By Jeff Borowiec
Texas Transportation Institute
The first airport operators training course was held on October 25, 2000, at the Denton Municipal Airport in the facilities of the Medallion Flight Group. This workshop was the first of what is hoped will eventually become a quarterly event held in various locations across the state. This training program is a collaborative effort between TxDOT Aviation Division, the Texas Airport Management Association (TAMA), and the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M University.
Airport managers across the state are a diverse group having various levels of knowledge and understanding of the day-to-day management of airports. Airports in Texas vary significantly across the spectrum from small, rural airports with no services and no on-site management to major international airports serving large, metropolitan areas. Often, those charged with managing the state’s smaller, less active airports have no specific training in airport management. It is hoped that these workshops will provide a forum for professional dialogue and training on topics that are encountered on a daily basis. Others in the profession who may be more experienced will benefit as well from the training and exchange of ideas.
The training course held in Denton covered a range of topics including:
- Proper Fueling Procedures for Aircraft;
- The Importance of Quality Control;
- Proper Aircraft Towing Procedures;
- Airport Pavement Maintenance and Management;
- Routine Airport Maintenance Program (RAMP);
- Vegetation Management; and • Roundtable Discussion.
The next training course is expected to be held in January 2001, in the southern or southeastern part of the state. Organizers hope to hold the workshop once a year in each of the four TAMA regions before moving on to a different set of topics. Notification was sent to all public airports in the state. If you did not receive notice of the workshop in the mail and would like to receive it for future workshops, please contact Jeff Borowiec at the Texas Transportation Institute at (979) 845-5200 or by e-mail at [email protected]. Any ideas, comments, or suggestions pertaining to these training workshops are also appreciated. If you have suggestions on topics that should be covered or if you are interested in serving as an instructor on a particular topic, please let Jeff know that as well.
