The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) recently announced the winner of the Louisiana Airport of the Year, naming the False River Regional Airport. To be considered eligible for the award, an airport must have managed all maintenance inspection issues, managed all significant safety-related features, and made a significant impact on aviation through safety improvements/practices, construction, development, or management of aviation resources.
Yvonne Chenevert, Director for the False River Regional Airport, will be retiring at the end of the year. She has spent 48 years at the airport beginning as the Administrative Assistant in January of 1977. “As I approach my retirement date of December 31, I pause and reflect on the past 48 years at False River Regional (32 years as the Airport Manager) and the wonderful world of General Aviation. I have had the immense pleasure of meeting pilots from not only around the country but from around the world who have flown into our small piece of heaven at KHZR. The sound of a radial engine still makes me hurry outside the terminal to see who is making my day. I will sorely miss the many, many stories from those who flew in a war, those who flew special missions, and those who just flew for the joy of it.”
Chenevert fulfilled and surpassed her original twenty-year plan when she became Airport Manager in 1993. Highlights of her career include receiving the President’s Award from the state airports association LAMA and receiving the inaugural Allen Taylor Legacy Award from LADOTD in 2022.
The DOTD also recognized the winners of the David Slayter Memorial Aviation Professional of the Year, the Allen Taylor Legacy awards. “Congratulations to Amelia Hebert, Jason Ball, Rusty Lavergne, Andy Velayos (David Slayter Memorial Aviation Professional of the Year), and Heath Allen (Allen Taylor Legacy Award), as well as the False River Regional Airport, for being winners of these prestigious awards,” said DOTD Commissioner of Multimodal Commerce Julia Fisher-Cormier. “We’re thrilled to recognize excellence in aviation, and we’re proud to have these winners represent that significant mode of transportation in our state.”
As Chenevert prepares to step down, she encourages young people to find their passion for and in aviation. “There are many, many positions in various areas,” said Chenevert, who shares that General Aviation is on a more personal level – and she speaks from experience having enjoyed a long and rewarding career in GA.
