Jamie Hildenbrandt
President,
Hildt Aviation Bennington, LLC
What brought you to Vermont?
Presented by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce
As a child, my family used to vacation in
Vermont frequently as my father owns
property right on the Vermont/NY border.
I’ve always held a deep sense of
appreciation for the beauty and simplicity
Vermont has offered me, an escape from
the routine of my daily life. These days, I
enjoy introducing my children to spots I
frequented in my youth or, on the rarer
chance, enjoy weekend trips with my wife
Kelly, exploring new towns or places.
When the opportunity arose for us to start
an aircraft maintenance business at the
William H. Morse State Airport
(Bennington Airport), we were delighted.
The chance to start fresh with Hildt
Aviation Bennington, surrounded by
people who really wanted us to succeed,
was a no brainer. I have 10 years’
experience in the aviation field both as a
private pilot and FAA certificated
mechanic, with the last 6 running an
aviation maintenance business in upstate
New York. It has been an easy transition,
particularly with the support and guidance
from my new airport “neighbors”.
While I serve as President of the company
and oversee the maintenance, Kelly, who
earned an MBA from The Sage Colleges, is
the principal owner and is excited to take
on the challenge of implementing
innovative ideas for Hildt that mirror the
efforts the State is taking. We have found
the state of Vermont to be wonderful to
work with and feel truly welcomed and
supported here. This summer, we look
forward to taking advantage of the newly
constructed runway and continue to
explore opportunities for pilots to land
at the Bennington Airport and visit the
surrounding area, continuing the
collaboration with the Chamber and the
State of Vermont to maximize the impact
of the airport’s potential on the area.
What Keeps You Here?
It is a toss-up between the beauty of the
landscape and the people. Every time we
drive to Vermont, we marvel at another
environmental beauty or find a Vermonter
who demonstrated an act of kindness
to us that was above and beyond what
they needed to do. As our customer base
grows, I’m seeing the same sense of
appreciation within our customers grow,
who were less familiar with Vermont, as
they are impressed with the caliber of
people they meet, the quality of food they
eat, and at the variety of activities they can
partake in while here. The prospect of the
new runway is exciting and I anticipate an
influx of a new crop of pilots. The feedback
that we hear from pilots who were
unfamiliar with Bennington before, rave
about how beautiful their landings are and
gain the same sense that we have, that every
person they encounter is trying to enhance
their experience here. We are in the
midst of building a long-term plan here in
Bennington, hoping our role at the airport
increases while simultaneously, aiding the
growth and development of the area.
48 VERMONT MAGAZINE