Tag Archive for: San Marcos Regional Airport

Berry Aviation, Inc. To Break Ground On 3.2 Million Dollar Expansion At The San Marcos Regional Airport

San Marcos, TX. – Last year, Berry Aviation, Inc. announced the signing of a 40-year land lease with the City of San Marcos and on Friday, April 20th – less than a year later – will break ground on a new 31,000+ square foot facility. The approximately $3.2 million investment will allow Berry to better accommodate their growing airline fleet and staff.

Texas Aviation Partners, the company contracted to manage San Marcos Regional Airport on behalf of the City, worked with Berry to secure the ground lease that will ensure Berry’s presence in San Marcos for the next four decades.

The new facility will house Berry’s maintenance and supply-chain headquarters, and will include a 20,000 square foot maintenance hangar, machine shop, non-destructive testing lab, state-of-the-art parts retrieval system, and more than 10,000 square feet of office space.

The facility will allow Berry to work on larger aircraft in a controlled environment and perform component overhaul for third party air carriers. Berry anticipates adding an additional 20 to 30 high-skilled employees as part of the expansion.

The San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, along with Texas Aviation Partners, the City of San Marcos, and Berry Aviation, will host a ground-breaking ceremony for Berry Aviation’s new facility at the San Marcos Regional Airport.

This event will be marked with the following speakers;

  • John Thomaides, Mayor of San Marcos
  • Jim Wimberly, Texas Aviation Partners
  • Jason Mock, President and CEO of the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Stan Finch, President of Berry Aviation
  • Scott Gregson, San Marcos Councilmember, Airport Advisory Board Chairman

Berry Aviation, Inc., founded in 1983, Berry Aviation, Inc. provides airlift and aviation support services to address challenging circumstances in industry and government. Headquartered in San Marcos, Texas, with satellite facilities across the U.S., the Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific Islands, Berry covers almost 2.5 million miles, performing more than 13,000 flight operations, annually. Berry specializes in solving geopolitical, regulatory, environment and time related air transportation complexities through capabilities-driven aviation. More information on the company’s services, certifications, and history can be found at www.berryaviation.com.

Texas Aviation Partners was founded in 2007 to offer a unique blend of aviation and business solutions. TAP provides services that range from airport and FBO management to business development plans, capital improvement project management, and consulting. To learn more, visit www.texasaviationpartners.com.

San Marcos Regional Airport occupies nearly 1,400 acres, San Marcos Regional Airport is the city’s largest parcel of developable land and has been managed by Texas Aviation Partners since 2010. The airport is home to more than 250 based aircraft and 13 aviation-related businesses employing over 150 people. San Marcos Regional is the only reliever airport in Texas for two international airports (Austin-Bergstrom and San Antonio International).

Source: https://smcorridornews.com/berry-aviation-inc-to-break-ground-on-3-2-million-dollar-expansion-at-the-san-marcos-regional-airport/

COVERING SAN MARCOS: D-Day plane arriving at new home

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The historic aircraft that led a formation of more than 800 C-47s to Normandy to drop paratroopers on D-Day will arrive at its new home on Tuesday.

The plane named ‘That’s All, Brother’ will make the final leg of its journey to its new home at the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) hangar at the San Marcos Regional Airport on March 6 at 1:00pm.

“That’s All, Brother is an American treasure,” said Wing Leader Joe Enzminger. “We are honored and humbled to be entrusted in the care of this iconic aircraft. Over the coming months, we hope thousands will come visit That’s All, Brother and help us by playing a part in returning the aircraft to Normandy, France for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.”

In 2015, U.S. Air Force historian Matt Scales discovered that the airplane wasting away in an aircraft boneyard in Wisconsin. Like so many aircraft which survived World War II, That’s All, Brother was used in a variety of post-war civilian roles, hauling people and cargo across the United States.

“Through the support of thousands of generous donors, we were able to rescue this historic plane from the boneyard and restore it to a wonderful piece of living history,” said Project Officer Andy Maag.

In January, the C-47 made a return to the skies after an extensive restoration performed by Basler Turbo Conversions in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

“This is just one step of a long restoration journey. Now that the airplane is flyable, the next phase will focus on restoring the paint and the historic interior details,” said Maag. “In the coming months we will fly the plane extensively to events in order to build awareness and raise funds to enable the plane to return to Europe in 2019 for the commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day as well as the 70th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.”

If you’d like to know more about aircraft tours, aviation events and educational programs, go to www.ThatsAllBrother.org.

Source: http://news4sanantonio.com/news/local/covering-san-marcos-d-day-plane-arriving-at-new-home

Berry Aviation, Inc. and Texas Aviation Partners Announce $3.2 Million Expansion at San Marcos Regional Airport

PRESS RELEASE

Contact for media inquiries:

Erin Moore 512.637.4224

[email protected] berryaviation.com

Global Aviation Company to Build State-of-the-Art 31,000 Square Foot Facility

SAN MARCOS – (May 22, 2017) Berry Aviation, Inc. (Berry) expands its operations at San Marcos Regional Airport with the signing of a 40-year ground lease with the City of San Marcos. Texas Aviation Partners, the company contracted to manage the airport on behalf of the City, worked with Berry to secure the ground lease, on which Berry plans to construct a more than 31,000 square foot facility. The approximately $3.2 million investment will allow Berry to better accommodate their growing airline fleet and staff.

“San Marcos has been an excellent location for us to conduct business from for the past 25 years,” Sonny Berry, founder of Berry Aviation, Inc. explained. “We looked at several potential airports for this project and when we engaged with the leadership at the City of San Marcos and Texas Aviation Partners, we determined the best place for our company and team to expand was right here at home.”

The new facility will house Berry’s maintenance and supply-chain headquarters, and will include a 20,000 square foot maintenance hangar, machine shop, non-destructive testing lab, state-of-the-art parts retrieval system, and more than 10,000 square feet of office space. The facility will allow Berry to work on larger aircraft in a controlled environment and perform component overhaul for third party air carriers. Berry anticipates adding an additional 20 to 30 high-skilled employees as part of the expansion.

“The San Marcos Airport, coupled with the City’s location in this growing, thriving corridor makes our community ripe for economic development,” said city of San Marcos Mayor John Thomaides. “We are very pleased with Berry Aviation’s success in San Marcos, their position as a beacon of economic growth in the greater San Marcos region, and we look forward to 40 more years as a partner and home to the company.”

“After outgrowing our current space, we are excited about the new opportunities this expansion project presents and thankful for the ability to provide our employees with a world-class facility near their homes in the San Marcos area,” Berry said.

With more than 30 years in service, Berry provides innovative airlift and aviation support services to government and industry customers. For more information about Berry Aviation, please visit www.berryaviation.com.

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Berry Aviation, Inc.

Founded in 1983, Berry Aviation, Inc. provides airlift and aviation support services to address challenging circumstances in industry and government. Headquartered in San Marcos, Texas, with satellite facilities across the U.S., the Middle East, Africa, and the Pacific Islands, Berry covers almost 2.5 million miles, performing more than 13,000 flight operations, annually. Berry specializes in solving geopolitical, regulatory, environment and time related air transportation complexities through capabilities-driven aviation. More information on the company’s services, certifications, and history can be found at www.berryaviation.com.

About Texas Aviation Partners

Texas Aviation Partners was founded in 2007 to offer a unique blend of aviation and businesssolutions. TAP provides services that range from airport and FBO management to business development plans, capital improvement project management, and consulting. To learn more, visit www.texasaviationpartners.com.

San Marcos Regional Airport

Occupying nearly 1,400 acres, San Marcos Regional Airport is the city’s largest parcel of developable land and has been managed by Texas Aviation Partners since 2010. The airport is home to more than 225 based aircraft and 13 aviation-related businesses employing over 150 people. San Marcos Regional is the only reliever airport in Texas for two international airports (Austin-Bergstrom and San Antonio International).

Veteran flight training program takes off in San Marcos

By Alicia Inns

SAN MARCOS (KXAN) — Military helicopter pilots who have a desire to enter into a commercial airline career now have the chance through training done in San Marcos.

Coast Flight Training, the San Diego-based company that recruits and trains veteran and civilian talent to fly commercial airlines, began operating at San Marcos Regional Airport in January 2017 and has currently enrolled 200 students for training this year. An official ribbon-cutting takes place Friday.

The Rotary Transition Program (RTP) in San Marcos is designed to train experienced helicopter pilots to meet the FAA requirements for fixed-wing pilots going into an airline career. As a partner with Envoy and American Airlines Group, Coast Flight Training offers pilot candidates a direct connection to transition directly into the cockpit with a conditional job offer once the program is completed.

For veteran Gary L. Good, the fascination with soaring above the clouds started early. “I actually wanted to be an astronaut when I was a young guy,” Good said.

He served in the Army for 22 years as an officer and Black Hawk helicopter pilot.

“With solo military flights in a helicopter school, most of them have buddy flights where there’s another student in the aircraft. But here we do our first actual solo driving up in a plane so it’s pretty amazing,” Good says.

Officials hope it helps meet a growing pilot shortage nationwide because many veterans already have their license with the FAA.

“Most of these guys have an excess of 1,500 flight hours so they automatically qualify in terms of experience,” said Dan Verda, director of operations for Coast Flight. “They’re already getting a qualified capable pilot, the minute they walk through the door. They are taking that wealth of knowledge and experience that they’ve built over 10, 15, 20 years in the military and they are going to capitalize that to get mature seasoned aviators.”

Boeing estimates more than 500,000 new pilots will be needed globally over the next 20 years. In the U.S., the four largest airlines plan to retire a minimum of 18,000 pilots by 2022 due to a mandatory retirement age of 65, creating an expected shortfall of 35,000 pilots.

Coast Flight Training maintains an aircraft fleet of 25 in San Marcos with an additional 10 being added by early fall. Monthly traffic counts for San Marcos Regional Airport have doubled since training began. Coast Flight Training maintains a student count of 65 at any given time and expects to grow from 10 to 15 employees by late summer with plans to ultimately employ 40.

Source: http://kxan.com/2017/05/19/veteran-flight-training-program-takes-off-in-san-marcos/

U.S. Military Helicopter Pilots to train for careers with Envoy/American Airlines

Aviation Tribune

January 7, 2017

Coast Flight Training is expanding from its San Diego headquarters to establish a second location for its airline flight training program in San Marcos, TX.

The new training facilities in San Marcos will focus on training U. S. Military helicopter pilots who are transitioning to in-demand careers as civilian airline pilots for the nation’s top airlines.

The U.S. airline industry is facing a critical shortage of pilots, with more than 617,000 trained pilots needed by 2035 according to studies by Boeing. Pilots earn an average of $58,000 starting salary, plus benefits including travel, climbing to more than $100,000 annually after a few years in the industry, and potentially exceeding $300,000 annually during a career.

“We are very pleased to be opening a Coast location in San Marcos, where we have been welcomed with open arms by the City, Greater San Marcos Partnership, and in particular Texas Aviation Partners. They created a very positive business environment for us to invest here, create jobs, and help veterans achieve great success for themselves and their families,” said Bryan Simmons, President of Coast Flight Training. A retired United States Marine and military flight instructor, Simmons served as Presidential Command pilot for two U. S. Presidents.

“Coast Flight’s choice of San Marcos shows the true value of our airport in our economic development effort,” said City Councilman and Airport Board Chairman, Scott Gregson. “Increased utilization of our facility and being involved with re-training our veterans to help solve a critical shortage of pilots is a

“Increased utilization of our facility and being involved with re-training our veterans to help solve a critical shortage of pilots is a win-win for everyone.”

Partnering with Envoy Air/American Airlines Group, Coast Flight Training instructors will launch the first Rotary Transition Program (RTP) class in San Marcos in early 2017, providing complete transition training of Helicopter pilots to meet FAA fixed wing requirements, along with a conditional offer of employment with Envoy/American Airlines upon successful completion of training and certification. “Envoy Air is proud to team with Coast to launch this new program in Texas, and to promote commercial aviation as a rewarding career for our U. S. Military Veterans. Coast Flight offers outstanding training and produces

“Envoy Air is proud to team with Coast to launch this new program in Texas, and to promote commercial aviation as a rewarding career for our U. S. Military Veterans. Coast Flight offers outstanding training and produces well-qualified pilots that are ready to join the Envoy/American Airlines Group team, and we welcome them to Texas,” said Ric Wilson, Vice President Flight Operations, Envoy Air.

The RTP is specifically designed to meet the needs of experienced helicopter pilots, who already have valuable skills that can quickly translate to civilian employment. After approximately 90 days of training, pilots will join the Envoy/American Airlines team, which is making the RTP possible for Veterans by providing tuition assistance and a generous hiring bonus.

Coast Flight, founded in 2008 has been one of San Diego’s fastest growing companies, three years running. Coast is a FAA Part-141 flight school and is TSA and SEVP approved to host international students. Coast is also an acknowledged leader in Cirrus training and has been designated by Cirrus Aircraft as a Cirrus Platinum Training Center.

Source: http://aviationtribune.com/training/u-s-military-helicopter-pilots-train-careers-envoyamerican-airlines/

San Marcos Regional Airport looks to raise profile in FY 2016

Community Impact Newspaper

By Brett Thorne

September 16, 2015

Since August 2014 the San Marcos Regional Airport has changed its name and undergone a series of capital improvements aimed at expanding its capacity. Now Texas Aviation Partners, or TAP, the private company that manages the airport, is hoping to elevate the facility’s profile to attract more business.

The airport has historically operated at a deficit averaging about $20,000 in each of the past three fiscal years. But an Aug. 18 council vote to restructure the Airport Commission—the appointed body that advises council on airport matters—and allow TAP to increase fees at the facility in fiscal year 2015-16, which begins Oct. 1, may be a signal that business at the airport is cleared for takeoff, said TAP Co-founder Stephen Alexander.

Alexander said the fee increases, which apply to rentals of hangars, shelters and storage facilities at the airport, should help TAP turn the facility into a revenue-generating asset for the city. The next step will be to focus on promotion of the airport, he said.

“There are a lot of things cities do very, very well,” Alexander said. “Emergency services rank up there. When it comes to an enterprise fund, which the airport is, it’s supposed to make money. City government is not in the business of thinking like private enterprise and publicizing their product.”

Airport Control

The city’s Sunset Advisory Commission—an appointed group responsible for advising council on the necessity of various boards and commissions—recommended council dissolve the Airport Commission. Chuck Nash, chairman of the Airport Commission, agreed with that recommendation, conceding in a letter to City Council that TAP is best suited to “run the airport like a business.”

“I would like for the group that’s getting paid to run the airport [to] run the airport and not have to go to a commission and legal and then council for a lease amendment,” Council Member Ryan Thomason said at the Aug. 18 meeting. “We’re putting too many obstacles … in the way of being productive.”

The potential dissolution of the commission caused concern among some council members, who feel the city needs to maintain some level of involvement with what many officials consider a major asset in the area.

“I like the idea of letting TAP run the business of the airport, but I’d like to add that we want the Airport Commission to not run the day-to-day [business], because we have [TAP] for that, but to be involved in the promotion of the airport,” Council Member Jane Hughson said.

The airport’s revenue comes from three sources: property rentals, collecting a percentage of revenue from jet fuel dispensed at the facility and collecting 1 percent of all revenue from business conducted at the airport. The decision to allow the increase to rental rates is one step on the road to running the airport more like a business, Alexander said.

Council opted to keep the restructured commission in place and plans to reassess operations at the airport in 2016.

Airport’s Economic Effects

TAP Marketing Director Cassidy Berenato said she thinks most San Marcos residents are not familiar with the airport—a city-owned asset similar to a public library or park—because they do not use it on a regular basis. The airport does not offer airliner service like Austin-Bergstrom International Airport or San Antonio International Airport, so most of the population never interacts with it, she said.

“If you don’t know anything about general aviation airports, all you see is, ‘Those must be some rich guys out there using all my tax dollars so they can go play on the weekend,’” Berenato said. “That couldn’t be further from the truth when you really get down to it.”

Last year there were 51,189 takeoffs and landings at SMRA. Many of those were from companies based in San Marcos or with locations here, Berenato said.

In addition to recreational aviation, the airport also provides local businesses—McCoy’s Building Supply and Ingram Readymix are two San Marcos-based companies that lease hangars at SMRA—with a major advantage over nearby communities, Berenato said.

McCoy’s Building Supply CEO Brian McCoy said his company keeps two aircraft at the airport and uses them weekly. McCoy said the amount of time it takes to fly out of SMRA helps ensure his management team’s travel is as efficient as possible.

Flying out of ABIA, for instance, would require at least 90 more minutes because of travel on I-35 and passing through secured access, Alexander said. Congestion at SMRA is virtually non-existent because of the relatively low number of daily takeoffs and landings compared with an international airport with passenger airline service.

“I can’t even fathom [having to go to ABIA or SAIA],” McCoy said. “We try to get [to SMRA] a few minutes before takeoff, but they’ve already got the plane inspected and fueled. It’s just a matter of closing the doors and going.”

During the economic downturn in the late 2000s, McCoy said constant face-to-face contact with the company’s 2,000 employees and 83 stores throughout the southern United States—facilitated by air travel through SMRA—helped the company survive the tumult.

Regional Airport

This summer the idea of a regional airport serving San Antonio and Austin picked up steam, reviving a conversation that TAP Co-founder Jim Wimberley said has been happening for years.

SMRA, with its existing runways and proximity to both cities, would be a logical place for a new regional airport, but Wimberley said he is not sure the concept holds much weight. SAIA and ABIA both have potential to expand far beyond their current capacity, he said.

“In theory, the city of Austin will never need a new airport,” he said. “Same for San Antonio. Why do you [talk about regional airports here] other than it’s a nice little interesting buzzword?”

Hughson said discussion of SMRA’s regional importance has been happening at the city level for decades.

“Kathy Morris was mayor from ’88 to ’96, and she was talking about what a jewel we have in the airport and what future potential is there,” she said.

Source: https://communityimpact.com/austin/commerce/2015/09/16/san-marcos-regional-airport-looks-to-raise-profile-in-fy-2016/

$5.7 million grant project set to begin Feb.16 at San Marcos Regional Airport

Press Release

SAN MARCOS, Texas (February 11, 2015) – It’s about to get much easier to access San Marcos Regional Airport by car. Construction to widen the airport’s entrance is scheduled to kick-off Monday, Feb. 16.

The project is part of a $5.7 million FAA-funded grant awarded in 2014. The widened entrance is a portion of a larger runway reconstruction project.

“The reconstruction of runway 13/31 is the main component of the grant project,” said Cassidy Berenato, Director of Marketing and Business Development for Texas Aviation Partners. “But airside construction won’t begin until April.”

The airport entrance will be widened from approximately 22 feet to 45 feet and will include a left-hand turn lane from the airport onto Highway 21. As an added safety measure, Texas Aviation Partners is working closely with TxDOT Highways to have a left turn lane installed on Highway 21.

“We’ve desperately needed a wider entrance for many years. Not only will it be safer, but it’s consistent with our overall strategy of increasing the airport’s curb appeal.”

In addition to the runway reconstruction and airport entrance, the project will include an aircraft engine run-up area and three Precision Approach Path Indicators (PAPIs). PAPIs are navigational aids that alert pilots if they’re too high or too low when landing, Berenato explained.

The entire project is scheduled for completion in August.

San Marcos City Council Renews Airport Management Contract for 5 Years

Press Release

SAN MARCOS, Texas (February 5, 2015) – On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the San Marcos City Council voted unanimously to renew its contract with Texas Aviation Partners, LLC. for the operation, management, and development of San Marcos Regional Airport.

“We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished in these first five years,” said Stephen Alexander, founding partner. “We have more work to do and we’re honored to continue growing San Marcos Regional on behalf of the city and surrounding community.”

Since the original contract began in 2010, Texas Aviation Partners has overseen over $13M in federal, state, and local grant projects in addition to the day-to-day operations of the airport.

In 2014, Texas Aviation Partners completed a business development plan for the airport as part of a TxDOT administered federal grant. The plan focuses on real estate, business recruitment, and marketing in a 3-5 year time frame.

Implementation of the business plan is underway with an initial focus on brand development.

“We started with the creation of a logo to communicate the vision of the airport,” said Cassidy Berenato, Director of Marketing and Business Development. “We’ve already used it on new directional signage and it will tie-in with our airport website currently in design.”

“With the business plan complete we have a clear path on how to grow this airport over the next five years,” Alexander said. “The contract renewal reaffirms the visionary leadership of the City of San Marcos and their confidence in our team.”

Airport receives $350k, new name

San Marcos Daily Record

David Short, Executive Editor

August 5, 2014

It’s now official. San Marcos Municipal Airport is now San Marcos Regional Airport, a name change that better reflects the facilities mission and purpose in Central Texas. The change has been in the works for some time but had to wait for final approval from both the Federal Aviation Administration and Texas Department of Transportation.

“The new name and corresponding logo are part of the overall branding effort laid out in the airport’s business plan,” Cassidy Berenato, director of marketing and administration, said. “We surveyed airport tenants and users and spoke extensively with stakeholders in the community before choosing ‘San Marcos Regional’ as the name. We’ve received a ton of fantastic press over the past year thanks in large part to the AOPA Regional Fly-in and Redbird’s $1.00 AvGas promotion. Pilots are more familiar with our airport now more than ever.”

And with that familiarity has come more demand for hangar space at the fast-growing airport. One of two major projects that will begin in early 2015 will be more hangars.

“The demand for hangars at San Marcos Regional Airport is off the charts. We have a long wait-list and receive calls almost daily from pilots who want to base here,” Berenato said.

Recognizing the ongoing growth and how the city, through Texas Aviation Partners which manages the airport under contract with the city, has handled the growth, TxDOT last week awarded $350,000 to the airport for additional security fencing and access gates.

“The main goal of the fence is to increase safety. Requiring a code to access the Aircraft Operating Area prevents accidental incursions and limits the number of vehicles operating among aircraft,” Berenato said.

At the same time, the city is “contributing almost $100,000 for parking lot construction.”

“Public parking has been sorely needed at the airport for a long time,” Berenato said. “It makes a lot of sense for us to complete these projects side-by-side.”

Ready for takeoff: San Marcos airport gets federal, state boost

HAYS FREE PRESS

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

The San Marcos Municipal Airport was awarded a $5.77 million facelift in federal and state monies to improve pavement and lighting at the facility, particularly to its ILS (instrument landing system) runway.

Stephen Alexander of Texas Aviation Partners, the private company which manages the airport, said the award would be used to resurface and repair runway 13-31, the ILS runway used by pilots during inclement weather, and to widen the airport’s entrance at State Highway 21.

“These funds help put the San Marcos Airport on a glide path to a better future,” said U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett in a statement. “Continued improvements will allow the airport to better serve Central Texas fliers.”

The airport’s $5.77 million was approved by the Texas Transportation Commission at its January meeting, as part of a $17 million grant used for airport improvements across Texas, according to the state agency.

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) awards federal and state funding for capital improvement projects and to help develop and establish Texas airports as authorized by the federal Airport and Airway Improvement Act and the state’s Aviation Facilities Development and Financial Assistance Act, according to the Texas Transportation Commission, which operates under TxDOT.

San Marcos’ airport took the largest chunk of the $17 million grant, and will use $5,470,500 for the pavement and lighting improvements and $300,000 to widen the entrance road.

“We’re always striving to seek grant dollars that are available to improve the airport,” Alexander said, adding that the facility is a vital component to the economic vibrancy of the city and potentially the region.

In the past three years, the San Marcos Municipal Airport has been awarded funding for major improvements to include the traffic control tower, which opened in 2011; and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will install Terminal Radar Display safety equipment at the airport in February, Doggett said.

This year, TxDOT expects to provide about $60 million in funding for planning, construction and maintenance at community airports, according to state agency officials. Approximately 275 community airports in Texas are eligible for funding.

A project consultant will be selected this winter for the improvements at the San Marcos Municipal Airport, TxDOT officials said. The project costs will be funded through the city of San Marcos and TxDOT’s Aviation Facilities Grant Program.

San Marcos will provide a ten percent local match to the state and federal dollars.