Flight Training - July 2021 - 43

ADVANCED PILOT CAREER SPOTLIGHT
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
AIRPORT
MANAGEMENT
NO TWO DAYS ARE ALIKE
JOLENE BERRY HANDLES THE MIC IN HER AIRPORT TRUCK LIKE IT'S
attached to her hand. She moves across the taxiways and runways at
Manassas Regional Airport (HEF) in constant contact with the tower. As
the senior airport operations manager for the busiest general aviation
airport in Virginia, Berry spends as much time in her truck as she does
her office overlooking the field. She monitors airport activity by checking
the 888 acres in the morning, looking for any unusual changes overnight-there
have been chickens, swarms of bees, and other surprising
challenges in her 16 years here.
" Every day is a different adventure! I love working at the airport as
every day there is something new, " Berry said. " My schedule might be
filled with meetings and daily tasks, but if there is a tenant in need or
an emergency on the field, that is where I devote my energy. There are
so many different hats I get to wear, and I like that my job is not always
behind a desk. I get to spend half my time in the office and the other out
on the field. I like plowing in the winter and having airport events in the
warmer months. When we have been short-staffed, I have even volunteered
to help with grass cutting on the runways and taxiways. "
Juan Rivera is the airport director for Manassas Regional Airport and
Berry's boss. He has run the airport for nearly 20 years. A former Marine,
he has a degree in aviation management. He is mostly in the office while
Berry gets out more. " I am in the office; I supervise a great staff. We are
a staff of eight. I'm administration and oversee the airport, the budget,
apply for grants, pay the bills. Operations like Jolene do the day-to-day
stuff, and our maintenance guys keep the lights on, " Rivera said.
Rivera said running an airport involves a lot of behind-the-scenes
work. " My wife is a teacher, so I go to schools and talk to students about
my job. They ask do you fly the airplane? I say no. They ask do you move
the airplanes? I say no. So, what do you do? They then ask. It's a lot of
juggling a lot of balls in the air; I could write a book, " he said. He's the
one who had to corral the 10 errant chickens who suddenly ran amuck on
QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor's degree in aviation administration/management
or business degree.
Usually start as assistant or intern at
smaller airports and move up if desired.
Jolene Berry was an intern at the
Prescott, Arizona, airport while at
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
BENEFITS
Variety, meeting lots of people, flexibility,
and the opportunity to tackle many
tasks-from driving the airport truck
across the airport to plowing snow and
mowing grass.
DRAWBACKS
Daily tasks such as morning airport
inspections can be punctuated with
unusual airport activities such as wildlife
sightings or gear-up landings in weather
that is often unpredictable. Be prepared
for the unexpected; Berry keeps a dress
blazer in her office for unexpected meetings
(and never, ever wears open-toed
shoes).
PAY
The national average salary for an airport
operations director is $62,476 in the
United States. Airport managers can
make up to $104,000 annually.
AOPA.ORG/FT
43
CHRIS ROSE
http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT
Flight Training - July 2021

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