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Columbia Air Services-RUT, LLCColumbia Air Services, based at the Groton-New London Airport, Groton, Connecticut, is a full service FBO, specializing in the sales, service, charter and management of jet, turboprop, and piston powered aircraft. The Columbia family of companies employs seventy-five full-time employees and has been in operation since 1980. The company also offers complete airframe, power plant and avionics services. With exclusive rights for the Socata TBM-700 turbo prop and the complete line of New Piper Aircraft products. Columbia will bring a strong new and used aircraft sales presence to its Rutland facility. Pilots that fly into RUT can expect professional and friendly line and customer service personnel to take care of any and all of their fueling, car rental, and special service needs. Other on-site services and amenities include: flight school, aircraft rental, catering, pilots lounge, and pilot supplies. If you know the Rutland area, then you know what a gem this airport is for rural New England. Although we don’t have an ILS, our instrument approaches (LOC and GPS) have consistently proven adequate (with greatly improved minimums over a few years ago), and we enjoy the benefit of two runways, thus minimizing or eliminating crosswind landings. Our long runway of 5000 ft. was rebuilt in 1998, and our shorter runway (3200 feet) is in excellent shape. Lighting is good, and the local aviation community is pushing hard with the FAA and the state to complete a MALSR lighting system, which will improve our minimums and increase safety!
There are plenty of other things to do. Manchester boasts an enormous collection of high-priced manufacturer outlets. Weston, about 25 minutes from the Airport (most everything is 25 minutes from there!) is the home of the Vermont Country Store. Plymouth, not far from Okemo, is the site of the Calvin Coolidge Homestead, where President Coolidge was born and was sworn in as president after President Harding’s sudden demise. Whatever your politics, the buildings and the exhibits are fascinating. Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln’s estate, is 45 or 50 minutes south of the Airport and the Lake George, Lake Saranac and Lake Placid resort areas aren’t too far to the West from here.
We have some pilot supplies, but we keep a pretty good supply of other basics, like sectionals, David Clark headsets and accessories, earplugs, fuel testers, pitot tube covers, Trade-A-Plane, caps, sweatshirts and the like, and even portable transceivers and halon fire extinguishers of the kind that Aviation Safety recommends. Deicing, preheating and plug-ins are available. Heated hangar space is in very short supply, but we try to make a facility available if at all possible. For hangar space, reservations in the winter time are an absolute must! Let us help you with hotel reservations. We will also give you a hand with catering when you head home. For those of you who are not yet pilots, STOP DREAMING AND START FLYING! To contact us during normal business hours: Columbia Air Services-RUT, LLC, (RUT)
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If you don’t know our area, this is as good a time as any to learn. We are only 25 minutes from two of the best ski areas in the Northeast: Killington to the northeast of us, and Okemo (in the Town of Ludlow) to the southeast. Stratton, Magic and Bromley aren't far either. Restaurants of New York and Boston quality are in the ski areas and in town. Hotel/motel facilities range from excellent (no kidding!) to good economy. The world-class Equinox resort is in Manchester, 25 minutes to the south of the airport. Golf courses are all over the area and include two brand new facilities, one in the Killington area and one at Okemo. The golf course at the mountain at Killington, although not new, is spectacular; and there are other miscellaneous facilities, 18 and 9 hole, throughout the area. The climate is conducive to great fairways and greens. Many of the resort/motel operations have good tennis courts, as well.
We are a modest, but full service general aviation support facility, offering Phillips 66 100 LL AvGas and Jet-A with additive. We offer light aircraft maintenance from routine oil changes to annuals.