Airport Mgr. Position Description

Graueradler

Graueradler

Pattern Altitude
Joined
Apr 11, 2005
Messages
2,021
Location
Russellville, AR
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Display name:
Graueradler
I'd like to avoid re-inventing the wheel. We are going to be filling a position and I'd like to find some already written position descriptions to cherry pick from instead of starting from scratch. Small town (25K), small municipal airport, 50 to 60 based planes (1 jet, 3 King Airs, the rest piston, mostly singles) no airlines, 160K gallons a year fuel sales, modest salary and benefits. The ones that start off with "Bachelors Degree Required" probably aren't going to be much use to me. Anyone have anything they can share?
 
Contact the AAAE for assistance. And if you want a successful airport, you really do want a manager with a degree in aviation management or public administration with an aviation concentration. With only a high school education, your manager is likely to be overmatched dealing with regulatory and funding issues with local, state, and Federal agencies.
 
Ron Levy said:
Contact the AAAE for assistance. And if you want a successful airport, you really do want a manager with a degree in aviation management or public administration with an aviation concentration. With only a high school education, your manager is likely to be overmatched dealing with regulatory and funding issues with local, state, and Federal agencies.
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They wanted me to join. They can't be that great of an organization. I have none of the above. And I wasn't trained by the Navy either. :no:
 
EdFred said:
They wanted me to join. They can't be that great of an organization. I have none of the above. And I wasn't trained by the Navy either. :no:
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Joining AAAE is one thing -- anyone can do that. Becoming an Accredited Airport Executive (testing, academic, and experience requirements) or Certified Member (requires passing a test and proof of graduation from 4-year college) is another. Fact is that if you want a good airport manager job, AAAE membership is nearly mandatory, and AAE status necessary for just about any major airport manager position.
 
Ron Levy said:
Joining AAAE is one thing -- anyone can do that. Becoming an Accredited Airport Executive (testing, academic, and experience requirements) or Certified Member (requires passing a test and proof of graduation from 4-year college) is another. Fact is that if you want a good airport manager job, AAAE membership is nearly mandatory, and AAE status necessary for just about any major airport manager position.
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well i think sidnaw has quite a ways to go until its considered a major airport.
 
Major airport or not, I still think that any agency hiring an airport manager would be most unwise not to require educational credentials appropriate to the position. If Graueradler's folks want someone who can really do the job, they need to consider carefully before not making a baccalaureate in aviation management, public administration (aviation concentration), or a similar field, a requirement. Also, I believe that AAAE can help them both write a good job description and find qualified candidates via their members-only job posting service.
 
Ron Levy said:
Fact is that if you want a good airport manager job, AAAE membership is nearly mandatory, and AAE status necessary for just about any major airport manager position.
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Or you just buy the airport and make yourself the manager..... oh wait, Ron said a GOOD airport manager job.
 
Missa said:
Or you just buy the airport and make yourself the manager..... oh wait, Ron said a GOOD airport manager job.
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AFAIAC - it's about getting in good with the powers that be. Our state guys love me, so do the locals. That's 98% of the battle.
 
EdFred said:
AFAIAC - it's about getting in good with the powers that be. Our state guys love me, so do the locals. That's 98% of the battle.
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Yeah, but that one guy at the FAA who's in charge of changing lat/longs in the A/FD hates your guts! :rofl:
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Yeah, but that one guy at the FAA who's in charge of changing lat/longs in the A/FD hates your guts! :rofl:
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What I forgot to mention is 2% of the problems cause 98% of the headaches!!

He'll have to make some major changes next year. We will be extending it all the way to the road at the east end.
 
Thanks for the links and comments. My silence over the last few days doesn't mean I lost interest. I've just been a little on the busy side of busy. Right now, I'm the acting airport manager but hope to hand it off next week to someone who has more time available. I'm starting a contract job at the local nuke plant next week that won't leave me with time to do it right.
 
Going back to the dark side I see....:eek:

:goofy:

Graueradler said:
Thanks for the links and comments. My silence over the last few days doesn't mean I lost interest. I've just been a little on the busy side of busy. Right now, I'm the acting airport manager but hope to hand it off next week to someone who has more time available. I'm starting a contract job at the local nuke plant next week that won't leave me with time to do it right.
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Ron Levy said:
Contact the AAAE for assistance. And if you want a successful airport, you really do want a manager with a degree in aviation management or public administration with an aviation concentration. With only a high school education, your manager is likely to be overmatched dealing with regulatory and funding issues with local, state, and Federal agencies.
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I don't agree:no: So your saying if you only have a HS education you can't run a GA airport better than a college graduate = Hogwash

EdFred said:
I can't. I'm too stupid, and not qualified to do anything else.
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I must be too
 
Steve said:
Going back to the dark side I see....:eek:

:goofy:
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Its even worse that that. It isn't even nuke work. It is actually tax work - evaluating projects for the R&E tax deduction or credit. It seems that reports written by engineers on this subject have a greater success rate than reports written by accountants.
 
bjohnson said:
I don't agree:no: So your saying if you only have a HS education you can't run a GA airport better than a college graduate = Hogwash
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I didn't say "can't," I said "likely to be overmatched," and I stand by that statement -- just ask the panel of senior airport managers who spoke to the University Aviation Association last month about what it takes to succeed as an airport manager. However, I did not (and do not) exclude the rare HS grad with no college who otherwise acquires the communication skills and technical knowledge necessary for the job, although I think those folks will be few and far between. Nevertheless, considering the costs involved in hiring people for managerial positions (and the larger costs involved when you find you erred in a hiring decision), I think a municipality of limited resources would be wise to limit the applications to those with appropriate educational qualifications as listed in my first post.
 
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Ron Levy said:
I didn't say "can't," I said "likely to be overmatched," and I stand by that statement -- just ask the panel of senior airport managers who spoke to the University Aviation Association last month about what it takes to succeed as an airport manager. However, I did not (and do not) exclude the rare HS grad with no college who otherwise acquires the communication skills and technical knowledge necessary for the job, although I think those folks will be few and far between. Nevertheless, considering the costs involved in hiring people for managerial positions (and the larger costs involved when you find you erred in a hiring decision), I think a municipality of limited resources would be wise to limit the applications to those with appropriate educational qualifications as listed in my first post.
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That is pretty arrogant of anyone to think like that.
I have met MANY more college graduates with absolutely NO common sense than people that have worked their way up with "only" a High School diploma.
A college education can be helpful for somethings, but life experience is MUCH better than any college can give you!
To limit their search to only people with the appropriate "educational qualifications" would be pretty STUPID on their part.
You must look at the WHOLE individual when hiring someone, not just how many letters they can put after their name.

Mark B
 
The need for a position description is still there but has become considerably less urgent. The airport commission met late yesterday, asked me to take the position and I accepted. I worked for the commission as a staff volunteer for some years and have been on the commission for a couple of years so it provides continuity and they are already familiar with my abilities.

I'll am coming out of 5 years of retirement so the next transition won't be too far down the road (years rather than months) but I expect it to be a planned and orderly one.

Again, thanks for the links and comments.

Bend Oregon had the position description that came closest to what I was looking for.
 
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