The evening awards banquet, held on the second evening of the conference, provides a time for the Aviation Division to honor those individuals and airports who have excelled in the past year. The winners from the Aviation Art Contest are recognized as well for their outstanding art work.
“The evening awards banquet is truly a special occasion,” said Aviation Division Director of Grants Kari Campbell. “Seeing the expressions of the winners when they realize they are about to get an award is priceless!”
Texas Aviation Awards:
RAMP Coordinator of the Year
This year two winners were recognized as RAMP Coordinator of the Year, both from the same district. The winning team oversees a district that has 18 airports eligible for RAMP, and of those airports, 14 are active participants in RAMP every year. Despite the large number of airports, they go above and beyond by being proactive to their airport’s many needs. In addition, they are advocates for the mission of RAMP.
At the 2017 conference, two of their district’s airports were awarded most improved airport of the year, which was a source of great pride for the two winners, Mike Stroope and David Barrera with the TxDOT Lubbock District.
Reliever of the Year
This year’s award-winning airport, Galveston Scholes International Airport, has seen a flurry of improvements over the past few years with no impact on air traffic operations a testament to Airport Manager Mike Shahan’s open communication style of leadership.
As part of Shahan’s proactive approach toward open communications, the airport convenes regular construction meetings. Air traffic personnel, including local airside businesses, and the airport staff actively participate in safety management system assessments, discuss and mitigate any potential safety risks consistent with FAA requirements, and routinely place movement area safety at the forefront during any project discussion.
In this airport’s nomination letter, it was noted that “Mike Shahan has done an exceptional job managing the airport and its facilities. He has been instrumental in the professional development of his airport, and his efforts have proven to be successful in ensuring significant growth and increased user activity.”
Most Improved Airport of the Year
The hiring of new city manager Camilla Viator has resulted in many improvements for this year’s most improved airport winner, Madisonville Municipal Airport, which has evolved from a sparsely used and deteriorating facility into a growing and vibrant addition to the city’s economic base.
The city used RAMP funds to supplement many of their improvements. They spent more than their matching share of RAMP funding in FY 2017 and have funded the other improvements on their own.
Though this airport may be small, the improvements in the past year have set it up for success. It is anticipated that a significant number of aircraft owners who have indicated a desire to move their planes to this airport will be accommodated in the near future as pavement repairs are made and hangars are constructed.
General Aviation Airport Manager of the Year
As airport manager, Sharlette Wright brings a level of professionalism, expert knowledge, and enthusiasm to every venture she’s part of. Having also served as manager of two other Texas airports, she has sponsored regular pancake breakfasts and specialty aircraft fly-ins at every airport she’s called home.
Wright is a certified member of AAAE and serves as an officer in the Texas Airports Council (TAC). As an active member of TAC, she has been instrumental in bringing in new members and developing the Airport 101 program, which provides educational opportunities to its members. Wright provides personal mentoring to managers across the state who are new to the profession or are in need of advice.
It only takes a few minutes talking with her to realize how devoted she is to her community and airport and how infectious her positive attitude, enthusiasm and love of aviation is. These personal and professional qualities make Wright an exceptional choice for this award.
General Aviation Airport of the Year
Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport has a well- deserved reputation as being a welcome stop with top-notch service and facilities, and as a gracious host for fly-ins and other events.
Located in central Texas, this airport is a modern, award-winning aviation facility that is considered one of its city’s most vital assets. It is recognized for its major role in the stability of Central Texas’ economy and future. The airport has seen steady growth for several decades, much of which is attributed to Airport Manager Sharon Rostovich’s dedicated quality management and to consistent support from the city, the airport’s tenants and TxDOT Aviation.
The dedication of the staff shone the brightest during relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey. The airport remained open beyond its normal 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. hours for seven consecutive days to host the relief crews, most of which were contracted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. About 40 relief aircraft were stationed at the airport, and a local business offered two large hangars to be used as a base for emergency-based operations efforts.
Also in the past year, a beloved long-time flight instructor, Stan Gunn, passed away. The airport staff, family, fellow pilots and others sent him out in style by spreading his ashes over the airport, his favorite place on earth, creating a happy celebration of his life and the impact he had on others.
Texas Aviator of the Year
The Texas Aviator of the Year award is rarely recognized at the awards banquet, and it takes a remarkable person to be considered for this achievement. This year’s winner, Robin Eissler, made history as the first woman to be honored as the Texas Aviator of the Year. Eissler is in the aviation industry, but she has made an impact on people far beyond airports and aviation.
Eissler soloed on her 16th birthday and obtained her private pilot’s license at 17. One of her most exciting flights was co- piloting a King Air on a trans-Atlantic crossing. In 1999 she began working with her family at Jet Quest, an aircraft brokerage firm based in Austin. She eventually sold the company and consolidated with jetAVIA, where she is currently the chief operating officer.
As impressive as her flying and business accomplishments may be, it’s what she’s done with that business aviation expertise to help out thousands of people in times of crisis that is most remarkable. During the past decade in hurricane and earthquake disasters, she led, organized and administered some of the most prolific disaster relief efforts that general aviation has ever accomplished.
After the Haiti earthquake in 2010, she founded Sky Hope, a non- profit disaster relief organization that would be ready to go with first response resources in the event of another disaster. During the 2017 hurricane season that saw three hurricanes strike the Texas Gulf Coast, she proactively directed airplanes and supplies to the areas and people who needed help the most.