Aviation Research

2017 TAC

Commissioner Fred Underwood Joins Texas Aviation Advisory Committee

TxDOT Aviation Division Director David Fulton, TxDOT Aviation Advisory Committee Chairman James Schwertner, and new Texas Aviation Advisory Committee member Fred Underwood.

TxDOT Aviation Division Director David Fulton, TxDOT Aviation Advisory Committee Chairman James Schwertner, and new Texas Aviation Advisory Committee member Fred Underwood.

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Former Texas Transportation Commissioner Fred Underwood is the newest member of the Texas Aviation Advisory Committee. Underwood was appointed to the commission by then Gov. Rick Perry on Jan. 8, 2007 and served until March 17, 2015. He was appointed to the Aviation Advisory Committee on February 23, 2017.

Underwood is president of the Trinity Company, a cotton bale storage facility. He serves as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee of the Cotton Warehouse Association, where he previously served as president. He is both past vice president and past director of the National Cotton Council.

Underwood also previously served as chairman of the Lubbock International Airport Board and as a board member of the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce. Underwood received a bachelor’s degree in management from Texas Tech University.

He is also an avid aviation enthusiast and began flying in 1990. He is a commercial-rated helicopter pilot and holds a fixed-wing instrument rating.

At this year’s Texas Aviation Conference, Committee Chairman Jim Schwertner introduced Underwood’s appointment to the audience noting that “he was instrumental in helping us in the Aviation Division and made sure we were taken care of while he was a commissioner. We are honored to have you as one of our newest members on the advisory board.”

“I appreciate the honor of being appointed to the Advisory Committee and have always enjoyed working with Dave and his staff at the Aviation Division,” said Underwood while speaking to the audience.

Marcus Luttrell Delivers Stirring Keynote at Texas Aviation Conference

Texas Aviation Conference keynote speaker Marcus Luttrell (standing center) with TxDOT Aviation Division staff and other honored guests.

Texas Aviation Conference keynote speaker Marcus Luttrell (standing center) with TxDOT Aviation Division staff and other honored guests.

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

The 35th Texas Aviation Conference had a big task this year in following Captain Gene Cernan, the last man on the moon, and keynote speaker from last year’s conference. Former U.S. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell though held the rapt audience with his harrowing tale of survival.

Luttrell co-authored the New York Times bestseller Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Red Wing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team Ten. A film version, starring Mark Wahlberg, was released in 2013.

During his speech, Luttrell spoke of his family and background that lead to him becoming a Navy SEAL. He then spoke of Operation Red Wing and during the emotional talk explained the bond he had with his comrades and coming home to talk to their families.

“I wanted them to hear from me what happened to their sons,” said Luttrell. “I was only going to tell their story once, and they needed to hear from me when and where their son was when they were killed.”

In 2007, Luttrell was medically discharged from the Navy and is now married with two kids.

“We were very pleased to have Marcus Luttrell as our keynote at this year’s conference,” said TxDOT Aviation Director of Grants Kari Campbell. “His story was pretty intense and his delivery was extremely captivating. It was chilling to hear what he went through in Afghanistan. Then unexpectedly, he would inject humor into his presentation, which was enjoyable. He is a remarkable human being who has chosen to use his adverse experiences to inspire and enlighten others. His integrity, gratitude, and humility are quite impressive! It was an honor to have him provide this year’s keynote address.”

Aviation Division Director Dave Fulton Receives the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award

TxDOT Aviation Director Dave Fulton receiving an award.

TxDOT Aviation Division Director Dave Fulton (center) is presented the The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award from Randy Loveless from the FAA’s San Antonio Flight Standards District Office during this year’s Texas Aviation Conference. Dave was joined by his wife Charlotte.

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

TxDOT Aviation Division Director Dave Fulton recently received the most prestigious award the FAA issues to pilots, The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award. Fulton was presented the award by Randy Loveless from FAA’s San Antonio Flight Standards District Office during this year’s Texas Aviation Conference.

The award is named after the Wright Brothers, the first US pilots, to recognize individuals who have exhibited professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise for at least 50 years while piloting aircraft as “Master Pilots.”
To be eligible for the Wright Brothers MPA, nominees must meet the following criteria:

  • Hold a U.S. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) or FAA pilot certificate.
  • Have 50 or more years of civil and military flying experience.
    • Up to 20 years of the required 50 years may be U.S. military experience.
    • The effective start date for the 50 years is the date of the nominee’s first solo flight or military equivalent.
    • The 50 years may be computed consecutively or non-consecutively.
  • Be a U.S. citizen.

Asked by Loveless to describe his first flight, Fulton recounted the following.

“I’d never been in a small airplane before. I went down to Pensacola and got through ground school. And then went up in a plane with the instructor. After a while he took his hands off the controls and said ‘ok, you’ve got it,’ and I replied that I didn’t know what to do. He then hollered ‘dangit do something quick or else we’re both going to die!’”

Texas Aviation Conference 2017 Awards Winners

General Aviation Airport Manager of the Year
Rob Blanchard, McGregor Executive Airport

Most Improved Airport
Hale County Airport

General Aviation Airport of the Year
Lamesa Municipal Airport

Reliever Airport or Reliever Airport Manager of the Year
Morris Martin, Stinson Municipal Airport

RAMP Coordinator of the Year
Rebecca Petty, TxDOT Tyler District

Aviation Art Contest Winners:

Category I (Ages 6 – 9)
1st Place – Canon Taylor, 8, AP Beutel Elementary, Lake Jackson, TX
2nd Place – Audrey Freitag, 8, Henderson Elementary, San Antonio
3rd Place – Lilly Elsakka, 8, West Foundation, Wichita Falls, TX
Honorable Mention – Jaston Drinkard, 9, Jackson Roosevelt Elementary, Port Lavaca, TX

Category II (Ages 10 – 13)
1st Place – Kelly Xu, 13, Travis Middle School, Port Lavaca, TX
2nd Place – Adam Roth, 10, White Rock Montessori, Dallas, TX
3rd Place – Sreeniketan Sai Senapathi, 13, Katy, TX
Honorable Mention – Alexis Puryear, 13, Sibyl’s School of Art, Wheeler, TX
Honorable Mention – Tess Braddock, 12, Sibyl’s School of Art, Wheeler, TX

Category III (Ages 14 – 17)
1st Place – Chi-yin Cheng, 14, Travis Middle School, Port Lavaca, TX
2nd Place – Linda Palominos, 17, Rio Hondo High School, Rio Hondo, TX
3rd Place – Adriana Gonzalez-Olvera, 18, Rio Hondo High School, Rio Hondo, TX
Honorable Mention – Shirley Yu, 15, Jasper HS, Plano, TX

35th Texas Aviation Conference

Attendees Treated to Memorable Keynote, Full Schedule of Events

By Chris Sasser
Texas A&M Transportation Institute

Marcus Luttrell

Marcus Luttrell

Over 550 aviation professionals, supporters, exhibitors and enthusiasts converged at the Embassy Suites Hotel in San Marcos April 19-21 for the 35th Texas Aviation Conference. The conference is sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Aviation Division (AVN).

This year’s conference was highlighted by keynote speaker Marcus Luttrell, a former United States Navy SEAL, who received the Navy Cross and Purple Heart for his actions in June 2005 against Taliban fighters during Operation Red Wing. In Operation Red Wings, his four-man Special Reconnaissance team was discovered by local herdsmen, subsequently ambushed, and all killed except Luttrell.

The first day conference activities included the 8th Annual Alton Young Memorial Motorcycle Ride, which traveled through a scenic Hill Country route. Alton Young was a former Aviation Division employee and motorcycle enthusiast who passed away in 2010 after an illness. Other activities included a golf tournament and a get-acquainted reception in the evening.

After the presentation of colors, by Texas State University AFROTC Honor Guard, and National Anthem which was sung by San Marcos High School student Happy Davis, TxDOT Aviation Director David Fulton began the conference by introducing the members of the TxDOT Aviation Advisory Committee and Texas Transportation Commissioner Jeff Austin, who welcomed attendees to the conference.

Randy Loveless from the Federal Aviation Association’s San Antonio Flight Standards District Office then presented Fulton with a surprise award; the prestigious FAA Master Pilot Award.
“There’s very few of us that will ever achieve this honor,” noted Loveless. “And it’s hard to find a more qualified individual than Dave Fulton.”

Fulton followed the award presentation with his annual State of the Aviation Division address.

“Thank you for all you have done to make the Texas aviation system the finest in the country,” said Fulton. “The biggest challenge for us in the past 3.5 years has been the loss of discretionary funding. Through the efforts of a lot of people though, we have got that back on track.”

Zane Lambert, Manager of Aircraft Operations for Sanderson Farms, Inc. then gave a business aviation in Texas presentation. During his presentation Lambert noted “In the time it takes for our employees to even get to the closest commercial airport, we can have them onsite using our own aircraft. It doesn’t take a lot of brain power and spreadsheets to realize that having the aircraft is a benefit.”

Luttrell’s keynote finished out the morning’s activities.

After lunch, attendees had the opportunity to attend a session presented by FAA’s Texas Airport District Office Manager, Ben Guttery, and TxDOT Aviation Division’s Director of Planning and Programming, Greg Miller, which pertained to programming of airport development projects. Following the project programming session, attendees had their choice of breakout sessions. Various topics included an airport manager’s roundtable, pavement and vegetation management, digital NOTAMs, airport self-sufficiency, and a RAMP session with interim RAMP manager Amy Slaughter.

Day one concluded with the annual awards banquet.

The final morning began with an airport compliance session led by TxDOT Aviation’s Wade Troth and Gary Loftus of the Safety and Standards Branch of the FAA’s Southwest Region. NASAO President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Kimberling then provided a Washington update on legislative and policy matters including the upcoming FAA Reauthorization. The conference concluded with a TxDOT/FAA Listening Session with Dave Fulton and Ben Guttery the recently named manager of the FAA’s Texas Airports District Office.

“This conference provides an opportunity for many of our airport sponsors to meet with TxDOT Aviation Division employees face-to-face,” said Texas A&M Transportation Institute Research Scientist and co-conference coordinator Jeff Borowiec. “There are many critical issues with infrastructure and funding that need to be addressed and that face time along with the session topics are hopefully a constructive use of their time.”