Flying high: Dream career launched from Huntingburg Airport

Holland native Colin Smith assumed responsibilities as the new Seymor Airport manager in Seymor, Ind., earlier this week.

The double major (Aviation Management & Unmanned Systems) graduate of Indiana State University is fulfilling his dreams of working in the aviation industry. He credits this past summer interning at the Huntingburg Regional Airport, working hand-in-hand with the airport staff for where he is at now.

“They went above and beyond,” he said. “I honestly don’t think I would be where I am right now. The experience in the internship was key and the culmination of all my education to getting the job.”

Smith applied for the mentorship/internship program in April of 2022 to experience the airport’s daily operations and to gain practical hands-on knowledge. Huntingburg also has an established CTE (Career Technical Education) STEM program partnership through Patoka Valley Career and Technical Cooperative, where regional high school students can participate in the internship designed to introduce candidates to aviation career opportunities.

“Smith did everything we do here, including small things overlooked by college graduates like cleaning restrooms and push mowing grass,” Travis McQueen, Huntingburg manager, advised. “He showed progressive leadership by getting those jobs done, and single-handily responded to a disabled jet aircraft at another airport (Orange County), helped get it back in the air, by applying his newfound experiences and skills!”

With the experience and recommendations he received from the internship from INDOT Manager Martin Blake and McQueen, Smith was hired by the Seymour Airport Authority as the new Seymour Airport Manager in Jackson County. He stepped into the new role on Wednesday, October 26.

“You can take what you learned in college, now forget it; this is how things get done,” said Andy Kippenbrock, a 19-year veteran airport employee who walked Smith through various learning experiences at the airport. 

The new job fulfills a longtime goal for Smith.

“Working in an airport environment has been my dream job since childhood,” he said.

And being able to help someone develop a passion for the aviation industry and go on to achieve their dream job validates the internship/mentorship program offered at the Huntingburg Regional through its local partners.

“That excitement around Smith, who spent the summer job shadowing all aspects of managing a general aviation airport, makes for a great career pathway launched from Huntingburg,” said Jim Hunsicker, board president of the Dubois County Airport Authority.

The Seymour Airport (KSER/SER) was built in 1942 as a WW-II military flight-training base, the facility was turned over to the city of Seymour in 1947. Today Freeman Field has $5,478,000 economic impact, according to a 2022 INDOT study. Freeman Field is self-sustaining through an industrial park complex, agriculture properties and airfield that features two runways over 6,001 feet and 5,502 feet respectfully. SER is a general aviation (GA) airport located directly south of Seymour in southern Indiana. The airport supports daily recreational GA flights along with corporate and business flight activity. Additional operations at SER include flight training and instruction, police and law enforcement, aerial advertising, traffic and news reporting, and occasional military operations. The airport features a large, open apron with numerous box hangars and T-hangars spread across the airfield. Several businesses and aviation clubs have facilities located on-site, including agricultural application and soaring clubs. Situated nearly equidistant to Indianapolis and Louisville, and less than 100 miles from Cincinnati, SER offers a central location for access to multiple large midwestern cities, as well as the southern Indiana region. 

The Huntingburg Regional Airport (KHNB/HNB) founded in 1937, serves the needs of the regional industry base including: Kimball International, MasterBrand Cabinets, Fortune Brands, Jasper Engines and Transmissions, Best Home Furnishings, OFS Brands, Dubois County Flight Services, Mann Enterprises and HNB Hangar, LLC. 

HNB is a general aviation (GA) airport located three miles south of Huntingburg in southern Indiana. The airport serves a GA audience, with a strong emphasis on corporate and business air travel. Local businesses rely on the airport to conduct business, fly executives or other personnel into the region, and quickly transport goods and products around the state and country. This level of business reliance keeps jobs in the region and contributes to the area’s economic activity. HNB hosts multiple on-site business tenants which include an aircraft rental service and a fixed base operator (FBO), which provides aircraft services, charters, rentals, and much more. The airport is supported by the local government who understand its importance to their community and local supply chain. In addition to business activity, the airport also experiences daily recreational flights along with flight training. With the airport’s proximity to State Road 64 (SR-64), U.S. Highway 231 (US 231), and Interstate 64 (I-64), HNB, and its Aviation Technology Park, offers an ideal location for aviation businesses, pilots and GA passengers looking to access southern Indiana.