Hallelujah, spring has arrived!
As evidenced in the chart below, the February storms took a toll on our traffic counts but with only one day left in the month, we can safely say that March is reflecting a continued trend of increased activity.
All that being said, we're most anxious to see what April brings.
Thursday, April 1 marks Day 1 of extended tower operating hours as approved by the FAA last month. Those two additional evening hours will not only increase safety (the most important thing) but will also naturally boost our reported take-off and landing figures to show an even more accurate picture of our growth.
I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to personally thank Senator Cornyn, Representative Doggett, Mayor Hughson, and City Manager Lumbreras for their assistance and continued support of the airport.
And of course, a special shout-out to Stacey for gathering all the data we needed for the request and to all our Air Traffic Controllers who will be putting in the real work to make our skies a little safer.
Fly safe,
Cassidy Berenato
Director or Marketing and Business Development
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MONTHLY TRAFFIC OPERATIONS |
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Annual total operations by year:
2017: 66,781
2018: 59,679
2019: 63,955
2020: 78,010
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2021 year-to-date:
11,149
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We monitor operations each month to help us secure funding for future airport projects and improvements. The operations (aircraft landings and takeoffs) are counted every day during the Air Traffic Control Tower's hours of 7:00am to 7:00pm (until Thursday!). Operations that occur outside of these hours are not tracked. |
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HANGAR REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS |
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A Request for Proposal (RFP) for a hangar is open until Thursday, April 1 and is available for download here: http://sanmarcostx.gov/bids.aspx. Please download the full RFP document for specific information.
The hangar, located at 1991 Airport Drive, is 4,800 square feet (80’ wide x 60’ deep) with manual sliding doors with a clear opening of 16.10’ high and 60’ wide.
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MASTER PLAN PRESENTATION APRIL 6 |
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The Master Plan will be presented to City Council on Tuesday, April 6 at 3:00pm.
Below is a link where the meeting will be live-streamed. Local residents can also watch it live on Grande channel 16 or Spectrum channel 10.
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GO WHEELS UP! TEXAS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED |
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VAST Concerts & Events LLC is hosting Go Wheels Up! Texas on May 29-30, 2021 at the San Marcos Regional Airport. The event, an air show, car show and concert hosted by Texas musician Cory Morrow was first held in 2019 but was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19.
Become a volunteer and help us Go Wheels Up with one of the coolest events in the Lone Star State!
For their service, each volunteer will receive a general admission ticket for both Friday and Saturday, t-shirt, meals provided while on duty, and the admiration of all their friends. Click here to sign up.
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YOUTH ORIENTED EAA CHAPTER SEEKS DONATED HANGAR SPACE |
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EAA Chapter 958 of San Marcos, a 501(c)3 corporation, is seeking a hangar space donation or lease at KHYI. Our Chapter mission focuses on the fostering of aviation with the community and especially the youth. Our members provide free flights for youth ages 8 to 17 and are looking for a facility that could serve as a home base. It would be used to hold student workshops, have student aircraft builds and provide classroom space.
We currently work with the Byron Steele High School JrROTC, the San Marcos High School JrROTC , the Lockhart High School JrROTC and individual students from local schools who have an interest in aviation or STEAM programs. We also work to provide a chapter scholarship to a deserving student each year for the EAA Advanced Air Academy in Oshkosh, WI and assist in applications to other EAA scholarships.
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MORE THAN 70 DOGS TRANSPORTED FROM TEXAS SHELTERS TO FLORIDA |
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Fox 7 Austin
This article is being shared to highlight the continued work of Berry Aviation in the transport of pets across the country on behalf of Wings of Rescue.
SAN MARCOS, Texas - More than 70 dogs from Texas shelters were transported to West Palm Beach, Florida Tuesday.
Volunteers transported the dogs from "rural shelters" across the state to the San Marcos Regional Airport.
"A lot of [the dogs] were in open-air shelters that when the cold storm hit, they lost power, they lost water. They didn’t have the infrastructure to keep dogs in their shelter, so many of them were at risk of euthanasia," said Clare Callison of American Pets Alive!
Ric Browde, president and CEO of Wings of Rescue, said many shelters are also struggling with overcrowding because "they’re taking in pets from people who are still suffering." He says the flight opens up kennel space for other pets in need.
Wings of Rescue piloted the 2.5-hour flight from San Marcos to West Palm Beach with the help of Tito’s Vodka, Austin, and American Pets Alive!
Callison says the dogs were transported to West Palm Beach because "they have a high demand for dogs." They were taken to the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, where she says most have fosters or adopters lined up.
"People have been working at home and want somebody to hang out with," Browde explained. He says Wings of Rescue has transported more than 1,000 animals out of Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma shelters following last month's severe weather.
"Everybody has the power to make a difference and so many of us just stand there on earth in our living rooms watching television and thinking ‘well, somebody else will take care of things.’ But, we all have the power." He said.
Callison says American Pets Alive! has set a goal to move 1,000 pets out of Texas shelters after the storms. She said Tuesday’s flight put them at the halfway mark.
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LOCAL AVIATION NON-PROFIT MEETINGS |
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KHYI INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CLUB
IMC meetings are currently being conducted via Zoom.
Follow their Facebook page for more information or email Gary White to be added to the newsletter.
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EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION CHAPTER 958
EAA meetings are currently being held via Zoom.
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CIVIL AIR PATROL TEXAS WING 435
Meetings are held every Tuesday in accordance with COVID 19 Standards.
For more information, visit their website, send an email, or call (512) 710-8435.
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