Baker Aviation

Big-picture snapshot

Baker Aviation is a Part 135 wholesale charter and Part 145 maintenance operator headquartered at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (KFTW), Fort Worth, Texas. The company operates a fleet of 49 aircraft (growing to 69+) — predominantly Citation X/Citation 750 platforms, plus Challenger 300s acquired in a landmark 2025 deal — and is one of the only ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) employee-owned Part 135 operators in the United States. Baker Aviation is non-union. Ray Goyco, Jr. serves as CEO, and W. Stanley "Stan" Baker III is the founder. The company finished 2024 as the 13th-largest US operator (up from 30th), posting 81.9% growth in flight hours.

For interview purposes, the simplest way to frame Baker Aviation is this: it is the dominant wholesale charter specialist — meaning it flies exclusively for brokers and jet card companies rather than retail/direct consumers — built on Citation X expertise and now rapidly expanding into the Challenger 300 with a massive 20-aircraft purchase from Flexjet. Baker Aviation's ESOP structure means pilots build equity ownership over time, and the company's aggressive 2026 hiring plan (140 projected new hires) signals one of the fastest growth trajectories in Part 135 aviation. The 8/6 schedule with home-based pilots, $85/day domestic per diem, $30/flight hour retirement contribution (no employee match required), and $30,000 hiring bonus for typed applicants make Baker Aviation's total compensation package among the strongest in the Part 135 charter segment. The company maintains a 99% flight completion rate across its wholesale operations.

Company history

• 2008: W. Stanley "Stan" Baker III and his father founded Baker Aviation at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (KFTW)
• 2011: Added Part 145 maintenance capability
• 2012: Ray Goyco, Jr. joined Baker Aviation (25+ year USAF and industry veteran)
• ~2019: Goyco named CEO of Baker Aviation Services Group; ESOP established
• 2024: Finished as 13th-largest US operator (up from 30th); 81.9% growth in flight hours (7,636 to 13,893)
• 2025: Full fleet upgraded with Starlink WiFi; 4 Challenger 300s acquired and operational
• December 2025: Purchased 20 Challenger 300s from Flexjet — 5 active by December 15 for holiday demand
• 2026: 66,000 sq ft complex under construction at Fort Worth; 140 projected pilot hires; fleet growing to 69+ aircraft

Business model

Baker Aviation operates a specialized wholesale charter model:

• 100% wholesale charter: Baker Aviation flies exclusively for brokers and jet card companies. There are no retail or direct-consumer charter sales. This eliminates the sales overhead and client-acquisition costs that most charter operators carry, allowing the company to focus purely on operations and execution.
• 99% flight completion rate: The wholesale model demands extreme reliability — brokers and jet card companies need operators that execute without cancellations. Baker Aviation's 99% completion rate is its core competitive differentiator.
• Citation X specialization: The fleet was built around the Citation X/Citation 750 — the fastest civilian business jet (Mach 0.935). All Citation X aircraft have been upgraded with Starlink WiFi.
• Challenger 300 expansion: The December 2025 purchase of 20 Challenger 300s from Flexjet (with deliveries through 2026) represents a massive expansion into the super-midsize segment, nearly doubling the fleet.
• Part 145 maintenance: In-house maintenance capability at Fort Worth and Burlington, NC (with secondary maintenance in Baton Rouge) reduces costs and turnaround times.
• ESOP employee-owned: Baker Aviation is one of the only ESOP employee-owned Part 135 operators. Pilots and employees build equity ownership over time (full vesting at 6 years), aligning employee and company interests.

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