Lee County Port Authority announces new general aviation director
Barry C. Bratton, A.A.E., has joined the Lee County Port Authority as director of general aviation at Page Field General Aviation Airport. He is responsible for managing a staff of 31 professionals and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the airport, including the Aviation Center. Bratton will also add valuable input and oversight on all construction and planning projects at Page Field in addition to working with the business development department to lease available airport property.
Bratton has held a wide variety of key airport and aviation leadership positions. Most recently, he was the assistant airports manager in the airports division for the city of Redding in California, where he directed the operations, maintenance and security of Redding Municipal Airport and Benton Airpark. While there, he coordinated more than $15 million in grant-funded capital improvement projects, improved the airport safety and self-inspection programs, authored an Airport Certification Manual and Airport Emergency Plan and managed the environmental compliance program. Prior to that, he worked at the Truckee Tahoe Airport and the Naval Outlying Landing Field in San Nicolas Island, Calif. Bratton was a United States Naval Flight Officer where he served as the training department head for a large fleet readiness squadron. He also held numerous positions including navigator, instructor and senior evaluator on the Lockheed LC-130 Hercules and was an instructor and mission commander on the Lockheed P-3C Orion.
He has a bachelor’s degree in transportation from Saint Louis University and a master’s degree in business administration from Southern New Hampshire University. He is accredited by the American Association of Airport Executives. He has served on several committees for AAAE and was an executive member of the Southwest Chapter of AAAE. In 2003, he received the Aviation Excellence Award from the Southwest Chapter of AAAE, which is given annually to an airport professional who has gone out of their way and given substantial extra effort to ensure the promotion, operation, maintenance or development of aviation and/or the airport.
Bratton is an instrument rated Private Pilot and currently resides in Estero, Fla. For more information on Page Field, please visit www.flyfmy.com.