May 08--TERRE HAUTE -- Climate changes inside the Terre Haute International Airport have nothing to do with weather patterns, but a new, two-leader administration forecasts a lot of action to take flight soon.
In his first week as executive director of the Terre Haute International Airport, Bill McKown speaks the language of collaboration, emphasizing both the need, and desire, for partnerships. In addition to McKown, the airport's leadership team features Darrel Zeck in the role of director of operations and development, a move those familiar with his work for the City of Terre Haute might find strange until they read an eclectic resume including service such as the flight planner for Air Force One.
Last week at a welcome party, the two shared their lofty views on developing the airport. Their commentary however, had little to do with the weather, but focused heavily on changing fronts moving this way.
"The nice thing," Zeck said, "is Bill and I are wide open to being as aggressive as we need to be." One of the team's first big plans already is in motion, that of securing a spot yet this year among what will be only six testing sites for a joint project of the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
A fresh eye on Terre Haute
Wabash Valley residents might be too familiar with their home to recognize its assets, but as an outsider, McKown said he spotted potential at the Terre Haute airport from the mountains of Colorado, from which he is moving.
McKown, a Riverside, Calif., native, spent 35 years as a military aviator -- all around the world and back a few times. He also earned an undergraduate degree at Southern Illinois University and a master's in national resource strategy from the National Defense University. Although his career in the service began in September 1972 with nine years in the U.S. Air Force, it was the U.S. Navy from which he would ultimately retire as a captain.
In addition to piloting some of the first missions off carriers in support of Desert Storm, McKown has served in roles ranging from squad commander to "air boss" aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk.
Meanwhile, the husband and dad continued his own passion for community service, instilled early on as an Eagle Scout, eventually serving as president of the Boy Scout Council in Japan while stationed there. Two of his sons grew up to likewise earn the highest honor in Boy Scouts, and McKown himself has earned the designation "Distinguished Eagle Scout," he said proudly.
Since retiring from the Navy, McKown most recently served as manager of Stevens Field in Pagosa Springs, Colo., a small community in the mountains where he enjoyed his love of hiking and outdoors activities.
But Terre Haute is another challenge and was among many career options available to him. Ultimately, he said, his decision to apply for the executive director position hinged upon the airport's potential for growth.
Running along Indiana 42, east of the intersection with U.S. 40/Indiana 46, Terre Haute's airport also neighbors a growing series of developments on the east side, ranging from residential and retail to warehousing. Truck stops, storage facilities and logistics companies all line the airport property, he said.
Meanwhile, the community's eclectic mix of universities make for an attractive set of partners. By themselves, Indiana State University's flight school and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology's nationally ranked engineering programs are enough to draw attention, he said.
All of that potential is piled upon an existing relationship with the Indiana Air National Guard's 181st Intelligence Wing, which shares facilities at Hulman Air Field. Projects with the U.S. Army have been undertaken there in recent years, and both McKown and Zeck cite the military as a prime source of potential development.
"What a great partnership that is," McKown said of the unit.
What attracted him most, though, was an interview process which included representatives from the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, Terre Haute Economic Development, and city and county government. And the fact that some of the interviews were conducted with technology such as Skype impressed him all the more.
In the end, a development-oriented community with active stakeholders is what he saw from the mountains of Colorado, and the decision to fly on in was easily made.
Zeck's unique perspective
McKown referred to Zeck as "a walking encyclopedia of the facility" as the pair chatted at the reception Wednesday. Pointing out the strengths of a Navy-Air Force combination, he said it's a rare opportunity to have two pilots with military backgrounds operating an airport the size of Terre Haute's.
Zeck was most recently director of communications for Terre Haute Mayor Duke Bennett, and it's in that capacity that he is known in town. But the U.S. Air Force veteran and current member of the Air National Guard's 181st Intelligence Battalion actually got off the ground washing planes as a youth, eventually working his way up to flight planner for Air Force One for U.S. presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
"You become a detail-oriented person very quick," he remarked Wednesday of the job. Moving the president across the world requires timelines with 15-second windows of change, he noted, adding Air Force One is without question "the cleanest airplane in the world."
But the Michigan native got his start in aviation while working at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport's Fixed Base Operator, washing down planes and pumping gas. The FBO of an airport can range in size and scope depending on the facility, and Zeck quickly learned the ins and outs of the mechanics and maintenance side of aviation.
After attending the University of Michigan, Zeck enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, starting out in command and control, earning the honor of becoming the Air Force's first noncommissioned officer to serve as a flight planner, work that led to his service with Air Force One. After his discharge, he went to Lockheed Martin as a military operations specialist. That job led to another with American Trans Air, and it wasn't until his wife interviewed with Eli Lilly in 1995 that he first flew into the Wabash Valley.
"This was my first experience with Terre Haute, what was going on at this airport," he said of the facility, explaining he and his wife came in his own plane for the interview.
In 1995, the airport was home to a number of businesses and abuzz with activity, he recalled. Describing it as the community's "front door," everything about the facility gave him a good feeling, and he was happy to move into town and lease a hangar there for his jet.
But the last two decades haven't brought change for the better to the airport, he observed, and the pilot of 23 years said it's been tough to watch. Three years ago Zeck re-enlisted in the military, this time with the Indiana Air National Guard's 181st Intelligence Wing. Meanwhile, he continued to work on behalf of the city, and among all those roles, he developed a unique perspective on the airport and its operations.
As the airport's board of directors restructured its management team last year, two executive positions were created. McKown and Zeck were the top finalists for that of executive director, with the slot for operations director still open.
The decision to use both was a wise one, Zeck said, explaining both men bring strengths to the operation, while sharing a similar vision for growth and development.
"I think everybody's excited about the opportunities and what's yet to come," he said.
Competing for test site
The airport's new strategy involves a lot of potential developments, and one in the works could bring the latest in aviation manufacturing to Terre Haute as early as next year if successful, Zeck said.
For the last year, the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Defense have been selecting what will become six sites across America at which they will test Unmanned Aerial Vehicle technology. The government wants diversity in geography and climate, so UAVs can be tested in conditions ranging from desert air to wintery mixes.
"And we're working very hard to become one of those test sites," Zeck said, explaining that a coalition of Hoosier aviation officials is lobbying for a spot to be located in Indiana.
Competition for the sites is fierce, and 30 states have applied for what will undoubtedly be a windfall of ancillary development, he said. The UAVs require complex sensor technology, all components of which will be under constant experimentation. Manufacturers of those sensors and those producing parts and support gear are expected to locate facilities near the testing sites for ongoing work. Those facilities in turn will use local resources from universities to gas stations, he said.
"And that's what leads to the economic development component, having those companies relocate here to work with those systems," he said.
UAV technology is far from a fad. In addition to military applications, the units are used for search-and-rescue operations, natural disaster response and crop planning, Zeck said. All in all, winning a site would mean long-term growth in a high-tech field ripe with high-paying jobs. If Indiana is chosen, Terre Haute's airport would be a key player given its military ties and proximity to universities with technical programs.
Zeck has been among Hoosier officials working on this project for the last year, long before he was hired as the airport's director of operations and development. The process is in motion and the FAA's request for information applications will be filed Tuesday. Proposals are set for submission this July, and the federal agencies are expected to make their final site selections by December, with plans to initiate work in January, he said.
"We feel we have a great chance. We have a lot of components in Indiana that make us unique, very competitive," Zeck said of the project.
In the meantime, other goals include the area's university community, facility upgrades and advancing stakeholder buy-in, he and McKown said.
And as papers are seen flying about the airport office in coming weeks, it's not the wind blowing, but atmospheric changes of a different kind.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - The Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind.
