MAC Air Group founder Al Caruso flies west at the age of 74

Allyn Jay Caruso, a lifelong aviator and founder of MAC Air Group known to many as AJ, died on March 7. He was 74. A Maine native who contributed greatly to the aviation community in the Pine Tree State passed unexpectedly in Naples, Florida, "bringing an untimely end to a life devoted to family, adventure and aviation," according to his obituary. As a charter pilot, he flew business leaders, celebrities and U.S. Presidents, including President George H. W. Bush several times, as well as rock bands such as Bon Jovi, Fleetwood Mac and Aerosmith. Caruso had a treasured collection of backstage passes. Born into an aviation family on Aug. 15, 1949, in Bar Harbor, Caruso fueled and washed planes as a teenager and by the age of 19 was one of the youngest airline captains in the country, flying for Bar Harbor Airlines. His father and uncle founded the airline in 1949 and Maine Aviation Corporation in 1959. In 1971, Caruso joined the family business full-time as a pilot and Cessna sales representative, and he took over as president of the airline in 1981, later leading Northeast Express Regional Airlines. Soon after, along with his son Travis and his wife Alysan, he launched the business now known as MAC Air Group. It grew to become an FBO and full-service center at Portland International Jetport (PWM), offering jet charters, as well as aircraft sales, management and maintenance. Nearly all of his 100+ employees knew him on a first-name basis. Caruso was type-rated in five jet types and had more than 30 internationally recognized flight records. In 1991 Caruso and his crew piloted The Spirit of Partnership, a Fairchild Metroliner III, around the world. This was a reenactment of the first round-the-world flight by Wiley Post and Harold Gatty in 1931. The journey took him to 16 airports in six countries. Its six legs in the Soviet Union were the first flights of an American plane over Soviet territory since World War II. "He always looked for a reason to fly with friends or family," his obituary said. "It did not matter the size of the plane, or whether it had wheels or floats. The destination could be a grass strip in Newburgh, Maine, Taco Tuesday in Acadia, Florida, or a frozen lake." Caruso was a frequent flier to AirVenture, SUN ‘N FUN and the Greenville Seaplane Fly-In. He especially enjoyed having family fly with him, leaving a legacy of both sons in aviation and two grandchildren learning to fly. A graduate of Gorham High School Hawthorne College with a degree in Business Management, he is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Josephine (DeMattia) Caruso. Caruso is survived by his wife of 45 years, Alysan; son Thomas (Brook) and grandson Allyn "AJ"; son Travis (Ann), and granddaughters Megan, Alyvia and Camryn; brother Ronald (Cindy); sisters Jerilyn Caruso, Lauren Harrington (Peter), and Alysan Sherota (Jeff); and many nieces and nephews.RELATED: Allyn Caruso obituary Donations in memory of Caruso can be written to MAC Airways LLC, for the Allyn Caruso Scholarship Fund, and mailed to MAC Airways LLC, 100 Aviation Blvd., South Portland, ME 04106. The fund helps young people in Maine seeking an aviation career. Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Jones, Rich and Barnes Funeral Home, in Portland, Maine. The funeral is 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Pius X Church, also in Portland. The service will be live-streamed at ladyofhopemaine.org. After the funeral, there will be a celebration of life at MAC Jets. Fly-ins are welcome.