Omer ErSelcuk

You can watch seaplanes take off and land in Christiansted Harbor and have a sense of nostalgia for the days when runways weren't concrete. Or you can climb onboard for an experience that might even make you think about chucking everything for an island-hopping lifestyle.

The driving force behind these flights is Seaborne Airlines President and CEO Omer ErSelcuk, whose company operates a fleet of De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter floatplanes and Vistaliners within the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

"St. Croix is a place you can call home," says ErSelcuk, who moved here in 2000 as part of a group that bought and expanded the seaplane company. Armed with a bachelor's degree in aeronautical science from Purdue University, a master's degree in business administration from the University of Missouri and enough credentials to be a commercial pilot, ErSelcuk was a natural for aviation management.

"Some people don't use their degrees," he points out. "I use mine on a regular basis." He worked for British Airways in sales and marketing for four years and consulted for a Florida startup airline, turning down international dream jobs while raising money to eventually buy Seaborne.

"I took trips to the Virgin Islands and got a love for them," ErSelcuk says, "and a desire to come back."

During the past 10 years, he has steadily grown the company, building a hangar for offices and maintenance and adding service to Puerto Rico — Old San Juan in 2001 and Vieques in 2010. He launched airport-to-airport air shuttle service, more convenient geographically for Seaborne's west end customers.

Now based at the end of Christiansted Boardwalk, Seaborne operates under the same FAR Part 121 federal regulations that govern all major U.S. airlines — and serves more than 175,000 Virgin Islanders annually.

The airline has donated millions of dollars in free tickets to nonprofit groups, and ErSelcuk has given of his own time as well. He advises the territory's governor on economic development strategies, is a director of the St. Croix Hotel & Tourism Association, and serves on the board of the Chamber of Commerce after having been its chairman for three years.

With an upbeat personality that draws hugs and handshakes every time he walks around the striped tents of the open-air seaplane terminal, Omer Erselcuk is one of St. Croix's biggest boosters.

"We have the friendliest people in the world here," he says. "It's naturally inclined to be a great destination. What's written about St. Croix is positive — because it really is."