Written by Ben Cox – Often times, as we go about our daily lives we fail to recognize just how effortless it is for us to do exactly that. We don’t have to haul water from the well to bathe, we don’t need to worry about the streets washing out after a rain, Outhouses are a thing of the past, and we can sleep easy at night knowing there are people watching out for us as we slumber.
It’s time to recognize those people that make our lives easier, to shine a spotlight on the men and women in our community that work for us, even if we never know it. We present to you BrownwoodNews.com‘s first in a series we call “Civic Spotlight.”
We begin with a man who has worked for the city of Brownwood for 20 years, and is in charge of the Brownwood Airport: Bobby Burks.
Mr. Burks came to Brownwood after managing for the Coleman airport for five years in the late 90’s. When asked what his job as the Airport Manager entails, he laughs and says “Everything!” Burks says “I started out here doing grunt work, I’ve done everything. Storm water training, we don’t want fuel getting into the storm water. I have to do all the regs, FAA, EPA, there’s a lot of acronyms!”
While not an airport that sells tickets to fly to a destination, the Brownwood Airport sees quite a lot of traffic that most people wouldn’t expect. “We rent space to individuals, and corporate as well.” Burks says the list of clients includes corporate clients that would surprise people. “We have a lot of corporate flying in and out of here. We have 3M, Kohler, United, Bealles, we have a lot more traffic than most people think of. Most people don’t even know we have an airport!”
It’s not all paperwork though, some of the more “everyday” tasks are not that different from the average homeowners chores. Burks says “We mow a lot of grass!”
A licensed pilot, Burks has been flying since the 1980’s. “I got my pilot’s license in Stephenville, I live in Comanche and I drove over there for a year till I got my private (license). Then I got my commercial rating, and my instrument rating, then decided I wanted to be a flight instructor.”
Also an aircraft mechanic with a shop in Comanche, Burks enjoys what he does so much, that he even works on planes at home after work for fun. “I do it mainly as a hobby now, I enjoy working on them, it’s a challenge.”
Burks has flown a number of aircraft in his life, and lists unusual plane as perhaps his most favorite to have flown. “A WWI Tiger Moth. That was a fun experience!… The engine is upside down, it’s European made.”
Obviously passionate about what he does, we thank you for serving the Brownwood and Brown County community, and for allowing the Civic Spotlight to shine on you.
