December 2023 | www.flysanmarcos.com

As a reminder, Lew visited the airport and the Commemorative Air Force two years ago and took a memorable flight in That's All Brother. You can get a refresher of the visit in our November 2021 newsletter and the associated KVUE news story.

Lew celebrated his 100th birthday on December 3 and I was honored to attend his party this past weekend. Check out the abbreviated recap of his extraordinary life below.

Sincerely,

Jim Wimberly

President

By the time he was 21, Major Griffith had earned 6 Air Medals and flown 42 missions over Europe. To this day, he regrets that he was unable to complete all 45 missions that was required of pilots based in Italy. Germany’s surrender was the only reason why.

After WWII Lew returned to U.T. earning degrees in Civil Engineering and Sanitary Engineering before receiving his master’s in engineering and P.E. accreditation from University of California, Berkeley. When the Korean War broke out Lew voluntarily reenlisted with his combat experience in multi-engine aircraft. When his engineering expertise was discovered by the United States Air Force, his military occupational specialty (MOS) was changed. Major Griffith was stationed in Germany and supported the Korean war effort with his extensive civil engineering knowledge.

If heroic, dedicated service in WWII and Korea wasn’t enough, Lew again volunteered to help our country by reenlisting for duty in the Vietnam war. He was stationed in Saigon for one year and earned the Bronze Star.  

Lew and Hilda returned to Austin in 1960 and built their home on Lake Austin where he still lives today. He has been a volunteer for over 50 years with Austin Settlement Home whose mission is “to promote healing and growth in children, young adults, and families by providing a continuum of care, support, and resources.” Lew has personally hand-made hundreds of tables over the years in his woodshop for their annual charity fundraiser.

Words cannot do justice to, or describe the goodness of, Lew Griffith. Maybe these simple facts of his life will help those who know him, love him, and honor him to be a little more like him. Lew is a steadfast follower of the Golden Rule, and God bless him for his special life.

2023 through November:

87,458

Beginning in October 2023, monthly traffic counts include after-hours operations collected via ADSB data.

We monitor operations each month to help us secure funding for future airport projects and improvements. The operations (aircraft landings and takeoffs) are counted every day during the Air Traffic Control Tower's hours of 7:00am to 9:00pm. Operations that occur outside of these hours are not tracked.

Runway incursions remain a serious concern nationally. One important component of the FAA's ongoing efforts to improve surface safety at San Marcos Regional involves conducting a Runway Safety Action Team (RSAT) meeting at least once each year.

Airport management and the Air Traffic Control Tower manager will be conducting a local RSAT meeting on:

December 14, 2023 (Thursday)

10:00am - 11:00am

4400 Highway 21

San Marcos, Texas 78666

If you are unable to attend in person, please join us virtually via Zoom.

The purpose of this RSAT meeting is to unite those individuals and organizations that are actively involved in air traffic operations and movement of aircraft, vehicles and equipment on the Airport Operations Area (AOA). We look for participation from all major airport interests including tenants, fixed base operators, airport operations and maintenance personnel.

Participants are asked to help develop recommendations and solutions to enhance surface safety. Those recommendations serve as the foundation for a site-specific Runway Safety Action Plan. You are cordially invited to join us.

Your participation is important and your input is welcomed. Please RSVP to the André Murphy (ATCT manager) at hyi@rvainc.com. Include the name, organization, phone number and email address of those who will be attending.

We are working diligently to research reports of poor radio signal between the tower and aircraft both on the ground and in the air in specific locations.

Our contractor who handles the repairs and maintenance of all City-owned equipment will be conducting an analysis regarding the location and signal strength of the antennae.

Should he be unable to remedy the issue, the FAA will get involved and send their specialist.

Please continue to report these issues either directly to the tower or by calling Airport Management at (512) 216-6039.

San Marcos Regional Airport received a discretionary grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for the reconstruction of Taxiway Alpha.

Phase I of construction kicked off on Monday, October 23. We anticipate the project to be completed toward the end of May 2024, weather permitting.

• Phase I closures, as shown in the map below, will include Taxiway Alpha between Taxiway Charlie and the FBO. Additionally, Taxiway Bravo will be closed.

• Crews will make an effort to reopen Taxiway Bravo as quickly as possible.

• During Phase I, most aircraft will be able to taxi parallel to Alpha between the taxiway and the T-hangars on the ramp. Aircraft with wingspans larger than 60′ are strongly encouraged to back-taxi on Runway 8.

Construction crews will be moving to and from the construction area via the ramp. They will be escorted and in communication with the tower but please use extra caution when taxiing in this area. Below is a map showing their routing. (Click on the photo to be taken to a larger version.)

The contractor, Zachary Construction, will attend all Airport Advisory Meetings during the course of construction so please join us to ask questions and get the latest updates. Additionally, we will send out special notice newsletters announcing any changes or timeline updates.

As always, keep an eye on NOTAMs and don’t hesitate to call the airport management office if you have questions or need clarification on any issues.

We understand this is a rather inconvenient disruption but know we will all appreciate the end result!

Thank you to our friends at the San Marcos Fire Department and the City's GIS (Geographic Information System) team who came out last month to assist in a drone survey of trees on the approach of Runways 35 and 31.

Once we receive the data back, we'll be able to pinpoint exactly which trees need to be trimmed to keep our approaches clear and safe for the flying community.

Following a Request for Proposals process, Council recently approved a build-to-suit agreement with Don Jackson Construction for the construction of over 55,000 square feet of hangar space in the Kilo Development Area.

A sign is up at the airport entrance and those interested can contact Tony Jackson at (254) 644-7935.

Our next AAB meeting will be held Thursday, January 18 at 10:00am at the Airport Management Offices located 4400 Highway 21. Anyone interested in the airport is encouraged to attend.

Come for the coffee and donuts; stay to learn more about what's happening at your airport!

We're happy to report our newest (FREE) airport t-shirts are available!

Feel free to swing by the Airport Management office during the week to grab yours!

EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION CHAPTER 958

Meetings are held every third Saturday at 10:30am in the CAF Hangar, Officers Club.

For more information visit their website.

CIVIL AIR PATROL TEXAS WING 435

Meetings are held every Tuesday at 6:00pm.

For more information, visit their website, send an email, or call (512) 968-6501.

KHYI INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CLUB

RESTARTED! IMC meetings are held the third Thursday of each month.

For more information, contact Steve Roberts via email.