Based on the outskirts of the city of McAlester, surrounded by the natural beauty of the area within the great state of Oklahoma, McAlester Regional Airport has worked hard to increase its profile and has a lot to be proud of, due in part to the determination and vision that Tindle has brought to his job overseeing airport operations. “We are a General Aviation airport according to the FAA and we represent a regional business airport within the Oklahoma airport system,” Tindle begins. Averaging about 9000 operations a year with plans to systematically grow these operations over the next few years, McAlester Regional Airport has been in operation since 1950. During the ensuing decades much has transformed at this economic aviation hub. “In the past, we have had a central air service. Back in the 50’s through the early 80’s, we did have passenger service that was often a daily service,”Tindle recalls. “This service was discontinued back in the early 80s and we also had a flight service facility based here through the 60s until 2007 that served the area.” The airport itself is owned by the city of McAlester and represents the only jet-capable airport within a 50-nautical-mile radius. “Our location serves regional business and travel very well,” Tindle states. TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION TO FLY HIGH “40% of the traffic out here at the airport is actually flight training,” Tindle notes when discussing the airport’s capabilities and assets. “Flight training happens at the airport both local training and then we have a lot of folks from the Tulsa metro area that fly down here and utilize the airport for their flight training,” he elaborates. In terms of the remaining percentage of business, Tindle points to approximately 30% of the traffic relating to recreational and personal flights touching down at the airport. The remaining 30% is made up of business and corporate aviation serving both local employers and businesses based in the area. 139 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 02 MCALESTER REGIONAL AIRPORT
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx