{"id":35236,"date":"2026-05-15T14:10:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/?p=35236"},"modified":"2026-05-15T14:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T14:15:10","slug":"airport-directors-stop-telling-aviation-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/national-news\/airport-directors-stop-telling-aviation-stories\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Airport Directors: Stop Telling Aviation Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Eric Blinderman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something recently said to an airport director caused a cocked head and a puzzled look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour story is not an aviation one,\u201d he was told.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For someone who lives and breathes airport operations and making sure it fits the needs of the pilot community, it was an understandable reaction. That\u2019s his world. It\u2019s in his title and job description. Aviation, what he does, 24\/7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was not meant to discount his daily responsibilities to pilots, aircraft owners and tenants. That\u2019s the community he serves every day. That\u2019s the mission inside the fence. Keep revenue flowing. Keep operations robust. Keep things safe. We need all that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History shows local GA airports aren\u2019t threatened when they lose revenue. They\u2019re threatened when they lose the community.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long-term survival is what happens outside the fence. In a way, permission to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n

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That\u2019s a term we often throw around a lot in aviation: \u201coutside the fence.\u201d The other folks. The aviation muggles. Non-pilots. People you don\u2019t usually see at the airport. But just because they\u2019re out of sight, we can\u2019t keep them out of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside the fence is where value applies most. It\u2019s not hyperbole that an airport\u2019s long-term survival depends on the story being told \u2018out there,\u2019 and the one embraced by the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we said in the consumer goods world, \u201cwhen they buy into you, they\u2019ll buy from you<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the story\u2019s not about aviation, then what? It\u2019s what it does for me. What it means to me? How my life benefits from it.<\/em> It\u2019s not the planes, it\u2019s the people. How aviation and the local airport provides value<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s where a disconnect often rests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Live outside the fence and there\u2019s a good chance you have no idea what goes on in the big tract of land. \u201cBoys with their toys,\u201d we\u2019ve heard. A waste of space. Great spot for housing or a shopping center. Maybe a park or even a data center (the horror).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your airport\u2019s story is being told for you, I can almost guarantee it\u2019s not a very flattering one. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, remember that everyone has a story. People have stories. Companies, brands, non-profits, associations have one. Local airports especially have one, whether you\u2018ve intentionally built one or not, whether you like it or not. It\u2019s simply what you mean to the community, the expectations placed upon you, and the value you offer.<\/p>\n\n\n

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What\u2019s up for grabs is who\u2019s telling it. Who owns it? What are they saying?  And does the airport story naturally weave into the community one? Does the airport story enhance the story that each resident carries with them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take O\u2019Hare, or Hartsfield, or Dulles. When people drive by, they know the story of that airport: that\u2019s how I get across the country to a meeting, that how my family gets to Disney. That airport has a very defined value that is not often questioned. It\u2019s part of the community and residents\u2019 everyday life. For the most part, the larger commercial airport owns its own story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, when someone (a citizen, business leader or elected official) drives by one of our more than 5,500 public-use GA airport, the story gets murkier. Unless you fly or have business at or with the airport, its value is not usually front-and-center. And that vacuum is often filled by mistruths and misperceptions. That\u2019s when the story gets away from us. A negative that\u2019s unfolding in far too many locales across the U.S. We all know of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What people don\u2019t understand, they don\u2019t appreciate, value or support.  That\u2019s why education is among the single most important tasks an airport director has on his or her shoulders. Ensuring the community knows the value story<\/em> of the airport; what it means to the community. What it means to the individual and the greater good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not that people necessarily disapprove of the local airport (although we know many do), most just have no idea what goes on there. Do they know it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n