Aviation View | Volume 1, Issue 2

108 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 recently finished more than a million dollars in renovation work; and the new FBO, Chantilly Air Jet Center, that just built a $14 million facility. Rivera reports, “Both are situated to offer the best and most complete services you can ask for. We also have a total of 26 businesses based at the airport, ranging from five flight schools, including helicopter and fixed-wing schools, to three, part-145 repair stations. Then we have several other large companies based out of here. Leidos, the defence and aeronautical technology company fly out of the airport. And Aurora Flight Sciences, which does cutting-edge research and development with UAS and Drones, are based here.” Because the airport is in close proximity to DC, there are government agencies based on-site, including U.S. Customs and Border who have a facility for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. “It is a very busy airport,” says Rivera. “We have managed to diversify our revenue streams and become self-sufficient. When I first got here, employed by the City of Manassas. There are four frontline maintenance personnel, two operations officers and an administrative coordinator who handles the day-to-day running of the airport office, paying bills, and administration. “We are set up with the same typical three divisions that you see at any airport: Operations, Maintenance, and Administration, just on a smaller scale,” says Rivera. “But that is also why we can be so profitable. We have managed to create a working environment with very little turnover, and we are fortunate that our employees have been here for many years and are very professional. They deserve so much credit for our success, I could not do the job without them.” As a reliever airport for Dulles International Airport, Manassas Regional covers Maryland, Washington DC, Alexandria VA, and was the first GA airport designated as a National General Aviation Airport in Virginia by the FAA. It has two full-service FBOs: APP Jet Center which has been on the field for 15 years and