You wouldn’t expect to see the manager of Los Angeles International Airport chasing deer off the main runway, or the manager of New York’s JFK International out clearing the tarmac with a snowblower.
But those duties are all in a day’s work for Airport Authority volunteers at 84 of the 90 airports in North Dakota.
Take Marlin Haberstroh, for example. He’s the manager of the seven-member Airport Authority board in Lisbon, N.D., and has been an airport volunteer since 1984.
The owner of a crop-spraying business located at Lisbon Municipal Airport, Haberstroh says, “I might as well be on the Airport Authority. I’m there all the time anyway.”
His dedication to the flying facility goes deeper than that, however. “I like being on the board,” he says. “We do everything we can to keep the airport in tip-top condition. Also, I meet a lot of interesting people. When we airport bums get together, there’s always a lot of good conversation and good coffee.”
Neither he nor the other members of the Airport Authority board receive any compensation for their efforts, as stipulated by state law. However, they are entitled to be reimbursed for meals and travel expenses associated with airport meetings.
Being an airport volunteer has its own rewards, according to Haberstroh. “It’s fun. I’ve always enjoyed it and I still do. I’m a pilot, and the flying is the most fun.”
Another reason he’s fond of aviation: “I met my wife through flying. She came around asking about flying lessons. I said, ‘I’m not an instructor, but I can take you for a ride and see how you like flying.’ So we went for a ride and we’re still riding high. She never did take flying lessons, she just married the pilot.”
Municipal airport authorities were created by the Airport Authorities Act, passed by the North Dakota legislature in 1959. The powers of the local boards, whose members are appointed by the city council, include planning, constructing, protecting and maintaining airports and air navigation facilities throughout the state.
In the opinion of Gary R. Ness, director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, the Airport Authorities Act was one of the best pieces of legislation to support aviation in the history of the state.
“It was an important factor in the development of North Dakota aviation,” he says. “It gives local airports the infrastructure to conduct business in the state and to create jobs.”
Ness adds, “In fact, aviation is playing an increasingly important role in the state’s economy. In 2004, aviation accounted for more than $1.25 billion and provided more than 12,000 jobs for North Dakota.”
But it’s the volunteers who are largely responsible for making local airports successful.
“We couldn’t do it without volunteers,” Ness says. “They’re the soldiers on the front lines who make sure the runways are in good condition and the runway lights are working. They clear the snow, mow the grass, buy the land, oversee construction, maintain the facilities and equipment, and keep everything up to the strict standards of the FAA.”
And they do it all for their communities, with little or no regard for their self-interest, Ness says. “Many volunteers are not pilots, or they are pilots who aren’t flying any more, but each and every one of them has the best interest of their community at heart. They simply enjoy making improvements to their local airports and experiencing their achievements for the community.
“And even though they’re entitled to reimbursement for meals and travel expenses, most airport board members don’t submit expense vouchers. They usually absorb the entire cost themselves.”
Ness says that managers are paid at only nine out of 90 North Dakota airports: Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Mandan, Minot and Williston.
“That’s why we rely so much on volunteers,” he says. “Actually, the Airport Authority represents the largest number of volunteers in any government agency. They’re a special kind of people. Once appointed by their city council, airport volunteers tend to get involved and stay on the board long term. Many stay on for life, or until they retire, quit flying, or move away.”
And that’s pretty much the way it is for Marlin Haberstroh in Lisbon.
“I’ll always continue to be connected with the airport in some aspect,” he says. “Even after I retire from business, I’ll always be involved somehow.”
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