years ago with the hiring of a highway engineer as the airport manager. With zero business experience and zero aviation experience, it was a certainty that there would be conflicts with airport businesses and aircraft owners. Now we find that all of that is true AND the FAA is accusing the management of “multiple Grant Assurances”. I can’t comment on that aspect as I only know what I read, and without first-hand knowledge, it’s only speculation as to the root causes. Our County appointed Airport Manager (the one lacking any aviation or business experience) certainly has a hand in the blame game.
Blue Line Aviation came to Johnston County Regional Airport in the hope of expanding their already viable business in Raleigh, for a new and business friendly area on a top-tier airport. They were welcomed with open arms by an airport manager and the county. It turns out that talk is cheap. From day one of their grand opening of their new building with a restaurant, offices and maintenance hanger, our airport management became engaged in disputes over aircraft parking fees with Blue Line management. Nice way to treat your biggest business.
Readers of this opinion piece need to know that the Airport Authority’s regular monthly meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21 at 5 p.m. in the airport’s main terminal building. It should be very interesting.
Folks that just want to continue to whine about airplanes flying overhead should stay home and enjoy their empty skies.
The whole country has had problems with appointed authority boards. The temptation of conflcting interests and power hungry beta males. This airport checks all the boxes. From 30 year appointments to nepotism. Didn’t the state house vote to add 2 additional members to this board. This is a classic johnston county tactic to Manage boards from outsiders. Basically the commissioners are only willing to appoint their inner circle of campaign financiers. Usual suspects are second generational business owners to keep a tight grip on county expansions to profit their businesses.They are happy to take your money but your input is not welcome. The commissioners sold this county for wake county expansion. Most of the citizens voted for conservative leaders. What they received were greedy self centered non political representatives. Judging from the last 30 years of appointments to the board should be pause for concern. From a Google search the airport has had 2 businesses in disagreement. Common denominator is the seating chairman. There has been a history of lawsuits generated from his involvements. Where there is smoke it’s usually a fire. Also board members with airplanes pose a conflict of interest nightmare. As I see it the state and county have failed its citizens with same ol government disfunction. Meanwhile our tax dollars have been spent for a highway to nowhere. If one should follow the traffic online at johnston county the bulk of traffic is blueline. The citizens have been sold a theory that there would be a commuter service at the airport. The airport will give a airshow to get positive propaganda or hold a bluegrass ho down. How about a sign on 70 for the commuter returning home from work to whom doesn’t use the services at the airport. Fortunately we got the date and time for the money. Blueline brought most of the improvements it seems from the state. As for the constant air traffic over the area we can blame the commissioners,planners, and board seated developers. The commissioners, Smithfield planning board and authority board approved blueline. They just couldn’t contol Blueline and Adventist Aviation. They profit and you pay for more government while waiting in line for service. Are we able to take a commuter flight from smithfield to Charlotte? Where is all the high paying Amazon jobs. Why are the roadways trashed and over grown? Why is the school board dysfunctional? Why is there not a subdivision that wouldn’t get approved? Why consider nature paths while driving by cheap apartments? Apathetic voters and power hungry baby boomers sold Johnston county.
To TAB, https://www.johnstoncc.edu/programs/arts-sciences/wic/eng111.aspx
Unfortunately, JoCo keeps electing the Good Old Boys Network. Look in the mirror JoCo
Why hasn’t my other reply been posted? Jocoreport!!
I saw this guy on tv at the town board meeting and he was arrogant and pushy he probably didn’t get the tax credits he wanted. I am glad we won’t be having student pilots flying above us all the time
Trey, pretty sure joco was good before you came and darn sure joco will be fine when you leave.
One of our school board members is/was a training advisor for Blue Line Aviation according to their website. Small world.
Out of 41 accusations against JNX for grant assurance violations filed by Blue Line theFAA only found 2 violations. 1, Duke Life Flight were fueling their own helicopter after hours to be prepared for the next emergency. 2, The actual largest business on the airport has their own fuel farm and are allowed by the FAA to fuel their own airplanes, their violation was they changed their name and hadn’t transfered all their aircraft registrations to the new name yet, thus the violation. This is being corrected. The airport has too deal with crap like this on on a daily basis. Has the board made some mistakes, absolutely, has Blue Line made mistakes, most assuredly.
While yes the Airport cited Blueline aviations expansion plans for the grant application to build the additional apron space, being money from a state grant I doubt they can legally allow BlueLine to claim the space as exclusively theirs. Without the contract in front of us I can’t state who is correct or not regarding the parking fee’s. The FAA complaints were mere minor technicalities and show nothing nefarious. I am guessing in the end Blueline is going to lose and it would be them, not the airport that has wasted taxpayer money with tantrum lawsuit.
I agree 100%, he tells only part of the story, I’m pretty sure he is the one that filed the “tantrum lawsuit”, the airport is only having to defend against it. Anyone can get a copy of the lease, it’s public information, just call the airport.