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You are here: Home / 36th Annual Texas Aviation Conference / Program

Program

Updated March 27, 2018 | complete program

Tuesday, March 27, 2018
10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Special Event
2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Exhibitor Setup
(Expo C)
2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Registration/Check-In
5:30 – 8:00 p.m. Exhibits Open
(Expo C)
5:30 – 8:00 p.m. Get Acquainted Reception – Exhibit Hall
(Expo C)
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Registration Desk Open
7:30 – 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast – Exhibit Hall
(Expo C)
8:30 – 9:30 a.m. Presentation of Colors
(Expo Hall B)

Ball High School JROTC

National Anthem
Galveston College Community Chorale, Men’s Quartet

Welcoming Comments
Dave Fulton, Director, TxDOT, Aviation Division
Brian Maxwell, City Manager, City of Galveston

Introduction of Aviation Advisory Committee Members
Dave Fulton, Director, TxDOT, Aviation Division

Texas Aviation Economic Impact Study Update
Scott Sanders, Project Manager, CDM Smith

State of the Aviation Division Address
Dave Fulton, Director, TxDOT, Aviation Division
(Fulton presentation slides, 874KB)

Representative John Cyrier
Chairman, Texas Legislative General Aviation Caucus

9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Hurricane Harvey and the Role of Aviation in Recovery

Recovery in Rockport
Mike Geer, Airport Manager, Aransas County Airport
Matthew Heinze, Special Crews Supervisor, TxDOT, Austin District
(Geer and Heinze presentation slides, 6.6MB)

Business Aviation and Disaster Relief Airlift
Robin Eissler, Chief Operating Officer, jetAVIVA, Georgetown, Texas
(Eissler presentation slides, 5.7MB)

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. Coffee Break
(Exhibit Hall)
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon Keynote Address
(Expo B)

Dedication, Pride & Commitment: Leadership Lessons from Black Hawk Down for Business & for Life
First Sergeant Matt Eversmann (Ret.)

12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. Luncheon
(Moody II and Salon D)

Deli Lunch Buffet

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Texas Airports Council (TAC) Meeting
(Floral Hall A1)

  • Approval of minutes from previous meeting
  • Election of 2018 Officers
  • TAC goals for 2018
  • General discussion
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.

Breakout Session I

I. Airport Manager’s Roundtable
(Expo AI)

Stacie Hardage, Airport Manager, Plainview-Hale County Airport
Rob Blanchard, Airport Manager, McGregor Executive Airport
Mike Shahan, Airport Manager, Galveston Scholes International Airport, Galveston
(Hardage, Blanchard, and Shahan presentation slides, 1.4MB)

Got questions? We have answers! This session provides attendees with an open forum to ask questions and engage a panel of experienced airport managers. No formal presentations will be made during the session but the panel members will share their experiences and thoughts on questions and issues brought up by the moderator and those attending this session. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions about any issues and concerns at their airports. This forum is designed to provide an exchange of information and ideas among airport professionals.

II. General Aviation Airport Pavement Maintenance Recommendation Tool
(Expo B)

Tom Freeman, Pavement Management Program Manager, Texas A&M Transportation Institute
(Freeman presentation slides, 2.9MB)

This presentation will discuss the development of a web-based airport pavement maintenance recommendation tool and the tool’s use in helping general aviation personnel choose the appropriate treatment based on the conditions, climate and the Federal Aviation Administration’s airport classification of the facility.

III. Risk Management Issues for Municipal Airports
(Expo AII)

Karen VanWinkle, Airport Manager, Arlington Municipal Airport
Robert Warren, Risk Manager, City of Arlington
(VanWinkle and Warren presentation slides, 1.1MB)

This session will discuss several issues relevant to airport managers and risk managers who must address insurance requirements, often with insurance carriers that lack an understanding of the airport’s unique operating environment. The session will also include “lessons learned” from revising Arlington’s Minimum Standards, and negotiating a new lease agreement with Bell Helicopter. The presentation will conclude with some practical advice on creating job descriptions, with appropriate physical requirements, and choosing suitable safety training for airport employees.

3:00 – 3:15 p.m. Break
(Exhibit Hall)
3:15 – 4:15 p.m.

Breakout Session II

I. Airport Rates, Leases and Charges
(Expo AI)

Lenny Llerena, Airport Director, Victoria Regional Airport
(Llerena presentation slides, 624KB)

This session will address several topics related to airport rates, leases and charges. This includes fundamentals of airport leases, and interactive discussion of appraisals, related grant assurances, leasing policies, reversionary clauses, lease terms, escalation clauses, and others.

II. Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Your Airport
(Expo B)

Alvin A. Brunner III, Aviation Safety Inspector, Flight Standards Division, FAA Southwest Region
(Brunner presentation slides, 2.3MB)

This session will address issues related to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and your airport. They include model operations, the small UAS rule (Part 107), airspace authorizations, outreach efforts, airport specific concerns, and the next steps in UAS integration including Focus Area Pathfinders and the Drone Zone.

III. Current State of Remote Tower Development in the National Airspace System: Levels of Service and Funding Alternatives
(Expo AII)

Bill Payne, Program Manager, Colorado Remote Tower Project

This session will discuss the Colorado Surveillance Project, Phases I, II and III, which are collaborative efforts between the FAA and the State to develop and implement various emerging NextGen technologies. Phases I and II deployed Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) and ADS-B to provide surveillance (radar) coverage to the FAA’s Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center in Longmont, Colorado for eight Colorado mountain country airports.

Phase III of the Colorado Surveillance Project is another innovative project initiated by the Colorado Division of Aeronautics which, in conjunction with the FAA, is developing a remote tower system at the Northern Colorado Regional Airport in 2018. The Colorado Remote Tower will provide full Class D airspace services by employing a series of distributed video cameras in conjunction with a track based (radar) surveillance to display a comprehensive picture of the airport surface and local airspace to the air traffic controller.

4:15 – 4:30 p.m. Break
(Exhibit Hall)
4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

Breakout Session III

I. RAMP Session
(Expo B)

Amy Slaughter, RAMP Program Manager, TxDOT, Aviation Division
(Slaughter presentation slides, 1.9MB)

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

Awards Banquet
(Moody II and Salon D)

2018 Awards Presentation

  • Aviation Art Contest Winners:
    • Category I (Ages 6-9)
      • 1st Place: Kashmira Kuloor, McCoy Elementary, Carrollton, TX
      • 2nd Place: Siddhi Patil, Scott Elementary, McKinney, TX
      • 3rd Place: Amodini Vaidya, McKinney, TX
      • Honorable Mention: Samshita Motyala, JM Riddle Elementary, Plano, TX
    • Category II (Ages 10-13)
      • 1st Place: Rishita Sinha, Roach Middle School, Frisco, TX
      • 2nd Place: Makenzi Renfro, McNeil Middle School, Wichita Falls, TX
      • 3rd Place: Kimberly Bunurai, Travis Middle School, Port Lavaca, TX
      • Honorable Mention: Sanjana Anand, Maus Middle School, Frisco, TX
    • Category III (Ages 14-17)
      • 1st Place: Kelly Xu, Calhoun High School, Port Lavaca, TX
      • 2nd Place:Gabriel Hernandez, Veterans Memorial ECHS, Brownsville, TX
      • 3rd Place: Quanjie Dai, Calhoun High School, Port Lavaca, TX
      • Honorable Mention: Alain Rojas, Rio Hondo High School, Rio Hondo, TX
      • Honorable Mention: Chi-yin Cheng, Calhoun High School, Port Lavaca, TX
  • General Aviation Airport Manager of the Year video presentation
  • Most Improved Airport of the Year video presentation
  • General Aviation Airport of the Year video presentation
  • Reliever Airport of the Year video presentation
  • RAMP Coordinators of the Year video presentation
  • Texas Aviator of the Year video presentation
Thursday, March 29, 2018
8:00 – 10:30 a.m. Exhibits and Registration Desk Open
8:00 – 9:00 a.m. Breakfast Buffet
(Expo B)
9:00 – 9:45 a.m. Airport Compliance
Wade Troth, Airport Planner, TxDOT, Aviation Division
(Troth presentation slides, 529KB)

Gary Loftus, Airports Compliance Program Manager, Safety and Standards Branch, FAA Southwest Region
(Loftus presentation slides, 420KB)

9:45 – 10:30 a.m. Washington Update
John Shea, Government Relations Manager, NASAO
(Shea presentation slides, 1.8MB)
10:30 – 11:00 a.m. TxDOT/FAA AIP Program and Listening Session
Dave Fulton, Director, TxDOT, Aviation Division
Terry Biggio, Regional Administrator, FAA Southwest Region
Ben Guttery, Manager, Texas Airports Development Office, FAA Southwest Region

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