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Employee Spotlight
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Richard BrownUAS Technician
K-State, Salina
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After
years of schooling, countless résumé submissions and a lifetime of
"reaching for the sky," Richard Brown is finally right where he
wants to be.
Brown
was recently hired by K-State, Salina's prestigious Unmanned Aerial
Systems Program Office as the newest UAS Technician. He will
operate, build and maintain unmanned aircraft and their associated
payloads.
"This
is the most exciting place I've ever worked," Brown said.
"I'm getting exposed to a lot of new and exciting technology."
Since
2006, Brown has been trying to get into a UAS- related career field.
"I have applied to every UAS
systems company I could find," he explained. "They all
want you to have a secret clearance already; no one wants to go through
the process first. Most people get a clearance through military
experience, but I didn't have any."
K-State,
however, seemed to find in Brown the right mix for the newest addition to
the UAS Program Office's team. Not only does Brown have a passion
for UAS and UAV technology, he is a licensed private pilot and a
certified airframe and power plant technician.
"Had
a private company hired me, I could have only seen one aspect of UAV
development," said Brown, who has worked as an aircraft maintenance
technician in the corporate, airline, and heavy maintenance environment,
most recently at Bombardier Aerospace in Bridgeport, W. Va.
"Here I get to see a lot. I'm working with the military,
private companies, first-responders, you name it."
Along
with diverse work experience, holds a bachelor's degree in aviation
management from Ohio University and an associate's degree in aircraft
maintenance from Columbus State Community College.
"I'm
learning a lot from everyone," he explained. "The more
you learn, the more you realize you don't know."
Brown
is a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Professional
Aviation Maintenance Association and Association for Unmanned Vehicle
Systems International.
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Tower Updates
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LINE
UP AND WAIT (LUAW) procedures go into effect on 9/30. Even though
we do not use this procedure at KSLN, pilots will hear the new
phraseology at some other airports. If you have questions you can
call Bruce at the tower for clarification. Basically, LUAW takes
the place of TAXI INTO POSITON AND HOLD.
Salina
Tower personnel are training new controllers. We hope to have them
certified during the first half of October.
We
are seeing more bird activity on the airport. Please let us know if you
see flocks of birds that could impact aircraft ops.
Also,
we have seen a few deer on the west side of the airport so help keep
everyone updated on animal sightings.
Speaking
of animal sightings, congratulations go out to Kenny Bieker who has
formed the new airport "skunk patrol."
Hopefully we are entering a pleasant
time of the year for flying. Be safe and we will see you on the
frequency.
Bruce
Boyle
Manager,
KSLN Federal Contract Tower
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SeaPort Airlines
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At comparable prices, if
you could cut your travel time in half, and not have the general hassles
of the full airport experience, wouldn't you do it? Hassle free,
convenient, affordable, and most importantly-FAST. This is a new option
in business and leisure travel.
SeaPort offers daily
scheduled flights in the Northwest and Mid-South like the old airlines,
but with a notable absence of what makes flying today slow and miserable.
How?
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No TSA
hassles at any of our locations.
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Affordable
fares.
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Our own
private terminals.
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Arrive 15
minutes before your flight, even with check-in bags.
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Free
airport parking. (Mandatory Valet in Portland)
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Complimentary
shuttle service to and from the main terminal in Portland, Memphis
& Kansas City.
Commercial air travel in
today's climate is difficult at best. The airports are becoming more
crowded, have longer lines and with the tighter budgets, speed and
convenience seem like a thing of the past. Until now.
The way travel was meant
to be, with all the conveniences of private air travel, but without the
big price tag. Isn't it about time?
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Donate
Today
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Contact Info
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Melissa McCoy
Public Affairs & Communications
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From the XD's desk: We have
designs on the future
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The Salina Airport Authority
has selected eight architectural and engineering firms to complete
design services for the rehabilitation of 10 existing buildings and
hangars. Also included in the selection process was the team for
the design of the Wings Over Salina Air Museum.
Bieberly Architects of Salina
will design improvements to the M. J. Kennedy Air Terminal. The design
will include an enlarged conference room that will accommodate larger
meetings and offer area businesses more opportunities for "fly
in" meetings.
Burns and McDonnell of Kansas
City, Mo. will help transform Hangars No. 606 and No. 626 from 1940's
style military hangars into modern facilities supporting 21st century
aerospace industry.
DMA Architects of Salina will
design improvements to two warehouses. After being remodeled, warehouse
Buildings No. 620 and No. 655 will provide new tenants excellent
logistics space.
The team of Jones Gillam Renz
of Salina and BWR Corporation of Kansas City, Mo. will prepare Building
No. 824 for a tenant needing space for heavy truck maintenance.
Howard & Helmer
Architecture of Wichita, Kan. received the assignment of upgrading
Hangar No. 959 for future large aircraft maintenance, repair and
overhaul. The hangar will house narrow-body air carrier aircraft.
The design will include improvements for significant energy savings.
The Salina firm, Wilson &
Co. will design improvements for two "nose dock" hangars. The
improvements to Hangars No. 713 and No. 724 will provide a new
aerospace business excellent space for business jet MRO work.
The initial building design for
the Wings Over Salina Air Museum will be completed by the team of Jones
Gillam Renz, BWR Corporation and Exline Design Architecture of San
Diego, CA. This team has considerable experience with the design of
award winning museums, monuments and exhibits.
Collectively this team of highly qualified design
professionals will provide the Airport Authority with excellent designs
for remodeled and newly constructed buildings. Completing the
improvements will keep the Salina Airport and Airport Industrial Center
as the location of choice for modern facilities available for growing
businesses.
Tim Rogers, A.A.E.
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K-State, Salina UAS
Program building momentum
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K-State's
Applied Aviation Research Center began as a cooperative venture of
K-State, Salina, the Salina Airport Authority and the Salina Area
Chamber of Commerce. The center's charter is to advance aerospace
technology through the application of research capabilities in
propulsion, airframe, avionics and aviation training.
The center's unmanned aerial systems programs office
collaborates closely with military organizations and the private sector
to focus on developing unmanned flight in the National Air Space and
training unmanned systems pilots and operators. K-State's unmanned
aerial system capability revolves around three key areas: operational
policies and standards; advanced avionics miniaturization; and unmanned
aerial vehicle education and training.
The K-State, Salina Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program
Office is rapidly developing expertise in critical areas leading to
eventual integration of unmanned aircraft into the controlled national
air space.
"We are quickly establishing the infrastructure and
operational readiness for various unmanned aerial missions," said
Kurt Barnhart, director of K-State's Applied Aviation Research Center,
which houses the UAS Program Office on the Big 12 university's Salina
campus.
With nearly $3.7 million in grants,
K-State's research projects include airspace integration, avionics and
payload, collision avoidance, wireless power transfer, and developing
concepts for airport wildlife mitigation. The center has applied for
another $6 million in UAS funding.
Read on...
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SAA renovates facility for Guard
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A building located on the
Salina Airport Industrial Center once used for making furniture will
now be used to "make" unit supply specialists, motor
transport operators, health care specialists, and more for the Kansas
National Guard.
A ribbon cutting ceremony and open house celebrated the
opening of a newly
remodeled Kansas National Guard training facility
Saturday, September 18 at 2804 Arnold.
"The Airport Authority has provided us with
a first class facility in which to train our National
Guardsmen," said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, Kansas Adjutant General,
who was on deck to cut the ribbon.
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Read on...
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From Wildcats to Wolverines
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Look out, Wildcats, there's a
new beast on the prowl! One of the latest and greatest
developments to come out of the K-State, Salina Unmanned Aerial Systems
Program Office is the Wolverine III.
K-State, working in partnership with Viking Aerospace,
engineered the Wolverine III as the first three-bladed UAS helicopter.
Three blades give the Wolverine one hour of endurance, whereas previous
UAS helicopters have offered 30 minutes.
"With three blades, the Wolverine has a little more
endurance and a lot more control than its two-bladed
predecessors," said Josh Brungardt, UAS Program Director. "It
gives us the diversity of being able to launch it fully automously, but
it is also just as easy to fly semi-automously."
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Read on...
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Boyle helps
students, pilots 'fly right'
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SLN Air Traffic Control Tower Manager Bruce Boyle
discusses current and upcoming tower operations during K-State's
Certified Flight Instructor Standardization meeting, Aug. 19.
Boyle asked the flight instructors to emphasize to their students the
need to differentiate between "stop and goes" and "touch
and goes." He discussed the new phraseology for correspondence
between the pilots and the tower and cleared up some of the pilots'
communication questions. With new helipads on the airfield, Boyle touched
on the increased helicopter traffic at SLN and with a new radar system
expected to be up and running soon.
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SAA
photo.
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FedEx to bring
new facility to Salina
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.jpg) A new FedEx Ground facility is
expected to be ready for business by July 2011 in the Salina Airport
Industrial Center.
Until recently, a
confidentiality agreement has kept the Authority from releasing the name
of the freight and sorting business that was set to begin operations and
was dubbed Project Riviera.
It was the fall of 2008, when
corporate site selection and real estate firm, Fisher and Co. approached
the Salina
Area Chamber of Commerce looking for a 30,000 sq. ft. office and
warehouse space in Salina. However due to the economic condition at
that time, it wasn't until the fall of 2009
that the company was able to resume its search.
Read on...
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SAA transfers
Aero Center to Board of Regents
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Almost two decades after the
facility was custom-built for K-State, Salina's aviation program, the
Salina Airport Authority transferred ownership of the Aeronautical
Center to the Kansas Board of Regents, Wednesday, September 15.
The Authority issued lease hold revenue bonds to finance
the
construction of the facility, then in 1991 entered into
a direct finance lease with the Regents on behalf of K-State,
Salina. Now, the university has exercised their option to
purchase the 2.49 acres of land and 32,449-square-foot building.
"The project is the perfect example of the
Authority's ability to build to suit, and in this case to build a
specialized facility for a top five aviation program," explained
Authority Executive Director Tim Rogers, A.A.E. "Although
the building is twenty years old, it is a very contemporary design,
even for today."
Read
on...
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Salina Airport
Authority taps region's premier commercial brokerage firm
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The Salina Airport Authority has chosen Zimmer Real Estate Services, L.C. to assist with marketing available buildings and
development sites surrounding the Salina Airport.
"This is
a great opportunity for us to market a large industrial portfolio, which
includes aviation and non-aviation related properties," said
Tracey Mann, CCIM, LEED AP, who along with Mark Long, SIOR, CCIM, LEED AP, will lead Zimmer's marketing efforts. "It's
also an opportunity for us to play a big part in recruiting businesses
to create and retain jobs in Salina and central Kansas."
Read
on...
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UAS Program
Office partners with Smoky Hill Radio Control Flying Club
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Smoky Hill R/C
Flying Club, Inc. photo.
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Students in Kansas State University Salina's unmanned
aerial systems program can now use the Smoky Hill Radio Control Flying
Club's airfield for training.
Thanks to a partnership between K-State Salina and the
flying club, students will be able to use the field when accompanied by
a member of the K-State Salina faculty or the club.
"We're pleased and excited that the R.C. club was
willing to work with us on UAS flight activity. Since many of the
vehicles we will be working with, in a strictly training environment,
will be R.C. vehicles equipped with more complex avionics, this makes
the perfect local venue for us to fly and train the next generation of
UAS pilots," said Kurt Barnhart, head of K-State Salina's aviation
department and director of the Applied Aviation Research Center, which
houses the unmanned aerial systems program.
Read
on...
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Moody's assigns
MIG1 short-term rating to SAA
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NEW YORK, Aug 13, 2010 -- Moody's Investors
Service has assigned a MIG1 rating to the Salina Airport Authority's
$11.7 million Taxable General Obligation Bonds Series 2010. Concurrently,
Moody's has affirmed the Aa2 rating on the Authority's outstanding
general obligation unlimited tax-backed debt of $13.9 million.
"We are pleased with Moody's assignment of a MIG1 rating to our
short-term temporary notes," said Manager of Administration and
Finance Shelli Swanson. "This rating allows us to receive
very favorable interest rates on our borrowing for infrastructure
development, which in turn, allows us to offer competitive lease rates
on facilities at the SLN Aviation Service Center."
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SAA
photo.
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The communications tower on Ka-Comm,
Inc.'s newest mobile communication trailer raises high in the sky during
a test run at the Salina Airport Industrial Center, Sept. 1.
The unit can be deployed to an area that
has lost all communications in the event of a natural or man-made
disaster. It can establish its full communication capability is as
little as 20 minutes after it arrives on scene with some communication
ability instantly.
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Donate, Search,
Shop for Wings Over Salina
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What if the Wings Over Salina Air Museum earned a
donation every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a
percentage of every purchase you made online went to support the
celebration of Salina area military and civilian aviation? Well,
now it can!
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