{"id":31318,"date":"2023-11-07T11:36:57","date_gmt":"2023-11-07T17:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.phillips66.com\/?p=31318"},"modified":"2023-11-08T11:37:30","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T17:37:30","slug":"2023-westjet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.phillips66.com\/newsroom\/2023-westjet\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilots Gladly Fly Through KRAP Getting to Westjet Air Center"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

RAPID CITY, South Dakota<\/strong> \u2013<\/strong> In this gateway to the rugged Black Hills, pilots and their passengers fly through KRAP to visit one of the oldest fixed-base operators (FBO) in the Phillips 66\u00ae<\/sup> Aviation network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then again, the owners of Westjet Air Center \u2013 now celebrating 66 years with Phillips 66<\/em> \u2013 have a sense of humor. Drawn from Rapid City Regional Airport\u2019s official identifier, Westjet\u2019s tongue-in-cheek slogan, \u201cI Flew Through KRAP to Get Here,\u201d seems to resonate with aviation fans everywhere. Nearly 800 miles away during the 2023 Reno Air Races, Westjet President Linda Rydstrom said she witnessed \u201cmultiple people out in the wild wearing our stuff, which was pretty fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to running an FBO not far from Ellsworth Air Force Base, the family members operating this business are as serious as the bomber pilots selected to fly the new stealth B-21 Raider when it arrives. Above all, Westjet\u2019s longevity and success is built around a love of flying \u2013 and community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, the years of flight experience racked up by Rydstrom, her husband Don Rydstrom, CEO of Westjet, plus their daughter Miranda Rydstrom Maleki and her husband Bijan Maleki, rivals that of many military aviators. Their piloting experience, as vast as a Great Plains horizon, helps set the FBO\u2019s management apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linda, a Rapid City native, began flying when she was 20, eventually becoming chief pilot and director of pilot operations for Westjet\u2019s former fleet of 14 charter aircraft. Don, a former New York City and Denver banker, learned to fly and fell in love \u2013 in more ways than one. He bought Westjet, where the couple met and eventually married. Together, the two have logged more than 16,000 hours of flight time. Miranda runs a flight school at the FBO and flies for a Fortune 500 company, where Bijan works as a chief pilot for the same firm. Bijan also flies and teaches aerobatics. He just returned from the Reno Air Races where, as a rookie, he placed third, a remarkable achievement for a first-time competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in the (local) family<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four family members work closely together, leveraging each other\u2019s skills. Linda has a CPA and manages back-office matters, while Don uses his banking proficiency to pilot the financial side. Utilizing her business degree, Miranda leads the FBO\u2019s marketing, and as an aerospace engineer, Bijan specs new construction, equipment acquisition (think fuel trucks) and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe feel that Westjet is one of the best FBOs there is because of our backgrounds,\u201d says Linda. \u201cAnd there are a lot of good FBOs. Add in Allison Corbin, our chief legal compliance officer, and we\u2019ve got a very strong corporate team. We\u2019re not a large chain, but we work to maintain that smaller, state-of-the-art FBO.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giving back to the Rapid City community is a big part of Westjet\u2019s identity. The FBO supports the local Youth and Family Services nonprofit, which serves more than 14,000 children and families with meals, counseling, crisis intervention and daycare. Westjet is also a recurring title sponsor for the nonprofit\u2019s Kids Fair, which draws 10,000-plus attendees annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all in when it comes to supporting children and aviation,\u201d explains Linda. \u201cThe FBO gives us the opportunity to invest back into the local community. Miranda and I were born and raised here. We just firmly believe in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Westjet uses a local catering company that also operates as a nonprofit for customer flight meals. Their philosophy? Buy a meal, give a meal, allowing Westjet catering to reinvest in local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their family-style attitude permeates through every aspect of Westjet. \u201cOur goal is to provide a place that feels more like a home to rest and prepare for flights,\u201d says Linda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside its $1 million terminal you\u2019ll find a state-of-the-art flight-planning center, pilot\u2019s lounge, private sleeping quarters and well-stocked vending area. But it also features a children\u2019s playroom and a pet area with real grass. Customers can even buy a Yeti dog bowl emblazoned with a witty KRAP slogan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

66 Years with Phillips 66<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being part of Phillips 66 for six decades has helped keep Westjet\u2019s doors open and fuel flowing, especially during tough times when fuel is hard to come by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re huge supporters of the brand,\u201d Linda proudly states. \u201cPhillips 66 owns their own refineries; they\u2019re not a secondary fuel supplier, and that\u2019s significant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuel supplies were tight during the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years. Even the airlines at Rapid City were scrapping for fuel. \u201cWe were fortunate because so many FBOs were running out,\u201d explains Linda. \u201cPhillips 66 got us a driver out of Houston that came up for the summer and drove fuel for us, pulling supplies from all over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At one point, Westjet won a variance from South Dakota\u2019s governor, allowing trucking companies to run longer hours. \u201cThat took cooperation between transportation companies, the governor and Phillips 66,\u201d says Linda. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful that Phillips 66 spent a lot of time on the phone that summer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Invited in 2022 to join the Phillips 66 Aviation Advisory Council, composed of a select group of FBO leaders and marketers, Linda says she loves the collaboration. \u201cPeople that go through the same struggles as we do will reach out and ask how to get around it and what to do,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Westjet\u2019s future? Well, there\u2019s better KRAP to come, as Westjet is developing a new 15,000-square-foot hanger, augmenting an existing 70,000 square feet of hanger space. There may even be an FBO acquisition in the works out west. One that would be run by Miranda and Bijan, carrying on a tradition of aviation, family style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more about Westjet Air Center, visit www.westjetair.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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