By Cheryl Williams
Austin, Texas
Katharine Hepburn and Howard Hughes would have had a rendezvous here. They would have sat in the Officer’s Club by the flickering fireplace in comfy leather chairs listening to Sinatra, while Kate sipped a highball and Howard went on about his latest aviation venture. Whoa! This place will do that to you! It has a 1940’s, World War II era ambiance that will take you back in time.
Gillespie County Airport in Fredericksburg is definitely not a utilitarian, unadorned, simply functional general aviation airport. I knew the airport had a hotel and a diner, but I was not prepared for what I saw when I drove up. This place is great! It is attractively landscaped and surprisingly looks new with all the buildings painted a clean white with logos of the special services accented in bright colors. The airport was immaculate, clean, and mowed, amazingly well-kept! This is a special place, indeed!
The airport is located three miles southwest of downtown Fredericksburg on State Highway 16. It is situated between the Gillespie County Fairgrounds and Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Park and Golf Course.
Airport Manager Roger Hansen has only been at the airport for one year, having taken the job following his retirement from the Air Force. Roger retired as a colonel after a 30year career as a pilot.
According to Roger, “This is a public-use general aviation facility owned and operated by Gillespie County. It has a 5,002′ x 75′ asphalt runway, with a 35′ full-length taxiway. The terminal building provides access to phone and restrooms, 24 hours per day. We have MIRL pilot-controlled lighting, PAPI runway 14/32 instrument approaches, and an Automated Weather Observing Station. Avgas/Jet-A is provided by Fredericksburg FBO by truck or self-serve 24 hours per day, and we also have Jet-A by Fritz Aviation’s truck.”
Roger continues, “We have approximately 50 fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters based on the airfield. There are no commercial traffic and no regularly scheduled airlines using the airport. We average 42-50 operations a day. In general, traffic has grown and FBOs are selling more fuel. I am pleased they are seeing more visitors from town who come out to watch aircraft operations and other functions.”
Our tour of the airport facility grounds was done via Roger’s truck. I was impressed by his knowledge of all the various aspects of the airport, especially since he has been there such a short time. Moreover, his enthusiasm is contagious, “This is a first-rate airport, and I’m proud to manage it and work with the fine people that make it such a class act. I really enjoy what I’m doing here. It’s like a hobby for me. And everyone is excited about the uniqueness of what we have here with the hotel, diner and conference center.”
Airport History
Prior to 1945, Gillespie County Airport was originally an old Army Air Corps layout with three runways. It was established by Hans Hannemann and his friend, business associate and mentor Red Schroeder, who would drive back and forth to Schreiner Field in Kerrville to conduct flight training for naval aviation cadets in the famed Stearman biplane. Hans was a contract pilot in the Navy flying Stearmans during WWII. People say it is because of his tireless efforts to promote the need for an airport that it even exists. A commemorative plaque dedicating the new terminal building to Hans and giving him much-deserved credit for the airport’s beginnings, is displayed at the entrance of the building. This September Hans celebrated his 90th birthday!
The scenery of the Hill Country itself is an added attraction just to fly over it, especially the City of Fredericksburg. Everything seems to come together here. Roger added, “You can park your airplane and walk to your hotel room. Many pilots will taxi their airplanes around until they find the closest spot to the hotel. Generally, outside of conventions, there’s always a place to park, to tie down, and we have weather that does not preclude aviation things from taking place.”
The airport is a very safe place. “We have basically a VFR airport, a non-controlled airport, and that’s what draws most of general aviation here-the fact that there is no tower. Pilots separate themselves and are very responsible in the way that they communicate with one another as they are out there flying. Changing three years ago from a 3,800-foot runway with a partial taxiway, to the 5,000-foot runway with a full-length taxiway makes it a little easier to get in and out because you don’t have airplanes on the runway back taxiing. You can get off at any one of the four taxiways and come back up the taxiway without interfering with landing traffic,” said Roger.
Who Uses the Airport?
According to Roger, a sampling of organizations that use the airport:
• The Civil Air Patrol recently established a squadron in this area, and they sometimes fly out of here to their destinations.
• The Department of Navy trainers from Corpus Christi come here in their King Airs to teach Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard turboprop pilots.
• The former Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Michael W. Hagee, comes here periodically for events at the Nimitz Museum in his Gulfstream V aircraft.
• The Texas Forest Service was based here during the fire season with their standby helicopters and their aerial spotters.
• When Hurricanes Rita and Katrina came ashore, the town was filled with evacuees and people who were asking for hangar space. Bob Snowden, local FBO, flew a couple of trips picking up supplies in Austin and taking them to New Orleans and Houston.
• And many other organizations bring airplanes to the hangar to conduct technical sessions and safety seminars.
Airport Amenities
Dick Estenson owns the Conference Center, Hangar Hotel and the 40’s Airport Diner. This is the largest event center in the area with 10,000 feet of a fully air-conditioned conference area and 8,000 feet of exhibition space. It has modern restrooms, great lighting and ample parking. The main conference room features a restored theater marquee and two break rooms. Large hydraulic hangar doors allow inside-outside functions adjacent to the Airport Diner. There are plans for a facility expansion project that includes a new FBO service building, hangar, a large dedicated ramp area, and a large new parking lot.
Airport Diner
The airport restaurant design is of one of America’s most recognized icons – the diner. With 1940’s retro chrome bar stools, old style booths, chrome back wall, and black and white checkered counter front, it was a delight just to step inside! Opened in 2003, the diner features a genuine soda fountain that offers drink and dessert treats.
Hangar Hotel
This is not a no-frills hotel that just provides a clean, safe place to spend the night. It is a luxury hotel that was named one of the top ten hotels in Texas by Texas Monthly. There are 50 rooms done in the WWII, 1940’s decor with beautiful furnishings, king-size beds and an expansive deck to watch aircraft or catch a beautiful sunset. The Officer’s Club lounge is spectacular and includes a pool table, fireplace, piano for live musical entertainment and a full bar. Outside, a searchlight, water tower and palm trees add to the hotel’s Pearl Harbor ambiance. Although it appears to be a converted hangar, the hotel was actually built new from the ground up. No smoking or pets are allowed at the hotel according to assistant manager Steven Claypole.
Fixed-Base Operators
- Fredericksburg FBO provides transient and long-term hangar rental. They have a pilot’s lounge, flight-planning room with WSI Pilot Brief Pro Services, private meeting rooms, a dedicated fax machine and high-speed Internet. They provide full-service and self-service Avgas 100LL and Jet A at the main terminal location, and self-serve 100LL only at the north ramp location.
- Fritz Aviation provides general aircraft maintenance and inspection and will deliver Jet A fuel to your aircraft anywhere on the airport. Additionally, they provide oxygen service, aircraft modifications, hangar rental, aircraft parking (ramp or tiedown) and will clean wash and detail aircraft.
- Pippen-York Flying Machine Company provides avionics maintenance, installation and restorations.
- Snowden Aviation buys and sells light aircraft, rents hangar space and plans to build another 10-unit ‘T’ hangar facility. Bob Snowden is a flight instructor specializing in tailwheel instruction. He is also a contract pilot who flies both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
- Triple K Aero’s 30-year lease from the county of ten hangars is up, so the county now rents them. But Triple K still owns a set of 10 nested ‘T’ hangar units that are available for rent.
The Future
When asked about an airport master plan, Roger remarked, “Our Master Plan is demand-based. That is, the number of operations will drive when we expand and how we expand. There’s a plan to expand the runway to the southeast to 6,400 feet. It will be a $40 million dollar project ($4 million for the county portion) since it would require passing over SH 16.” But Roger is not sure that they will need to lengthen the runway since he says, “Jets are becoming more efficient, which may preclude the need for a longer runway to accommodate them.” They also plan to widen the runway to l 00 feet and upgrade airfield facilities to meet business jet requirements. And, since future landside development will be needed for growth, they are considering acquiring 26 acres for additional hangars.
For now, Roger is “following his bliss”; he says simply that, “I like airplanes.” Roger is right when he states that, “With the Hangar Hotel and the whole South Pacific, WWII, 40’s ambiance built around here; along with the water tower having the word FREEDOM painted on it (after 9 / 11), it just calls out to the aviation community and says, ‘Hey! Come look!'” Remember, you don’t have to fly to this airport to enjoy it! You can drive here and stay at the hotel, eat at the diner and be only three miles from downtown Fredericksburg and all it has to offer. You can contact Roger Hansen by email, [email protected] or call him at 830/990-5764 for more questions. (See a related-story on Airport Dog, Spinner Snowden.)
