Jet Air Group, Serving Pilots & The Green Bay Packers

Story & Photos by Dave Weiman

Jet Air Group at Austin Straubel International Airport in Green Bay, Wisconsin (KGRB), aims to please its corporate high rollers on game days for the Green Bay Packers, but provides services to pilots and aircraft owners year around.

Jet Air Group is a full-service Signature Select™ fixed base operator, offering first-class service and Signature network benefits. Services include fuel sales, aircraft maintenance, avionics, air charter, flight training and testing, aircraft rental, an instrument calibration lab, and even pilot medical exams. “It is not uncommon for pilots to fly in for a flight physical,” says former Green Bay police chief, Alan Timmerman, who is a pilot and a partner and the CEO of Jet Air Group. Joe Megna, Sr. is Director of Maintenance; and Dr. Pep Anderas is Vice President and one of Timmerman’s business partners.

Jet Air Group has been a leader in aviation in Wisconsin for more than 40 years and continues to grow.

The company was established in 1969 in Clintonville, Wisconsin and in 1970 became an authorized Mitsubishi MU-2 Service Center, which it continues to be today.

In 1980, Jet Air relocated to Green Bay to support the new Mitsubishi MU-300, now known as the Beechjet 400, with a new maintenance facility. The company then became a full line service center for Piper aircraft, as well as a Honeywell TPE331 series engine major service center supporting the various engine models associated with MU-2, Turbo Commander, Merlin, Cessna Conquest, and Beechcraft B100 aircraft.

Jet Air also became affiliated with Honeywell engines, Dallas Airmotive and Standard Aero, supporting the Pratt & Whitney PT6 and JT15 engines for the Beechcraft King Air, Piper Cheyenne, MU-300, Beechjet, and Cessna Citation.

In 1984, Jet Air purchased an existing fixed base operator, then known as Jet Air Fuel Corp. Later that decade, Jet Air established a calibration laboratory.

In 2003, Jet Air was purchased by Al Timmerman and a group of local businessmen and continued to expand. The Part 135 charter department was established, then known as Frontline Aviation, operating Beech King Airs and Piper twins. Jet Air Group also became a Cirrus Authorized Service Center for the SR20 and SR22.

In 2010, a new state-of-the-art facility was built to house the entire company’s operations. With this consolidation of services, the company name was changed to Jet Air Group.

Jet Air Group received the “Growth Business of the Year Award” from the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce in 2011, and was named “Aviation Business of the Year” by the Wisconsin Aviation Trades Association (WATA) in 2012. Jet Air Group became the official preferred fixed base operator of the Green Bay Packers in 2012, and a Signature Select Fixed Base Operator to further enhance its services.

Also in 2012, Jet Air Group became a CATS computerized FAA testing center and purchased an FAA-approved flight simulator. FAA Part 141 approval was granted for the private pilot certificate and instrument rating.

In 2014, Jet Air Group became a factory-authorized Enstrom Helicopter Service Center, and built a 36,000 square foot hangar. With over 80,000 square feet of hangar space, Jet Air Group became the largest operator on the airport, with the most heated hangar space. A ramp expansion was completed, along with an additional taxiway connecting to taxiway “delta,” allowing for more parking space and easier turn-around, which is especially important on game day when as many as 85 jet aircraft are parked on the tarmac.

Crew and passenger amenities include hotel discounts; gourmet catering services; spacious customer lounge with fireplace; private conference room with a large screen television and state-of-the-art audiovisual technology; private and comfortable pilots’ lounge with large screen television and DVD; pilot sleep rooms; flight planning center with Meteorlogix weather computer; public computer station with printer and internet access; free WiFi Internet; kitchen with dishwasher; clothes washer and dryer; snack and beverage vending machines; courtesy vehicles; and for the pilot just looking for a place to visit and buy gas on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, there is coffee and fresh-baked cookies.

Car rental is available through Avis, Enterprise, and Hertz. There’s taxi and limousine service, and on game day in Green Bay, there is bus transportation to Lambeau Field.

A big selling point for any airport and fixed base operation is a U.S. Customs Office, and Austin Straubel International Airport and Jet Air Group provide this service. Another big selling point for any fixed base operation is having owners who have a passion for flight, and Al Timmerman and his partners have that.

Alan Timmerman

Alan Timmerman has lived in the Green Bay area all of his life. Timmerman enjoyed a 32-year career in law enforcement prior to becoming a partner in Jet Air Group in 2003, rising to the rank of chief of police for the City of Green Bay. Timmerman’s Harley Davidson police motorcycle is displayed in the main lobby of Jet Air Group, and his many accolades are mounted on the wall of his office.

Timmerman took his first flight in a floatplane at age 14 on a family vacation to Wisconsin Dells, and thanks to the pilot who let him take over the controls, he is an accomplished pilot, aircraft owner and aviation professional today!

For fun and relaxation, Timmerman commutes to work in his Enstrom helicopter, and is checked out in a number of aircraft so he can ferry them for customers for maintenance.

Location

Jet Air Group is located on the northeast side of Austin Straubel International Airport, 1/2 mile east of the airline terminal. For additional information, call 920-494-2669 or 866-676-7835  (www.jetairgroup.com).

Skyward Interiors

Skyward Interiors is located in the Jet Air Group complex, and is a Part 145 interior repair station. For additional information, contact Robert Williams at 918-549-5205.

This entry was posted in Airports, All Features, Aug/Sept 2015, Features, WATA Difference and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.