Shadow Aviation, Inc.

Shadow Aviation, Inc., doing business as Shadow Aviation Inc., is a self-certified small disadvantaged business based in Fairbanks, Alaska, that provides fixed-wing aircraft charter and on-call flight services exclusively as a prime contractor to federal land-management and scientific research agencies across Alaska's remote terrain. The company operates under 14 CFR Part 121 or 135 FAA certification and competes predominantly under total small business set-asides on Interior Department vehicles, though it also wins competitive task orders without set-aside designations.

Shadow Aviation's customer base concentrates heavily on the Department of the Interior's field bureaus. The top five customers account for 99% of combined potential value, led by the Interior Business Center (10 awards, $38.8 million combined potential value) and the Office of Policy Management and Budget (1 award, $20 million), which anchor the vendor's largest vehicle positions. The National Park Service Alaska Region (67 awards, $714 thousand) represents the highest award count, followed by the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center (17 awards, $58 thousand) and Fish and Wildlife Service Region 7 (13 awards, $107 thousand). This concentration reflects Shadow Aviation's specialization in supporting Interior-dependent missions: wildlife population surveys (moose, Dall sheep, brown bear, loons), stream gage maintenance and hydrological monitoring, vegetation monitoring, and emergency response logistics across Alaska's interior and Arctic regions.

Shadow Aviation holds positions on five named parent vehicles. The Blanket Purchase Agreement IND12PA00154 carries 47 task orders ($346 thousand combined potential value), and Indefinite Delivery Contract 140D8121D0024 carries 33 task orders ($347 thousand). The DOI Fixed Wing Flight Services AK/HI 2017–2018 vehicle accounts for 30 task orders ($186 thousand). Two additional BPAs—IND81ARA6849 (15 task orders) and IND14060880ARA3032 (11 task orders, $200 thousand)—round out the active fleet. Most recently, Shadow Aviation was awarded an $18.6 million multiple-award IDIQ by the Interior Business Center on April 1, 2026, running through March 31, 2031, under total small business set-aside. This vehicle explicitly covers fixed-wing on-call flight services for Interior Bureau operations, excluding direct fire suppression or tactical aircraft operations, with place of performance in Fairbanks and subordinate landing sites at Salcha, Eagle, and Bettles.

Representative recent work includes a $45,999 delivery order from the Department of Interior Alaska Region (September 2026) for fixed-wing on-call flight services supporting BLM moose survey operations through August 2027; a $39,000 National Park Service order (June 2026) for yellow-billed loon research; a $30,028 Fish and Wildlife Service delivery order (July 2026) for Alaska National Wildlife Refuge operations; and a $30,655 NPS order (June 2022) for Arrigetch Peak operations. All contracts employ fixed-price pricing with economic price adjustment provisions to manage fuel-cost volatility. Combined potential value across all 172 prime awards totals $67.5 million, with only $1.7 million obligated to date, indicating a pipeline of unfunded or partially funded orders.

The vendor's capability portfolio centers on NAICS 481211 (Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation), which covers 163 of 172 awards, with 160 coded to PSC passenger air charter. Work is performed exclusively in Fairbanks, Alaska, with operations extending across interior and Arctic regions. Activity has remained modest and stable over the past five years, ranging from four awards in 2023 to ten in 2022, with eight awards in 2026 to date. Only one award with ultimate completion in the next twenty-four months carries recompete exposure ($46 thousand combined potential value), suggesting Shadow Aviation's major vehicle positions have been recently renewed or carry multi-year runways.