Greetings!

As central Texas enters a possible record-breaking stretch of triple-digit temperature days, I became curious about the origin of “dog days of summer.” I always thought it had some connection to panting canines, but according to ABC news, ancient civilizations kept track of seasons by watching constellations. When Sirius, the Dog Star, appeared near the end of July, observers knew the hottest days of the year were upon them. Eventually this period was translated into simply “dog days.” I now hope you’re grateful for my curiosity…

These inevitable Texas summer temperatures are a tough reminder for all of us to be even more conscious of safely operating at the airport. Last week a geotechnical firm drilling core samples on runway 8, 17, and taxiway J reported pavement temperatures above 140 degrees. Please be mindful of these airport heat-related conditions and adapt your daily routines accordingly.

As business opportunities continues to grow on and around HYI, we are working diligently to maintain a healthy and fair environment of available commercial services for our tenants and based aircraft owners. This effort includes monitoring airfield access, insurance verification, and determining if there is a legitimate reason to be on City property. Our based commercial tenants are well known in the airport community and comply with federal, state, and airport regulations to do business on HYI. The City expects the same of commercial operators who are providing aircraft-related services on airport property but do not necessarily have a contractual relationship, i.e., lease agreement with the airport. To help, new signage is being installed to inform non-based commercial operators of the requirement to contact our office before entering non-public areas of the airport.

This particular facet of general aviation airport management – finding the optimum balance between runways open to the flying public while insuring a safe and fair business environment is tricky and certainly not unique to HYI. TAP will continue to refine this process and asks for your input and patience as this will be a “work in progress.”

Our neighbor to the south, Gary Job Corps (GJC), has a new Director! Angela Rackley is a very experienced Leader with the Job Corps organization and has indicated a genuine desire to be more involved with HYI and our community. At a welcome reception last week, she asked all attendees to help spread the word of numerous career opportunities that are available at GJC. Please see a flyer below for more information and share with anyone you think may be interested.

Please stay cool and let us know how we can better support you and our Airport.

Sincerely,

Jim