Published: September 06, 2008 10:41 pm            

New management to pilot Dalton Airport

At midnight tonight, management of the Dalton Municipal Airport will change hands for the first time in almost 30 years. Tennessee’s Crystal Air/TNT Leasing will run the daily operations, taking over from Carpet Capital Aviation.

Crystal Air director of operations Taylor Newman says airport users shouldn’t notice any big differences, but he says the company plans to offer some expanded services almost immediately.

“We are going to be open seven days a week. I think they were open six and a half days a week,” he said. “We do have charter aircraft available, which I understand wasn’t available before.”

The company will also offer flight instruction, something the airport hasn’t had for the past year.

“We are pretty excited about it,” said airport authority chairman Frank Hubbs.

Hubbs said he expects the transition will go smoothly. Carpet Capital president and airport manager Harvey Halman and his wife and partner Nancy will no longer be there.

“But other than that the staff will be the same,” Hubbs said. “And the new manager will be a guy named Mark Hudson. He formerly was a flight instructor here in Dalton for several years and was a part-time employee of Carpet Capital, and a lot of people know him.”

Halman did not immediately return telephone messages at the airport last week. He has served as president of Carpet Capital and airport manager since 1979.

Carpet Capital’s lease on the airport expired this year. Authority members say they put the lease up for bid, and Crystal Air provided the only written bid.

Crystal Air also manages or operates airports in Cleveland and Sewanee, Tenn., and hangar rental and aircraft rental and maintenance services in Collegedale, Tenn.

“We are excited about it. Most of the folks involved in that company are pretty young and have a lot of fresh ideas and enthusiasm,” Hubbs said.

The five-year lease, which was approved by the City Council in August, calls for the company to pay the city $1,200 a year plus 3 cents for each gallon of fuel bought at the airport.

“Carpet Capital has been at the airport for more than 30 years and has done a good job. We just thought it was time for a change,” said City Council member Dick Lowrey.

During Carpet Capital’s management, a number of improvements were made at the airport, including several expansions of the runway, taking it from 3,900 feet to 5,500 feet, a new terminal building and new hangars.

Some 49 aircraft are based at the airport, according to AirNav.com, and the airport averages some 66 flights a day.

The airport authority will hold an informal reception for the Halmans today from 3 to 5 p.m. at the airport.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.