VISION AIRLINES TO OFFER FLIGHTS TO LAS VEGAS FROM FORT WALTON BEACH, FL

Vision Airlines is taking off in more ways than one. As I noted earlier, I had the pleasure of having the Vice President of Vision Airlines speak to my Northwest Florida Military Officers Association last month. While sitting next to him his phone was burning up with updates on the projections of Flights leaving and arriving Fort Walton Beach. From what he noted, all their expectations were being exceeded. Great news for us.

Vision Airlines to add five destinations
Dusty Ricketts
2011-04-20 20:46:19
Vision Airlines thinks its next expansion of service from Northwest Florida Regional Airport is a sure bet: The airline will soon offer direct flights to Las Vegas. Vision has announced plans to add five destinations starting the week of June 1. Other flights will be to and from Fort Lauderdale, St. Louis, Memphis, Tenn., and Lafayette, “We see it as a good opportunity for growth,” said Clay Meek, marketing and business development director for Vision Airlines. “It’s increasing our exposure. It gives certainly the people of Northwest Florida many more options. It’s an opportunity to create a lot more reverse traffic.” Meek said Vision’s original business model projected that 90 percent of its business would be from bringing tourists and business people to Northwest Florida. Now, Meek said Vision is trying to give local residents more travel options. Meek said he believes the beaches of Northwest Florida will be a big draw for Las Vegas residents, but that Vegas also will be a popular destination for locals. Mike Stenson, business development manager for Northwest Florida Regional, agreed. He said St. Louis and Memphis are also among the top 10 destinations people travel to from the airport. “There are over 100 people a day that go from the three Northwest Florida airports to Las Vegas, and typically they’ve always had to pay high fares and always had to connect,” Stenson said. “Now they have non-stop service straight to Vegas, which I think is going to be a huge hit for people.” In addition to offering new destinations, Vision Airlines will expand its service to and from Atlanta from four trips a week to daily. While Vision is adding flights, two of its previous destinations are being discontinued. Flights to Miami and Niagara Falls will end May 1. However, the decision to discontinue the Niagara Falls flight is a seasonal one. Vision is in talks with area snowbird associations and is expected to bring back the Niagara Falls flights sometime in November or December. Miami is being discontinued permanently and is being replaced by Fort Lauderdale, which Meek said is much more affordable for Vision.

LOCKHEED MARTIN TO CREATE MORE JOBS FOR THE F-35 PROGRAM NEAR EGLIN AFB

More good news on job creation in the local area. As the F-35 Training Squadron continues to ramp up their training program on Eglin, the supporting cast of defense contractors surrounding the area will begin to expand their support for the program. With a facility costing a couple of hundred million dollars almost completed, you will begin to see a program have the same affect the 7th Special Forces Group, if not more in the upcoming months and years. This program will not only make an impact on the local area, it will also bring a lot of attention from the international community, since approximately 12 other countries will have their pilots trained on the Fifth Generation Fighter.

Lockheed Martin wants to hire 91 locally
By DUSTY RICKETTS
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4448 dricketts@nwfdailynews.com  
FORT WALTON BEACH — Lockheed Martin is preparing to expand its operations at Eglin Air Force Base to prepare for the incoming F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and is looking for employees to meet the demand. Lockheed Martin is teaming up with JobsPlus One-Stop Career Center for a series of job fairs later this week. Lockheed Martin is looking to hire 91 full-time employees in a number of technical positions. “They’re ideally looking for someone who has experience with what they’re calling fourth- or fifthgeneration fighters — that’s F-15s, which is our folks here who used to be in the 33rd Fighter Wing,” said Don Holloway, veteran employment representative at JobsPlus. “Looking back at the data over the last few years, about the time we had the economic downturn and the 33rd Fighter Wing moved out, about 40 percent of the aircraft mechanics in this area lost their job,” Holloway said. “So this takes a big chunk out of that. We’re just overjoyed about it.” The job fair is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday at JobsPlus at 409 Racetrack Road N.E. in Fort Walton Beach. Representatives from Lockheed did not return messages seeking comment on this story. Those who attend the job fair will be able to speak with Lockheed’s hiring managers. Job seekers are encouraged to bring multiple copies of their résumé and be able to start work no later than May 31. All positions will require military clearance. Lockheed Martin has not released salary information for any of the positions yet. According to the Florida Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for similar jobs in this area ranges from about $38,000 to $54,000 a year. Holloway said he expects the Lockheed jobs to pay more than the area average. “All of these people are going to start by the first of June,” Holloway said. “That’s just such good news for our local economy.” For more information and a full list of all positions currently available, go to www.lockheedmartin.com/careers  .

FT BRAGG HAS TREMENDOUS GROWTH - 7TH SPECIAL FORCES GROUP NEEDS TO LEAVE FT BRAGG TO MAKE ROOM

FOLKS, if you think we are growing at the seams, Fort Bragg is busting at the seams. Rumor was, the soldiers moving to Eglin might have problems selling their homes. Actually, the truth of the matter is, the incoming folks to Fort Bragg needs homes badly and would probably pack and deliver their fellow Army folks household goods to get them out of town to make room for them. The log jam is us here in Northwest Florida, and the questions is, can we get quality homes built fast enough with the problem of lending to developers and builders. Bragg feeling stress of growth, returning troops By Henry CuninghamMilitary editor PINEHURST - Fort Bragg in recent months has been feeling the stress of growth combined with soldiers returning home from overseas, the garrison commander said Thursday. The redeployment has been "a big wakeup call," Col. Steve Sicinski said. Large-scale troop deployments in recent years tended to obscure the impact of growth, he said. Sicinski, who is in charge of the day-to-day operation of the Army post that stretches 35 miles east to west across the Sandhills, spoke to the Moore County Chamber of Commerce at the National Golf Club. The stress has shown up everywhere from traffic snarls on the roads to more customers in the post exchange to longer lines to get military identification cards. "Everybody knows the pharmacy lines are unsatisfactory," Sicinski said. Fort Bragg's population is about 56,000 military personnel, including soldiers and airmen, since Pope Air Force Base became Fort Bragg's Pope Field in March, he said.Fort Bragg has an estimated economic impact on the surrounding civilian community of $9.5 billion annually or more than $26 million daily, he said. A baby boom "is just beginning" at Fort Bragg's Womack Army Medical Center in the wake of large-scale troop redeployments over the past year, he said. An average of about nine babies are born every day at the military hospital, he said. Fort Bragg and other military installations have experienced increases in births nine months after massive redeployments since troops came home from the first Persian Gulf War in the spring of 1991. The number of generals at Fort Bragg is growing from 19 to 39, he said. Forces Command and U.S. Army Reserve Command are moving to Fort Bragg this summer from Atlanta because of mandates of the 2005 base realignment law. "This is no boutique installation," Sicinski said. He added Fort Bragg is a "working installation" whose main purpose is training troops for combat. The Joint Special Operations Command, which includes members from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines, is "growing in importance," he said. The Air Force plans to add a brigadier general at Pope Field, he said. The 7th Special Forces Group, which is leaving Fort Bragg, has sent an advance party to its new home at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and large numbers will depart in the next two months, he said. The group has about 2,000 soldiers. Its move also is part of base realignment. Military editor Henry Cuningham can be reached at cuninghamh@fayobserver.com or 486-3585

VISION AIRLINES BEGINS TAKE OFF IN FORT WALTON BEACH ON FRIDAY

10 more destinations for Vision
Airline will begin serving an additional five cities April 1
By DUSTY RICKETTS
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4448 dricketts@nwfdailynews.com  

Friday will be a big day for Vision Airlines. In December, the airline launched direct flights from Northwest Florida Regional Airport to Niagara Falls, N.Y., and Miami. On Friday it will expand service to 10 additional destinations, with five more to start the following week. “We want to be part of the revitalization of the area,” said Clay Meek, marketing and business development director for Vision Airlines. “We’re doing our part to make sure that there are plenty of heads in beds. That’s part of our commitment to the community.” Vision Airlines’ newest destinations will be Atlanta; Baton Rouge, La.; Fort Lauderdale; Fort Myers; Huntsville, Ala.; Knoxville, Tenn.; Little Rock, Ark.; Louisville, Ky.; Savannah, Ga.; and Tampa. Service will start April 1 to and from Chattanooga, Tenn.; Shreveport, La.; Asheville, N.C.; Columbia, S.C.; and Orlando. Meek said Louisville has been the top seller to and from Northwest Florida Regional, followed by Little Rock and Shreveport. He said Vision Airlines started direct flights between Louisville and Atlanta last year, which helped establish the airline there before the expansion to Northwest Florida was announced. While sales for most destinations have been strong, reservations for two destinations did not meet expectations and those flights have been canceled. “We did end up deciding not to serve Birmingham or Macon,” Meek said. “I wasn’t that surprised Macon didn’t make it. I thought that was a little bit of a stretch just because it’s not that big of a town. But Birmingham has so many people that drive (to Northwest Florida), we thought it would do really, really well.” To celebrate the expanded service, Vision Airlines is having a sale in which a certain number of seats on every plane scheduled to fly between now and May 21 will sell for $19. The sale, which was set to end Thursday, has been so successful that Vision Airlines has extended it to 11:59 p.m. Sunday. “We believe if we can put someone on this aircraft, that they’re going to strongly consider putting the family on it at $99 a seat three months from now when it’s June,” Meek said. “It makes good business sense to us.” So far, most of the attention has been about the tourists Vision Airlines will bring to the area. Meek said he hopes locals will take advantage of the low fares to visit other areas in the Southeast. “This is a great opportunity to take the family and put them on a plane at $190, $200 round trip, put four people on a plane and go get away for the weekend and see the Biltmore (mansion in Ashville, N.C.),” Meek said.

SPEEDWAY BETWEEN CRESTVIEW AND FORT WALTON ON SCHEDULE

If you don’t think this project doesn’t change the dynamics between Crestview and Fort Walton you have your head in the sand. As Senator Gaetz, local Senate Representative, noted. The only logistical place for most of the new residents coming to our area for the massive growth coming to our area is the North side of Crestview, and this Flyover is just a start to make the commute to work, shopping, and of course to the beautiful beaches of the emerald coast an easy one. If you didn’t know, this Flyover is at the entrance of the new F-35 Training Squadron on Eglin AFB, where over 2000 permanent military/civilian personnel are being assigned in the next couple of years, and entrance of the Northwest Florida Regional, where Vision Airlines will place their new HUB.

FLYOVER PROJECT ON SCHEDULE
‘We need a good summer’
Work will change access to airport
By KARI C. BARLOW
Northwest Florida Daily News 315-4438 kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com  
Crews will start building a portion of the $32.4 million flyover next week that will elevate traffic above the intersection of State Roads 85 and 123. The long dirt ramp on the east side of SR 85 also will begin taking shape as the flyover’s southern approach. “We’ll start putting the lime rock base in next week, and that has to go in in two (layers) … to get proper density and compaction,” said Project Administrator Mike Lenga with Greenhorne & O’Mara, the firm managing the project. Paving on the ramp will begin in the next few weeks, he added. Construction on the flyover, which is funded with federal stimulus money, began in August 2009. “It’s going well and it’s on schedule,” said Tommie Speights, district spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. “We’re still shooting for a 2012 completion. It all depends on the weather.” The project will widen SR 85 to six lanes between General Bond Boulevard and Northwest Florida Regional Airport. The flyover on northbound SR 85 will connect motorists to SR 123. Access to the airport also will be improved by elevating the north and southbound lanes of SR 85 to pass above the northernmost entrance to the airport. A new frontage road will link the airport to SR 123. “I think it is going to be an awesome asset to this area,” Lenga said. “Every time you have cars crossing each other’s paths, you have a potential for an accident. By creating this flyover, you eliminate that intersection. You’re reducing areas of conflict.” The flyover was designed by H.W. Lochner and is being built by Anderson-Columbia. In the next week, work will start on the two small airport exit overpass bridges, Lenga said. “They ’re mobilizing equipment now,” he said. “We just moved the northbound traffic over (to the frontage road) so we could do this.” Crews will begin to drive test pilings into ground to determine how deep support beams must go to support the bridge. Workers also will build a concrete gravity wall on the ramp that will take traffic off southbound SR 85 and connect it either to SR 123 or the airport, Lenga said. The weather has been cooperative so far. When it has rained, the water hasn’t caused long-term problems. “It’s pretty sandy out there, so the water disappears pretty quickly,” Lenga said. “All in all, it’s been great.” His biggest concern now is keeping his workers safe. He acknowledges that construction is frustrating for motorists, but urges them to heed the speed limits. “These guys out there working, standing next to the road, they’re not protected,” he said “They have families. If you slow down through that 2-mile, 3-mile section … you’re not taking more than 10, 15 seconds out of your day. Isn’t that worth saving a life?” Lenga said the flyover is on schedule to wrap up sometime next spring or early summer. “We’re hoping to finish early on the job,” he said. “We need a good summer. Once the bridge work really starts kicking off, which is going to happen next week, we’ll really start picking up.” He said one of the biggest benefits of the flyover is increased capacity. “We’re adding lanes, so we’re increasing capacity to get through a congested area,” Lenga said. “I think when (motorists) see the final project, they’re going to really appreciate what happened.”

CRESTVIEW FLORIDA COULD BECOME A COLLEGE TOWN

As you will read below, the new FAMU Pharmacy School is moving forward and excitement is in the air for further growth of higher education options in Crestview. Along with this initiative and talks of a Dental School by FAMU, growth of Troy University, NW Florida State College, University of West Florida in Crestview, Crestview will continue to be a choice for many to call home.

Plans progressing on FAMU pharmacy school
Renovation of the Alatex building should begin in June or July, according to school representatives
By BRIAN HUGHES
Florida Freedom Newspapers
CRESTVIEW — City leaders recently got a glimpse of the future of the historic Alatex building. Officials from Florida A&M University shared updated floor plans for the 1930s landmark’s reincarnation as the local campus of FAMU’s pharmacy school. The school’s interim dean, Marlon Honeywell, reviewed the plans with Crestview Mayor David Cadle. He repeated the school’s commitment to maintaining the historic character of the building, which is an anchor for the city’s designated National Commercial Historic District. “The architects from FAMU are coming to town soon to meet with the Crestview Historical Society to receive any input they have to preserve the historic aspects of the Alatex building,” Cadle said. According to the plans, the building’s large windows will help provide light for classrooms, teaching laboratories, a working “model” pharmacy, administrative offices and a medical library. A large skylight also will illuminate a floor-to-ceiling entrance atrium. Behind a Plexiglas railing on the second floor, students and faculty can gaze down to the lobby. “It’s going to be very, very bright inside,” Cadle said. Honeywell provided a tentative timeline for the renovation in an email to city and university officials. Planning and soil inspections are under way, according to the email. The school hopes to review design developments Friday and 50 percent of the working drawings should be completed by April 1. FAMU hopes to begin construction in June or July. The work should be completed in May 2012 and the first class will be admitted that fall. “We look forward to moving into our new home,” Honeywell said in the email. “We are also hopeful that our new neighbors will be there to celebrate with us as we move in.” At last week’s City Council meeting, Cadle said FAMU soon will look for office space for administrators who will arrive before the renovation is complete. Cadle said FAMU is also considering adding a dental school to the facility in the future.

JOB CREATION AT THE CRESTVIEW INDUSTRIAL AIRPARK

ATTENTION PLATINUM READERS:
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs, and more Jobs. This is just a precursor to further job growth at the Crestview Industrial Airpark. As you may not know, this Airport is located on the North side of the City of Crestview and less than 2 miles from the new Shopping Center with brand new move theater, a number of new banks, the only Post Office in town, only High School in town, new Community Center, the only Public Library, the new Chamber of Commerce Building, and much more. Do you see the writing on the board? If not, give me a call.

A Qwest for parts
Plane parts worth more than the whole
March 17, 2011 8:21 AM
Brian Hughes Crestview News Bulletin
With ground recently broken on Qwest Air Parts’ hangar at Crestview Bob Sikes Airport, in a few months, the Memphis, Tenn.,-based company will begin hiring local crews to disassemble aircraft. Qwest doesn’t plan to stop local expansion with just a hangar: a 10,000-square-foot warehouse could also be on the company’s radar, said Operations Manager Charlie Rugen. In technical parlance, “parting out” is what Qwest does, Rugen told the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce’s Airport Committee. While other airport tenants build, repair and enhance aircraft, Rugen’s company disintegrates them. “We are a supplier of aircraft parts,” Rugen said. “We obtain these parts through the recycling of commercial aircraft. We supply these parts to major airlines all over the world, as well as to brokers.” Qwest, which also has facilities in California and Nevada, hit the ground running when they arrived in Crestview. Seemingly within days, a pair of World Airways DC-10s flew into town, and no sooner were they parked off the Bob Sikes taxiway than temporary crews from the Memphis home office were scrambling over the aircraft, removing valuable instrumentation and hardware. “As soon as he hit the ground, things started to happen,” county Airports Manager Scott Musser said. “This is an airport that’s never seen this kind of activity before.” When each part is removed, if it isn’t already ordered by one of Qwest’s clients, it is listed almost immediately on an online inventory locator. As airplane models age and manufacturers stop milling parts, the components Qwest removes become valuable commodities for companies that still fly those models, Rugen said. “As the parts or engines become more scarce, the aircraft could be worth more as parts than an entire aircraft,” he said. “Everything you can hear and see in an aircraft will disappear. The rest is recycled for scrap metal.” Airport neighbors and tenants won’t have to face a junkyard of leftover airplane hulks, Rugen assured. Once the parts and components are removed, a recycling contractor will remove any remaining insulation and fluids, then chew the hulk up into smaller pieces and remove it. “Part of our contract with those companies is to remove all insulation and clean up any fluid that’s dropped,” Rugen said. “Their operation is a clean operation,” confirmed Airport Committee chairman Brad Hall, vice president of maintenance for Emerald Coast Aviation, the airport’s fixed-base operator. Airport officials said Qwest’s 22,000-square-foot hangar should be completed at the end of the summer. The company’s five-year goal is to dismantle eight to 12 aircraft a year in Crestview using a staff of 10 to 15 people, Rugen said. The 5-10 year plan is to disassemble as many as 15 aircraft a year with a staff of 15-20. While Qwest’s future in Crestview is bright, Rugen confessed the tinkerer inside of him is sometimes conflicted. “These aircraft are only 30 years old,” Rugen said. “As a guy who’s never seen a toaster oven he didn’t want to fix, it’s really heartbreaking to see these planes fly in and get turned into scrap.”