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.
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