Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 7

135 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 7 UNI VERS I TY A I RPORT premises – Davis Air Repair offers aircraft maintenance, while Cal Aggie Flying Farmers offers maintenance, flight instruction, and aircraft rentals. Situated on 95 acres, the airport has one runway which is 3,176 feet and sees about 24,000 operations a year. There is also a small terminal building, basically just a place to stop over before leaving the airport. Given the generous size of the property, there is ample room for expansion. However, the hope is that this growth is quite specific and ties in with the already established goals of the university. “We are in a really unique place,” explains Dr. Perry H. Eggleston, Executive Director for Transportation Services (UC Davis) and Airport Manager, “Yolo County is more of a rural and agricultural area in northern California, and the airport is kind of a hub because we are about an hour outside San Francisco. So there’s that business hub there and then there’s Sacramento as well, which we are perhaps just a little closer to. I took over in January 2020 after 27 years in the transportation industry and I was expecting to run a little airport … But then I saw all the land and started seeing the possibilities. It would be the perfect place for a company or research firm to set up. We are also really close to Silicon Valley and there could be tech companies that could be involved in this work as well.” That is the dream. UC Davis has been focused on environmental sustainability and on really transitioning into the future of transportation. Under Eggleston’s leadership, they have moved more to electric transportation for their transport fleets, as well as encouraging alternative transportation among the students, faculty, and staff. Eggleston has his mind full of questions and ideas: what if they could bring that sustainable technology into the airport side of things and encourage research into electric- Home to delicious restaurants, eye-catching art galleries, eclectic shops, and world-renowned UC Davis, there's something here for everyone. Engaging. Walkable. Bike-loving. Diverse. Davis. www.visitdavis.org A VIBRANT UNIVERSITY TOWN