HomeMy Public PortalAboutTOL PR 2018-08-16 Airport Manager of the Year
Town of Leesburg
News Release
For Immediate Release
August 16, 2018
Media Contact:
Betsy Arnett, Public Information Officer
barnett@leesburgva.gov 703-771-2734
Leesburg Executive Airport Manager Scott Coffman Named
Virginia’s 2018 Airport Manager of the Year
Leesburg, VA (August 16, 2018)
– At the Virginia Aviation
Conference in Norfolk last night,
Scott Coffman, the Leesburg
Executive Airport manager, was
honored as Airport Manager of
the Year. The award was
presented by Mark Flynn, the
Commonwealth’s Director of
Aviation.
This award recognizes the
outstanding work Scott has
done over the past several years
on two particular projects that
have placed the Leesburg
Executive Airport at the
forefront of general aviation airports across the Commonwealth. First, Coffman was
instrumental in the return of a U.S. Customs facility to the airport. The previous facility closed
following the events of September 11, 2001. Scott worked with the Transportation Security
Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Virginia Department of Aviation
for more than three years to gain approvals for the new facility which will open next year. The
presence of a U.S. Customs facility will make Leesburg Executive Airport an attractive
alternative to Washington Dulles International Airport for international business flights.
The second project that Scott has spearheaded was having the Leesburg Executive Airport be
the first airport in North America to test remote tower technology. The remote tower project is
a partnership with the Virginia SATS Lab and Saab Sensis Corporation to evalua te the quality of
air traffic control provided through a system of high definition video and audio feeds from the
airfield to a remote control center, compared with the level of control provided by an actual
tower. The Leesburg Executive Airport, like many general aviation airports across the country,
does not have an air traffic control tower. This new technology could provide a cost -effective
alternative to building and maintaining a physical tower. Following the positive testing results,
the FAA is now operating the Leesburg remote control tower as an operational phase toward
final certification of remote tower technology for use in the United States.
Dennis Boykin, Chair of the Leesburg Airport Commission, said “ Scott has brought a level of
professionalism to the office that we haven’t seen in quite some time. In addition, his
dedication to the customers of the airport, as well as his outstanding stewardship of taxpayer
funds, mark him as a true professional in his industry. We frankly couldn’t have taken on the
Remote ATC Tower test project without his leadership.”
“This recognition is well deserved, not only for the U.S. Customs facility and remote tower
projects, also for the day-to-day work that Scott does with only a staff of three to keep the
Leesburg Executive Airport running smoothly and generating business activity for the Town and
Loudoun County,” said Kaj Dentler, Leesburg Town Manager.
Coffman has been the manager of the Leesburg Executive Airport since July 2012. He was
cheered on at the conference by his wife Amy, Mayor Kelly Burk, Vice Mayor Suzanne Fox,
Deputy Town Manager Keith Markel, Mr. Dentler, and Mr. Boykin.
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