Business Spotlight: Business Over Branson

Hovering high above the lights and sounds of Branson, Chopper Charter pilots take guests to dinner, the theater or just to tour a scenic route at sunset.

Since the company first took flight in Branson in 2008 with one helicopter, its emphasis on destination flights has prompted the expansion to four, four-seat aircraft and doubled revenues in 2011.

“We can take off from one point and drop people at another rather than just taking them on a tour and bringing them back to the starting point,” says Mark Boyer, director of operations.

The New Americana Theatre has been partnering with Chopper Charter for several years to offer guests another level of entertainment, says Michael Haygood, effects/stage manager for the theater and RFD-TV in Branson.

“A lot of people don’t want to do the same old normal thing. They can have an adventure in a helicopter that’s a little out of the ordinary,” Haygood says, recalling one man who wanted to propose to his fiancé on a Branson stage. Chopper Charter flew the couple to the show, and she was called up on stage under the guise of participating in the show.

“We had the ushers sneak her fiancé around to the stage, and he came up behind her and proposed on the stage,” says Haygood.

A landing pad next to Americana Theatre is one of about 40 places Boyer says Chopper Charter can land.

The company also has helipad sites on Highway 76 next to the Hall of Fame Hotel, across from Silver Dollar City, the dock at Gage’s Branson Landing Marina and Downstream Casino Resort in Joplin. Boyer says the company secures agreements with property owners, and it has invested an average of $75,000 to build each pad.
 
A flying history
Chopper Charter Branson operates under Davis Aviation Inc., a company founded by Boyer’s wife Joanne in 1994 in Blaine, Minn.

In 2008, Davis Aviation partnered with father-and-daughter Glen and Christi Passmore and expanded to Branson. Mark Boyer now calls it the flagship operation for the company. “Joanne loved the area and always came here to go to the shows,” Boyer says. “We liked that the area is family oriented, and we were looking to expand our operations.”

Davis Aviation operates 15 helicopters in New York and Tennessee, in addition to Branson and the Minnesota home base. “We operate like a large airline that has smaller regional carriers,” says Boyer, who splits his time among the sites.

Chopper Charter Branson is based out of Point Lookout at the former College of the Ozarks airport. The company has invested between $2 million and $3 million in the operation, mainly on purchasing helicopters, securing landing sites and marketing, Boyer says. He declined to disclose revenues.

Boyer says the company runs three aircraft full-time in the summer and has one as a backup. The helicopters travel up to 150 miles, or about one hour, from Branson. He says the company is budgeting to buy a $2 million, six-seat helicopter this year.

Sales in the skies
Boyer says scenic tours are 50 percent of the business, but the growing charter service is now about 40 percent of sales. Tours cost $39 to $159 per person, while charters cost $220 for two people with two Branson area stops included.

The company also offers a $495 pilot adventure program, allowing would-be aviators to learn to operate controls. After several hours of instruction, the amateur pilot can take his family and friends on a tour.

The remaining business is in charters for aerial photography. News stations such as KTLO radio in Springfield, as well as other businesses, utilize the service.

Booker Cox, owner of Foggy River Realty in Hollister, says he hires Chopper Charter 30 to 50 times a year to fly over parcels to photograph, as well as to show potential buyers. Cox says he’s made several sales based on showing clients land for sale from the sky.

“We can show clients the property – and several properties – in one afternoon,” he says. “We have one client coming in from out of town on the 15th of the month, and we are going to book a half of a day tour and see some properties in Missouri and Jasper, Ark.”

While the service costs Cox several thousands of dollars per year, he says it’s worth the investment. “The properties we will be looking at this month are priced from a half-million dollars to $3 million,” says Cox.

Chopper Charter also donates about 10 hours per year to local police agencies that may need its services.

Boyer says that marketing is approximately 25 percent of the company’s annual budget.

“We do a lot of cooperative advertising with shows and ticket resellers, as well as TV, radio and the Web,” he says.

Among several Chopper Charter Groupon ads, a recent promotion offered a $139 flight to a dinner for two at Charlie’s Steaks, Ribs and Ale, where the high-flying guests get a 15 percent discount. “It really worked out well,” Boyer says, noting the company sold 350 dinner flights and 90 adventure pilot spots for $199 through Groupon. “We had hundreds come through the door and were surprised how many people we got from Springfield.”[[In-content Ad]]