{"id":32628,"date":"2025-08-28T13:29:30","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T13:29:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/?p=32628"},"modified":"2025-08-28T14:14:56","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T14:14:56","slug":"future-of-south-carolina-aviation-on-the-rise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/south-carolina\/future-of-south-carolina-aviation-on-the-rise\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Future of South Carolina Aviation on the Rise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo above – Gary Siegfried, Executive Director of the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aviation is having a tremendous impact on the state of South Carolina. Events such as Aviation Week bring together airports, industry leaders, educators, and public officials to highlight the value of aviation to communities throughout the state, and the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission (SCAC) will continue to be \u201cright in the middle of it,\u201d says Gary Siegfried, Executive Director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the South Carolina Aviation Association organizes and leads this statewide event, SCAC helps by providing data, expertise, and strategic support that help tell the full story of aviation\u2019s impact in South Carolina. \u201cWe work closely with airports, state leaders, and local partners to showcase airport improvement projects funded through state and federal programs, and we use the week to share the latest economic impact data, highlight workforce development efforts, and reinforce the importance of aviation safety and infrastructure planning,\u201d said Siegfried.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The collaboration is seeing results. \u201cI think the future of aviation in South Carolina is on the rise\u2014literally and figuratively. From rising passenger traffic and thriving general aviation to our world-class aerospace industry, the opportunities are tremendous,\u201d noted Siegfried. \u201cOur airports connect communities, fuel local economies, and open doors for tourism and business.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siegfried says the Aeronautics Commission is investing in runways and taxiways, supporting education opportunities for the next generation of aviation professionals, and showcasing South Carolina as a place where aviation can truly take off.  \u201cOur challenge is to find additional revenue sources to ensure that we can support our airports\u2019 much needed capital improvements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result of this year\u2019s state budget was good news-bad news-good news. \u201cThe good news was that we received $5.35M in recurrent funding and $5.0M in one time funding to support our general aviation airports,\u201d said Siegfried. \u201cThis will supplement our normal revenue stream of about $13.5M.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recurrent funding represents the first time that significant, reliable funding has been added to the agency\u2019s budget. As long as the normal revenue stream remains consistent, the Commission should be in a good position to fund general aviation airports\u2019 capital needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bad news is that the agency requested significantly more recurrent funding than $5.35M, hoping to implement a new program for our commercial airports,\u201d said Siegfried. \u201cWe were not successful this year but hope reigns eternal and we will try again during next year\u2019s budget cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was good news however for the commercial service airports in this year\u2019s budget. \u201cThe legislature did allocate $80M for commercial airports through the Commerce Department,\u201d noted Siegfried. \u201cSo, even though this money is not coming through Aeronautics, it was directed toward the commercial airports to help them with their vital capital improvements, and we consider that a win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the recurrent funding was not what they hoped it would be, Siegfried believes the fact that they received some reflects a growing recognition by the state leadership of the critical role aviation plays in South Carolina\u2019s economic and community wellbeing. \u201cWe are thankful for this show of support and confidence from Governor McMaster and our legislators.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding has always been tight. When Siegfried arrived at Aeronautics in 2016, the agency had about $1.9 million available to support the airport development program. \u201cMy predecessors, Paul Werts and James Stephens, laid important groundwork for increased funding, and because of their efforts, we now do a much better job supporting our general aviation airports.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Going forward, the major emphasis for the Commission remains largely the same as in previous years; The ongoing effort to secure additional funding, especially for the commercial service airports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Siegfried became director in September 2022, one of his top priorities was to advocate for state funding for commercial airports. \u201cWith our normal revenue stream (airline property tax and aviation fuel tax) and the addition of $5.35M recurring funding, we are able to keep up with most of the general aviation needs,\u201d said Siegfried. \u201cBut we will continue to advocate for the commercial service airports to bring them reliable, recurrent state assistance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siegfried says the next point of emphasis is their ongoing challenge with incompatible land uses encroaching upon their airports. \u201cWith the explosive growth in South Carolina we are seeing ongoing and increasing development encroachment around our airports. It is crucial that we protect airports so that their utility and safety remain intact.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has also been explosive growth in drone technology. Having invested in drones early, the Commission continues to integrate drones into their airport operations in meaningful ways. \u201cThey are an essential tool for our airport inspection process, allowing us to safely and efficiently collect detailed imagery of close-in approaches to identify potential obstructions,\u201d said Siegfried. Beyond inspections, they use drones to capture aerial imagery during construction projects, helping to monitor progress and ensure accuracy. \u201cAs the technology evolves, we\u2019re exploring new ways drones can support safety, planning, and engineering\u2014making them a versatile and increasingly important part of our toolbox.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Siegfried, who plans on retiring at the end of the year, holding the position of Executive Director has been one of the most challenging\u2014and most rewarding\u2014chapters of his career. \u201cSouth Carolina is growing rapidly, and with that growth comes the challenge of protecting our airports from development encroachment while ensuring they can meet the needs of our communities. It hasn\u2019t always been easy, but I believe I\u2019m leaving the agency stronger than I found it, with our airports better positioned to serve South Carolinians well into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the next chapter in his life, Siegfried does plan to stay connected to aviation in some way, saying, \u201cit\u2019s hard to remember a time when I wasn\u2019t interested in aviation.\u201d But first, he wants to spend a year traveling. There\u2019s a huge part of the United States he’s never seen, and plenty of bucket-list destinations waiting. “Once I\u2019ve had my fill of that adventure, I\u2019ll see where my path in the aviation industry might lead next.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo above – Gary Siegfried, Executive Director of the South Carolina Aeronautics Commission. Aviation is having a tremendous impact on the state of South Carolina. Events such as Aviation Week bring together airports, industry leaders, educators, and public officials to highlight the value of aviation to communities throughout the state, and the South Carolina Aeronautics […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":32629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115,59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news","category-south-carolina"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Gary-Siegfried-sc-edit.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32628"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32639,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32628\/revisions\/32639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}