In petroleum capitals such as Midland, a place long known for swaggering wildcatters who made and lost fortunes, personal jet travel becomes a bellwether when times get tight. Photographer: Thomas Black/Bloomberg (Bloomberg) — The oil boom last year was easy to see at the airport in Midland, Texas, the gateway to the biggest crude-producing region in the U.S. The 30 or so spaces for private planes were often filled. On one day in early February, a lone corporate jet sat on the tarmac, the empty spots a harbinger of the slowdown looming in a city that is 85 percent dependent on the oil and gas industry. In petroleum capitals such as Midland, a place long known for swaggering wildcatters who made and lost fortunes, corporate and personal jet travel has been a bellwether for the health of the energy business. That indicator took a turn down in January, when […]