California Aero Marketing was established in 1981 and has been owner operated by Fred Holstein from the beginning. Fred’s flying career began in the early 1950s when he learned to fly taildraggers from a small grass strip in New Jersey. He later earned a Bachelor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, and built a successful career in the electronics industry while continuing to fly whenever possible. Joining a flying club allowed him to earn a full range of pilot ratings, including ATP and Certified Flight Instructor with an Instrument endorsement. Maintaining club aircraft led him to earn his A and P certificate and eventually his Inspection Authorization.
Burroughs Corporation relocated the International Sales Office to Southern California, and Fred, then the Sales Manager, International Sales, moved his family west in 1979. Soon after arriving, he sought out a flying club and has been an active member of Orange County Flyers ever since. During his years in California he owned several aircraft and continued to expand his qualifications, adding his multi engine rating along with type ratings in the Boeing 727 and the Beech 2000 Starship. He also spent five years teaching the 727 Flight Engineer and Type Rating programs in a local simulator. The growing demand for his aviation expertise eventually encouraged him to retire from the electronics industry and devote himself entirely to aviation.
In 2000, Fred’s son Jeffrey Holstein joined California Aero Marketing as a partner and brought his extensive aviation background to the company. Jeff is a pilot and A and P with an Inspection Authorization and has more than twenty years of aviation experience. After high school he joined the United States Navy and graduated in the top two percent of his basic training class, which allowed him to choose his assignment. He served at the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Facility at NAS Miramar where he worked on turbojet engines. He later joined F‑14 Squadron VF‑214 aboard the USS Enterprise. After leaving the Navy he worked for Victor Aviation, Eagle Engines, an avionics shop, and several fixed base operators in San Diego, Orange County, and Redding, California.
California Aero Marketing expanded again in 2006 with the opening of a permanent maintenance facility at Fallbrook Airpark in Fallbrook, California. Jeffrey’s broad experience made him the natural choice to build and manage the facility.
A third generation joined the company in late 2024 when Daniel Holstein began working as an apprentice Aircraft Maintenance Technician. Daniel brings a strong background in Information Technology and is preparing for his A and P certification. He also contributes an artisan’s eye for precision and craftsmanship, shaped by his experience in glass blowing and in the design and fabrication of specialized tools used in that craft. His attention to form, fit, and function adds a creative dimension to the shop’s work. You can follow Daniel’s craftsmanship on Facebook at facebook.com/holstein.glass.9 and on Instagram at instagram.com/holsteinglass.
Today, California Aero Marketing continues to operate as a family business built on skill, integrity, and a genuine love of aviation. Three generations now contribute to the work, each bringing their own strengths while sharing the same commitment to quality maintenance and honest service.