Massachusetts Airfield Believes in the Power of Family and Community – FLYING Magazine

“Airports are notoriously unhealthy about telling the story of the advantages they supply to the local people,” famous Don McPherson, the proprietor of Minute Man Air Area (6B6). Minute Man is an exception to this common rule and has repeatedly informed its story far and broad.

The Stow, Massachusetts-based airport started in 1966 when Don’s father, Paul, “…purchased the property, after he had achieved his life-long purpose of studying to fly and proudly owning his personal aircraft.  

“He purchased a Cessna 182 and rebuilt a Piper Cub,” Don mentioned. “Constructing and working the airport was a household operation from the beginning; it was additionally a interest for dad.

“We’d come out on weekends largely [to help]. We’d exit to the location within the morning to work after which go dwelling at lunch to look at Candlepin bowling each Saturday; the explanation was my mother was a champion bowler.  After which we’d return to work after lunch. This stored the household collectively; it was very nice.”

And whereas Don has fond recollections of the work within the early days, some duties had been extra gratifying than others. 

“Dad couldn’t afford to purchase crushed gravel for the runway,” he mentioned, “so he shopped round and located sand pits that had one of the best gravel. He would then run the street grader up and down the runway. My job was to stroll behind the street grater and choose up over-sized stones; that was how I began. 

“After [doing that] there was no place however up within the airport enterprise!” 

By means of the household’s exhausting work, the previous 1,700-foot grass Erikson Area was paved and prolonged by 300 toes. What’s as we speak referred to as Minute Man Air Area—named after the realm’s wealthy historical past throughout The American Revolution—was unveiled on July 1, 1969. 

One of many earliest companies that known as Minute Man dwelling was “Peg’s Place,” a small espresso store run by Don’s mother and sister. The flexibility to have her personal espresso store on the airport so she may share her husband’s flying ardour was a key motive why Peg (a non-pilot) was onboard together with her husband buying an airport. 

However sadly, solely three years after Minute Man was opened to the general public, Paul was concerned in a deadly airplane accident. His demise left his widow disinterested in persevering with the airport’s operations, so Don took over the airport. He has managed each its every day and strategic operations since 1972.  

Right this moment, Minute Man Air Area:

• Has a 3,110 ft by 48 ft asphalt runway (3/21) and a 1,600 ft by 40 ft turf runway (12/30)
• Is dwelling to 68 plane
• Is ranked sixth within the state of Massachusetts when it comes to financial influence for common aviation airports at $25.8 million per yr

These sides are nice examples of Don’s purpose for Minute Man Air Area of “boosting the financial system, serving the group, and nurturing the atmosphere.”

Don’s Spouse Will get Concerned

One of many airport’s most impactful companies is the on-property restaurant. Nancy’s Air Area Cafe has been owned and run by Don’s spouse Nancy since 1977. The farm-to-table eatery has been greater than a spot to fly in for a “$100” bowl of New England clam chowder or lamb burger and Belgian fries. 

Whereas the COVID-19 pandemic had an hostile influence upon the restaurant, it had a silver lining as nicely. By having closed the previous two winters, Nancy has been capable of start flying extra continuously, exercising her aviating expertise.

Don is grateful for the additional assist. Along with her long-standing position as “Load Grasp,” Nancy is now FO (first officer) and shares the flying load of their 1965 Piper Cherokee Six. By means of their travels, he’s discovered that her “notoriety has unfold far.” Folks they’ve lately met, even so far as Florida and Nantucket, have instantly acknowledged Nancy because the particular person whose restaurant bears her title. 

And for individuals who have had the fortune of working into the couple, who can usually be noticed collectively on the airfield, they shortly see how the 2 run their companies. 

“We’re fond of claiming that we don’t actually have a job. We prefer to say that we host a celebration on daily basis,” Don mentioned. “That’s our modus operandi, within the restaurant and on the ramp on the airport. We continuously are doing what you’ll do should you had a celebration at your own home. You invite mates to come back to a celebration, and so they all don’t know one another.  So, what do you and your spouse do? You introduce them to one another. Isn’t that your job as a number?”

This act of introduction, whether or not formal or casual, within the restaurant or on the gas pumps, is a vital side of the success of Minute Man Air Area. Don feels that the airport has cultivated an atmosphere that brings individuals collectively, pilots and non-pilots alike. The extent of help and friendliness that Don, Nancy, and others have created has been integral in drawing in these with out aviation expertise to the airport. A few of these guests have grow to be pilots, after speaking to native pilots. 

Even because the McPhersons have reached retirement age, when others might start slowing down, they’re nonetheless actively concerned in every day operations of the airport and restaurant. One good thing about all of the years of exhausting work although is that they’ve attracted and employed like-minded individuals and may largely handle the companies ‘remotely’ whereas on the street (or within the air).

However as he acknowledged their continued curiosity in working the airport, Don was additionally fast to notice that its future is all the time high of thoughts. “Up till about 5 years in the past or so, we hadn’t thought a lot about the way forward for Minute Man Air Area.”

Fortunately, as a result of the airport accepted federal and state funds in years previous, he’s “…nearly one hundred pc certain” that it’ll survive as an airport after their custodianship. If somebody buys the airport and needs to show it right into a subdivision or industrial park, for instance, they’ll pay the worth of the property as valued, plus an extra 90 p.c of that worth again to the federal government. 

This surety has been the byproduct of the couple’s latest in depth efforts into excited about the airport’s subsequent custodians and its subsequent 56 years of operations. 

Whereas not marketed as pertinent to ongoing airport operations, three years in the past, Don—who can also be a farmer—signed up for a farmland succession class. 

“Farms are very very like airports,” Don mentioned. “They each personal a number of acreage with excessive growth potential and comparatively low earnings.” 

One of the crucial poignant questions requested through the seminar that actually received Don considering was, “Who’s going to farm your land while you retire or die?” Or on this case, “Who’s going to run your airport while you retire or die?

Guided by these and different difficult questions, the announcement for Minute Man Air Area’s tentative subsequent chapter was introduced in April 2019. “It’s no secret that now we have marketed that the airport is on the market,” Don mentioned. “We now have long-term trusted workers and it runs itself. In fact, there are some issues that solely I can do, however these are few and much between. 

“I don’t see myself as somebody who will retire, since I by no means actually had a job; I’m solely internet hosting a celebration on daily basis and see myself doing this for the foreseeable future.”