Today, I find myself making my very first post to Facebook in order to editorialize on an issue that is very important to me. When writing in the community about the Bibb County Airport, I have to recognize and acknowledge that the average citizen in Bibb County probably knows very little about our airport, the politics that surround its development, or the reason that it ever existed in the first place. In fact, the average response that I get when I inquire of people about our airport is: "We got an airport in Bibb County!?" I always have to take a breath and chuckle as I explain that we do actually have an airport in Bibb County and that it is located in the City Limits of Centreville right off of Highway 82. It was dedicated October 15th, 1961. It is managed by the Bibb County Airport Authority (BCAA) which was incorporated by the Bibb County Commission on April 28, 1978 and later approved by the Alabama Department of Aeronautics. In our modern era, the paved and lighted runway is just over 4,200 feet long and 75 feet wide. It also sports a taxiway that, although half the length of the primary runway, runs parallel to it in an Easterly and Westerly direction and permits aircraft ample room to remain clear of the active runway while other aircraft are taking off and landing. The airport covers an area of almost 60 acres. It is the home base of 4 private piston engine aircraft, 3 corporate jets, and 1 corporate turbine propeller aircraft. It is regularly a field operation base to a great many agricultural aircraft that are frequently contracted to spray pesticides and fertilizers into pine plantations on both private and government lands. The U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force have all conducted practice approaches and landings at the Bibb County Airport. According to Wikipedia, in 2006 there were 3,542 aircraft operations into and out of this small field. For over 20 years it has been home to Aviation Engines Inc. which is an FAA certified engine overhaul facility that is well known in the aviation community for their high quality work and attention to detail. So, yes indeed, we do have an airport in Bibb County and frankly I am of the opinion that we should all be quite proud of our small town airport.

So why is a guy like me so passionate about this airport? Frankly, that's a story too long to be told here, but let's just say that a much younger version of me learned to fly using that small field back 27 years ago. That little private pilot's license eventually turned an 18 year old kid into a professional pilot which today allows me the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy my work and travel the country while still providing for my family in small town Centreville, Alabama. I also voluntarily served as secretary on the Bibb County Airport Authority for two terms that ended in 2011.

Just this week, however, I was stunned when I learned that during a chairman called Airport Authority meeting which took place this past Thursday, January 14, 2016, the recently resigned chairman of the Bibb County Airport Authority recommended that the Authority be dissolved and that full control of the Bibb County Airport should be handed over to the Bibb County Commission. Maybe to most of our local citizenry, this might seem like no big deal since the Airport is in fact named the Bibb County Airport, why shouldn't it be COMPLETELY managed by the Bibb County Commission? Well, the answer is not as simple as the question, but then again answers to questions regarding government oversight seldom are. The fact is, the Bibb County Airport Authority (BCAA) was created in 1978 for the sole purpose of the acquisition, ownership, and operation of the Bibb County Airport precisely because people who are knowledgeable about the intricacies and idiosyncrasies of the aviation industry are afforded an opportunity to apply their knowledge and expertise to the airport through their voluntary participation on the BCAA. The airport was NEVER intended to be run solely by the Bibb County Commission. It pains me greatly to be so critical of this apparent misguided and irresponsible attempt at dissolving the BCAA, because many of the members of the BCAA including the chairman, I consider to be long term friends of mine. However, I cannot stand idly by and watch as 38 years of airport growth and management suddenly evaporates with the stroke of a pen. That is why I am expressing my frustration in this editorial post today.

I have some questions I would like to have answered. I want to know why the recently resigned chairman recommended last week to dissolve the BCAA? I would like to know who at the Bibb County Commission shares in this notion that the BCAA should be dissolved and that the Bibb County Commission should dispense with 38 years of precedent and is somehow better qualified to oversee the operation and management of this airport? Why did the chairman resign from the BCAA after his attempt to dissolve the BCAA failed? I can only speculate, but should an attempt be made to close the Bibb County Airport, who will be responsible to reimburse the FAA the $2,138,314 of grant money that was spent on the Bibb County Airport by the FAA to improve the facilities over the past decade? These are important questions that I believe deserve concise answers. I further wish to thank the remaining sitting members of the BCAA who rejected this ill-conceived proposal to dissolve the BCAA this past week. There are many concerned citizens in Bibb County who are rightly concerned about the future and growth of the Bibb County Airport. I respectfully believe that we are ALL entitled to some answers.

Respectfully,