AIRPORT ACADEMY IN SUGARLAND A BIG HIT WITH LOCAL RESIDENTS
By Chris Sasser
Texas Transportation Institute
In recent years, the Sugar Land Regional Airport (SLRA) has emerged as the destination of choice for business travelers in the Houston area. However, for local residents who watch planes, ranging from Cessna 172 Skyhawks to Citation X jets, buzz in and out of SLRA daily, they may wonder, “Just what in the world is going on over there?”
The answer is: plenty. Thanks to the Sugar Land Regional Airport Academy, residents can now take a six-week course that provides a comprehensive overview of aviation operations and the facility’s important role in the regional economy. The course covers topics such as:
• the history of SLRA,
• the role of the airport in the city’s organization,
• the scope of airport operations and
• the economic impact on the region and the benefits provided to Sugar Land.
This unique program started last year after the city manager saw an opportunity to expand on local citizen academies.
“Sugar Land already had a police, fire and city government 101 academy,” says Anne Gaines, assistant aviation director over planning and development for SLRA. “Since our airport is located in the middle of town and therefore surrounded by homes and businesses, we thought it would be a great idea to offer this class to help educate the community about the airport.”
The popular class is deliberately kept small to allow the instructors a lot of interaction with students. The participants are taken up in the air traffic control tower, out on the taxiway apron and basically get a full tour and instruction of the inner workings of the airport. Instructors include airport administration, the director of economic development for Sugar Land and a pilot who has flown in and out of the airport for years.
“One of our goals is to educate our residents as to what is going on over their heads,” says Gaines. ‘We want them to understand the benefits of the airport to our community and hopefully consider volunteering with us in the future.”
The third class is about to begin, and, judging by the quick enrollment and positive evaluation comments, the academy has been a huge hit.
“It was very informative, fun, interactive and enjoyable,” says Yaffa Steubinger, a graduate of the first academy. “I’ve been to most of the Sugar Land academies, but this is one most of us didn’t want to end. It was hard to get rid of us each night!”
