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Chandler Air Service keeps flying
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When gauging the vitality of the local airport, people typically look at the number of planes, passengers and cargo boxes that pass through. But another way to measure an airport's immediate impact is with its fixed-based operators - those businesses that supply the fuel, fix the planes and provide other services that keep pilots in the air.
So the fact that John Walkup and his family will celebrate the 30th anniversary of his Chandler Air Service on Saturday is a bright sign that Chandler Municipal Airport has been a stable piston for the area's economy for decades.
Working his entire life at airports, Walkup specifically picked Chandler Municipal in 1979 to launch his own enterprise because of its possibilities as a general aviation alternative to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and because of the local commitment to see the airport thrive.
Walkup's business has literally grown up with the airport, starting from a small hangar to now cover more than four acres, Tribune writer Ari Cohn reported. Along with the basic services provided by any fixed-base operator, Chandler Air Services became a popular training school for private pilots and now owns 28 aircraft for learning flights. Walkup and his wife even operate the Hangar Cafe, a lunch spot that in-the-know Chandler residents enjoy for its neighborly flare.
Just about any airport seems to have its share of detractors these days. And Chandler residents have been sharply divided at times over how much their airport should grow and what kind of air traffic should be allowed or recruited.
Walkup has been an active player in the various debates, making enemies as well as friends. But he never has shied away from the airport's core mission and stood by its side during the most trying times.
As a result, Chandler Air Services and the airport are good partners today, and Chandler as a community continues to benefit from that relationship.
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