General aviation remains active in Tri-Cities

BLOUNTVILLE — In the observation area at Tri-City Aviation, a combination of families and employees watched as four military helicopters were fueled before taking off Thursday. This was just a fraction of activity that takes place at Tri-City Aviation, also known as the airport's fixed-based operator. Pam Phillips, owner of the FBO, said her father Don Carter founded Tri-City Aviation in 1969. General aviation runs in her blood. Phillips started working at the FBO's reception desk at age 13 and later learned to take on bookkeeping responsibilities. More than 20 years ago, she took over ownership of the family business. "We're basically a gas station for airplanes," Phillips said. "We do service, maintenance, fueling, hangar and any support for private and corporate aircraft. My dad got into the business when Hubbard Aviation went bankrupt, that was the FBO that was here." Mike Lloyd, general manager for Tri-City Aviation, said he started working with Carter in 1975. He primarily handles aircraft maintenance, services private corporate aircraft and air carriers in the region for any maintenance needs. Before joining the FBO team, Lloyd served in the U.S. Air Force working on fighter jets. He said he came straight out of the military to be a part of the endeavor. "I try to keep these airplanes flying and flying in a safe manner," Lloyd said. Tri-City Aviation General Manager Mike Lloyd (pictured left) and Tri-City Aviation Owner Pam Phillips pose for a photo together inside the business. ALLISON WINTERS/SIX RIVERS MEDIA About general aviation Stacey Heaton, south region manager for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, talked about the state of general aviation. She said general aviation involves all civilian flying, except for scheduled airlines and military flights. Heaton was optimistic about the health and future of commercial aviation, but said there is still a need for more aircraft mechanics. "There's a bit of a shortage, and it's tough for aircraft owners to ensure that they continue to meet all of their safety requirements for all their inspections and fixes," she said. "Total certificate numbers for pilots, they are absolutely on the rise in terms of safety for general aviation." According to 2025 data from the Federal Aviation Administration, there are 21,250 active pilots, 8,512 student pilots and 3,823 flight instructors in the state of Tennessee. General aviation generated a more than $1.39 billion impact for the state in 2022, the FAA reported. Rick Kinzer, who serves as the Tri-Cities Airport support network volunteer through AOPA, said it is common for many people to become interested in general aviation by watching planes growing up. He said there are lots of facets to general aviation. According to Kinzer, the FBO sees activity ranging from military helicopters to medical flights. The airport stayed especially busy during Hurricane Helene as many general aviation community members stepped up along with many others to offer support. "What you just saw in Blackhawks out there, multiply that times 10," Kinzer said. "And even larger helicopters. They had so many people, so many helicopters and operations going on here. In addition to that, general aviation aircraft were loading up supplies, food, water, medical supplies." Phillips said the FBO worked "day and night" after Helene to keep jet fuel stocked for relief aircraft going in and out of the region. Rick Kinzer poses with a plane of his own. ALLISON WINTERS/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Northeast State Adjacent to Tri-Cities Airport in Blountville, Northeast State Community College is making its own effort to support the future of aviation. Aviation Technology Program Director Jacob Taylor said the school recently graduated its fifth cohort. "We are a Part 147 school, also known as an AMTS, aircraft maintenance technician school," he said. "What our program does is it gives the students the necessary training and experience, everything that they would need to be eligible to go to the FAA to take their exams for the [Airframe and Powerplant] license." As an Elizabethton native, Taylor brings his own background as a retired Air Force mechanic. He said he spent 20 years working on fighter aircraft and got his A&P, or Airframe and Powerplant license, while he was still in the military. He said one of the biggest problems the program currently faces is funding. Soon, Taylor said the program will be able to support two cohorts in the spring — expanding its reach to more students. "That's something I've been hearing for the last 12 years, even in the military, was the shortage of A&P mechanics," Taylor said. "So we do everything we can to help the students be successful and just get them prepared to pass their exams." According to Taylor, the program was able to get a Cessna 150 airplane through a grant earlier this year, giving students more hands-on learning opportunities. He said the program is always looking to add more equipment or aircraft to enhance their educational experience. Dual enrollment students can also get involved in the aviation technology program. Taylor mentioned that seniors in high school will go through the general fundamentals and be absorbed into the cohort with the other mandatory courses during the summer. The program started roughly five years ago, Taylor said, with each cohort having around 25 students. Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Morristown and Pellissippi State Community College also offer similar aviation technology programs for the East Tennessee region. A group photo of the recent Aviation Technology cohort at Northeast State. Contributed/Northeast State Community College Getting involved Lloyd said it has been amazing to watch general aviation grow and change over the last five decades, with the demand for flight schools growing and more youth becoming mechanics or pilots. The Flying Service offers local flight training, which operates out of the Tri-Cities Airport. It is a division of the Morristown Flying Service. "When you're in aviation, I think everybody will agree you either love it or you don't care about it," he said. "Once it gets in your blood, it's just like a love thing. You just love to do it for some reason, even days it's not so easy to get through." Phillips said she has enjoyed helping those who have a passion for aviation succeed the most out of any part of her job. She misses when families used to come sit on the grassy knoll at the airport and watch aircraft activity together. "Whether you're a manufacturer, whether you're a pilot, whether you're an air traffic controller, we were constantly meeting on the weekends and nights and figuring out how can I help you succeed," she said. "We were asking, 'How can you help me succeed? How can we grow aviation?'" Kinzer said he is actively working on developing a pilots group or association to further unite the general aviation community. "We're all basically trying to form a pilots group or a pilots association here, not just for this airport, but for the region," he said. "Where we can bring people, youth, pilots, non-pilots, spouses. This is a family thing, and it is good for the health of the community." Phillips is also a part of the Appalachian Aviatrixes, a chapter of the international organization of women pilots, also called the Ninety-Nines. This group represents members from the Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia and North Carolina region. Kinzer said anyone interested in becoming more involved in general aviation or being a part of the pilot group can reach him at rkinzer@att.net. For more information about the Appalachian Aviatrixes, visit https://appav99.wixsite.com/welcome.