Originally published in 2009 This month’s column features a special edition of Dave’s Hangar, with the TxDOT director of aviation taking questions on some of the important issues facing aviation today. What are your thoughts on the upcoming aviation conference? I always look forward to our annual aviation conference since it is the one time…

Originally published in 2009 Professional Pilot magazine recently honored Valero as the Hight department of the year in its December 2008 issue. The company operates a Gulfstream G550 and two G450s on global schedules with a 36-member Hight department based out of a new 52,000- square-foot hangar based at San Antonio International Airport. Valero recently…

Originally published in 2009 Texas Aviation Advisory Committee chairman Jim Schwertner has stepped down from his past following his appointment by Governor Perry to the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. On March 9, 2009, at their regularly scheduled meeting, committee members elected vice chairman Gordon Richardson of Caldwell as the new chairman and…

Originally published in 2009 Jesse Bootenhoff settles into the same seat from which legendary aviator and eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes once planned to fly around the world. “For its day, when it was built, everything was first class,” Bootenhoff said from the thickly padded pilot’s seat in the cockpit of the amphibious Sikorsky S-43. “He…

Originally published in 2009 At its recent annual meeting, members of the Texas Aviation Association (TXAA), a non-profit organization of pilots and aviation enthusiasts that promotes general aviation and airports in Texas, elected its board of directors for 2009. Elected to the board, which will provide strategic guidance to the association this year, were Jay…

Originally published in 2009 Over the next several issues, Wingtips will profile the members of the Texas Aviation Advisory Committee. The six members are appointed by the Texas Transportation Commission for six-year terms and assist the Texas Department of Transportation with its aviation development programs. Committee members also work with members of the Legislature on…

Originally published in 2009 by Rick Davenport, Texas Transportation Institute At 18, Tommy Waldo takes the Boy Scout Oath seriously, being involved in scouting since elementary school. Along the way, he has built a resume worthy of someone much older. The high school senior began taking flying lessons at 14 and completed his solo at…

Originally published in 2009 by Chris Sasser, Texas Transportation Institute It’s hard not to get excited about the development possibilities of the North Texas Regional Airport (NTRA). Because economic downturn or not, with recent infrastructure improvements, plenty of room for expansion and an ideal location, the NTRA and surrounding corridors are ready to roll. The…