Mayor honors Chandler Aviation

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July 22--CARLSBAD -- When Doug and Terry Chandler hear comments such as "wow" and "awesome service," when aviators from across the country stop at the Carlsbad airport's pilots' lounge, smiles spread across their faces. Their hard work has been rewarded.

The couple, owners of Chandler Aviation, was recently recognized as the business of the month by the city of Carlsbad and its partners in a campaign that urges people to spruce up businesses and residential areas.

Mayor Dale Janway kicked off the campaign shortly after his election in March of this year.

"We have one of the best fixed based operators in the country," Janway said. "They have really put their heart into this. It's great what they have done out there and it's an asset to Carlsbad. Even before I was elected as mayor, I thought they should be recognized. They have done so much. We are fortunate to have Doug and Terry Chandler in Carlsbad."

The Chandlers shy away from publicity about their accomplishments at the airport, and getting them to talk about themselves is not an easy task. But when asked their thoughts on having their business named the business of the month, Doug said, "It's a nice honor. We appreciate (the city of) Carlsbad and its partners for the thought."

Terry added: "It was a lot of hard work to make our fixed base operation into what it is today. But it has been worth it. What we have done out here has helped our business, but our goal was also to promote Carlsbad. We love Carlsbad and

we wanted to help the city we love. We are beginning to see more private aircraft owners stopping here."

In 2007, the couple was successful in their bid to become the fixed base operator at the city-owned airport after they purchased the assets from Carlsbad Aviation. When the city awarded the contract to Chandler Aviation, the couple set out to make their fixed base operation one of the premier ones in the country.

Standing inside the pilots' lounge, where comfortable leather sofas, a large flat screen TV, wireless Internet and a kitchen with fresh-made coffee and drinks offer private pilots and their passengers a place to relax, Terry said the efforts to bring private pilots to Carlsbad -- whether they stop to fuel or spend a day or more in Carlsbad -- has been worth the hard work.

The Chandlers, themselves aircraft owners, said they felt it was vital that the fixed base operator present a good first impression to aviation visitors and had a vision of how to present the airport in the best light.

After their contract with the city was ratified by the city council, the couple began to make changes to the facilities. Although they don't own the airport or the hangers, the Chandlers developed a to-do list, with customers in mind. The new facilities have been constructed at their expense.

They built a 12,000-square-foot building on the north side of the main terminal, which includes 3,200 square feet of luxury and comfort for their aviation customers. They installed a state-of-the art fuel farm, allowing Chandler Aviation to offer 24-hour self-service fueling and after-hour call outs. They also enhanced the business by purchasing a Diamond DA-20 to offer flight training. They are also doing extensive work on the refurbishment of the hangers, which they said is a "work in progress."