Gateway Jets: Setting the Standard for Aircraft Management In St. Louis

By Carmelo Turdo

Owning and operating your own jet or turboprop aircraft should be a very rewarding experience. What could be better than arriving at your destination in your own aircraft, on your own time, ready to step out and get on with your day? The practicality of flying there in a comfortable and efficient CitationJet, for example, is within reach of more business owners today with the help of the aircraft acquisition and management services provided by Gateway Jets.

Corey Tomczak started Gateway Jets in 2013 to provide personalized aircraft management services to the St. Louis market. Now with nine aircraft under contract, the company is the largest of its kind in the metropolitan area. Gateway Jets specializes in the Cessna Citation series, a proven design that offers an efficient and effective aircraft model for each customer's mission. Gateway Jets also manages other aircraft, including the TBM line of turboprops.

Getting the best value from your aircraft, and also running your own business, is not always feasible. That is where Gateway Jets can help. Corey Tomczak and his staff can expertly guide new owners and upgrade customers through the acquisition process and manage the aircraft's operation, crewing, maintenance and regulatory compliance.

“Gateway Jets is a company designed to give the client the best experience of owning an aircraft at a reasonable cost," Tomczak told The Aero Experience. "Our business is to provide a mission-ready, safe, clean aircraft while looking out for our client's best interests. We take care of the whole operation so that they can just arrive and fly knowing that their aircraft is in good hands. Leave the fine details up to us. Your only job is to arrive and fly.”

In many cases, an aircraft management company can turn a good business into a great business by providing direct, cost-effective air transportation to where the next big deal will be struck or to visit with regional site managers. Knowing that your aircraft is well maintained, stocked and crewed takes much of the stress away from using the aircraft as a great asset. St. Louis area aircraft owners can have that peace of mind when entrusting their aircraft to locally based Gateway Jets. 

Customer consulting is one way Gateway Jets adds value to their services. Most of the owners working with Gateway Jets are non-pilots or are not rated for the aircraft under management.

"I enjoy taking clients from step one," Tomczak explained. "They'll come to us with a mission, an intended budget. We analyze their mission, help them find a plane, and once they have the plane, we help them put a program in place that suits their budget as far as supplying pilots, maintenance and other services."  The result of the consultation is a cost-effective, practical plan for meeting the air transportation needs of the client.

"It's a time and money savings," Tomczak emphasized. "We can guarantee time and hassle savings by using our experience to do things the correct way. Even with our management fee, they will save money." Part of that savings comes from industry maintenance sourcing and budget forecasting services that greatly reduce the chances of the most common unexpected costs of aircraft ownership.

Gateway Jets has "written the book" on aircraft ownership. Their "10 Secrets of Personal Flight Management" provides key insights on the practical issues faced by new business aircraft owners. From flying to a neighboring state to jetting across the country, owning and operating increasingly sophisticated aircraft efficiently and cost-effectively takes a new level of expertise. Gateway Jets provides the aircraft management services that make aircraft ownership and operation a reality for growing local businesses.

In our next story and video presentation, The Aero Experience will meet again with Corey Tomczak for a flight in a CitationJet managed by Gateway Jets. Below are photos and videos from our previous coverage of Gateway Jets managed aircraft.