Story ID: 
Summit Aviation Breaks Ground on Yellowstone Facility
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Summit Aviation will soon begin construction on its complex at Montana's Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport.
Word Count: 239
Montana aircraft charter, management, sales, and flight training provider Summit Aviation broke ground Friday on a facility at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (KBZN).
The complex will consist of a 14,500-sq-ft building that will include an upscale departure lounge for the company’s charter and management clients. It will also house Summit’s flight school, aircraft sales, charter, and management departments, as well as an FAA testing center and simulation lab housing multiple simulators. The school serves as the flight training provider for Gallatin College-Montana State University’s aviation program.
“We’ve made do and done our best with the space we’ve had for a long time, expanding to other buildings on the field as we continued to outgrow our current space,” said company owner and president Ben Walton. “We’ve needed a bigger space for a few years now, and it’s very exciting to see it coming together. “We’re really looking forward to getting everyone back under one roof again.”
With an expected completion in January 2024, the facility will also add 37,225 sq ft of hangar space in a pair of hangars. One will house the flight school fleet, while the other will accommodate the company’s charter and managed aircraft.
Located on the north side of the field, the complex will provide quick access to the airport’s secondary Runway 11/29 frequented by the flight school.