Aviation Research

Wingtips Winter 2015

In Honor of Stewart Shirey (1926-2014)

By Sharon Rostovich
Director of Aviation at Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport

Stewart Shirey

Stewart Shirey

Stew served as the Temple Airport Manager from 1979-1990.  Prior to coming to Temple, Stew retired from the Army as a Full-Bird Colonel after 24 years of dedicated service. Stew told the story of his experience dodging bullets to board the plane to bring him back home and when he finally landed, he knelt down and kissed the ground.  He said this experience taught him how to “dodge bullets” as the Airport Manager!

When he came to the airport, he told city leaders that the “airport was an embarrassment” and he planned to change that right away. Stew believed everything should be first class and always reminded us we are here to serve the people.

Stew knew how to turn negative into positive and refused to take no for an answer. He always found a way to make needed improvements to the airport even when funds were slim and was instrumental in securing the first federal grants for the airport that relieved the city of a large financial burden.

I contribute my success as airport manager to Stew as he taught me everything about running a first class operation.  He was an amazing mentor and a wonderful friend. Stew retired from the Temple Airport after 10 years of invaluable service January 31, 1990.

“It was an honor to know him,” said Karon Wiedemann, retired TxDOT Aviation Grant Manager. “He always had a smile on his face and a mischievous glint in his eye that made you want to be around him and listen intently to all his stories about his courageous military travels and events.”

Eastland Municipal Airport Breaks Ground on New Terminal Building

TxDOT Aviation Division Director David Fulton at the terminal building groundbreaking ceremony at Eastland Municipal Airport.

TxDOT Aviation Division Director David Fulton at the terminal building groundbreaking ceremony at Eastland Municipal Airport.

It was perfect Texas fall weather for the City of Eastland Municipal Airport Troy Taylor Terminal building groundbreaking on October 30.

Eastland’s Mayor Larry Vernon welcomed the large crowd who came out to celebrate the beginning of construction on the project that has taken two plus years of planning between the City of Eastland, Eastland Economic Development Inc, Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division, Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd Engineering, Schrickel Rollins and Associates and many more. Vernon introduced all of the key players for the project, some who spoke at the event, including State Representative Jim Keffer, E. T. Bradley, Dave Fulton, of TxDOT Aviation, Eastland Airport Manager Bode Zietz, Mark Brohard of Shrickel Rollins & Associates, Weldon Scrivner of Enprotec/Hibbs & Todd and Mike Perry of the Eastland Industrial Foundation.

Dave Fulton of TxDOT Aviation commented he has been doing these groundbreaking ceremonies for many years and he reported today’s was by far the largest in attendance.

Construction should begin on Monday and is expected to last some three to four months depending on the weather. Once completed, the 4,200 plus square foot terminal building will include a main floor public waiting area with a massive storefront window system, as well as an executive conference room that can accommodate corporate events. The building’s upper level mezzanine will be approximately 1,000 square feet with storefront windows and includes an outdoor seating area overlooking the airport.

The Southern Flyer Diner: Winners of the “Best $100 Hamburger” Six Years in a Row!

By Rick Davenport,
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

It was easy for non-aviation enthusiasts of Washington County to grow up without ever knowing where the Brenham Municipal Airport was located. They may have heard that race car driver A.J. Foyt houses two of his planes at the airport, but chances are they couldn’t tell you how to get there. After all, it’s nestled in the trees off a once seldom-traveled county road that intersects Highway 105 about 5 miles north of the city’s historic downtown. That rural highway intersection is home to an expansive and visible junk yard that almost begs you not to turn there. But in October of 2002, something changed all that.

The grand opening of the Southern Flyer Diner put the Brenham Municipal Airport on the map, not only for the residents of Washington County, but for pilots across the country too. In fact, it was the pilots who helped first spread the word about the good food and the 1950s atmosphere, complete with a checkerboard floor, jukebox, old fashioned malts and the young waitresses who wear authentic, colorful poodle skirts. An elevated, airy dining deck that seats 80 overlooks both a section of the runway and a tranquil pond, dubbed Lake Brenham by the poodle girls.

The Southern Flyer Diner became an instant hit with the pilots, who already have a romantic spirit embedded in their DNA. Many of the flyers who attended the restaurant’s grand opening  regularly make the flight from their home base to sample the homemade Brenham wings, cheeseburgers, onion rings, chicken fried or hamburger steaks, numerous dinner selections (the chicken parmigiana and fried catfish are among the favorites) and made-from-scratch sides.

Pilots, who have long flown to airport restaurants to eat, call their lunch or dinner excursions “$100 hamburgers.” They have voted the Southern Flyer Diner the #1 “$100 Hamburger” fly-in location in the country six years in a row. The top ranking is courtesy of “The $100 Hamburger” website subscribers, who have propelled the Brenham Airport diner into the top-ten list every year since the survey began in 2006. That’s a pretty tall order, considering all 1,675 airport restaurants are in the running. (For more on “The $100 Hamburger website, see http://www.100dollarhamburger.com/.)

Before the restaurant came along, Washington County residents had little reason to travel to the airport. Now, starting around 11:00 a.m. every day, cars begin turning off Highway 50 at the junk yard, down Airport Road and onto Aviation Way. They travel past the A.J. Foyt hangers on the left, hoping to beat the crowd to the Southern Flyer Diner.

For more information on the Southern Flyer Diner, visit their website at http://www.brenhammunicipalairport.com/index_files/page0003.htm.

Open For Business

Hemphill County Airport now open after extensive rehab

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Large yellow X on ground indicating a runway closure.

Not ready just yet: Canadian Airport runway undergoes paving before reopening.

Up in the far northeast corner of the Texas Panhandle is a picturesque town with trees, rolling hills and a river that runs just to the north. After an extensive makeover, the airport now has facility that matches the town’s charm.

Welcome to Canadian, TX, population 2,649, and an area that has enjoyed prosperity from the prolonged energy development. Despite the town’s growth, Hemphill County Airport (KHHF) had fallen under disrepair in recent years. All that has changed thanks to a motivated airport manager, supportive city officials and TxDOT’s Aviation Division.

“One of the first things we did with the help of a TxDOT RAMP grant was to eradicate a few cottonwood trees,” said Airport Manager Bill Kendall. “That had to be done so we could install a game fence.”

The game fence was identified as a critical need for the airport as deer encroachments, especially in the evening, were common.

“There were times I would see 15–20 deer out on the runway,” said Kendall. “We had a few near misses, and then an actual deer strike. After that we knew the fence had to be built immediately.”

Kendall began working at the airport in 2009, and his detail-oriented approach and background in construction made him ideally suited to take on the major airport projects. With the help of the county judge, they applied for grants to rehabilitate the two runways.

“The crosswind runway was a total reconstruction project; it was widened to 60 feet,” said Kendall.

In addition to the runways, a concrete fuel apron was constructed, and the runway lighting was replaced.

When I arrived at the airport, it was closed while the runways were being paved and painted; the finishing touches to several years’ worth of work. Next on Kendall’s wish list is to have a displaced threshold constructed on runway April 22 to improve the safety of takeoffs during hot days. Further down the road, Kendall would like to see terminal building improvements.

“I’m proud of the place,” said Kendall. “It’s kind of an oasis out here in the panhandle.”

For more information about the Hemphill County Airport, please visit http://www.airnav.com/airport/KHHF.

Busy Agricultural Airport Undergoes Upgrades

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Slaton Municipal Airport Manager Larry Neal.

Slaton Municipal Airport Manager Larry Neal.

Slaton Municipal Airport (F49), located just south of Lubbock, has recently completed several projects that will make the airport safer and more efficient for their flyers.

Larry Neal is the airport manager and grew up in an aviation family. Neal’s father was a distributer for Piper during World War II.

“My dad’s business was at the Lubbock airport since 1946,” said Neal. “In 1986, my dad retired and the city manager and mayor from Slaton came to my office and asked me if I was interested in moving my business to the Slaton airport. They were looking for someone to run their airport. I visited the Slaton airport and saw that it was in disrepair—there were weeds growing up to the roof of one building—and decided to take some time to consider their offer.”

A couple of days later after learning of a proposed FAA regulation that would make it difficult to operate his business at the Lubbock airport because of the air traffic control tower, Neal decided to make the move to Slaton. Before accepting their offer, though, Neal had a few demands.

“I had a legal pad filled up single-spaced with things that needed to be done,” said Neal. “I did not want to go out there and not have a good airport. I had their support and it was probably the best move I’ve ever made.”

Neal quickly found that his agricultural customers were very comfortable flying into the smaller Slaton facility. His business, Neal Aircraft, Inc., is an Air Tractor dealer and services clients in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado.

With TxDOT’s assistance, Neal has transformed the airport by building additional hangars and completely rehabbing the runway to meet FAA standards.

“With TxDOT’s help, we have turned this airport into a viable asset for this community,” said Neal. “I have a great relationship with them.”

The projects recently completed at the airport include:

  • Rehabilitated and marked runway 18-36,
  • Rehabilitated apron and stub of taxiway, and
  • Construction of a concrete fueling pad, which allows quick refueling of the agricultural aircraft that frequent the airport.

Also housed at the airport is the Caprock Chapter, or The Texas Air Museum, a collection of historic aircraft that are maintained and flown regularly. In addition, the museum has many static displays of military jets and other transport vehicles either owned by or on loan to the museum. The museum is open on most Saturdays.

“Aviation is in my blood,” said Neal. “My mother used to tell people that if I were to fall on the pavement at the Lubbock airport and cracked my skull little planes would fly out, and that’s probably still true!”

For more information about the Slaton Municipal Airport, visit http://www.airnav.com/airport/f49.

New Terminal Buildings in the Texas Panhandle

In the last few years, two airports in the Texas Panhandle have opened terminal buildings.

On June 26, 2013, Gray County residents got to have their cake and eat it too as the Gray County Court of Commissioners hosted a dedication and open house for the new terminal at the Perry Lefors Airport in Pampa.

The new terminal building will help attract new business to Gray County and was built as a combined effort of the Gray County Commissioners Court, Pampa Economic Development Corp. and the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division.

Dalhart Municipal Airport also opened a new terminal building recently, along with a restaurant (the Red Baron) adjacent to the building.

Call for Nominations

At the Texas Aviation Conference held each spring, the Texas Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division presents four customer service awards. Award nominations for the 2015 Texas Aviation Conference being held at the Embassy Suites San Marcos – Hotel, Spa & Conference Center, San Marcos, Texas, are requested for the following categories:

  • Most Improved Airport
  • Airport of the Year
  • General Aviation Airport Manager of the Year
  • Reliever Airport of the Year or Reliever Airport Manager of the Year

Nominations will be accepted until March 6, 2015 and may be submitted by mail to:

Becky Vick
Aviation Division
Texas Department of Transportation
125 E. 11th Street
Austin, Texas 78701

or

e-mail to: [email protected] or [email protected].

Through the Ranks

Moore County Regional Airport Manager Proof that Hard Work Pays Off

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Brandon Cox with his wife Andrea, son Cade and daughter Kamryn at the 2014 Texas Aviation Conference.

Brandon Cox with his wife Andrea, son Cade and daughter Kamryn at the 2014 Texas Aviation Conference.

When Moore County Regional Airport (KDUX) Manager Brandon Cox was sitting in the audience during the 2014 Texas Aviation Conference awards banquet, he had little notion of what was to come.

“I was listening to Mr. Fulton talk about the airport manager of the year award winner and started to think it might be me,” said Cox. “Then my name was announced and my family appeared on stage. It was definitely an emotional moment as I had no idea they were there and it meant so much to share that moment with them.”

For Cox, the award represented years of hard work and dedication to the Moore County Regional Airport, an airport that holds a special place to this local man who was born and raised in Dumas, TX.

“I began working here about 15 years ago,” said Cox. “But I’ve been involved with aviation ever since I can remember. My grandfather had a Mooney that used to fly out of this airport.”

When Cox began working at the airport as an assistant, he developed a sterling reputation as having a strong work ethic and taking care of the needs of the customers who used the airport.

After being promoted to airport manager, he was involved with a major runway extension project that extended and widened the runway from 5,469 ft × 75 ft to 6,001 ft × 100 ft. His management during the complicated project was noted by many local officials and representatives from Valero and the TxDOT Aviation, with whom he still enjoys a close relationship. The runway reconstruction helped boost the airport’s traffic.

“Since we extended our runway, we’ve noticed an increase in our transient traffic. A lot of jets that fly coast-to-coast stop in to refuel,” said Cox.

In addition to the runway extension, other improvements include landscaping improvements around the terminal building with the planting of trees and grass, electrical and new flooring in hangars and the addition of new courtesy cars.

Along with Valero, the airport’s other clients include Tiger Aviation and Venables Construction, which is building a large hangar at the airport.

Though Cox notes that many folks in the community may not be aware of the typical day-to-day operations of the airport, the community leaders do and recognize the asset of their airport.

In his nominating letter remarks, Executive Director for the Dumas Economic Development Corporation remarked, “Thanks to the foresight and energy that Brandon Cox possesses, we are now embarking on something grander than simply attracting a new business. Through his knowledge, expertise, and connections, we are confident that we will have one of the most active airports in the region.”

For Cox and Dumas, their partnership is a win-win for the city he is proud to call home.

“I worked at Tradwind in Amarillo for a few years until this job came open,” said Cox. “My wife is a teacher here so I was excited to return. This is a great community and place to raise a family.”

For more information about the Moore County Regional Airport, visit their website at http://www.airnav.com/airport/KDUX.

Get Involved–Volunteer for AOPA!

By Joey Colleran
AOPA’s Director of the Airport Support Network (ASN) program

AOPA’s Airport Support Network (ASN) is recruiting volunteers for Texas airports. The ASN program was established in 1997 when AOPA recognized the need for a grassroots effort to help prevent airport closures. Presently, there are 2,500 ASN Volunteers nationwide. Over the years, the program was grown from a defensive “save the airport” stance to a more proactive “let’s promote the airport” effort. Instead of waiting for trouble, investing the time to help a community understand the value of its local airport is an important activity we all need to support. In fact, AOPA created a form to allow members to recognize their airport sponsors and it can be found at: http://www.aopa.org/asn/recognition.cfm. AOPA wants to recognize local elected officials who are good stewards of their community airport, and thank them for their support. If your local Mayor and Council, County Commissioners, or other elected officials have done a good job overseeing your airport, please let us know.

For more information about the Airport Support Network (ASN) program and to view a complete list of airports that need volunteers, visit www.aopa.org/asn. The following is a list of some of the airports that currently need an ASN Volunteer in Texas. If you or someone you know is an AOPA member, is based at one of these airports and would like to serve as our ASNV, please visit https://www.aopa.org/asn/asnform.cfm.

Airport ID Airport Name City
BKD STEPHENS COUNTY BRECKENRIDGE
45R HAWTHORNE FIELD KOUNTZE/SILSBEE
F00 JONES FIELD BONHAM
07R BISHOP MUNI BISHOP
BFE TERRY COUNTY BROWNFIELD
F17 CENTER MUNI CENTER
MKN COMANCHE COUNTY-CITY COMANCHE
ARM WHARTON RGNL WHARTON
RFI RUSK COUNTY HENDERSON
RPH GRAHAM MUNI GRAHAM

If you want to know more about what’s going on in Texas, visit http://www.aopa.org/central-southwest-rm or follow @AOPACentralSW (https://twitter.com/AOPACentralSW).

Grants Received

Airport Name Grant amount Project Description
Stinson Municipal Airport $4,455,520 Overlay and mark Runway 14-32; overlay taxiway A, B & C: replace medium intensity runway lights  Runway 14-32 a; replace medium intensity taxiway lights taxiway A, B, C and upgrade airfield guidance signs Runway 14-32, taxiways A, B & C.
Curtis Field/Brady Municipal Airport $660,000 Design and construction services to construct hangar.
Bridgeport Municipal Airport $7,061,990 Extend, widen and mark Runway 18-36; overlay Runway 18-36; relocate parallel taxiway; overlay apron and cross taxiways; replace medium intensity runway lights; install precision approach path indicators and remove/demo Chevron pipeline.
Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport $1,015,999 Design and construction services to construct hangar and hangar adjacent to terminal; and auto parking.
Eastland Municipal Airport $1,345,880 Construct terminal building; construct new entrance road and auto parking; expand terminal apron; install sewer line to terminal building; relocate terminal fence and gate.
San Marcos Municipal Airport $450,000 Design and construction services for hangar access security fencing and auto parking.
McCampbell-Porter Airport $1,937,440 Rehabilitate and mark Runway 13-31; rehabilitate new apron and taxiway; reconstruct old terminal apron;  rehabilitate and mark parallel taxiway; rehabilitate all hangar access taxiways; and improve hanger fuelarea drainage.
McGregor Executive Airport $2,492,813 Rehabilitate and mark Runway 17-35; reconstruct north apron; expand T-hangar apron; reconstruct entrance road; construct T-hangars; install new 6″ water line and fire hydrants; repair trench drain concrete; refurbish beacon tower; and install new segmented circle.
San Marcos Municipal Airport $5,770,500 Overlay Runway 13-31 and reduce width; reconstruction taxiway J at Runway 13 intersection; relocate and replace medium intensity runway lights for 100′ width runway 13-31; replace runway signs; airfield pavement markings; install city owned precision approach path indicator 2 Runway 13-31; improve airport road entrance; Memoradum of agreement; and flight check for construction.
Van Zandt County Regional Airport. $604,620 overlay Runway 17-35 and stub taxiway; overlay and repair apron; stripe and mark Runway 17-35.
Jasper County-Bell Field $2,597,430 Rehabilitate and mark Runway 18-36; expand and rehabilitate apron; rehabilitate parallel taxiway to Runway 18-36 and cross taxiways; install precision approach path indicators-2 Runway 18-36; drainage improvements for Runway and taxiway system; install fencing and install stand-by generator to run medium intensity runway lights, and precision approach path indicators.
Nueces County Airport $1,102,030 Rehabilitate and mark Runway 13-31 and stub taxiway; rehabilitate apron, hangar access taxiways, turnarounds at Runway 13-31; construct additional T-hangars and hangar access pavement; and install game proof fence and gates North East perimeter.