Brian Short, director of operations at Bolton Field’s Capital City Jet Center (CCJC), is a man with a vision. “Our ten-year goal is to become the main corporate gateway to the city of Columbus, Ohio,” he told AIN.

That’s a lofty goal, considering Bolton Field (TZR) is competing with Ohio State University Airport (OSU) and Port Columbus International Airport (CMH).
Short, who grew up in Racine, Wis., was a typical kid who loved airplanes. “In 1988 I was a senior in high school and had the opportunity to do an internship with S.C.
Johnson Wax’s flight department. I spent two weeks there and was hooked,” he said.

The summer after graduation Short took flying lessons, received his private pilot certificate and enrolled in the aviation program at Ohio State University, where he graduated in 1992 with a B.S. in aviation. He then started flight instructing for Bolton Flying Service on Bolton Field.

“I did that for a few years, looking for the next step up, but there were no other jobs to be had, so I started a charter department for the company,” Short said. “I met with the FAA and got Part 135 approval for our Cessna 182. It was good timing in the industry because by the late ’90s we had expanded to 15 pilots flying two Citation IIs, two Cessna Caravans, three King Airs, three Navajos and an
MU-2. Then came September 11 and, like everyone else, we experienced a sharp downturn in business.”

By 2005 business had slowed to the point that both operators on Bolton Field were suffering. “In 2006 CCJC formed and acquired sufficient capital to buy out Bolton Flying Service and Business Aircraft Services, the other operator on the field,” he said.

Capital City Jet Center opened on Oct. 1, 2006, and with no competition and all the assets combined into one operation, it successfully offered charter management, flight training, rental, piston and turbine maintenance and full FBO services, under one company for the first time in Bolton Field’s history.

“From the beginning we agreed to focus on what we felt were our three key areas of growth: charter management, FBO operations and the turbine tenants who we felt would drive our maintenance operation,” Short said.

The terminal building that contained the FBO had been neglected for many years, according to Short, so the company renovated the facility and began focusing on FBO growth.

“As part of our focus we brought in Brenda Clemens as FBO manager last year. Brenda had substantial experience in customer service and had worked for Million Air, so we charged her with developing our FBO business. Hiring Brenda turned out to be a good investment as the operation has substantially grown since her arrival,” Short said.

With the FBO operation going well, CCJC is now focusing on its MRO business. “It is a particularly good time to develop the maintenance part of our business now that the Toledo Cessna Service Center is closing,” Short explained. “Keith Thogmartin, our director of maintenance, has substantial experience in the 135 and 145 worlds so he has set FAR Part 145 certification as his two-year goal.”

Short feels the company has the right perspective to offer maintenance. “All of our mechanics are pilots. We’re a company of pilots for pilots; we like to think we know what pilots are expecting and the quality of service they’re looking for,” he said. “We’ve all worked in the industry from the ground up. John Keller, our president, started in the industry by working line service years ago.”

The terminal building housing CCJC’s FBO operation has 5,100 sq ft, with an 82,500-sq-ft transient parking ramp. In keeping with the company’s philosophy that maintenance will be driven by turbine tenants, CCJC has a 15,000-sq-ft hangar on the drawing board for occupancy by 2011.

Additional physical plant facilities include a 7,200-sq-ft piston maintenance hangar, 13,200-sq-ft turbine maintenance hangar, 3,600 sq ft of offices, accessory shops and flight school classrooms, another 3,850 sq ft of accessory shops and offices, and a 44,000-sq-ft adjacent ramp. The company’s 18 employees include three full-time mechanics and two part-time mechanics.

Thogmartin said the company manages and maintains its own Citation 560XL and King Air B100 under FAR Part 135. “We can perform most inspections and maintenance on 500-series Citations up to and including Phase 1 through Phase 4 inspections. We keep current maintenance manuals and have the required equipment to perform a number of other maintenance operations.”

According to Thogmartin, CCJC can also conduct inspections and maintenance on King Airs up to and including Phase 1 through 4 inspections. “While most of our experience is on the B100, we can perform maintenance on the King Air 200 and 300 series as well. Within our staff we also have experience with the Learjet series, 600-series Citation, Caravan, Beechjet and Mitsubishi.”

“Now that we have the FBO operation going strong, we’re focusing on our maintenance operation. We have a customer-based ethic founded in our own general aviation roots, and I think we’re positioning ourselves to be the gateway to Columbus,” Short said. “The goal is to achieve it by 2016, and I think we’re right on track to do it.”