Q&A with new manager of flying cloud
Blaine Peterson joined the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) on Nov. 12 as manager of both the Flying Cloud and Airlake airports. He succeeds Mike Wilson, who now manages the St. Paul Downtown and Lake Elmo airports within the MAC’s six airport general aviation system.
Blaine comes to the MAC with 15 years of experience at the Duluth Airport Authority and another four years managing the Rusk County Airport in Ladysmith, Wis. He also spent several years in the U.S. Army and Air National Guard.
He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation and Airways Management and Operations from the University of North Dakota.
We spoke with Blaine about his background and his role at Flying Cloud – the busiest of the MAC’s Reliever Airports – and Airlake, which, next to the Lake Elmo Airport, has the fewest take-offs and landings in the MAC system.
Can you tell us a little about your background?
I grew up in Moorhead, Minn. – my dad was a grain elevator manager and my grandparents were farmers. So as soon as school let out until it started again in the fall, I was on the farm chucking bales of hay and working. We’d get up early and work late into the night – that’s where I developed a work ethic. When I graduated from high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Desert Storm in Iraq in 1991. After my initial four-year stint, I re-upped and ended up spending a total of 20 years in the Army, with multiple deployments, and another six years in the Air National Guard. During part of that time, I also served as manager of the Rusk County Airport in Ladysmith, Wis., for four years and then spent 15 years with the Duluth Airport Authority, most recently as operations director managing day-to-day operations at Duluth International Airport and Sky Harbor Airport.
How does Duluth Airport compare with Flying Cloud?
There are about 68,000 operations (take-offs and landings) per year at Duluth International Airport. So it’s not as busy as Flying Cloud (88,762 operations per year in 2018). But Duluth does have a flight training school as well. And Sky Harbor, which is also managed by the Duluth Airport Authority, is an amphibious sea plane base that accommodates both land and sea plane traffic. We had about 21 people on the staff – it’s not like the MAC with hundreds of people.
Will you miss sea planes?
Yes, in a way I will because they’re something different. But I was in one of the hangars at Flying Cloud recently and there was a seaplane in there getting worked on. So it was nice to see – they’re around.
What are you most proud of from your time in Duluth?
I would say opening the new terminal at Duluth International Airport. Brian Ryks (now executive director of the MAC) was the executive director of the Duluth Airport Authority for a decade beginning in 2002. He did a lot of lobbying to get the new terminal building that opened in 2013. It’s won a lot of awards, including one for energy efficiency. And it looks really nice and is well maintained. It’s named for the late U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, who was a strong supporter of transportation projects. Brian really opened the gates for a lot of other smaller airports to build new terminal buildings, in my opinion.
How does your experience in the U.S. Army and Air National Guard translate to an airport career?
My early background in the Army was as a tank commander so had nothing to do with aviation. But I later became a platoon leader, executive officer and company commander where leadership skills were important. You learn how to interact with people. Also, there’s a lot going on at airports – just as there is in the military. You learn how to prioritize to get things done in a methodical, efficient manner. You have policies, procedures and standard operations. So there’s definitely a correlation between the military and the airport world.
Why did you choose to come to Flying Cloud and the MAC?
It was the opportunity to be a manager of an airport. I was the No. 2 guy at Duluth. There are a lot of opportunities at the MAC. But I couldn’t go too far for a job. I have three grown children and seven grandchildren. So my wife, Kathy, drew an eight-hour circle around where we can live. An eight-hour drive to visit children and grandchildren is the limit. We’re now in process of finding a home in the Twin Cities.
Any special plans for Flying Cloud and Airlake?
I’m just getting started. So no specific plans at the moment. But in general, we want to continue growing and continue the dialogue between the airports, our tenants and customers.
Can you tell us a little about your family and what you like to do when you’re not at work?
As I mentioned, I have three children – Katie, 35; Heather, 31; and Andrew, 19; and seven grandchildren. Andrew is a freshman at the University of North Dakota. When I’m not spending time with my family, I enjoy hunting, fishing, ice fishing, wood working, camping and doing home-improvement projects.