My Airport Operations

About Me

Airport Manager - Castle Airport, Merced County, CA ~ SWAAAE 1st Vice President

 

 

Born:  Jamestown, NY  ---  April 1960

 

Following High School Graduation, I entered the Air Force at 17 years of age.  I trained to be a Boom Operator at Castle AFB in 1978 and my first duty station was Griffiss AFB in upstate NY, where I was qualified as an instructor.  I was reassigned to the 924^th  Air Refueling Squadron at Castle AFB in 1981 and was shortly transferred to the 93^rd Air Refueling Squadron as a Flight Line Instructor.  In 1985 I was transferred to the 4017^th Combat Crew Training Squadron where I became a Platform and Simulator Instructor. 

 

In 1988 after finishing a Bachelor’s of Science Degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, I was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and became an Air Traffic Control Officer.  Following training at Keesler AFB, MS and Shaw AFB, SC I was assigned to Minot AFB, ND.  From there I went remote to Kunsan AB, Korea and followed on to RAF Alconbury, England where I was the Airfield Operations Flight Commander, responsible for Air Traffic Control and Base Operations.  In 1995 I was assigned to the 1^st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, VA as the Airfield Operations Flight Commander.

 

In 1994 I spent four months as the “Provide Promise Battle Staff Executive Officer” at Rhine Main AB, Germany controlling all personnel and equipment going into Bosnia. In 1996 I deployed to Jordan as a member of the Air Expeditionary Force #2 where I was the Air Force Liaison to the Jordanians for all matters dealing with US air operations and in 1997 I did the same thing in Kuwait.

 

I retired as a Captain in August, 1998.

 

Working for a short time as an Insurance Agent in “the family business”, I returned to my real love of Aviation as the Operations Manager at the Roanoke Regional Airport, Roanoke, VA.  I became the Castle Airport Manager in February 2002.

 

I holds a Private Pilot Certificate and have a dual Master’s of Science Degree in Airport Operations and Management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  I am an Accredited Airport Executive (AAE) of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) and Certified Airport Executive (CAE) of the Southwest Chapter of AAAE (SWAAAE) where I have served as a Director, Credentials Committee member, Membership Chairman, SWAAAE’s representative to the AAAE Board of Directors, annual conference Vice Chair and Chair, currently serving as 1^st  Vice President, serving as a member of the AAAE Airline Economics and Air Service Committee and as a Mentor.  I am a Commissioner on the Merced County Airport Land Use Commission. I am a Gideon in the Merced Camp and a Deacon/Eleder of my local church.  I have been married to the former Barbara Allen of Merced for 26 years and have two children, Brittany –20 (a junior at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA) and Joseph – 17 (a junior in Merced High School).