New Director of Aviation Joins WSDOT Crew

The Washington State Department of Transportation welcomed the new director of aviation, David Fleckenstein, to its team on Aug. 7.

Fleckenstein has many years of aviation experience, first in the United States Army’s Adjutant Generals Corps. For over 23 years, he held various positions at all levels of Army Aviation. After 25 years of service, he retired from the military with the rank of colonel as the director for the Army’s I Corps Aviation Office. Most recently, Fleckenstein served as the airport director for the Chehalis-Centralia Airport.

In his role as WSDOT’s Aviation Director, Fleckenstein will help implement statewide programs that protect and promote aviation, airport improvement and investments, and the development of aeronautics to support the state’s transportation system and economic vitality.

“I am looking forward to joining a great team of professionals who are well known across the state for their contributions to aviation,” said Fleckenstein.

Fleckenstein can be reached at 360-709-8020 or FleckDa@wsdot.wa.gov.

Kim Stevens

Kim Stevens is the publisher of State Aviation Journal, which he founded in 2009. A longtime commercial-rated pilot, he was introduced to state aviation in 1992 as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aeronautics, later serving as Deputy Division Director for the Arizona Department of Transportation's Aeronautics Division. From 2013 to 2018, he was Director of Communications and Operations for the National Association of State Aviation Officials (NASAO) in Washington, D.C. Relocating to North Carolina, Kim worked for the Raleigh-Durham International Airport for two years and now concentrates solely on the Journal. Prior to his aviation career, Kim spent a decade in the newspaper and magazine business.