Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 7

137 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 7 UNI VERS I TY A I RPORT university partnership and funding making lease rates and other aspects of the proposal seem very generous.” Universities do not generally operate airports. When they use airport facilities, it is mainly for sports teams or other needs of transportation. Thus, it can be excused that for the last 70 years University Airport was simply that – a hub for UC Davis transportation. As such, it is a small airport with 100 tenants keeping their planes on the field. “Things are changing quickly as technology advances,” says Eggleston, “and not a lot of people are focusing on this direction, in regard to what businesses and programs the airport could accommodate onsite. I think it is a niche that is worth exploring.” The current estimate is that $2 million dollars would cover infrastructure upgrades making it possible for any company to set up shop. The regular maintenance and operation of the airport have continued over the years and that is still on the books for the near future. “We do have a runway project coming next year, where we’re just rehabbing the runway – and the FAA is helping us with that,” says Eggleston. “Our two FBOs have both been here over 20 years and the general aviation (GA) side of things is pretty well established. That includes hangar rentals and fuel sales which help bring in revenue.” Looking to the future, they are definitely considering a myriad of possibilities. As Eggleston points out, “We want to make sure the University Airport is going to serve not only the university but the wider community as well. So we will keep up the maintenance, rehabilitation of the runway, and hangars and work with the FAA to make sure all facets of the airport are up to date.” He emphasizes that for the next three to five years their sights will mostly be set on modernization. To that end, they are hoping to bring in a new beacon tower and create a master Stephen Robinson has been flying since age 14, and has logged over 3500 hours in flight vehicles ranging from antique taildraggers to NASA space shuttles. Dr. Robinson was selected as an astronaut in December 1994, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He held a wide variety of technical assignments within the Astronaut Office including: testing space shuttle flight-control software, developing on-board computer and flight crew equipment, helping to develop the Space Station robot arm, and leading an astronaut team to specify window requirements for the Orion crew spacecraft. He has also served as Spacecraft Communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control for 17 shuttle missions (including Lead Capcom for the final shuttle mission, STS-135), functioning as the voice link between space shuttle crews and Mission Control. More recently, Dr. Robinson served for two years as Chief of Safety for the Astronaut Office. Beginning in January 2012, Dr. Robinson served as Director of the NASA JSC Virtual Reality Laboratory, as well as Chief of Aviation Safety for the Astronaut Office. In all, Dr. Robinson has flown on four Space Shuttle missions, and has served as a back-up crew member for the fourth crew of the International Space Station. He has logged over 1156 hours (48 days) and 19.8 million miles in space, including over 20 hours spacewalking. Dr. Robinson retired from NASA on June 30th, 2012, after 17 years as an Astronaut and 36 years of NASA service. He is now Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California, Davis. O P P O R T U N I T Y AWA I T S ! Stephen K. Robinson (Ph.D.) is an alum on the faculty of UC Davis… he is also an accomplished NASA astronaut. What a great opportunity for the right partner to locate at University Airport and have access to Dr. Robinson’s incredible experience…