Los Alamos County Airport Manager Gary Goddard. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Gary Goddard was ready for a change. After 14 years working as a controls engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory, he said it was time to do something different, which motivated him to apply to be the Los Alamos Airport Manager.

Goddard got the job in September. He said he is pleased with his decision.

“It’s been really nice here,” Goddard said. “The County has been super supportive.”

Goddard has not wasted time; he has formulated a plan for the airport that includes seeing several capital projects that he inherited through to completion:

• Constructing T-hangars;
• Demolishing old hangars and constructing new ones; and
• Relocating the airport road to follow the canyon.

That’s not all; Goddard said he also hopes to make improvements to the airport building. His goal is to make it the first carbon-free airport in the state. To achieve this, he said he is exploring the possibility of repurposing solar panels no longer needed at the County’s solar field and install them on the airport’s roof as well as electrifying the heating and cooling systems.

Some steps to make the airport sustainable are already underway. Goddard said he will be installing automated shades to maximize the passive heating and cooling of the building.

“I would love to bring a little bit of sustainability to the airport,” he said.

This is something Goddard has implemented in his personal life – he has made his home completely off grid.

Besides sustainability, Goddard said he wants to increase awareness and use of the airport. To achieve this, he is working with a group of individuals from the local pilot community to bring in an airport mechanic who would operate the fuel farm that was completed last year and provide aviators with repair and maintenance services. The mechanic wouldn’t be a County employee but an independent contractor. The working group is developing a business package for the service.

Another idea is to revive a local flying club. He explained that the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association provides support and resources for local pilots to buy into rental planes and have monthly and hourly fees for plane access. Goddard explained that this is a great way to encourage new aviators by reducing the cost of flying.

There was a club with a similar structure in place for approximately five years, and Goddard said it was through that club that he got his own pilot’s license.

Goddard was presented with an additional idea to attract more attention to aviation when a local resident emailed the County inquiring about booking a flight tour for her husband. Goddard obliged, taking the man on a flight in his own personal plane after hours. Listening to the man express his desire to be a pilot himself, Goddard thought about implementing a flight companion program that would pair up seasoned pilots with those interested in flying planes.

These are just some of the ideas Goddard has in mind.

“It’s been more fun than I thought it would be,” he said. “The County is really supportive, and I really enjoy working with my colleagues and the pilot community. It is very gratifying to me to feel like I have something to offer the community, to work on creative and practical projects here at the airport and develop the airport from a pilot’s perspective.”

Goddard has had his pilot’s license for six years and regularly flies his 1960 PA-22-160 Tri-pacer from his home in Ohkay Owingeh that he shares with his wife and son to his office at the airport. He said he enjoys his 12-minute commute.

Before living in New Mexico, Goddard resided in California. He said his love for flying existed from the start.

“I was always interested in it as a kid,” Goddard said. “I just love seeing the world from the air.”

He learned to fly hang gliders in California but said he now appreciates the freedom and versatility of propeller planes.

To learn more about getting involved in the local aviation scene, call Goddard at 505.709.8687 or email gary.goddard@lacnm.us, or just pop by for a visit.