Aero Center to purchase Epps Aviation at DeKalb-Peachtree/KPDK, Georgia

SAR Trilogy, which operates the Aero Center FBO chain, is expanding with its announcement of a purchase agreement for family-owned Epps Aviation, a full-service FBO at DeKalb-Peachtree Airport. One of three service providers at KPDK and the only independent, Epps has been in operation for nearly 60 years, lead by Pat Epps and his three children.

The 18-acre facility, which will be rebranded as Aero Center-Epps Atlanta, includes a 7,000-sq-ft, two-story terminal with a passenger lobby, refreshment bar, pilot lounge with a snooze room and showers, flight-planning area, two conference rooms (seating 14 and eight, respectively), on-site customs clearance with advance notice, tenant offices, and concierge service. The FBO's 220,000 sq ft of hangar space can accommodate aircraft up to ultra-long-range business jets.

The purchase also includes Epps’s Part 135 aircraft charter certificate and Part 145 repair station and avionics shop, giving the Aero Center chain its first exposure in these areas. Aero Center operates FBOs at Florida’s Lakeland-Linder International and in North Carolina at Wilmington International Airport with three other locations under development in Casper, Wyoming; Spokane, Washington; and Tallahassee, Florida. Epps is also a Pilatus Aircraft dealer. The transaction is expected to close within 45 days, pending necessary approvals.