Business View Magazine | November 2020

171 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 WATERTOWN REGIONAL A I RPORT Watertown, which has owned and operated the Airport ever since. Over the years, Watertown Regional has been serviced by several commercial carriers, including Watertown Airways, Braniff International, Mesaba Airlines, Delta Connection, Great Lakes Airlines, California Pacific Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines. Today, the Airport is serviced by SkyWest Airlines operating as United Express under the Essential Air Services (EAS) program, with daily flights to Chicago and Denver. Cargo operations at Watertown Regional are maintained by United Parcel Service (UPS), and a few smaller cargo companies. South Dakota State University sponsors charters flights for its sports teams, and there are over 60 general aviation aircraft, both private and corporate, that are home-based at the airfield. The Airport has a 24-hour, staffed Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) station, which provides rapid response to events on and off the field for the City of Watertown. In addition, there is a military shooting range on Airport property, leased by the South Dakota National Guard. The Airport is also home to the Lake Area Technical College (LATC) Aviation Annex. Founded in 1965, LATI was the first technical school established in the state of South Dakota. In 2017, LATI won the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, which recognized the school as the number one technical school in the nation. The LATI Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) program averages about 40 students a year with local, regional, national, and international students, and its graduates have been highly sought after in the industry throughout the country. The College also has a professional fixed-wing pilot training program. Pilots completing the curriculum graduate with a minimum of 250 hours and commercial pilot, single, and multi- engine ratings. Students also have the option to earn a Certified Flight Instructor rating which