Leighnor Aircraft LLC - Our History
Leighnor Aircraft LLC in Prescott, Arizona was legally formed on February 27, 2017 after Lance and Debbie Leighnor moved from Overland Park, Kansas to Prescott in May of 2016. Leighnor Aircraft flew it's first commercial rental operation on July 20, 2017.
Our mission is to provide clean, well-maintained and affordable aircraft to the Prescott aviation community. We are strongly committed to aviation safety and the maintenance of our aircraft, as Lance and Debbie fly our aircraft along with all our other renter pilots.
Our company is not the first company with the name of "Leighnor Aircraft". Our heritage dates back to the end of the Second World War and Hutchinson, Kansas, where three Army Air Corps servicemen known as "The Flying Leighnors" lived in this small Midwestern farm town.
Lance's father Bill along with his two brothers founded a charter service and flight school at the close of the Second World War named Leighnor Aircraft. The company was founded in January of 1946 and you can read the article from the Hutchinson newspaper right here.
The top picture at the right shows Lance's uncle Jack standing beside one of the three Stearman aircraft that were used for flight training in 1946.
The middle picture on the right is an image of the flyer that was used in 1946 and on display in the Leighnor Aircraft hangar in Hutchinson, Kansas.
The picture below shows the four aircraft used by Leighnor Aircraft in the spring of 1946 - 3 Stearman model 75 primary trainers and the Cessna UC-78 Bobcat that was used for air charter trips.
Leighnor Aircraft LLC has also adopted the tagline used in 1946 as it's just as applicable today as it was back then.
Accomplish More - Fly with Leighnor!
Bill Leighnor was active in the early Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) in the 1950s and 1960s in Hutchinson and built a home-built biplane which received national fame in 1963. If you journey to Oshkosh, Wisconsin and visit Wittman Regional Airport's building of champions, you will see a picture of the aircraft Mirage II by Bill Leighnor for the year 1963. You can read the article that appeared in EAA's Sport Aviation magazine here.
A picture of Mirage II is below, taken in 2005.
Lance was always around his father's home-built airplane and did all the jobs like cleaning and organizing the hanger and helping his father maintain his airplane.
In 1979, Lance earned his Private Pilot Certificate while at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. He followed that certificate up with his Commercial Pilot's Certificate, Instrument Rating and Flight Instructor's Certificate.
Lance started leaseback rental operations in 2011 with N7027F at Executive Airport in Overland Park, Kansas.
From our humble one aircraft operation which begin in Prescott in early 2017, as 2022 dawns, Leighnor Aircraft LLC has expanded to fifteen aircraft and a second location in Cottonwood. We have also added a full-motion Redbird FMX flight simulator to our prime location at the Prescott Regional Airport.
Lance is a member of EAA Chapter 658 (Prescott), EAA Chapter 952 (Verde Valley), and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Leighnor Aircraft LLC is a member of the Prescott Airport User's Assocation (PAUA), Prescott Chamber of Commerce, Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce, Prescott Valley Chamber of Commerce and Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce.
Thank you for flying with Leighnor Aircraft!
Accomplish More - Fly with Leighnor!
