There will be a change in management at the Orange County Airport beginning in July. Orange County will be the FBO or Fixed Based Operator at the airport starting next month.
The Commissioners Court voted this week to have the county assume responsibility for running the facility from Sabine Aviation, the current FBO. Sabine Aviation informed Orange County it was ceasing its association with the county at the end of June.
A workshop was held Tuesday before the Commissioners Court voted to take over the operation at the airport. During the workshop former county commissioner David Dubose spoke and encouraged the Court to consider operating the airport while seeking input from the pilots like him that use it.
Having flown his plane out of the Orange County Airport for decades, Dubose recalls when the airport was much more active with aircraft for several businesses and the oil industry flying out of the facility. He said the services have dwindled there to the point there is almost no traffic out of the airport now. Dubose stated, “I would hate to see services drop any lower than they are.”
Dubose gave examples of how to improve customer service at the Orange County Airport. These included suppling reasonably priced aviation fuel and convenient fueling by the employees at the airport. Another customer friendly service at many city and county run airports according to Dubose are courtesy cars for pilots to use while their planes are at the airport. Dubose believes there should be sufficient personnel at the airport to handle the pilots’ needs.
Missy Pillsbury is the airport supervisor for the county, and she has one full-time employee that works at the airport currently. Pillsbury suggested the Commissioners consider hiring another part-time employee and purchase mowing equipment to cut the grass surrounding the runways at the airport. Those items will probably be on a future agenda for the Commissioners Court.
-Dan Perrine, KOGT-
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