New airport manager ready to fly
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Patterson will be taking over from previous manager James Stephens, who has taken a marketing job at Special Services Corp., an aircraft charter company in his hometown of Greenville, S.C.
Patterson, who is a Middle Tennessee native from the Gallatin area, has extensive experience and training in the field of aviation and airport management. He entered the Navy after high school and worked on F-14 jet aircraft as an aviation electrician stationed on the USS Nimitz. After the Navy he returned to the area and attended MTSU, graduating with a degree in airport administration and a minor in logistics.
After college, Patterson took a job at Shelbyville Municipal Airport, where he remained for six years, working his way up from line person to assistant manager. He then took a job at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, where he worked for the last 12 months, before taking the job in Warren County.
Location played a major part in Patterson?s decision, as well as the chance to run an airport this size.
?Middle Tennessee is my home,? Patterson said. ?I really like it here and I like general aviation. I found out about this airport and loved it. It?s an absolute gem, and after interviewing with James and Joe, I decided to come on board.?
Patterson says one of his goals is to let area residents, as well as potential customers, know how much the airport has to offer.
?My biggest goal is to promote the airport to the community,? Patterson said. ?Obviously the airport thrives on transit business. We?ve got to have the people who come through from out of state traveling both ways. We have such a wonderful facility and we?re so competitive on fuel prices, maintenance, it?s a great place for them to come.?
It?s important to get members of the community to visit and utilize the airport and its services as well, Patterson feels.
?We want to get them in, promote the airport, and get more people involved in aviation,? Patterson continued. ?I?d like to see a lot more of the local people get involved, have some open houses, get the kids involved.?
The airport offers flying lessons, through the Flying Club of North America, and aircraft rental for those interested in learning to fly.
Though aircraft design hasn?t changed dramatically, Patterson says there have been other advances in aviation, and the local airport has taken advantage of the new technologies.
?There?s better navigation, better approaches into the airport,? Patterson said. ?Aircraft have basically remained the same, it?s the electronics that are the biggest difference. We have the GPS approaches now, and they?re a lot better. You don?t have to rely on the ground equipment. However, we do have the localizer approach here. So we?ve got a lot of ways to get into the airport that are instrument based.?
Patterson said he is impressed with the airport and is looking forward to working with airport officials and personnel.
?Warren County Airport is top-notch,? Patterson said. ?We?ve got great fuel systems, navigation and radio communications, an airport commission that supports the airport really well and understands the value of the benefits we have for our clients and the community.
?I would personally like to invite everybody in the community with a desire to find out about the airport to come out and talk to me,? Patterson said. ?I?d be happy to walk around with them, show them what we do, and try to answer any questions they have.?