CityView Magazine

Grannis Field Rolls Forward B RADLEY WHITED, the Airport Director of Fayetteville's Regional Airport, shared with us what the day was like on September 11, ten years ago and what changes came about as a result of 9/11. The day was business as usual at Grannis Field for its 25 em- ployees when one of them called Whited and told him to turn on the television in his office. It was then that Whited saw the atroci- ties that unfolded on that historical day that no one will forget. "It was tough to witness," said Whited as he took pause reflect- ing on the event. Whited noted the interesting thing that impressed him the most was the reaction time from both the Federal Aviation Administra- tion (FAA) and the government. "Within two hours the situation was handled," said Whited. "All airplanes were grounded in the U.S. and all the airports were closed to air traffic, to see it executed within two hours was amazing." This made it easy for them to identify any rogue aircraft out there in the skies, Whited explained. The FAA set up parameters for what had to happen in terms of checklists for security before airports were allowed to reopen. "It took us three days to achieve that and we were in the group of the first airports to reopen after the FAA decided they met the criteria," said Whited proudly. On a global scale and especially in the United States, the airline industry has been in a financial crisis for much of this new century. The problems that began with the economic downturn at the be- ginning of 2001 reached almost catastrophic proportions after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. In the United States alone, the industry posted cumulative net losses of over $40 billion from 2001 to 2005, and only in 2006 was it able to return to the black with a total net profit of just over $3 billion according to analysis done by the Global Airline Indus- try Program. The recent increased growth of Fayetteville has been nothing but a good news story for Gran- nis Field. "The last four years the airlines have adjusted their rate sched- ules to be more competitive and business has increased by 15 percent as a result," said Whited. Whited claims it to be a combi- nation of pricing along with more military activity that has created traffic into Fort Bragg as other troops like the Reserve and National Guard Units come through here for training. "While we have the same security standards, we don't have the volumes of people that larger airports have," said Whited. "The parking and convenience we offer makes us stand out against our competitors. We were the first facility in the city with free Wi-Fi nearly three years ago." Fortunately or unfortunately, the military moving through Fay- etteville has increased business but it also poses an interesting dynamic for the TSA handling all of their baggage seeing as how service members are exposed to weapons and traces of chemi- cals that other patrons are not. "Our security requirements do not change, but it's a bigger im- pact on our baggage personnel handling more bags," said Whited. The other change that came through the TSA was that the screening process became federalized. Prior to 9/11 it was the airlines responsibility to contract for security screening and now the airlines put the regulations on the federal level and regulatory functions moved over to Homeland Security. Custom Edge Custom Edge installs decorative concrete and hardscapes including landscape edging, driveways, pool decks, patios, outdoor kitchens, fireplaces and more. Custom colors can be set in various shapes and patterns giving you hundreds of design choices for curbing and concrete. Our outdoor kitchens are custom designed with CAD capabilities and allow you to select appliances and options such as stone and granite. Call us for a free consultation 910.308.1399 and visit us online at www.TheCustomEdgeNC.com. 910.308.1399 | www.TheCustomEdgeNC.com TheCustomEdge@aol.com 56 | September/October • 2011

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