Wingtips Winter 2011

Originally published in 2011

Skylark Field/Killeen
$2,432,040
Mill and replace and mark Runway 1-19 and taxiway improvements. This project is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

Scholes Intl at Galveston
$1,537,820
Renovate Terminal Building.

Llano Municipal Airport
$574,532
Install new Fuel Farm.

Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport
$484,200
Construct new Terminal Building and Auto Parking.

Majors Field/Greenville
$488,800
Replace medium intensity runway lights with high intensity runway lights at runway 17-35 and voltage regulator/overrun taxiway lights and replace runway signage.

Palacios Municipal Airport
$943,540
Remark and reduce width Runway 17-35; spoil and crack repair Runway 17-35; joint sealant Runway 17-35; rehabilitate culverts and inlets; regrade shoulders; recut ditches for drainage improvements for Runway 17-35 and install security fencing at terminal area.

New Braunfels Municipal Airport
$5,394,800
Overlay and mark Runway 13-31; overlay and mark Taxiway A, B, C, D, E, F and terminal apron; relocate jog in taxilane A Taxiway A; reconstruct northeast parking apron- Phase I, include slotted drain; terminal apron expansion and drainage; and incorporate area taxiway.

Sugar Land Municipal Airport
$7,420,280
Construct Taxiway J.

Bruce Field/Ballinger
$287,390
Rehabilitate and mark Runway 17-35, turnaround, stub taxiway, hangar access taxiway, AG stub taxiway; expand and rehabilitate AG apron; overlay airport entrance road and replace rotating beacon and tower.

Roy Hurd Memorial Airport/ Monahans
$710,115
Asphalt crack sealing on runways and taxiways; and install 8-foot cyclone perimeter fencing with 2 gates and replace beacon and concrete fueling apron.

Terrell Municipal Airport
$2,589,120
Construct new terminal building, auto parking and new 24′ wide entrance road.

Mid-Way Regional Airport
$1,000,000
Renovate Terminal Building

Levelland Municipal Airport
$500,000
Construct Hangars.

Originally published in 2011

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Hungry pilots flying into the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport will think they hit the mother lode after setting foot in the new Skyline Cafe.

Boasting the best Reuben in East Texas along with their thick Angus burgers, the Skyline Cafe has quickly gained a loyal following with aviators and Tyler residents alike. The restaurant opened this year in March, in the old terminal building at the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport, next to the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum.

“Even though this is my first restaurant, I grew up in the business,” says restaurant owner Becky Kalmowitz. “My grandmother owned a restaurant in upstate New York, and my mother also had a restaurant in North Carolina. Opening a restaurant is something I had always wanted to do.”

The opportunity came when a member of the Tyler Pounds Airport aviation board casually inquired if Kalmowitz, who ran a successful catering business, would be interested in opening a restaurant at the airport. As they say, the rest is history.

According to Kalmowitz, the success of their restaurant comes from a simple philosophy. ‘We want to give our customers excellent food and service. Everything we prepare is fresh and made with love.”

In addition to the burgers and Reuben, the menu also features their signature sandwich: Sonny’s Steak & Cheese which is named after the owner’s father. The Skyline Cafe also serves breakfast and healthy options such as salads, turkey burgers, veggie burgers and wraps.

And despite not having much experience with aviation, Kalmowitz has quickly become a fan of watching the planes park in “her backyard.”

“All fly ins are welcome. We have parking at our gate just below the air traffic control tower. We will let them in through the gate, escort them into our restaurant and then back to their plane again after eating,” says Kalmowitz.

Tyler residents eating at their restaurant also enjoy the floor-to-ceiling window view of the airport tarmac and watching planes take off and land.

“It’s not every day you can chase your dream and have it come to your realization,” says Kalmowitz. “I wake up every morning with a smile on my face.”

Originally published in 2011

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

As I travel around Texas visiting airports, I am always pleasantly surprised by how impressive the generaI aviation airports are that serve their communities. Winston Field, located in Snyder, is no exception.

I arrived at Winston Field on a hot summer day about a half hour early for my scheduled interview. Upon entering the comfortable, and thankfully cool, terminal building I noticed someone_ blowing off leaves and lawn clippings from the back patio. The gentleman was Winston Field manager Rodger Sullenger. After introductions and a brief cool-down, we sat in his office and talked about his background, the airport and its role in the community.

“I’ve worked here since 1995,” began Sullenger. ”When I took over as manager, you couldn’t see the runway out there because the weeds were so high. The manager prior to me was a mechanic who simply didn’t have time to maintain the facilities.”

Despite not having a background in aviation, Sullenger understood the value of having a functional airport for the citizens of Snyder.

“Half the folks in Snyder didn’t know we had an airport, and the other half didn’t know what we did,” chuckled Sullenger. “So I made it a practice to go around and speak to core city organizations and let them know how important we are to the community.”

Every airport needs a champion, and Sullenger fits that role for Winston Field. Whether it’s hands-on maintenance work or working to secure grants for airport upgrades, he is involved with every aspect of the airport.

In 2009, the airport received nearly four million dollars in grants to reconstruct their runways. The 1.95 million dollar partial reconstruction of runway 17 /35 was funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Other work included repair, overlay and marking of runway 8/26 and the taxiways. Improved signage was also installed.

“We went through a period in the ’90s when it hardly rained at all,” says Sullenger. “Because of that, we started getting a lot of cracks. We sealed them, but it was definitely time to have more extensive rehab work performed. Our runways and taxiways are stronger now. We can handle aircraft as heavy as a Gulfstream Five.”

Despite the reduced traffic due to the recent economic downturn, Sullenger is confident that fliers will once again see Snyder as a destination, especially now that the renovations are complete.

“One of the things I enjoy is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. You might not think that in a small community like this, but planes do have to refuel somewhere, and why not go to the best place with reasonable fuel prices?” says Sullenger. “I’m 68-years-old and I’m dreading the day I have to walk out the door and pitch somebody else the keys,” Sullenger says with a big smile.

Originally published in 2011

The Lockheed JetStar is a business jet produced from the early 1960s through the l 970s. Although the Morane-Saulnier MS-760 flew earlier, the JetStar was the first dedicated business jet to enter service. It was also one of the largest aircraft in the class for many years, seating 10 plus two crew. It is distinguishable from other small jets by its four engines, mounted on the rear of the fuselage.

Sixteen JetStars were produced for the United States Air Force. Six of the aircraft were operated as VIP transports by the 89th Military Airlift Wing at Andrews Air Force Base, near Washington, D.C. These VIP aircraft were designated as VC- l 40Bs. The VIP transport fleet occasionally served as Air Force One during the 1970s and 1980s. Several other countries, such as Germany and Canada, have used military JetStars as transports for their heads of state, heads of government and other VIPs.

Originally published in 2011

A bit of presidential history departed from the Kingman Airport and Industrial Park in late July to former President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Texas White House. Straube’s Aircraft Services has been working during the summer on restoring the paint job of a Lockheed JetStar business jet that was used as a backup to Johnson’s primary JetStar.

“Johnson was the first vice president to ask a sitting president (John F. Kennedy) for his own aircraft,” said Lyndon B. Johnson Historical Park Superintendent Russ Whitlock.

Before Johnson, vice presidents had to ask the president if they could borrow an aircraft to make a trip.

”That wasn’t Johnson’s style,” Whitlock said. Kennedy granted him the favor and Johnson asked to use the fleet of five JetStar aircraft already designated for the president’s use.

He liked the JetStar and used it much more frequently (even after he became president) than the larger Boeing 707 that the president used, Whitlock said. The JetStar was smaller, faster and more fuel-efficient than the 707 and could land at smaller airports. It also seated fewer passengers (about 13) than the 707, which meant that Johnson could hand-pick the passengers, he said. He liked to refer to the plane as “Air Force One-and-a-Half.”

The historical park has been looking for one of the planes for a while, because Johnson frequently used a JetStar to fly to his ranch in the hill country of Texas, Whitlock said.

Having the plane at the ranch is an important part of telling the story of the advances in communications technology that allowed Johnson to spend nearly a quarter of his five years as president at the ranch.

Whitlock was contacted by Jim Cross, Johnson’s pilot a few years ago, about moving the primary JetStar that Johnson used from its location at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia to the historical park in between Austin and Fredericksburg, he said.

The base wasn’t willing to give up the plane, Whitlock said. After a little research, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio was able to find the back-up plane, the one painted by Straube’s, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, he said.

The park came very close to losing the plane, Whitlock said. It was slated to be sold to a scrap yard for parts, but the parts yard decided at the last minute that it wanted another plane.

According to Air Force records, the plane entered into service in 1961 and was retired to Davis-Monthan in 1983 after serving as a VIP jet for Air Force personnel.

The plane is not in flyable condition. It was taken apart and moved to Kingman for its new paint job on three semi-trucks. In late July it was disassembled once more, placed on three trucks and driven to the historical park in Texas. The plane was then set up on the landing strip behind the Texas White House.

Johnson took over as president after former President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Johnson was elected to the office in 1964 and served until 1969. He was known for his “Great Society” legislation that included civil rights, public broadcasting, education and environmental protection laws.

He withdrew from the race for the presidency in 1968 due to the growing discontent with his handling of the Vietnam War.

He also served Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1937 to 1949 and the U.S. Senate from 1949 to 1961.

Johnson died at his ranch in 1973 from a heart attack.

Copyright 2010 Kingman Daily Miner, reprinted with permission.

Originally published in 2011

The Cotulla-La Salle County Airport ICOT) is located one mile north of Cotulla, Texas, and it’s been one of the prime hunting hubs in the state for some time. Recently, however, it’s been earning more attention for an industrial boom located in the region. A classic Texan resource often referred to as black gold, Texas tea or simply as crude oil has been bringing more people to this small yet enthusiastic town.

During late-summer and early-fall, la Salle County in southern Texas becomes a haven for both novice and experienced hunters gathering for the plentiful doves, quail and white-tail deer in the area. located in the Golden Triangle of South Texas-an area comprised geographically of five counties and nationally recognized for its trophy-buck potential-COT sees the influx of visitors to the region and accommodates their general aviation IGA) needs.

”The trophy bucks in the area routinely win competitions in the state and the country,” Airport Manager E.T. Page says. ‘We have many customers who regularly fly in from places as far away as Los Angeles, Seattle, Boise, Detroit, Boston, Nashville, Jacksonville and St. Petersburg, as well as numerous nearby hunters from Arkansas, Louisiana and from within Texas. It’s prime hunting ground here.”

COT’s one asphalt runway, 13/31, measures 5,005 feet by 75 feet and has two-light PAPls on both approaches. Additionally, it has the two best straight-in instrument approaches within a 60-mile radius, plus local ASOS weather reporting. Other amenities provided by the airport’s FBO, Page Aviation, include fuel (Jet A and 1 00LL), catering, hangar space, line service, Internet access, oxygen service, aircraft maintenance, ample parking, and most importantly, COT also has the only car rental services within 60 miles.

“We easily offer three times as many services as our competitors in the area,” Page says. “If you have a need for services we don’t have listed, please just let us know and we will respond to the best of our ability. It’s always a pleasure to serve our customers.”

The hunting draw once comprised a majority of COT’s seasonal traffic, but improvements in oil drilling technology have given oilmen access to a fertile supply in the surrounding Eagle Ford Shale formation. Drilling through layers of day and sediments to reach the rich oil and gas beneath the surface, companies from around the world are flocking to the area. This has also presented COT with great opportunities.

“The oil and gas industry has definitely upped the jet traffic to the airport,” Page says. ‘We’ re a great hub for these businesses because we’re centrally located in the heart of all of the operations.”

With the traditional arrival of hunters and the new burgeoning economy from the now-accessible natural resources, COT is poised to capitalize on the arrival of all these visitors to the area. One way is the proposed 6,000-foot runway with a parallel taxiway and more parking.

”The construction of the new runway would mean a lot more jets to the airport,” Page says. “It means more oil field businesses would start basing their companies in our county as opposed to others, which means more jobs locally. There would be a lot more direct and indirect jobs coming from the completion of this project.”

COT is also planning a new privately funded hangar to accommodate current and projected jet patrons. As for the runway, the city and county are in the process of gathering the 10 percent matching funds toward the $6 million needed to get the new strip completed. Page is committed to the principle that the obvious advantages of the new runway will help the area by setting it apart from competing cities and counties, as well as providing opportunities for growth.

‘We’re trying to get more of the oil field business here to Cotulla,” Page concludes, “and I think it’s going to work.”

For more information on the Cotulla-La Salle County Airport, please visit http://www.cotullaairport.com.

Copyright 2010 The AutoPILOT Magazine, reprinted with permission.

Originally published in 2011

That Future of Flight Training session at AirVenture in July left me feeling pretty cranky … whiny even. Not because of the session itself. All the folks on the panel, including moderator Greg Laslo, couldn’t have been nicer.

But we all walked away from the discussion with the same thought: now what? Considering the lousy turnout, I left wondering how anything we spoke about could in any way affect how the management types view flight training or its foundational position within the industry?

So here’s an idea, let’s not make the argument for flight training any longer.

Let’s focus the light where it really needs to be: on the Big Picture, where everyone claims they’re looking anyway.

Without pilots, there is no aviation industry, period. No Part 135 charter, no corporate flight departments, no sightseeing flights and most of all, no airlines … nothing.

We need to stop fooling around trying to grab a few new students here and there to fly our shiny new Cessnas and Cirrus SR-22s and Piper Warriors. Let’s be serious; none of the previous incarnations of any Learn-to-Fly programs have ever come even dose to returning us to the old days when 17,000 new airplanes were delivered in a year and a commensurate number of pilot starts kept the Government Printing Office in business producing student pilot certificates. We’re all so focused on Learn-to-Fly though as the solution as if the only audience we need to succeed with are those potential customers for flight schools.

Another Perfect Storm?
We all hate listening to the fact that 75 percent of new student starts last year quit before they ever earned their Private Pilot certificate. But for the moment, how we deal with that one issue is irrelevant.

The Big Picture question really is why only a few of us appear to see the writing on the wall … that very soon, we’re again going to be short of qualified pilots not simply to teach people to fly, but with the commensurate skills to compete for professional pilot cockpit jobs coming down the road.

Making matters worse is that fewer and fewer young people see flying as a career … starting pay is almost food stamp level and the amount of debt to pay for the training is beyond most. The military long ago dried up as a viable source of pilots and the passing of HR 5900 – the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act – that could force airlines to require an ATP from all candidates (with a few exceptions) will only make the situation worse. We haven’t even spoken yet about the rash of “Fly-til-their-65” airline pilots who will very soon be grounded.

It’s time we stopped looking at each individual business as separate from what makes aviation fly … airplanes. No pilots, no FBOs … no pilots, no need for many training airplanes … no pilots, no need for airlines, no pilots, no need to see John and Martha much down the road. But we all seem to look at the shortage of people learning to fly as if it really has nothing to do with these individual segments. But it does, all of them.

A Bright Spot
At AirVenture this year, I met a really bright young Singapore Airlines pilot who was just crazy in love with aviation. One reason he was so enthused was not simply because he had a job, but because he’d always wanted to fly and was successful even though he lacked the funds to pay for the training. Originally from Mumbai, he mentioned it was a tad more expensive there to learn to fly.

So how did he reach the skill level of licenses and hours necessary to get hired by Singapore? Easy. He didn’t, at least not the traditional way. He was hired through Singapore’s cadet program, better known to us here in the states as an ab initio training system.

Singapore paid for all his flight training from his private right up through his turbine time via a Lear 45 type rating. His total time is somewhere in the neighborhood of 350 hours and he’s soon off to school on the Boeing 777, all at the expense of Singapore Airlines. His commitment to Singapore for their commitment to him: seven years of his life after he completes training.

In the U.S., of course, no such programs exist. Our airlines – in fact every organization that uses pilots in this country – assume the pilots should bear the costs of learning the ropes because that’s the way we’ve always done it. This strategy makes pilots rather expendable when it suits the company. That strategy is going to begin hurting us pretty soon though.

The Big Picture question really is why only a few of us appear to see the writing on the wall … that very soon, we’re again going to be short of qualified pilots not simply to teach people to fly, but with the commensurate skills to compete for professional pilot cockpit jobs coming down the road.

Our Future
The only item that has kept this pilot shortage chaos from running rampant right now is that our economy tanked, which forced many companies to lay off crews. But that life preserver is going to sink once we’re all back in business again.

Think back, though, to just a few short years ago when anyone with a pilot’s license was being hired and upgrade times were shoving questionable captains into a command role, a topic that forced some of the recent regulatory chaos in the aftermath of the Colgan crash in Buffalo.

The question again is why we aren’t working as a group on this. One solution is for DOT Secretary Ray LaHood’s Future of Aviation Advisory Committee (FAAC) seminars to address the foundation of the industry: people learning to fly.

Without a steady supply of men and women to drive these ever-evolving aerial machines, there won’t be much of an industry for aircraft manufacturers like Cessna, Boeing, Airbus, Embraer … the list goes on. That also means the parts and service suppliers are going to suffer as well. Flight training is simply the foundation upon which our industry is built, and trust me, the low-fuel light is on.

Whatever we do, we’d better get moving pretty quickly. Pilots are turning away from the industry much faster than they’re signing up. If we’re going to gather all the experts at the FAAC seminars together, let’s put them to work on a problem that needs solving … building a foundation for every other element of the aviation industry. That’s a Big Picture idea.

Rob Mark, editor
Copyright 2010 Jetwhine.com, reprinted with permission.

Originally published in 2011

Karon Wiedemann retired from the Aviation Division on August 31 following 38 years of service. A reception was held in her honor at the Hyatt Regency in Austin.

Wiedemann’s career in aviation started at an early age while working as the receptionist for the Texas Aeronautics Commission while attending the University of Texas. After two years, Wiedemann moved to the accounting staff where she eventually became chief financial officer for the agency in 1980.

“In 1991, our agency and the State Department of Highways were merged together to create the Texas Department of Transportation,” said Wiedemann in an interview last winter with the State Aviation Journal. “I then became the Director of Grant Management for the Aviation Division of TxDOT.”

Wiedemann’s duties and responsibilities included management of the division budget and approval of the grants through the Texas Transportation Commission. In 2009, she received the NASAO State Aviation Distinguished Service Award in Tucson, Arizona, for her exemplary work and dedication to the progress of aviation in her state.

One person who will surely miss Wiedemann’s contribution to the agency is Aviation Division Director David Fulton. Fulton said it is impossible to quantify Wiedemann’s contribution to the program: She has contributed to more growth of the program than any other individual over almost four decades. “It will be impossible to replace her,” he said.

Wiedemann said aviation has truly been an exciting and interesting career and encourages those interested to get involved. ”There is a certain glamour and thrill associated with flying,” Wiedemann said, “and working in this business has provided that excitement.”

Originally published in 2011

Each year during its Annual Airports Conference, the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions to aviation by presenting “Awards of Excellence” in five categories.

This year the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission presented their “Career Contributions to Aviation” award to TxDOT Aviation Director Dave Fulton, a native Tennessean, stating that he has set a career example for others through leadership, dedication, persistence and overall commitment to excellence during 10 years of active duty in Naval Aviation continuing Naval Reserve duty until retirement. He served in the Tennessee Aeronautics Division for 17 years, 10 of them as director, before going to Texas to be the Director of the Aviation Division for 18 years. He has been instrumental in the development and maintenance of literally hundreds of airports in two states.