SUMMIT AVIATION Continued from page 45 Walton said that while Summit Aviation has some flight training competition at the airport, it is primarily available through several flying clubs located there. The company is not an FBO but does have excellent working relationships with Yellowstone Jet Center and Arlin’s Aircraft Service— the two FBOs on the field—which provide Summit Aviation with fueling, deicing and line maintenance services. Under current planning, Summit Aviation is looking to expand the flight school to include a new facility within the next two years, along with new aircraft and training devices. That, according to Walton, will also include a modern jet training device to be used as a tool for cockpit resource management (CRM) instruction. Additional instructors will also be brought in, mainly from the MSU program, which, now, accounts for about 90 percent of the com- pany’s instructor cadre. In fact, demand for flight training from both MSU and the general public, is increasing. “We currently have a waiting list for training, because the airlines are hiring and career demand is high,” he explained. “The industry needs good solid career pilots with good solid training.” He added that about 30-40 percent of Summit Aviation’s students now come from out of state. The students, themselves, said Walton, represent a mix of career goals: “Because of the accelerated amount of airline hiring, there seems to be more interest today in an airline career than before. But, a number who learn to fly, would like to stay with Summit Aviation and fly for our charter operation, which we believe offers an alternative career path to the airlines.” Of Summit Aviation’s annual revenues, flight training accounts for one-third, as does aircraft charter and manage- ment services. As Walton pointed out, the charter business started out in 2011, with one single-engine piston model, with a twin-piston added soon after. “Given the area’s mountainous terrain, we took the next step into turbine power, with more passenger capacity,” Walton noted. “So, we put an Embraer Phenom 100 on our Part 135 certificate.” The current charter fleet—all operated under man- agement contracts for outside owners, and based at Yellowstone Jet Center—consists of two Phenom 300s, and one Hawker 850. An additional, longer range jet, is expected to come under management and be brought onto Summit Aviation’s charter certificate this year. The company holds an ARG/US Platinum rating and is an approved provider under the International Business Aviation Council’s IS-BAO (International Standard-Business Aviation Operations) Stage One. Most of Summit Aviation’s charter trips are within the U.S., with a clientele mainly made up of high net worth individuals as well as corporate flight departments. Walton said that he expects to gain worldwide charter operating authority this year. At this time, 10 full-time pilots are engaged in flying the charter trips. All who are captains hold an ATP, while those second in com- mand are close to the number of hours for the ATP. Summit Aviation also does a considerable amount of consulting work for entities seeking an aircraft, or look- ing to establish an in-house flight operation. He cited one such example: “We had a contract with a Fortune 500 company to structure a flight department. In doing that, we researched the market and worked with the company to acquire a Bombardier Global 5000. Then, we managed the aircraft for a few months until their flight depart- ment was set up. This is an important part of our business, given our experience with turbine powered aircraft.” Asked if there is a specific aircraft focus, Walton said that the company “knows the Embraer products very well” and has a good knowledge of the Bombardier Challenger and Global families. In fact, Summit Aviation is a factory dealer for the Diamond Aircraft product line. “We tend to focus on jets, turboprops and late-model high-performance pistons, but we will work with our client to acquire any aircraft it wants, including pre-buy inspections,” said Walton. The company is one of the largest aircraft sales orga- nizations in the Northwest, with many of its custom- ers upgrading from light or midsize jets to heavy jet models. “We are very transparent with our customers 46 Aviation Business Journal | 1st Quarter 2018
