Buddy Stallings is a handsome, straight-spined, southern gentleman of nearly eight decades, with a handsome mane of white hair, bright eyes, and a sharp wit. A loyal Cessna pilot, he founded Titan Aviation Fuel in 1975. Like so many of us, he had neither the time nor the money for flying lessons as a young man. In March 1975, Stallings started distributing aviation fuel to local airports — “primarily, so I could write-off the costs of an airplane!” In the early days, Stallings was the company’s only salesman, and he recalled all the years of hard work during the day and tedious solo flights at night. “No question about it, being a pilot was a competitive advantage. I serviced all the new customers. I started in the Eastern Carolinas, and now we’re coast to coast.” Today, the Titan logo is at 575 airports and splayed across about a thousand fuel trucks. Here's his story...
