PITTSFIELD, Maine — Since Caleb Curtis took over operation of the Pittsfield Municipal Airport in 2003, much of his focus has been about bouncing back.
Leading up to that year, the facility’s runway was known as one of the roughest in the state, upstaged only by the poor condition of the airport apron, where planes taxied between takeoffs and landings and storage areas. Those longstanding problems were on their way to being solved under the leadership of Ron Curtis, Caleb Curtis’ father.
From an early age, Caleb Curtis wanted to be part of the family business, maybe even serving as its president one day. Tragically, that responsibility was thrust upon him prematurely on June 12, 2008, at the end of the 19-year-old’s freshman year of college. Ron Curtis was taking off with a student for a routine training flight.
“I was standing right here during the whole thing,” said Caleb Curtis recently, recalling that terrible day as he fueled up a Cessna sea plane at the airport. “The plane went into a bank, then it went into a spin. You definitely knew that no one was going to be walking away from that crash.”
And no one did. One of the first decisions Caleb Curtis found himself making — and one of the easiest ones — was whether to continue flying.
“I was flying again within a couple of days,” said the 2002 Nokomis Regional High School graduate. “It was kind of nerve-wracking, but the crash didn’t take away my love of flying.”
Curtis’ next decision was what to do about the family business, Curtis Air, Pittsfield Municipal Airport’s fixed-base operator. Though he was only one year into studying for a business administration degree from the University of Maine, his first impulse was to quit school to take over the family business. He soon changed his mind, however, and spent the next three years as a business student already running his own business.
“Dad always said he wouldn’t hire me unless I had a college degree,” said Curtis. “After he died, all of our customers said the same thing. Most of them are like family.”
Seven years into his tenure as president of Curtis Air, Pittsfield Municipal Airport is a much different place.
With the support of millions of dollars of grants from the Maine Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, the airport now has new lighting, a completely renovated, 4,000-foot runway and apron area, upgraded snow removal capabilities and trimmed-back vegetation in all the areas where it matters.
Since 2003, according to data provided by Pittsfield Town Manager Kathryn Ruth, the airport has benefited from more than $4.8 million in federal grants. The airport’s capital improvement plan calls for an additional $1.1 million in investments, which could come from any of a number of services.
The airport, which is owned by the town, accounted for $24,412 in the municipal budget, about one-third of which was offset by revenues, such as excise taxes paid on the aircraft that are based there.
That drain of taxpayer dollars is dwarfed by the airport’s economic value to the town, according to a 2006 study by the Maine Department of Transportation titled “The Economic Impact of Airports in Maine.” At the time of the study, the airport was pumping approximately $4.9 million per year into the local economy.
“It is a very vibrant and exciting operation,” said Ruth. “Both the FAA and the MDOT have invested federal and state funding in the airport, which reflects the facility’s importance to the region for both economic and recreational impact.”
Ruth said the airport, which houses 31 planes, is at full capacity and is keeping a waiting list. Part of the five-year capital improvement plan for the airport is more apron storage space and additional hangars.
Curtis Air also is intent on expansion, said Curtis, though the focus will continue to be the same as it is: flight instruction, aircraft maintenance and storage. One area where the facility fills a niche is its ability to accept sea planes, which land on the Sebasticook River and access the airfield via a man-made channel.
Even in near-drought conditions, which the state is currently experiencing, floatplanes can land and take off, as approximately 20 pilots do regularly.
“We’re trying to get more into services for sea planes,” said Curtis this week while taxiing his Cessna 172I along the weed-choked channel with turtles and frogs fleeing for the shoreline. “Our long-term goal is to hire more people to work for Curtis Air, but so far we’re happy with our growth rate.” Curtis, who also is a Pittsfield town councilor, said the company employs three people, including himself, a flight instructor and a mechanic.
In the meantime, Curtis said he focuses on the most important tenets of any business: customer satisfaction and quality control.
“My biggest worry is making sure that I’m watching out for my customers,” he said. “I want to keep them happy, but the most important thing is keeping them safe.”
