Bill Root’s desire to become a pilot was born of business sense and necessity.
His company, Physics & Computer Programs, is a consultant shop headquartered in Cornelius for specialized medical equipment.

Business Plane: Physics & Computer Programs Inc.’s business owner Bill Root

“We supply services to high-end radiation therapies and technically advanced, busy departments,” Root says, at such institutions as Carolinas Medical Center and Presbyterian Hospital. One of the busier sites for the past decade has been Myrtle Beach by virtue of the Medical University of South Carolina, Root says.

And when customers are paying $2 million to $3 million for a piece of equipment, they want to make sure it meets specifications and works like it’s supposed to. So Root, a medical physicist, and his employees need to be able to get to customers quickly.

Commercial flights can be costly and an inefficient use of high-dollar resources—himself and 24 employees with master degrees or PhD’s in the field.

Root uses his pilot’s license to fly for business along the East Coast, usually two to three times a week.

Physics & Computer Programs, with annual revenue of $4 million to $8 million, began to focus on equipment used, generally, in the treatment of cancer in the mid-1980’s, Root says.

Is pilot’s license, plane worth it ?

Years ago, only large institutions could afford the specialized equipment that Root and his team calibrate and keep in good working order for the precise and accurate measurements that are needed for a treatment plan. But now more hospitals and smaller practices are able to make the investment and Root looked to offer his company’s services to a broader geographic area.

That brought the time dilemma, Root says; time being big money in his business. Driving to Myrtle Beach, for example, is a four and a half hour drive, meaning Root might spend a day or more on a single visit. Time spent to fly commercially might not be better.

But the trip on a private flight takes about an hour and half. Getting a private pilot’s license and flying became a safe, practical and cost-efficient solution.

“Flying is something that I never thought that I’d do,” Root says. “I never had a passion to fly.”

But he is technically-oriented by nature and finds aviation fascinating.

“It saves time, money: I get to a site much fresher; there’s less traffic, no radar guns pointed at you in the air,” says Root, 58. “It’s convenient and cost-effective.”

Root says he meets other small businessmen pilots who share similar stories of savings and convenience. Being able to get to a client quickly also helps a business owner keep control of the project. And there are about 5,000 smaller airports in the United States, Root says, so he can easily be within 30 miles of a client and rent a car to complete the trip. “It makes tremendous sense.”

And he can cover more ground. He can pick up a sales associate who lives in Tennessee, make a call on a client in Atlanta or Rock Hill, S.C., fly the salesman home and get back to his own home in Mooresville in a day.

“As an alternative to driving, it saves money, burns about the same amount of fuel,” he says. And flying is safe, he says, and he never shortcuts any safety measures such as pre-flight checks.

Savings calculated

Root estimates that last year the company saved about $25,000 by owning a plane that he flies from Concord Regional Airport. The plane is a 1997 Piper Archer III, a four-seater that the company bought used in 2005 for about $150,000. “Aircraft hold their value pretty well,” Root says, “although in this economy, who knows.”

Root is considering purchasing an airplane this year because of the increased tax incentives that are part of the Obama stimulus package.

Root says the total cost, including fuel, operating expenses, depreciation, in 2007 for the company plane was $27,000. The net expense after tax benefits was $5,400. But you must keep meticulous records for the IRS, Root advises.

PC&P Inc.’s president Bill Root knows value of time.

Root says he flies too often—about 200 to 300 hours a year—to make renting or leasing a plane economically feasible. “At about 150 hours a year, it starts to make sense to own an airplane,” Root says.

Getting started

Root says the real question a business owner should ask is “Can I use it? Does it make sense for my business?”

His business model calls for using the plane in a 500-mile to 700-mile radius. “And it is fun,” says Root. But if he needs to fly to Chicago, for example, he takes a commercial flight.

Root, who is instrument certified, recommends that a business owner considering a plane purchase first start the process of earning a private pilot’s license and getting some of the required 40 hours in the air before making a decision. If you don’t like flying as the pilot, it won’t work for you.

Getting a private pilot’s license makes sense for the convenience of being able to control the schedule. A pilot might charge $50 to $80 an hour—some are trying to build up air time to qualify for a commercial license—but they may not be available on short notice.