Who We Are

In late 1945 after the war ended and separation from service, Howard and "Sandy" Showalter and "Buck" Rogers migrated to Florida; acquired one hundred acres of ground in Winter Park and built Showalter Airpark.

This was intended to be the mecca for the private pilot with a country club atmosphere to make flying attractive to everyone. With the advent of the G. I. Bill, flight training became a large part of the operation and the fleet was increased to three J-3 Cubs, a Luscomb Silvaire, a Taylorcraft and a Fairchild-24.

The company was expanded to include a flight school at Sanford and one at Herndon (then the Orlando Municipal Airport). It became apparent that although the Airpark concept was ideal, the new corporate pilot would seek the airport with better facilities, navigation systems and capacity to handle the larger aircraft.

When the new terminal was built on Orlando Municipal Airport in 1951, the Showalter Corporation was the successful bidder to initiate the first Fixed Base Operation on the Municipal Airport.

With only three aircraft permanently based at the airport and transients avoiding Orlando because of the poor service provided by a city operated facility, the first job of Showalter Flying Service was to change the image. Using the premise that good service was the principal commodity the pilot wanted, Showalter Flying Service built a nationwide reputation striving to provide the service and accommodations the flying public desired.

The airlines completed their move to McCoy Jetport (now Orlando International Airport) in 1968 which further encouraged the use of Herndon (now Orlando Executive Airport) as a General Aviation Airport. The Orlando Executive Airport now ranks among the ten busiest general aviation airports in the United States.

Howard Showalter's death in 1965 left a void in Florida's aviation community and the burden of running the operation on Buck Rogers. In 1973 Bob Showalter, Howard's son, joined Buck as partner and Vice President - Sales Manager. This made a happy merger with Buck's thirty years of experience and Bob's avid passion for flying and natural salesmanship.

On June 13, 1994 Kim Showalter was named President and Chief Operating Officer of Showalter Flying Service, Inc. At the time, Kim had recently completed a two year stint as the Chair of the Business Management Committee of the NATA.

Keeping with family tradition, Bob and Kim’s children, Jenny and Sandy, are now involved in the daily operation of the FBO and have taken an active role within the industry. Jenny has enjoyed working as the company’s Customer Service Manager since 1996. She is currently the Vice-Chairperson of Angel Flight Southeast and sits on the NBAA Schedulers and Dispatchers Committee. Bob and Kim’s son Sandy joined the company in October 2002 after working outside of the industry. Sandy is the marketing director and Bob’s aircraft sales assistant.

Even with the advent of major competitors, Showalter Flying Service remains the principal general aviation operator in Orlando. Bob, Kim, Jenny and Sandy look forward to meeting you as you arrive in the Orlando area.