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Yellowstone Jet Center caters to the rich and famous

BELGRADE — Kent Foster probably meets more movie stars than any other businessman in the Gallatin Valley, but he won’t name them.

By ERIN EVERETT Chronicle Staff Writer

"Stars come through on a regular basis," said Foster, general manager of the Yellowstone Jet Center. "We don’t announce who comes through. They spend money on private jets for privacy and security."

People familiar with the limelight, and who can afford their own planes, often view the Gallatin Valley as heaven. If that’s the case, the jet center serves as their golden gates.

Originally called Sunbird Aviation, the center was co-owner Tim Blixseth’s brainchild. He wanted a place for the members of his exclusive Yellowstone Club, a private ski and golf community, to park their jets, Foster said.

"The owner of the Yellowstone Club was looking for a facility that his customers could utilize," Foster said.

But since it opened two years ago, the center has grown to serve more of the general aviation community, meaning anyone with a private plane.

"They do a great job of accommodating the flying public," said Ted Mathis, director of Gallatin Field airport. "They have beautiful facilities and excellent equipment."

Private pilots ferry travelers who have planned fishing trips on the Madison River, a ski weekend at Big Sky or hunting expeditions near Ennis. But while the passenger is vacationing, the crew needs accommodations. The jet center harbors planes, arranges hotel reservations, meals and transportation for the flight crew, and sometimes for the passenger.

"Typically, we get involved with flight crews," Foster said. "They seek out facilities such as ours to contact."

Usually the requests are for straight-forward necessities, but other times they’re more complex.

"Sometimes they even get down to, ‘I want a (Ford) Expedition that’s white, and I won’t accept anything but a white one,’" Foster said. "There isn’t any request we can’t do."

The jet center’s concept is not one-of-a-kind. Arlin’s Aircraft Service, also at Gallatin Field, is similar.

But now the center is prominent because it recently moved into a new building with a pilot’s lounge as plush as a Big Sky millionaire’s home.

On the tarmac, a crew and passengers step onto a little red, rectangular carpet. The building they approach is nothing special from the outside.

But the interior of the jet center shows the more refined side of local culture. The tile floors, rustic beams and a grand stone fireplace create a mountain cabin atmosphere. Wildlife paintings and Western bronze sculptures give visitors a taste of Montana art.

Upstairs is the pilots’ lounge, with an entertainment room where pilots can relax on overstuffed couches and watch satellite television on a wide screen. In the hallway, they can plug in laptops for e-mail and Internet connections before napping in quiet rooms. They also can shower, have meetings and someday they may be able to exercise in a fitness room, Foster said.

Those amenities serve pilots well, although they don’t offer much to Gallatin Valley residents.

Though some local ranchers who own private planes for land surveying keep their aircraft at the center, the facility doesn’t otherwise serve local people.

Still, the local economy benefits from having this business in the community, which is unusually small for this kind of service, Foster said.

"It’s a unique business for anywhere," Foster said. "There isn’t a retail business … that comes close to what we do here."

The center also aids the local economy by employing local workers. The center has 32 employees, from receptionists to airplane mechanics.

And the center may someday hire more people, especially if the market it serves continues to grow, even in the face of a downtrodden economy.

"We’ve seen phenomenal growth over the past few years in general aviation," Foster said. "Since 9-11 (people) have said, ‘We’re not going to fly commercially anymore.’"

The center’s busy season is just beginning, with ski season bringing an average of five airplanes a day to the service.

And as long as people with a little cash continue to view Montana as the perfect getaway, business will likely remain good for the center.

"It’s hard to say right now where the market is going to go," Foster said. "A lot of people were cautious and holding back … a lot of people now are feeling good."

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2002/12/15/news/jetcenterbzbigs.txt

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