A little-known fact is that San Miguel has had an air field since 1937, right behind where the city offices are on the road to Los Rodriguez. The current administration’s plans are to make that an international airport, which has lots of folks talking about pros and cons. Come to Rotary Tuesday, May 16, at 12:30 p.m. to hear Russell Henson, an airport civil engineering consultant with USFAA credentials, talk about the alternatives that have been suggested. The meeting will be at Hotel Mision, Salida a Queretaro 1, free and in English. Access is available by the number 7,8, and 9 buses, and there is free parking.
The future of aviation in San Miguel is being discussed by Amigos de la Aviación de San Miguel, A.C., a nonprofit formed in 2009 by a group of local aviation aficionados who negotiated and received a 10-year ground-lease from the interim SMA city administration at that time. The lease assigned the obligations to maintain, operate, and improve the existing airfield, which they reopened with a five-year permit from the federal authorities, commitments for funding of airport improvements from the State of Guanajuato, and a large asphalt donation from PEMEX.
This was all done without any monetary support from the SMA municipal authorities. Amigos, which is a group of pilots, started the first children’s aviation-education program of its kind in Mexico in 2007. Named Jóvenes Águilas de México after the highly successful Young Eagles program in the United States, dozens of local SMA children were schooled on opportunities in aviation, encouraged to stay in school and study technical subjects, and then given a free airplane ride by one of Amigo’s volunteer pilots.
The airport was closed by federal authorities in 2013.
“While Amigos is certainly a promoter of general aviation, children’s education, and supporting tourism in San Miguel, we are first and foremost friends of the community, and will continue our efforts to convince the current administration to widen its vision regarding the future of aviation in San Miguel,” said Henson.
Henson is treasurer and cofounder of Amigos and holds a master’s degree in civil engineering. He has an Airline Transport Pilot certificate, is an active flight instructor, and a is a registered professional engineer. He has introduced hundreds of children to aviation in the US Young Eagles program and the Amigos’ Jóvenes Águilas de Mexico program.
Rotary is where neighbors, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to crate lasing change. For more information, contact President Nate Fultz at nwfultz@yahoo.com and see RotarySMAMidday.org.
- What: Rotary Presentation
- Title: Pros and Cons of the Local Airport
- Date, time: Tuesday, May 16, 2017, 12:30 p.m.
- Where: Hotel Mision
- Address: Salida a Queretaro 1
- Extra info: 415 112 3413
- Cost: free
By Robin Loving