Small air limo service at Republic adopts big name

When most people think of starting their own business, one of the last things to come to mind is anything that involves flying people from one destination to another, given the state of the air industry these days.

But Hopscotch Air, an "on-demand" air limo service based at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, was started last year by two Hofstra graduates, Andrew Schmertzand Douglas Okin, and it is the latest air company to operate out of Republic.

It stands out from others in one way: Hopscotch Air's sole airplane, a four-seater Cirrus SR22, carries the name of a once huge international carrier, Swissair, on its tail. The name Hopscotch is on the nose.

Schmertz, a licensed pilot and Hopscotch's chief executive, said the company struck a deal this summer to use the Swissair name. Swissair, Switzerland's former national airline, ceased operations in 2002. But another company, Swiss International Airlines, acquired the assets of Swissair and flies to the United States. It provides marketing support to Hopscotch Air.

Schmertz and vice presidents Okin and Pete Clark lead a company that employs a chief pilot and three part-time pilots. The company offers travelers flights within a 200- to 300-mile radius of New York City quickly and less expensively than the big airlines.

A round-trip commercial shuttle flight for one person from New York to Boston costs about $700. Hopscotch will fly up to three to Boston round-trip for $1,400, Schmertz said.

"We're aviation enthusiasts," he said. "We decided three years ago to get into this business because regular air travel had become so challenging."

Commercial airlines have parked planes to save on costs, resulting in packed flights. Delays are common.

"We're on-demand travel," Schmertz said. "We fly out of airports that are largely underutilized or easy to get out of," such as Republic. Schmertz said this summer was a busy one for Hopscotch Air. It is about to lease another Cirrus SR-22. Schmertz said the craft has a unique safety feature: a parachute pops out of its fuselage so that in an emergency, the plane can be safely set down.