Peachtree City resident Jim

Savage has been involved with airplanes since he learned to fly at the

age of 16. He has worked in aviation ever since, starting with a part-time

job at a fixed based operation and followed by time in the Air National

Guard, 24 years as a pilot with Eastern Airlines and close to 13 years

as the airport manager at Falcon Field in Peachtree City.

While he will continue working

with airports in the future as part of his new job with Wilbur Smith Associates,

his time at Falcon Field is near an end. This was not his choice.

Earlier this year, the Airport

Authority voted to offer Savage early retirement. They wished to find

a new airport manager who would not only handle day-to-day operations

but also aid in business development of the airport. It was a close vote

that divided the authority and though it is working toward a common goal,

it still finds itself divided at times even now. The authority hopes to

have a new airport manager in place by the end of 2003, but it is likely

that the position will not be awarded until early 2004, due mainly to

a late start on the search.

Savage has been involved with

Falcon Field since its very early days. He was a member of the Peachtree

City Council in the early 1980s for two terms, which is when the city

established the Airport Authority and bought the airport a few years later.

At the time, four of the five people on council were pilots who had good

knowledge of the aviation business. The privately owned airport that just

sat there soon began to attract businesses to the community.

"It was a time of significant

change in Peachtree City," said Savage, who recalled that the city

had virtually no income at that time and the developers were relied on

to control things. "A structure was established and controls were

put in place, things like zoning and a land use plan." Peachtree

City started to become the community it is today.

In 1991, there were 80 airplanes

at Falcon Field with one row of T-hangars and 16 private hangars. Savage

was the airport project director and would be named airport manager a

year later. Falcon Field had a relatively new runway and had just added

an instrument approach.

Today, there are close to 170

planes at the airport, three rows of hangars and 35 private hangars with

three more on the way. Savage estimates that Falcon Field has approximately

55,000 operations a year and expects that number to double in 20 years.

In the early years of Savage's

tenure, the airport began to grow, but there were still problems that

reminded everyone that Falcon Field's growth was still in its infancy.

One such problem was deer on the runway. The airport got a federal grant

to build a fence, and while the airport is not completely fenced in and

some animals are still seen from time to time, the number of deer on the

runway has decreased significantly.

Another change was the addition

of the Great Georgia Air Show. Previously, the airport hosted static displays

of aircraft but the air shows have brought in some additional income and

more importantly a lot of awareness of Falcon Field to the community.

In 1998, Falcon Field underwent

its most significant change when the airport authority took over the running

of the fixed base operation, which gave the airport a significant source

of income. Previously, the FBO was run by outside companies. When the

opportunity arose, the airport authority took it over, but had to overcome

some obstacles to make it profitable.

"The main obstacles we

had to overcome were the high prices and the poor service that the previous

operator had," said Savage. Prices were lowered and the service that

the airport provided became a lot better.

"One of the things that

I am very proud of is that in the five years since we have operated the

FBO, we have not had one service-oriented complaint," said Savage,

who also recalled that pilots based at other local airports would often

stop at Falcon Field for the lower prices and better service.

"People want to be at

this airport," said Savage. "That's why we're growing."

At a recent meeting of the

airport authority, Savage stated that the airport had had three record

months in a row. One of the factors contributing to the success, according

to Savage, is the growth of corporate business at the airport. He feels

that the corporate market will get stronger as the airport eventually

gets bigger hangars and bigger airplanes. Savage also thinks that the

airport will grow in a broad spectrum with sport aviators, light twins

and larger corporate aircraft using Falcon Field.

Savage feels a sense of pride

in what he and his staff have accomplished over the years but also sadness

that he will not be around to see the airport complete its growth and

become a self-sustaining entity. Currently, Falcon Field makes enough

money to operate but not enough to complete its capital improvement projects.

Savage believes that when the hangars under construction and the additional

20 acres next to them are completed and moved into, the airport will generate

enough money to be self-sufficient.

"I can see that it is

about to take off," said Savage. "When everything is developed

this place will see a lot of activity."

Savage's vision of where

Falcon Field should go is a continued focus on service, the operation

of a first-class facility and good prices.

Starting in 2004, Savage will

work part-time with Wilbur Smith Associates as an aviation specialist.

His job will be to ensure that projects at other general aviation airports

are completed correctly. One of Wilbur Smith's clients is Falcon

Field, so Savage could possibly still be involved with the airport, but

even if his work doesn't bring him