BusinessTN

Jet pilot/entrepreneur Rick “Comrade” Svetkoff boils his business down to the following truism: “people like seeing things that go fast and make noise.” He’s hoping to parlay that intrinsic human pleasure not only into more profit for his unusual enterprise but also to improve science and math education in Chattanooga.

A retired Continental Airlines pilot, Svetkoff “leveraged everything” to buy his first fighter jet in 1995. His second arrived in 1996. “I was basically living on Campbell’s soup,” he says. “But I did have two F-104s.” Today, Svetkoff owns and operates the only fully operational, civilian-owned Supersonic Jet Team on the U.S. Airshow Circuit, his St. Petersburg, Fla.-based “Starfighters.” The air show equivalent of a warm-up band for military-funded aerobatic standouts the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels, Svetkoff’s 10-person, $3 million operation nevertheless is widely acknowledged by the industry as the equal of its superiors in demonstration quality (while at a fraction of the cost). Anyone who has experienced one of the Starfighters’ “fly-bys” at Chattanooga’s Riverbend festival in recent years can vouch for the quality of Svetkoff’s work.

Recently, discussions broke off between Svetkoff and his hometown airport regarding his need to expand. Now Svetkoff says he plans to move his main operations hub to Chattanooga. And local officials are increasingly getting behind the effort.

Tennessee inherits a business at a critical juncture in its development. The Starfighters’ fleet recently added a third “ship,” increasing its annual, sponsorship-driven budget by 50%. Supporting such growth will depend on greater sponsorship. To that end—though also for altruistic reasons—Svetkoff is working in concert with Chattanooga area schools and universities to establish a nonprofit educational learning center using the glitz and glamor of supersonic jets to inspire greater interest in math- and science-related fields.

“We’re losing our technological advantage,” Svetkoff says, “which is really hurting this country.”

Chattanooga Councilwoman Marti Rutherford says that, due in large part to that educational mission, local entities ranging from TVA to Coca-Cola have already contacted her regarding possible support. “It’s fine to think about these big pretty birds being out at Lovell Field,” Rutherford says. “But it’s the educational aspect that has become priority number one.”

But what about the possibility of noise pollution? Svetkoff allays those fears when he cites a host of reasons the Starfighters won’t be taking to Tennessee’s skies on a routine basis. Among them? Each jet in his fleet burns 150 gallons of fuel just getting off the ground while each $1,000 tire is good for only 12 landings.

“Now if we were Bill Gates, that might be a more likely scenario,” Svetkoff says.

All the more reason for the Starfighters to put down roots in Chattanooga.