Tutt/Kalispell Municipal Airport1 February 2010
City of Kalispell
PO Box 1997
Kalispell, MT 59903
RE: Kalispell Municipal Airport
Honorable Mayor Fisher
Members of the Council:
My name is Rick Tutt. I'm a former resident of Trego and Whitefish,
Montana. During those years, 1981-1990, I owned and operated Valley
Cabinet Shop specializing in remodeling kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
After a long time desire, in 1987 I started taking flying lessons at
Eagle Aviation which was located at the municipal airport. It changed
my life! I continued with my training until obtaining all the
appropriate certificates and ratings to work as a professional pilot;
COMMERCIAL, ASEL, AMEL, CFI/I, MEI. I spent a significant amount of
time and money doing so. Money being a large emphasis.
My first professional flight opportunities at Kalispell included
providing flight instruction, scenic tours of Glacier National Park and
air charter flights into Meadow Creek, Schafer Meadows and Spotted Bear
USFS airstrips allowing tourists to further enjoyment the area. We flew
kayakers, hikers, fisherman, hunters and forest service personnel. I
had the opportunity to fly with local pilot icons David Horner, Mike
Stockhill, Mike Strand, Scott Keller & Dick Brady.
Move forward twenty three years and 15,000 flight hours later, today I
operate an aircraft management company providing corporate pilot
services as well as specializing in insurance company required
initial/recurrent flight instruction in pressurized piston engine single
& multiengine aircraft along with turbo-propeller and Cessna Citation
jet training.
On several occasions, I've lead a caravan of aircraft from California to
Kalispell to enjoy recreational activities along with taking in the
local atmosphere. We rented automobiles, secured lodging, purchase
meals, souvenirs and bought hundreds of gallons of aviation gasoline to
fly back and forth to the wilderness areas for scenic tours, hiking and
fishing. Then again we purchased hundreds of more gallons of avgas in
order to fly home. All of this was a direct deposit into your local
economy.
If the city airport was not available, we would have flown into Glacier
Park International and probably stayed in Whitefish spending our money
there instead of Kalispell.
Since it was former 'city leaders' that have allowed housing to be built
along side airports, we have to live with past decisions that can not be
reversed. The airport was there first and everybody that moved in
alongside knew it!
Lastly, there has been much written by the opposition to the airport
stating that Kalispell Municipal is the only airport where aircraft fly
over houses. I fly up and down California weekly as well as other
airports around the country regularly. Please take a look to name a
few: Los Angeles, Burbank, Van Nuys, Santa Monica, Camarillo, Oxnard,
Ventura, Hawthorne, Compton, Torrance, Long Beach, Orange County, Chino,
Hemet, Riverside, Palm Springs, San Diego, El Cajon and many more along
with Seattle, Portland, Boise and Missoula. I think you'll find
although airports and housing are not a good mix, they seem to coexist
together just fine.
Your airport is a huge economic engine. Take into account possessory
interest, property tax, school fees, state, federal & local taxes along
with a direct deposit into the local economy for goods and services. I
think you'll find your airport is a valuable asset that requires
guarding and preservation.
Thank you. I hope you'll consider this in your decision making
process!!
Rick Tutt
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Rick Tutt
RJ Tutt Aviation
Stockton Metropolitan Airport
PO Box 691616
Stockton, CA 95269-1616
209.478.6075 phone/fax
rjtuttaviation@comcast.net
www.rjtuttaviation.com
Let's Go Fly!
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West Coast Representative for:
ATM, LLC
ricktutt@flyatm.com
www.Flyatm.com
No Plane, No Gain!!