W riter’s Life Lends Realism to His Fiction

Writer’s Life Lends Realism to His Fiction

At one point in his story “Pourover” for Outside

Magazine, Peter Heller describes being trapped upside down in a kayak on the Cotahuasi River in Peru. An experienced kayaker, Heller had tried to follow another paddler down a section of river that seemed difficult, but doable.

Misjudging a drop, he fell sideways and went upside down in a hole. Looking up through the frigid water, he realized he was in trouble. Nothing happened when he tried to roll free, and as his lungs started aching for breath, he began to think “Is this how it ends? Is this it? Dang.

“I wasn’t scared or non-accepting, just baffled,” the writer recalled.

Unable to work the kayak free, he unsnapped the spray skirt from the cockpit and swam for his life, coming up nearby to see the movement had freed his kayak as well. Heller said that after beating himself up for about an hour, he realized something important. He was alive. He’d been reminded to respect the power and beauty of nature, but that lesson hadn’t come at the cost of his life or health.

Affable and thoughtful, Heller has spent much of his career as a travel and adventure writer with stories that have taken him from the Antarctic coast where he lived with “eco-pirates” trying to disrupt Japanese whalers, to the mountains of Colorado where he learned to fly and got his pilot’s license in just under three weeks.

He is no stranger to the thin line between life and death, and to the possibility that the things that you love can kill you. His experiences inform The Dog Stars, his debut novel and Collin College’s “Book in Common” selection for 2015-16.

Set nearly a decade after the world was ravaged by a flu-like plague that killed off 99 percent of the earth’s population and which is well into the effects of global warming, there are just a few pockets of humanity left in the world. Society has broken down and it seems like the only people left are those who will do anything to survive.

The story’s main protagonist, Hig, had a leg up on many people in the apocalypse thanks to a youth spent in the woods and an ability to adapt when necessary. When society started to crumble and he had lost the people closest to him, Hig moved out to a place he thought would provide him and his dog Jasper with the best protection possible, a remote airport. Publisher’s Weekly called the book, “The world’s most poetic survival guide,” which seems fair since it is packed full of helpful tips for anyone preparing for the end of the world. Heller, though, laughed when asked if that is what he set out to write.

The story feels real because much of it is— with notable exceptions like the super flu and everything that it brings. That realism is a trait Heller’s writing shares with the work of one of his writing icons, Ernest Hemingway, one of the fathers of adventure writing. Heller said he was first introduced to Hemingway’s work at age 11, when a librarian gave him a copy of In Our Time.

“I mean, my jaw just dropped,” Heller said. “Hemingway was an interesting model for me. His life was so full of action and adventure, but he was also this great writer. I wanted to be like that.”

He said his love for adventure and writing about it have been intertwined ever since, leading him to time on an offshore lobster boat and working with loggers on the Canadian border of Vermont. He worked construction and has served as an outdoor guide.

“All of that was in the service of the writing,” he said. “I just thought, whatever experiences I collect will help me with my stories.”

That outlook seems to have worked for him so far. Heller is the author of three non-fiction books and two novels with a third on the way. He also gets to travel the world on someone else’s dime and write about it—although he said he has mellowed some since that time on the Cotahuasi.

Heller will talk about his life, his work and his writing process in a series of “Book in Common” lectures at Collin College, March 15-17. The lecture series is the culmination of a yearlong program in which students throughout the college are encouraged to read the same book and discuss its themes. The lectures are free and open to the public.

For more information about the lectures including times and location or to learn more about “Book in Common,” visit https://www.collin. edu/academics/bookincommon/. u

McKinney National Airport

A Regional Asset Taking Off for All of Us

by Ken WIEGAND

When most North Texans think about an airport, they envision DFW Airport and Love Field where they board commercial flights. But there are several smaller airports close by that play an important role in the local and regional economy. McKinney is lucky to be home to one of the most successful in the region—McKinney National Airport.

Taking the Load from Commercial Airports

There are eleven regional airports in the four counties that make up the Metroplex. These airports help reduce aircraft traffic and thus help decrease commercial airline delays at the busy commercial airports.

Because they are considered to be “reliever” airports, these General Aviation (GA) airports do not typically have commercial airline service, but provide services that most commercial airports do not, like aircraft sales, flight training and aerial utility patrols. They also attract and promote business and commerce in their communities and defined regions.

McKinney’s airport began with roughly 5,000 annual operations and has grown to become one of the top eight GA airports in Texas with more than 100,000 annual operations in 2015.

McKinney’s Unique Tradition of General Aviation

McKinney National Airport is the only airport of its kind in Collin County. The other 10 regional airports are scattered across Dallas, Tarrant and Denton Counties. The airport is located about two miles southeast of historic downtown McKinney at the eastern-most end of Industrial Boulevard.

The City of McKinney constructed the airport in 1979, and has owned and operated it since. Initial costs were paid in part with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants. The FAA continues to provide financial assistance from its user-fee-based Airport Improvement Program for expenses such as professional services, control tower

and pavement construction and land acquisition costs.

McKinney National Airport began as a small GA airport primarily serving single-engine aircraft. Today, the airport accommodates corporate executive jets, pilot training aircraft, individually owned small aircraft, cargo delivery airplanes and medical air transportation. A Growing Airport in a Growing Region

McKinney’s airport began with roughly 5,000 annual operations and is now one of the top eight GA airports in Texas. During 2015, the airport facilitated 107,140 annual operations with an average daily passenger count of 250 including flight crews. These operations are managed safely by professional air traffic controllers who operate a modern, state-of-the-art control tower. An attentive airport staff and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency provide security. Building International Business

McKinney National Airport is one of only four GA airports in the Metroplex with on-site U.S. Customs. Since 2002, customs at McKinney National Airport has processed international passengers, flight crews and cargo arriving on private aircraft from widespread locations throughout the world, enabling passengers to conduct business in the city and in the region. Local businesses highly prize the ability to

fly directly to international destinations without the delays and stress of commercial airports. Always Improving the Experience

McKinney National Airport has expanded since 2002, from 441 acres to 745 acres, and is planning toward about 1,145 acres at full build-out. The city opened a new runway in 2012 to enhance the airport’s operational safety and capability. The seven-year construction project was funded from grants provided by the Texas Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation (TxDOTAviation), the FAA and the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).

MEDC provided additional funding needed to expand the runway’s size beyond that eligible for federal and state funding. This was to prepare for commercial air service should it come to McKinney—a service that has been supported by McKinney’s business community for years. The new runway project was recognized as the largest single GA airport construction project in TxDOT aviation history.

Other improvements to the airport include the following:

• A state-of-the-art air traffic control tower that enhances safety at the airport and in the air • Aircraft taxiways to access parking spaces and storage hangars • An expanded fuel storage area and storm water management system to make the airport environmentally secure • Rehabilitation of the oldest pavement to extend its life and save taxpayers millions in future replacement costs • Establishment of an Airport

Perimeter Access Management and Control System to enhance airport security that exceeds Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines for GA Airport Security. A First Step Toward Offering Commercial Service

Texas Air Shuttle of Conroe, Texas, recently announced that it will provide scheduled charter service between McKinney and Houston via Conroe’s Lone Star Executive Airport. The membership service is offered to anyone, but would best serve those who make frequent visits to the Houston or Dallas areas. Its members

can fly as many trips as desired between McKinney National Airport and Lone Star Executive Airport and vice versa for a monthly fee. Single membership prices range from $1,895 to $2,850 a month. This is the first time this type of service is being offered to McKinney and the Dallas region, and the hope is that it will lead to more commercial passenger service at McKinney National Airport. A Self-Supporting Regional Benefit

The city purchased the airport’s Fixed Based Operation (FBO) in November 2013. The purchase was intended to achieve financial selfsufficiency and catapult airport development through the next several decades. Before this, the city invested $500,000 to $700,000 a year in airport operations and maintenance on top of its 10 percent share of grants provided by the FAA, which will continue to be funded by the city. Today, the airport operates with a balanced budget.

The FBO provides passengers and flight crews of home-based and visiting aircraft with concierge service, aircraft fuel and flight line services through an attractive and functional terminal that is becoming busier every day. The airport, terminal and services can be a passenger’s only impression of McKinney and the region. Corporate decision-makers passing through may be searching for the best place to relocate or expand their businesses and find it right here in McKinney. Economic Generator

One of the unique advantages the airport brings to our regional community is the ability to attract business and high-paying jobs. Companies looking for places to relocate or expand arrive on business or chartered aircraft from all over the world. Regional companies house aircraft at McKinney National Airport and use them as business tools, visiting

existing and potential customers, competing and closing deals.

One of the unique advantages the airport brings to our regional community is the ability to attract business and high-paying jobs. Benefiting the Region and the Community

Business aircraft owners with aircraft based at McKinney National Airport pay ad valorem taxes to four taxing entities in McKinney and Collin County. The following taxes have been generated since 2003. Tax Collection Statistics Tax Year 2003 thru 2015 (13 years)

The total collected is $26,397,728 or an average of $2,030,594 per year. The City of McKinney has collected a total of $6,041,902, which could pay for eight police cruisers every year; the MISD has reaped the benefit of $16,985,456, which could educate 157 children at Fannie Finch Elementary School each year; Collin County has received $2,486,459, which could pay for needed road repairs; and Collin College has collected $883,991 in taxes, which could be used to pay debt service on new building construction. Every aircraft housed at McKinney National Airport generates additional tax revenue for these entities.

Reaching Toward the Future

The airport plays a key role in state and national airport systems. As mentioned above, the FAA identified McKinney National Airport as one of the top eight out of 183 GA airports in Texas and one of the top 84 out of 2,952 GA airports in the country. This gave the airport its national designation, which ranks it high on the list to receive federal financial assistance.

An example is the $45 million runway completed in 2012 that can accommodate the largest business jets and many large commercial aircraft. In most cases, the city can be reimbursed for up to 90 percent of land and infrastructure cost for aeronautical use. These funds come from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program that was created by Congress to ensure a safe and efficient national airport system.

McKinney National Airport has identified adjacent land needed to protect it from encroachment and provide for future expansion and development. Training Tomorrow’s Pilots Today

McKinney National Airport generates taxes for education, but it also supports education in a more direct way. MISD offers classes through its McKinney Aviation Academy, currently with nearly 200 enrolled students who can earn an associate’s degree by the time they graduate from high school.

Through a new partnership agreement, MISD high school students can take dual-credit courses at LeTourneau University to earn college credit. LeTourneau maintains a satellite campus at McKinney National Airport and students meet at the airport on a regular basis. Le Tourneau is also working with Collin College to enable students to transfer seamlessly to Le Tourneau‘s aviation bachelor’s degree program. Two airport businesses, Monarch Air and ATP Flight School, supplement these educational programs by providing flight training.

A Regional Asset

McKinney National Airport provides services and amenities that attract businesses and jobs. It generates ad valorem tax revenue to pay for local road improvements and repair, emergency services, education and more. It benefits the community by the revenue it generates to help provide city services and education dollars. It benefits all citizens—even those who don’t fly.

If you would like to learn more about McKinney National Airport, visit our website at www.flytki.com, or call 972.984.1200 to schedule a visit. u