Having a plan is one thing. Possessing the perseverance to battle through unexpected obstacles when that plan ventures off script is quite another.
Ten years ago, Port of South Louisiana leaders announced their multi-phased “master plan” for the newly-acquired regional airport – a figurative step-by-step blueprint that identified improvements, renovations and additions to fully utilize this unique space for the clientele they intended to serve.
Since then, the airport has been completely transformed, as each turn of the calendar page brought with it progress. Multiple extensions and resurfacing of the runway, enabling larger aircraft to land and take off from the River Parishes. A modern, state-of-the-art terminal. The construction of public T-hangars. Revamping the airport’s security system. Year after year, development at the airport continued to advance.
In that regard, 2022 was just another year at the airport as the Port put shovel-to-dirt or applied the finishing touches on several projects, including the construction of a second batch of 10 T-hangers available for lease to the public after the initial batch of 10 erected back in 2019 sold out quickly and left a lengthy waiting list.
At the same time, 2022 presented a unique challenge at the airport as staff had to keep moving forward but also had to pause to refortify and repair much of the progress that had been made since 2012 after Hurricane Ida mercilessly ripped through the region in the late summer of 2021. Additionally, for employees like Charles Palmer, it meant doing a little extra to help out those who had to put their ‘work life’ on hold when the storm forced them to temporarily relocate.
Prior to Ida, Palmer moonlighted at the Port of South Louisiana Executive Regional Airport a few days a week while holding down a full-time position at another aviation facility in Orleans Parish. In the immediate aftermath of Ida, though, Palmer assisted the understandably understaffed crew in Reserve by showing up at 4 a.m. every day to pump fuel and coordinate fuel quality control at the Port’s airport before heading to his full-time job.
“For me, it was just the thing to do in that situation,” Palmer said. “Even though I previously only worked at the Port a few days a week, on those days you got the feeling that you were a part of one big unit working toward a common goal. That stuck with me.”
Partially because of that extra effort, and partially because of his expertise in the field and excellence in executing his job responsibilities, Palmer was hired as the Airport’s new supervisor in April 2022.
“As a person who has worked in several different roles at airports that largely handle private aircraft, this role encompasses all those roles into one,” Palmer said. “Day to day things like overseeing fuel quality and supply, welcoming planes in, overseeing the work of outside contractors, staying up to code with FAA regulations.”
Furthermore, Palmer’s supervisor position also has him involved in ‘big picture’ duties, as well. That includes helping to secure grants and funding on local, state and federal levels, soliciting additional traffic to the airport, and monitoring various infrastructure improvement projects on the grounds.
For instance, in February 2023 the Port celebrated the completion of its second batch of 10 rentable T-hangars built right across the apron from the original set of 10 T Hangars commissioned a few years back. The total price tag on the project was $1.8 million with roughly one-third of funding provided by a Department of Transportation grant.
Technically, these new hangars are known as “nested T-hangars” in the industry, meaning that unlike traditional box hangars, these allow for the tail of the aircraft to sit in the center of the structure, which provides a much more cost-effective use of the space. In turn, that reduces the space needed for the apron, and therefore reduces the overall cost of the T-hangars. Upon completion, they’ll be able to house a variety of airplanes, including Cessna 340s, Beechcraft 55 Barons and Daher TBM 900s.
Beyond facility upgrades, 2022 also marked the airport’s return as a community and civic setting as several philanthropic and educational events came back on the calendar after the threat of COVID-19 lessened. In June 2022, the airport welcomed students from the Jump Start Summers Program so that they could apply their knowledge of GIS (geographical information systems) to real-world situations. Several volunteer pilots involved students in a detailed pre-flight briefing and even placed them in the cockpit of a Cessna 172, among other airplanes.
Making the airport accessible to the entire community through these programs – not just accessible to those wealthy enough to afford their own planes – is a trend Palmer and other airport officials plan to continue for years to come.
As far as long-term visions for the airport, studies are currently being conducted on the feasibility and potential economic impact of lengthening the existing runway to better serve the needs of business leaders who have industrial sites within the Port District.
“Lengthening the runway brings with it so many other opportunities, because it expands the types of aircraft you can have land and take off at the Port of South Louisiana,” Palmer said. “Especially when it comes to port-related travel or business – we want you to land here and take advantage of what we have to offer and to save you time. To do that, we need a runway capable of handling all sort of aircraft.”
Palmer said the Port prides itself on being intermodal and air is a part of that larger vision. “If a product is needed for an industry in a timely fashion, we want to have a facility capable of handling that instant demand, instead of them having to wait for truck or barge or rail,” Palmer said. “We want to provide more options and more solutions, and improving our airport’s capabilities does that.”
