SPECIAL GUEST CONTRIBUTOR:
JOSH FLOWERS
I’m Josh Flowers - a 26-year-old Flight Instructor and Aviation Filmmaker based at the San Marcos Regional Airport. When I began pursuing my private pilot certificate in 2010, my instructor would often have us depart Austin Bergstrom (home-base) and fly south to a relatively quiet non-towered airport with multiple runways. San Marcos gained a control tower in 2011, and I soon became a regular student in the traffic pattern as I built solo flight time and polished skills leading up to the check ride as soon as I turned 17-years-old. I had no clue that San Marcos was going to become a very special place for both my father and I.
My father, Bob Flowers, is the one who started this whole aviation obsession for me. He had the privilege of flying countless hours with his father all over Texas in the 80s and 90s in their 1980 Cessna 172N. They decided to sell that Skyhawk in 1999 when the old Austin Robert Mueller Airport was closing and that left me with very vague memories of flight, though just enough to keep my interest alive for years. At that time, my father gave up flying for 14 years while us kids grew up. I gained my Private Pilot Certificate in 2013, Dad took a flight review to get current, and we bought a timed-out 1976 Cessna 172M, N80991, as a father-son project. San Marcos Regional Airport had ramp space, so we decided that would be our base.
For us, this airport started as a mere place to keep N80991 (named “Donna-June” after my grandmother). In 2015, we leased a T-Hangar on the field to keep our Skyhawk out of the Texas sun, then scheduled the airplane for a full strip and repaint to replicate the paint scheme on Dad’s old Skyhawk, which we decided was sentimentally fitting. Since the repaint, we have replaced all windows, overhauled the O-320 with a RAM STC and a tuned exhaust, upgraded all lighting, new interior, and all new Garmin G3X Touch displays, navigators, and autopilot.
N80991 isn’t the only one who’s leveled up at San Marcos over the years, though. This airplane and airport have since taken me all the way through becoming an instrument flight instructor, which then enabled me to turn around and take my Dad through his instrument training, which we completed in early 2021. Few moments in my life can compare to the pride I felt when my father just gained a rating he’d always wanted with his own son as his instructor, and it all happened at the same airport I used to practice the pattern at as a solo student, 10 years ago. In our time at KHYI we have made so many hangar friends, we've made so many memories flying out of this airport, and involved ourselves further into the aviation community than we ever could have, otherwise. We're proud to call the San Marcos Regional Airport our Aviation Home.
- Josh
*With 283K subscribers, Josh’s YouTube channel “Aviation 101” is very popular among GA enthusiasts. To check out some of his work click here. |
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MONTHLY TRAFFIC OPERATIONS |
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Annual total operations by year:
2017: 66,781
2018: 59,679
2019: 63,955
2020: 78,010
2021: 82,368
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2022 count through September:
67,330
*September had the highest recorded operations in HYI history with 10,441!
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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. |
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HIGHWAY 21 WATERLINE CONSTRUCTION |
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Crews are still working on the waterline and the scheduled completion date is December 2022. Thank you for your cooperation and flexibility during this project. |
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AIRPORT REGULATIONS REVIEW |
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It's been several years since the Airport's Minimum Standards and Rules & Regulations have been reviewed. We're dusting them off and giving them a fresh look.
In the coming months, we plan to present proposed updates to the Airport Board. In the meantime, we're going to start highlighting existing regulations to educate our users and assist tenants in becoming compliant.
If you'd like to review the current documents, click here. Have a suggested edit? Send us an email!
October Focus: Fire Prevention
Rules & Regulations Ordinance, Section 10.033:
(a) Applicability and compliance. All persons, companies, and agencies engaged in any activity at the airport, whether occupying airport-owned facilities or otherwise, shall comply with fire regulations as issued by the city and shall comply with all applicable county, state and federal laws and regulations related to fire prevention or safety.
(f) Empty containers. All empty oil, paint and varnish cans, bottles and other containers will be removed immediately from the premises and not allowed to remain on floors, wall stringers, or overhead storage areas in or about hangars, shops and other buildings. Empty containers must be disposed of in accordance with the stormwater pollution prevention plan for the airport.
(h) Flammable, corrosive and toxic materials. Containers of gasoline, kerosene or other flammable liquids, explosives, toxic or corrosive substances will not be stored in hangars.
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TAXIWAY CHARLIE RECONSTRUCTION |
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The FAA-funded reconstruction of Taxiway Charlie has been approved and funded and we anticipate construction to begin on January 1, 2023. Information is forthcoming related to phasing and closures and we will continue to share any developments as the project moves forward. |
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AIRPORT ADVISORY BOARD MEETING |
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Our next AAB meeting will be held Thursday, December 15 at 10:00am at the Airport Management offices located at 4400 Highway 21.
Anyone interested in the airport is encouraged to attend. Come by and learn more about what's happening at your airport.
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Due to continued unauthorized use of the dumpster located at the airport management office, the dumpster has been officially locked as of October 17th.
As a reminder, this dumpster is provided at no cost as a courtesy to our T-Hangar and T-Shelter tenants. Please swing by during normal business hours and we'll unlock the dumpster for you.
If you are a commercial user, you are required to coordinate the regular removal of your trash.
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Airport t-shirts are now available!
Feel free to swing by the Airport Management office during the week to grab yours.
Did we mention they're free?!
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Testing is available by appointment only Monday-Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm. To schedule a test time, please call the office at (512) 216-6042.
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LOCAL AVIATION NON-PROFIT MEETINGS |
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KHYI INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CLUB
IMC meetings are held the third Thursday of each month.
Follow their Facebook page for more information or email Gary White to be added to the newsletter.
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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.
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CIVIL AIR PATROL TEXAS WING 435
Meetings are held every Tuesday.
For more information, visit their website, send an email, or call (512) 710-8435.
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