Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport
History

Belgrade's first airport, Seifert Airport, named in recognition of Gallatin County aviation pioneer Wayne Seifert, was built in 1928 near Belgrade, but subsequently relocated because of high-tension wires. Siefert, together with E.R. Kahla, secured land for a second airport through a lease agreement with the State of Montana and the Belgrade Chamber of Commerce. Located one-half mile north of Belgrade near the current site of Gallatin Field, the airport opened in 1929 with six runways 100 feet wide and 1,200 to 1,300 feet long.

By 1937, two generations of Americans had grown accustomed to incredible aviation accomplishments. Lindberg and the Wright Brothers were history, "aviators" were now known as "pilots," and "those daring young men in their flying machines" were now flying "airliners." World War ll was just around the corner, and the aviation industry was about to revolutionize transportation and the progress of man in unimaginable fashion.

The vision of men in Bozeman and the Gallatin Empire was equal to that of men the width and breadth of America. The Bozeman Chamber of Commerce, Bozeman City Commission, Montana State College, and local service clubs began steering towards realization of a major air facility for Gallatin County.

On October 23, 1940, Bozeman City Manager August H. Lake called a meeting to advise those present that they had been appointed to serve on the Bozeman Airport Commission. The new members were: Dean Chaffin, Ernest Anderson, Gardner (Pete) Waite, Eric Therkelsen, and Frank Hoey. There was some discussion regarding the desirability of having an airport for Bozeman. Mr. Lake said that the City of Bozeman had taken a lease from the State of Montana on a small portion of land at the site of the Belgrade Airport and had constructed a hangar on this ground for the benefit of the Civilian Pilot Training (CPT) program currently being offered by Montana State College.Mr. Waite was authorized to check the ownership of adjoining lands and interview the owners to see if additional land might be purchased.

Within the next two weeks, the airport commission met several times. Chaffin, Therkelson, and Waite traveled to Butte for a meeting with Mr. Paul Morris of the Civil Aeronautics Administration where they were informed that some federal funding might be available for their airport if they could finalize the land purchases and airport plans before November 22nd.

Mr. Morris authorized the Army Engineers at Fort Peck to send a crew to Bozeman to survey the site and assist with the necessary drawings. Options to purchase the necessary land were obtained and on November 22,1940, Mr. Morris traveled to Bozeman to meet with the Airport Commission. Following a luncheon meeting at the Baxter Hotel, the group adjourned to the lounge where maps were spread on the table and Mr. Morris and his associates studied the entire proposal.

After studying the windrose chart, he laid out four prospective runways. He then gave instructions to the Army Engineers present on how to fill out the government application forms. He then left for Spokane.

The Bozeman Airport Commission met the filing deadline and on December 19, 1940, received official word that Bozeman had been allotted $47,000 in federal funds for construction of the basic airport.

The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) financed construction of Gallatin Field in 1941 in order to provide a training school for pilots just prior to World War ll. In 1941, the airport included four runways. John F. Lynch and his brother, Charles offered the initial Fixed Base Operator (FBO) service to the airport. In late 1941, John Lynch took charge of the fastest growing air school in Montana.

During the spring of 1941, plans for the new airport were progressing well. To help promote the facility, the Bozeman Airport Commission decided to hold an Aviation Week. In addition to promoting the new airport, it was hoped that the event would show the County Commissioners how important the airport was to the community and pave the way for some county funding.

At a meeting held at the Baxter Hotel on May 7, 1941, it was suggested that a name be chosen for the new airport. The name 'Sacajawea Field' was suggested but it was felt that the name "Sacajawea" belonged more or less to Three Forks and that it might be better to choose the name 'Gallatin Field.' After quite a little discussion, it was duly moved and carried that they name the flying field of the Bozeman Airport, Gallatin Field.

The Aviation Week was held June 9 to 15 and was a huge success. Seventy people attended the banquet and nearly 5,000 attended the Field Day program at the Belgrade Airport. Northwest Airlines had a twentyone passenger Douglas Airliner on the field and made several complimentary flights. John Lynch did some aerial acrobatics and there were many planes on the field during the day.

It soon became apparent that the City alone could not maintain the airport. On July 8, 1941, a special meeting was called for the Airport Commission to appear before the County Commission to present a budget for an airport fund. The group went to the Commissioners' office and was given a hearing.

All possible arguments were used in making a request that the Commissioners levy at least a portion of one mill for the purpose of maintaining the Bozeman airport. The County Commission consisted of P.H. Gaffney, Chairman, Wm. Alberda, and Lee Frank. Mr. Gaffney did all of the talking for the Board and he flatly refused to listen to any of their arguments and said that they would refuse to make any levy for airport purposes.

The group returned to Mr. Chaffin's office and decided that the results of this meeting should be given some publicity throughout the county. They further clarified the name on July 23, 1942 and "It was moved and carreid that this commission recommend to the new Airport Board to be that these names remain "Bozeman Airport" and "Gallatin Field." Gallatin Field became a city-county airport in 1942. On November 22, 1942, Jim Stradley and his passenger Helen McLain made the first official landing at Gallatin Field.  In 1944, Gallatin County purchased one-half interest in the land.

The 1940s heralded the beginning of the airport's major construction era and included 5,200 feet of paved Runway 12-30,5,100 feet of paved Runway 16-34, turf Runways 3-21 (4,700 feet) and 7-25 (4,700 feet), Taxiways A and B. The apron and lighting on Runways 16-34, 12-30 and Taxiways A and B were also completed during the 1940s. A 35-foot by 75-foot quonset hut was built in 1947 as a temporary "depot" for Northwest Airlines, which began regular commercial service in June of that year.

An airport administration building, designed by Fred Willson, was constructed for $153,000 in 1950-1951. This building, originally funded by a county bond issue, was expanded and remodeled in 2005 with federal funding. It currently houses Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) operations, Transportation Security administration (TSA) personnel, and the Gallatin County Sheriff's Airport Office. Gallatin County levied a 0.9 mill tax for airport construction and maintenance throughout the 1950s.

New construction, to meet the growth of Gallatin Field, was made possible by an airport bond issue in 1960. The bonds funded a project that consisted of the reconstruction of 150-foot by 5,410-foot Runway 12-30 including new medium-intensity lighting, a new 120-foot by 640-foot general aviation apron, air carrier apron reconstruction and expansion and reconstruction of Taxiway "A". Runway 12-30 was extended to 6,500 feet in 1963, permitting use of the airport by transport aircraft such as the Douglas DC-6 and Lockheed Electra. Taxiways "C" and "D," were constructed in 1965.A number of improvements were made in the late 1960s to accommodate jet service. The main Runway 12-30 was extended to 9,000 feet; Taxiway "C" was widened and strengthened, including new lighting, and the air carrier apron was again expanded and overlaid. The $606,000 for the improvements was paid for by a bond issue and the Federal Aviation Administration. The Airport was additionally supported by a City and County tax levy for maintenance, operations, and administration.

A FAA planning grant in 1972 resulted in development of the first Master Plan for Gallatin Field. Runway 16-34, the N-S Runway, was abandoned due to lack of use and cost of maintenance. The Montana Legislature passed legislation authorizing the establishment of Airport Authorities in Montana, and by November 1972, Gallatin Field became an Airport Authority.The Airport Authority sold revenue bonds in 1974 to finance a new FBO building, relocate Federal Aid Secondary (FAS) 290, now known as Dry Creek Road, relocate the existing FBO buildings and construct a new general aviation apron. The turf Runway 3-21 was relocated east of the General Aviation apron to permit closing the old crosswind runway for anticipated construction of a new terminal building.In 1976, the Authority again sold $2,400,000 of revenue bonds to construct a new 40,000 square foot terminal building; build a new air carrier apron; widen, strengthen, and extend taxiways; construct a new terminal access road; and extend water and sewer utilities to the terminal buildings. The Authority provided land to the Town of Belgrade for construction of a sewage treatment facility (lagoons) and shared in the cost of a 500,000-gallon water tank with the town. Total cost of the project was $4,400,000.Gallatin Field was the recipient of a regional award for environmental design presented by the FAA in 1978. M.M. Martin, FAA director stated, "The building is highly functional and an outstanding example of the use of design, art, and architecture to enhance the compatibility of airport structures with their surrounding environment."

The 1980s were a decade of continued growth for Gallatin Field. The Airport Improvement Program included the FAA providing a maximum of 90 percent of the funding for airport improvements. In addition to runway, taxiway, apron, and access road improvement projects, a 36-foot by 56-foot fire station was built, an addition to the snow removal equipment building was constructed, and a passenger terminal door replacement project was completed. The Gallatin Airport Authority also acquired snow removal equipment and additional land, installed security fencing, upgraded the taxiway lighting system, and purchased an emergency standby generator.

Population expansion in the Gallatin Valley during the 1990s caused continued growth to Gallatin Field. Major projects included rental car parking lot expansion, Phases I & II of the Terminal Expansion, construction of a holding bay on Taxiway A, employee and pay parking lot expansion, and construction of a deicing fluid storage on the commercial apron. These projects were paid for with Airport Improvement Program (AIP), Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), and local funding. Additionally, the air traffic control tower was constructed in 1997.

From 2000 to 2007, Gallatin Field continued to grow rapidly. Federal funding under the Airport Improvement Program changed whereby the FAA would provide a maximum of 95% of the funding for airport improvements. Gallatin Field constructed over $32,500,000 of improvements during this period.

This growth resulted in numerous airside and land side expansions since 2000, including two expansions to the commercial apron, a concourse expansion to the terminal building, a new general aviation tie down apron, and the construction of the East Ramp and a cargo apron. General aviation hangar construction also resulted in several taxilane construction projects including sewer, water and utility construction. The funding for these enhancements was through the Airport Improvement Program, Passenger Facility Charge, and local Airport Authority dollars.

Since the 1993 Master Plan, passenger enplanements increased 92% or 4.7% annually, on average from 175,042 in 1993 to 335,276 in 2007. The total number of aircraft operations increased from 47,100 in 1993 to 80,606 in 2007, an increase of 71% or 3.9% annually. From 1993 to 2007, based aircraft increased 159% from 113 to 293, a 7.1% annual increase.

The past 10 years also showed a change in the type of aircraft operated by the commercial airlines. Gallatin Field saw the last Boeing 727 commercial service aircraft in 2002. lt marked a shift to the Airbus A319, the A320, and 50 to 70 seat regional jets. Commercial airlines now provide non-stop flights from Bozeman to Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle/Tacoma. Today, Gallatin Field is served by six airlines brands, Allegiant, Delta, Frontier, Horizon, Northwest and United. Additionally, current FBO service at the airport is provided by Arlin's Aircraft and Yellowstone Jet Center. Gallatin Field has produced a level of service that is respected throughout Northwest by the flying public and the businesses located on the airport.