Brunswick County Airport’s “Howie” Franklin
Who is “Howie” Franklin? Howie is the Director of Brunswick County Airport in Southport, NC. The airport that has more operations than Fayetteville, NC. The airport has been coined by the Atlantic Flyer periodical as “The Little Airport with the Big Heart”. Howie and his staff have taken customer service to a whole new level. When air travelers land at Brunswick County Airport, (FAA Identifier KSUT), they are greeted as if they were family. When an arriving couple enters the terminal, Howie greets them himself, takes care of all of their needs, makes sure they were completely satisfied, and then continues with whatever he’s doing.
Where does Howie get his impeccable customer service skills? That is where we go back in time to before Howie joined the U.S. Air Force. Howie grew up the son of a New York area marina and deli owner. Rather than being drafted, he enlisted. He served in the Air Force in Guam in 1965 where he prepared meals for B-52 flight crews. He cooked for and served generals, secretaries of defense and heads of state at various career stops. In 1976 he was promoted to the crewof Air Force One, during the end of the Ford Administration. Howie spent 18 years aboard Air Force One as Flight Steward. He was Chief Flight Steward during the Bush One and Clinton Administrations. He was told in the beginning not to get attached - a change in presidents could mean a switch in crew. According to Marlin Fitzwater, who frequently traveled on Air Force One, Howie survived a lot of administrations because he gave good service with a smile, he was dedicated and trustworthy and he did his job without criticism and complaint.
Howie says he’s the only person in the world that worked for five presidents consecutively, (Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton), without getting fired, and that’s easy to do. Howie also flew extensively with Dr. Kissinger, Secretary of State, on his Shuttle Diplomacy Missions during the Nixon and Ford Administrations. He said that was a good political science course. Howie was in the service for 29 years and reached the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. He will be writing a book soon.
Recently Howie had the privilege of speaking at a Reagan Forum, hosted by The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. “The entire audience sat riveted as Howie shared his stories - they were funny at times and poignant at times. We laughed at times, we held our breath at times. Howie did a great job opening a window, helping the audience learn about the person behind the presidency. It was especially fitting to have him speak at the Presidential Library that bears the name of one of the Commanders-in-Chief he served so well, Ronald Wilson Reagan,” quote from Director of Communications and Programs, The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
Howie has a few advantages that other airport directors do not. The first is that he has degrees in Air Transportation and Airport Management. The second advantage is that he has been to more places than can be counted. It is actually easier for him to name place he has not been than to go through the list of place he has. And last but not least, Location, Location, Location. Howie has a hat with an embroidered message, “Sorry about our weather.” He has a satellite image from October 15, 2009, where the entire east coast of the country had overcast and Southport was the only location to have clear skies. Brunswick County has 60 miles of beaches, 39 golf courses, several upscale communities and are the same latitude as Los Angeles. People on the west coast know exactly where Brunswick County is.
The runway at Brunswick County Airport is in the process of being lengthened. With all of the bad weather this winter, the project is a few weeks behind, so hopefully in the beginning of summer you’ll see larger aircraft sitting on the tarmac. Howie says there are people waiting to come in here already, but need the longer runway to accommodate them.
There are several other future projects at the airport, one of which is the addition of another taxi way and the addition of several more hangers on the far side near the service road. Brunswick County Airport has a full selection of services available to fl yers and aircraft owners and has 24 hour self service fuel. (100LL and Jet-A1+)
April 23 through May 2, there will be an Emergency Management and Hoist Training Exercise. There will be 14 helicopters, several vehicles and loads of support crew. These exercises are in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season. This will also be great for the local economy.
To inquire about any of the services available at Brunswick County Airport visit their website
