By TERRY LLOYD, AAE
As a general aviation pilot, you’ve spent your fair share of time at the airport. But do you really know what goes into managing an airport?
Many pilots don’t know — or even think about — the day-to-day challenges GA airport managers face.
As a retired airport manager, here are a few things I wish all pilots understood:
The Bottom Line
First, airport managers strive to provide safe and efficient airport facilities, but we have to pay for it somehow.
One method is to look at the airport “from the inside out.” What does that mean?
We start with the runways and work out how we are going to maintain, replace, and enhance vital airfield infrastructure, such as pavements, lights, markings, etc.
Next has to come security, and there are no limits to what you can spend on security these days, from fencing to cameras, software, and security staff or dedicated law enforcement.
At the same time, direct sources of revenue for a GA airport are very limited, consisting of leasing airport property for aviation and non-aviation uses, fuel fees, and the controversial “L” word: Landing fees.
The Boss
Second, we work for bosses with no experience in airports or aviation. Almost all public GA airports are sponsored by a city or county. Even airport authorities are still essentially governmental in nature.
This means airport managers must follow the same rules as the “sponsoring” governments, such as accounting practices, employee wages and benefits, union representation, and procurement procedures.
At the same time, practically no municipal government these days can or wants to spend any part of the tax dollars it collects on those “boys with their toys” at the local airport.
In fact, most airports have to pay “overhead” costs to their government sponsor to cover their “fair share” of insurance, human resources, finance, legal, and IT costs, and “administration” costs — such as paying a share towards the salaries of the city or county management and their department.
I always liked to think of this situation as the “worst” of both worlds: Governmental rules with small business dynamics.
Doesn’t the FAA Pay The Bills?
Third, the FAA and state aviation agencies do give out grant money, but grants can only be used for infrastructure, not the day-to-day expenses of keeping the airport running smoothly.
And, almost always, those grants cover less than 100% of the cost of a project, so the airport must provide the prescribed matching funds, and any additional costs incurred must be covered by the airport as well.
Additionally, grants require following FAA standards, which are mostly written for commercial airports. So while you may only need infrastructure that is relatively simple and inexpensive, using FAA funds means you have to meet the same requirements as a commercial airport, including all of the “bells and whistles” that your airport doesn’t really need.
FAA Money Means It’s the FAA’s Way
Fourth, accepting grant funds incurs obligations for the airport and its government sponsor. Currently there are more than 40 separate FAA grant assurances, and many of them address non-project issues that require airports to be administered in the manner that the FAA desires.
Additionally, if an airport happens to be on land that was a military airfield in the past, and the community accepted the property from the Department of War or Defense after World War II or Vietnam, then there are overlapping obligations as well.
States also levy their own grant assurances.
Even when coming up against situations where common sense and wise use of funds would dictate deviating from a grant assurance, while it is divine to forgive, granting exceptions is not FAA policy.
Jets vs. Warbirds
Fifth, airport managers usually have to prioritize among the particular flavor of general aviation they support at any given time.
While the warbird community might object to the airport spending a large amount of funding on things such as supporting navaids needed for business jet operations while a need they have goes unfulfilled, the additional money that comes in from those jet operations, such as fuel fees, goes a long way to pay for the common infrastructure and services needed by all flyers.
Bonus: Your Help Needed
Finally, everyone loves a bonus, so here is Number Six: Airport managers need your help in promoting the airport to the non-flying local community.
Making the public aware of the direct benefit they receive from the airport, such as serving as a base for law enforcement and emergency medical aviation, can go a long way to help tamp down those in the community who want to see airports shut down for noise.
Highlighting the number of high-wage aviation jobs and career training available at the airport is another way to put airport detractors back on their heels.
Anything you do, as a private pilot or an aviation business, that benefits the community should also be highlighted. Examples of this might be support for the Civil Air Patrol or local high school Junior ROTC programs, Angel Flights, etc.
Whatever you might be doing, big or small, let your home field airport manager know so they can add it into the mix.
Terry Lloyd was the director of Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Florida from 2000-2019.
YES. Absolutely. User ownership is the best practical model for small GA airports. That has been the norm in England for decades, and it works well here, too. Twenty years ago, New Jersey passed an ‘airport development rights purchase plan’ based on similar legislation to preserve agricultural properties through State acquisition of those rights to develop the airports for non-aviation uses by the Department of Transportation. The outstanding example here is Sky Manor Airport, purchased out of bankruptcy by pilots who were based there. At this point, the New Jersey program is not complete. Some of the owners got greedy, and NJDOT suspended the program. Unfortunately, there was no civilian advisory oversight of the program. Participation in the acquisition process by the user community might have prevented some of the obvious abuses that occurred.
See the airport BQ1, Gilliam-McConnell, Carthage, NC, home to the popular Pik ‘n Pig restaurant and subject of several GAN articles from the past. 100% privately built and owned by one person, Roland Gilliam. People live there, park their RV campers there, have Condo-Hangars, and now there is a new aviation museum there – all privately funded. We Americans have been duped into believing that only the government can run schools, fire protection, police protection, airports, trains, military, etc. The private can do all these things at a lower cost and with far greater response to its customers. If they don’t competition will shut them down. One sees this (finally) in K-12 schools, where private-sector alternatives are growing at a rapid rate as good families flee our terrible government schools. Even when they are forced by government to fund public schools they do not want. And no, I do not believe that the public should be forced to fund things they do not want or need. That was the situation in the first century of our nation’s history when it experienced historical growth but with minimal government and truly sovereign states.
I am based at Santa Paula, CA, a privately owned public-use airport. It takes no Federal grants, charges no landing fees, and has the lowest fuel prices around. Tie-down and overnight fees are quite modest. The airport is owned by the hangar owners, some of whom live in their hangars. Back in 2005, the adjacent river flooded and washed away half of the runway. The airport obtained a loan to repair it and paid it off in about 10 years. It now runs a surplus.
This suggests that the traditional model for funding is flawed. Rather than Federal money and fees that drive people away, make the airport more attractive to users and let them have ownership and participation. FAA rules that limit what you can do in and with your hangar seem counterproductive. Yes, every hangar should have an active airplane in it, but why forbid other uses that increase the value and utility.
Because people live here, because they can keep their car (or whatever) collections here, the airport has more value to them. They are willing to invest more in the airport, in the form of hangar fees, among other things. Because the airport manager doesn’t have layers of bureaucracy to deal with (no town or county officials involved) she can immediately say Yes when CalFire wants to take the place over to protect our neighbors when wildfires pop up. This makes the ‘port more valuable to the neighborhood.
This is such outstanding insight into the issues facing general aviation from the perspective of someone who has been on the inside for a good long while. Well done, Terry. If the flying public were to take heed of what you published here, especially that final section on “Your Help Needed,” general aviation would see remarkable improvement across the board.
Thank you so much for putting these thoughts and such pertinent advice into the public view.
Well written Terry. As one of your brothers employed in this airport management gig, ever since I accepted my first job as an airport manager back in 1988, I wish tenants, users, and the airport sponsors understood the regulatory and economic realities of general aviation airport management, operations, and maintenance. In fact, just this morning I needed to research and read up on Section 9.10 of Federal Order 5190.6C -Airport Compliance Handbook that prohibits Granting Preferential Treatment Based on Residency (local aircraft owners/operators). This airport manager gig is often a “no win” or “damned if you do, damned if you don’t) professional. But for some strange reason, I enjoy it.
Great article! All pilots need to be aware of the factors presented by Mr. Lloyd. If airport management and airport users are at odds, it is ALWAYS to the detriment of the airport. It’s a small sand box and we all have to get along. Support your local airport. Stop your whining and help out. And a brief word to airport management: you can’t balance the budget on the backs of the tenants.
I serve on the airport authority board of our county airport and can certainly understand the struggles many airports face. We are lucky that our county commissioners are very supportive of the airport and recognize the benefits it provides to the community. Not all airports are as lucky.
I do not agree with the whole philosophy that says the government should not support the airport since many residents don’t use it. I don’t have any children in the schools right now. Does that mean schools shouldn’t receive government money because it doesn’t benefit me directly? The same can be said for parks, ball fields, and many other government amenities. As mentioned in the article, local airports provide many benefits to the community and should be supported.