Airport Authority receives financial reporting award |
Tim Unruh
March 2021
A knack for accurately sharing Salina Airport Authority bookkeeping in ways that are consistent and understandable, has won high praise for Shelli Swanson and her team.
The SAA was awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for fiscal year ending Dec. 31, 2019, from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. Director of Administration and Finance Shelli Swanson, Business and Communications Manager Kasey Windhorst and Airport Administration Specialist Jazstyn Moyer were recognized for their financial reporting achievements.
“It’s nice to get some feedback. You find out where you stack up with your contemporaries,” said Swanson, the airport authority’s director of administration and finance, in her 25th year.
“It’s a team effort. Everything has to pencil out,” she said, crediting colleagues Kasey Windhorst and Jazstyn Moyer for their help in meeting and exceeding the lofty compliance.
“The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management,” GFOA reported in the award announcement.
“It’s very worthwhile. We look at financial statements no less than monthly, and it’s nice to have your peers grade your statements,” Swanson said. She is also a Certified Member (C.M.) of the American Association of Airport Executives.
Conformity among government agencies, and efficient form of communicating facts to the public, are essential, she said, agreeing to the necessity for an “apples to apples” comparison.
It’s about communication and integrity, Swanson said, and interpreting what’s on paper.
“If you’re recording something, another entity has to record in similar fashion,” she said. “One of the goals is that spirit of full disclosure.”
High praise in this area for Swanson and her associates “is not at all surprising,” said Kristin Gunn, who chairs the airport authority board.
“Shelli is able to handle not only the more typical and anticipated accounting tasks, but also to respond promptly, competently and cheerfully to the many opportunities and challenges that arise,” Gunn said. “She has the unique ability to discuss accounting practices with a CPA as well as with the general public. For Shelli, no task is too large or too small to address in a timely and professional manner."
Another advantage of the GFOA is receiving notices of how accounting standards are going to change, so that the agency you represent stays up with the times.
“You have to stay on the cutting edge,” Swanson said. “You have to keep up to date on best practices in communicating our finances.”
Financial reports to the board are her responsibility, and they’re a mainstay at most board gatherings.
“Sometimes numbers aren’t the most interesting thing to talk about,” Swanson said, “so to get recognition like this is very rewarding.”
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Airport Operations is in the family |
Jazstyn Moyer, Airport Administration Specialist |
Tim Unruh
March 2021
A rich young life enjoyed in southwest Kansas doubled as a perfect primer for Jazstyn Moyer’s career in aviation.
Soon to graduate Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus with a degree in airport management (minors in business and aviation safety), the 21-year-old will report this spring as a full-time airport administration specialist at the Salina Airport Authority. She has also been a recipient of the Vanier Family Scholarship for academic years 2018-2019 and 2019-2020.
On-the-job training was collected as a paid part-timer, with a summer internship, for 17 months total the SAA.
Her beginning came naturally thanks to her membership in the Moyer Aviation family in Ulysses.
“I come from a long line of pilots and always knew I wanted to go into something aviation related,” said Jazstyn, or “Jaz” for short.
“We would go there and hang out in the hangar,” she said.
Moyer Aviation is a fixed-base operation — FBO — in Ulysses, that provides aviation services at the airport, such as aircraft maintenance, pilot service, fueling, hangar storage and flight instruction.
First born of Jeff and Artrisha’s three children, Jazstyn spent a lot of time on the Ulysses airfield.
“We were fully engulfed in aviation, and the kids were little hangar rats. They were out there all the time,” her father said. “Jaz has been around it all of her life.”
And how, Jazstyn, was four months old when she took her first ride on an airplane, on New Year’s Eve, 1999.
“We decided we wanted her to say she flew into the next century,” Jeff Moyer said.
Jaz was aloft when the year 2000 began.
The Moyer offspring were nearly named after brands of aircraft. The parents considered naming Jazstyn, Cessna. Her brother, Jett, 19, is a freshman a K-State Poly, in the professional pilot program.
Mike Moyer, Jaz’s late grandfather, and founder of the FBO, bragged that “Jett was his first jet before he actually owned a jet airplane,” Jeff said.
Jett works part-time for the airport authority in aircraft rescue firefighting and in operations.
Jaz’s kid sister, Jyntri, 18, was set to be named Cheyenne. How it was vetoed will remain a family secret. A senior at Ulysses High School, Jyntri is eyeing a nursing career, but her dad holds hope that she could someday work on an air ambulance crew.
“It’s to be determined,” Jeff Moyer said.
The family enjoys a proud history in aviation. Jaz’s maternal grandfather the late Artie Walters, who attended Kansas Technical College in Salina (a precursor to K-State Poly), where he complete A&P certification and during that era, obtained a private pilot’s license.
Mike Moyer was a parachute packer with the U.S. Army, who served during the Vietnam war. He used the G.I. Bill to get his private pilot’s license, and while still farming, became a commercial pilot.
“He would frequent the airport in Ulysses, and in 1984 took over as airport manager, and started Moyer Aviation,” Jeff Moyer said, offering charter flights for single engine, multi-engine, with an instrument rating. He was also a helicopter pilot, who offered flight training in airplane and helicopter flying, and was a certified airframe and power plant mechanic.
“Dad had everything but a sea plane rating. We don’t have much need for that in southwest Kansas,” Jeff Moyer said.
He and brother Kevin Moyer co-manage Moyer Aviation — both A&P mechanics — that’s owned by their mother, Cheryl Moyer. The brothers have also worked as agriculture spray pilots.
“We try to do many things in aviation to make money in western Kansas,” Jeff Moyer said. “We hit all the angles. We’ve got’er covered.”
Jaz isn’t sure just where her career will take her, but it will definitely be aviation related, perhaps as an air traffic controller, airport manager, flight dispatcher or with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
“Jazstyn has a high aviation ‘IQ’ that comes from growing up in an aviation family,” said Tim Rogers, SAA executive director. “Coupled with her K-State Poly degree in airport management, she is well-prepared for her new Salina Airport Authority duties and responsibilities.”
Jeff Moyer hasn’t lost hope that Jaz and Jyntri will become private pilots.
“I am working on my instructor rating now. When I get that, maybe I can teach them and continue that tradition,” Jeff Moyer said. “We’re pretty proud of our kids, proud of Jaz and what’s she’s done; her determination and knowledge, and how she immersed herself in the industry. I look forward to seeing what kind of impact she can make in aviation.”
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Reopened Hertz office sees growing business at SLN |
Tim Unruh
March 2021
As scheduled air service amps up at Salina Regional Airport, car rentals are reportedly doing the same.
Garden City-based LAG Rentals has resurrected the Hertz office at M.J. Kennedy Air Terminal in Salina. "It closed when COVID-19 hit during the spring of 2020", said Jenna Shook, LAG Rentals owner/operator.
“Hertz corporate shut the location down and didn’t do anything with it until we opened it March 12,” she said. “So far, it has been really good. Salina’s got a lot of potential.”
In her first week on the job this past Friday, Skyler Erickson was connecting airline passengers and others with rental vehicles at the Salina Hertz office. It’s near the baggage claim in the terminal.
“We didn’t know what to expect opening up, but so far, it’s been pretty busy,” she said.
“Business has definitely picked up quickly.”
Hertz is located at the M.J. Kennedy Air Terminal. It’s open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and when United flights are arriving from Denver and Chicago.
“We can do walk-ins, but highly recommend reservations so we have the amount of cars we need,” Erickson said.
Opened in September 2019, LAG Rentals is owned by Dodge City-based Lewis Automotive Group. It’s co-owned by Shook, her brother, Brad Lewis, sister, Jamey Lewis Gonzales; and their father and founder, Jim Lewis.
The company includes nine car dealerships in Topeka. Hays, Dodge City, Garden City and Liberal. Vehicle rental businesses are in Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal, Salina, Manhattan, Hays, Junction City — and Lawrence, set to open in April — all bearing the Hertz logo.
LAG Rentals has a fleet of approximately 500 vehicles, both 2020 and 2021 models.
A veteran of the restaurant business, Erickson is enjoying vehicle rentals.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “It’s pretty busy all the time, but it’s great.”
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Salina skies booked heavy into Autumn |
Tim Unruh
March 2021
Fruitful gazing into the north-central Kansas airspace is assured this summer as Salina Regional Airport plays host to 10 aviation events.
A few have public possibilities to watch from a distance, and two will allow visitors to hangars or the airport apron.
Most of the exercises are for training, testing, and-or scientific investigation.
All of the activity equates to people coming to town, said Sylvia Rice, Visit Salina director of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce.
The busy season will bring an estimated 910 visitors to Salina, each spending an average of 20 days in town, producing approximately $2.6 million in economic impact, according to the Salina Airport Authority.
They will book rooms in hotels, rent vehicles, dine out at restaurants, shop at retail stores, and visit local attractions.
“Every one of these people involved in the exercises and events is a visitor,” Rice said. “These airmen and airwomen, depending on their schedules, do a great job of getting out into the community.”
But Visit Salina won’t promote the military events as attractions.
“Quite frankly, they’re here doing business,” she said. “Obviously, they’re in the sky because that’s the nature of what they do, but we don’t talk a lot about them publicly. We’re not promoting people to run out to the airport and take a look, unless there is a public component.”
The impact on Salina is tremendous, Rice said.
“We’re proud to host these operations,” said JoAnn McClure, sales manager for Visit Salina at the chamber. She serves as a liaison for the visitors and provides lots of information about Salina and Saline County.
“I give them options for their free time, vehicles rentals, what’s available outside of the airport and the weapons ranges,” McClure said.
Reunions from the Schilling Air Force base days, and public events such as Hawgsmoke military aviation competition, and the occasional open house at the Smoky Hill Air National Guard Weapons Range, are openly promoted, Rice said.
Regardless of whether these are marquee events, folks notice.
“It’s an attention getter and part of our history,” Rice said, “and there are a lot of people who look up into the sky and actually identify the airplane.”
Two events may allow public visits if COVID19 protocols permit.
NASA returns to Salina Regional Airport July 5 through Aug. 31 for intensive study of the Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS).
Research targets the North American Monsoon Anticyclone (NAMA) “that dominates circulation of the North-Western Hemisphere,” according to NASA promotional materials.
“Strong convective (thunder) storms from the vertical transport of heat and moisture in the atmosphere,” according to the National Weather Service.
They are not seen in such magnitude or at such high latitudes anywhere else around the globe, according to NASA. “The DCOTSS project directly addresses this knowledge gap.
A media day and NASA Social — open to all ages — will be announced.
The public can “Meet and speak with scientists and engineers, learn about NASA missions, and discover with hands-on science fun,”
“Made in the Shade,” a B-25J bomber from the Arizona Commemorative Air Force, is set to visit July 7 through 12.
Viewing the aircraft from outside is free, but admission is charged for tours and actual flights. Watch for details, such as times and prices.
Other events include:
- Sierra Nevada Corporation, based in Sparks, Nev., will conduct three weeks of runway and flight performance assessment and testing with the DC-9 airliner. SNC is an aerospace and national security contractor specializing in aircraft modification and integration, space components and systems, and related technology products for cybersecurity and health.
- U.S. Airmen and F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 17th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, plans to execute “Plains Warrior Exercise” in May at SLN. The South Dakota Air National Guard squadron will fly sorties and practice combat missions at the Smoky Hill Air National Guard Weapons Range, just southwest of Salina.
- Goldspike 1.0 involves the 303rd Fighter Squadron and 442nd Fighter Wing, for night operations in May from Salina Regional Airport. The squadron from Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, will use A-10s, C-130s, King Air aircraft, and CH-47 Chinook helicopters.
- The 302nd Airlift Wing, based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, is scheduled for a week of training in September out of Salina Regional Airport. C-130 four-engine turboprop military transport planes will be used in the training.
- U.S. National Aerobatic Championships, Sept. 15 through 30 at SLN, will bring up to 100 competitors aiming to qualify for the International Aerobatics Championship. The event is not open to the public. However, the action can be viewed for free from Fossett Plaza at the west end of Beechcraft Road, near AvFlight, Salina’s fixed-base operator business. Glean more details at the Nationals Aerobatic Championships Facebook page.
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KDOT honors SAA's Swanson for transportation contributions |
Tim Unruh
March 2021
Shelli Swanson is featured on the Kansas Department of Transportation Facebook page. Her portrait was added to the Women in Kansas Transportation History album for her many contributions.
In her 25th year at the Salina Airport Authority, Swanson is director of administration and finance. She is also president of the Kansas Airport Association, and is “building new processes to reach every public use airport in Kansas to ensure they have the most current information available to protect flight safety and remain compliant with (Federal Aviation Administration) policies and procedures,” according to the Facebook post.
Swanson is also “a key member” of the Salina Airport Authority and the local economic development team that is helping to bring hundreds of new jobs to Kansas, many of them aviation related.
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Greetings!
March came and finally brought some much needed moisture to our area, which slowed traffic on occasions due to mist or fog that took a little time to burn off causing several flights in and out of Salina to operate under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) as opposed to Visual Flight Rules. This also made it difficult for some Kansas State University students to conduct opposite direction approaches so not to interrupt IFR air carriers or other cross country flights.
A couple of activities of note this month included Air Tanker 95, an airborne asset out of Hutchinson that staged here in Salina to help extinguish a fire in the vicinity of Concordia. The Air Tanker made several trips to/from the Salina Regional Airport taking approximately 800 gallons of water on each departure to support fire-fighting crews on the ground there while protecting animals, livestock, and other personnel in the area. One trip from this aircraft can drop more water than is held by a single brush truck thus saving time and undue injuries to those fighting the fire on the ground. A special thanks to our Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team here in Salina.
And second, DOC 72 a Boeing B-29 Superfortress – one of only two currently flying in the world today, made his way to Salina and operated twice in the same day that brought out several local spectators who got to see him perform for more than a couple of hours. This aircraft was predominantly used for electronic countermeasures among other things that date back to the early 1940s.
Less nostalgic operations that closed out this month included one glider takeoff and several C-130 operations that operated out of Salina in R-3601, a restricted area southwest of Salina, for two to three weeks.
From the tower to everyone – have an enjoyable Easter, and
Be safe, fly often, and drop us a line some time (what we do well – can do better – etc.). Any and all feedback is welcome.
Scott Hillegeist
Air Traffic Manager
Salina (SLN) FCT
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Feature Facility
Building 520, Unit E
2775 Arnold Avenue
The Salina Airport Authority has available for lease, a 2,886 sq. ft. building located in the heart of the Airport Industrial Center. Building 520, Unit E is move in ready and the perfect size for any business or organization needing warehouse space along with offices.
Commonly known as Building 520, Unit E, this well maintained facility is located at 2775 Arnold Avenue and features 1,762 sq. ft. of warehouse space and 1,124 sq. ft. of office space.
Call the Salina Airport Authority today at (785) 827-3914 to schedule a tour, or email shellis@salair.org.
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On the Flightline at America's Fuel Stop |
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Military Operations at Salina Regional Airport - March 2021 |
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Salina Airport Authority | www.salinaairport.com
3237 Arnold Avenue
Salina, Kansas 67401
785-827-3914
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Copyright ©2021 | Salina Airport Authority | All rights reserved
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