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Atmore airport sees improvement, new energy

Things are happening at Atmore Municipal Airport.

Since Sky Warrior Flight Support Inc. took over managing the flying gate way, many improvements and additions are being made.

Airport Director of Maintenance and Manager Don Flynn said since the new company took over, cleaning and replacing furniture, getting the FBO building and hangar cleaned out has been priority.

“We haven’t done a whole lot of other work than that,” Flynn said.

Flynn said the airport now has AV Gas now. And as of Jan. 30, the price per gallon was $4.95, the cheapest in the area.

Flynn said the AV Gas is what small plans utilize.

Additionally, Flynn said they’ve started doing maintenance on a customer’s aircraft, and construction is ongoing on six new box hangars. He added that a restroom is being installed on the east side of the runway.

Flynn said the city of Atmore has been a wonderful support to the airport.

“(Street Department Director) Calvin Grace and the mayor (Jim Staff) both have been a big help,” he said.

Earlier this week, planes could be seen coming and going, whether it’s Sky Warriors flight training plane or those wanting to fill up on gas.

A Cirrus and Bonanza took advantage of the gas price, and after paying in the FBO, soon took flight after the pre-flight checklist was made.

Flynn said other improvements to the FBO included adding flowers along its perimeter. He said the city donated the wood for the plant box.

Additionally, to make the building homier, the airport purchased a rocking chair. Staff donated the other.

According to Advance archives, the Atmore City Council adopted resolution 2023-19 late in 2023, which authorized the city to draft a contract with Sky Warrior Flight Support Inc. of Pensacola, Fla.

The city issued a request for proposals for the operation of the airport, and Sky Warrior responded with an RFP to operate the airport.

City Attorney Larry Wettermark said the terms of the agreement include a portion of fuel sales and sharing of hangar rentals, among other terms.

According to the agreement, the term is for three years. The city may extend the terms for an additional two years, the agreement states.

With the agreement, the city authorizes Sky Warriors rights to operate the airport; the city agrees to cooperate with Sky Warriors to establish agreeable accounting procedures with revenue owed to the city for external fuel sales and shared hangar rentals; assist Sky Warriors to recruit and develop additional aviation related services to the airport; and the city agrees to provide and maintain property insurance on all infrastructure owned by it at the airport, according to the agreement.

Some items Sky Warrior agreed to include performing routine maintenance on the runway and all aprons; routine maintenance for the medium intensity runway lighting system, aprons and grass areas surrounding the runway extension; maintenance on the terminal building and related facilities; to continue to provide AV Gas for general aviation aircraft on a seven-day a week 24-hour basis; dispensing a fuel service truck; and to establish a student pilot training facility and to use the airport for such activity, to name a few.

Other parts of Sky Warrior’s agreement with the city included fuel sales agreement, maintaining existing and future hangars and developing a FBO website.