Northstar Jet's Firefighting Foundation

Located in Western Montana at the Missoula International Airport (KMSO), Phillips 66 branded Fixed Base Operator (FBO) Northstar Jet has a front-row seat to some of the West’s most devastating forest fires. Northstar Jet and parent company, Neptune Aviation, are fervently committed to aerial firefighting and the protection of our forests.

Neptune Aviation and Northstar Jet’s strategic global headquarters location has allowed the FBO to support the United States Forest Services’ (USFS) Region 1 operations in Missoula. From maintenance contracts on smoke jumping aircraft and lead planes, to fuel support for the entire fleet, the FBO has played a critical role in supporting the USFS operations.

Neptune Aviation CEO Ron Hooper dedicated 41 years to the USFS before joining Neptune Aviation and leading a diverse fleet of firefighting air tankers, including a growing fleet of BAE-146 modern air tankers.

The FBO is one of the only operators in the world capable of keeping an airworthy Lockheed Martin P2V Neptune. The P2V air tankers were retrofitted by Neptune Aviation many years ago, converting their torpedo bomb bays into large retardant tanks for aerial fire suppression. Neptune Aviation expanded the firefighting offering and executed its first international firefighting operations in 2017 in Chile.