Bridgeford Flying Services: A Vintage Napa Valley FBO You ... - NATA

Bridgeford Flying Services:
A Vintage Napa Valley FBO
By Paul Seidenman and David J. Spanovich
Northern California’s Napa Valley evokes
images of lush, sprawling vineyards producing
some of the world’s finest wines.
With its posh resorts and picturesque
scenery, Napa Valley is now considered
California’s number-two tourist attraction,
just behind Disneyland, as well as a major
destination for business travelers. For private and
corporate aircraft pilots and passengers, the gateway
to this beautiful region is the Napa County
Airport (APC) and Bridgeford Flying Services, a
full-service FBO.
Established in 1946 by four World War II pilots
(Dick Bridgeford, Caesar Bertagna, Clyde Barnett,
and Jack Bergin), Bridgeford Flying Services once
competed with four other FBOs on the airport but
has long outlived them. To survive, it has grown,
along with the airport to meet the changing needs
of general aviation operators.
Once almost exclusively a propeller aircraft facility,
the Napa County Airport has hosted a growing
number of business jets since the early 1990s. The
820-acre general aviation airport has three runways:
18R/36L (5,932-feet long), 6/24 (5,008-feet), and
18L/36R (2,500-feet). The two longer runways are
each 150-feet wide, more than ample for even the
largest corporate jets.
“At one time, it was very unusual to see a jet on
our ramp,” said Harold Morrison, Bridgeford Flying
Services’ senior team member and a 6,000-hour
Learjet-rated pilot. “Today, jet traffic here is routine,
although seasonal and tied to the wine industry and
tourism. In fact, in 2007, Jet A accounted for some
80 percent of our total fuel sales, with about 20
percent, 100 low lead avgas.” The company’s fuel is
sold under the Air BP brand.
Mark Willey, Bridgeford Flying Services’ chief
executive officer and managing partner since late
2000, joined the company after 17 years at Atlantic
Aviation, where he rose to vice president and
general manager under the former DuPont family
ownership. Willey is chairman of NATA’s Business
Management Committee and one of 20 members of
the FBO 1 Group, an organization of industry leaders
that meets three times a year to examine ways
to improve business operations. Based on his years
of FBO experience, Willey believes that Bridgeford’s
success has been tied to the ability of its owners to
“stay a step ahead” since it first opened its doors as
little more than a flight school.
“I think that the founders, even then, realized
Continued on page 30
Aviation Business Journal | 2 nd Quarter 2008
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