WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Martin Bohn spent 20 years in the German Air Force as a jet fighter pilot helping keep the homeland safe. Now, as founder and owner of AEROSPACE N3XT, his time in the sky is more subdued.
Bohn and his charter flight service own four aircraft while also serving as a pilot for customers who hire him to fly their airplanes all over the continental U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Bohn is joined by seven other pilots employed by AEROSPACE N3XT. The pilots fly both single-engine and multi-engine charter jets.
However, the company is more than a charter flight service.
Bohn initially started Cobra Kai Flight Academy after leaving the German Air Force, but the company has evolved since its inception in 2013. It now includes a 25,000 square-foot maintenance facility and the air transportation service which are located at Kickapoo Downtown Airport in Wichita Falls.
“I am very busy,” Bohn said. “I am in the office before 7 and have long days. Nothing is ever the same. We are all over the country, in Canada and in the Caribbean – wherever the client needs to go. That’s what I really enjoy.”
Operating his aviation company for the past 10 years, Bohn said he is living the American dream.
“It’s turned out to be something nice,” he said. “It is very rewarding.”
The six mechanics employed by AEROSPACE N3XT provide continuous maintenance and upgrades on the four company-owned aircraft plus a plethora of other planes owned by longtime charter customers, many of which are from Lawton.
Overall, the mechanics routinely work on about 30 fixed-wing aircraft, Bohn said. The team is highly experienced in Cessna Citation business jets and can assist owners of any type of aircraft with an array of services ranging from scheduled or emergency maintenance and airframe structural repairs and pre-purchase inspections. The company also operates a full-service upholstery and paint shop.
Bohn spent several years at Sheppard Air Force Base as an instructor for the Euro-NATO joint jet pilot training program, which trains combat pilots for 14 NATO partners during a rigorous 55-week curriculum.
The NATO flight program is considered the world’s largest multinational flight training instruction.
Sheppard is the only Air Force base that is home to technical and flying training.
Bohn has more than 8,000 flight hours while his instructional experience exceeds 4,000 hours. He holds a Master of Science in aeronautics management and safety from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, according to the company website.
When he’s not managing his aviation company or flying clients to their destination of choice, Bohn enjoys working on old cars like his refurbished 1965 Corvette and his 1968 Mustang.
Bohn joked that he has a “need for speed,” referencing a movie line from Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, in the original “Top Gun” film.
“I go really fast in life. I walk fast, drive fast, but I take a calculated approach to risks,” he said. “But I always keep my customers safe.”