Athens-Ben Epps Airport is in need of a new director, after 34 years with the county, Director Tim Beggerly retired Thursday. He is taking a position with the McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport as Airport Operations Supervisor. In this position, he will oversee all aspects of maintenance for the facilities and grounds and compliance requirements for the St. Simons airport related to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) regulations.
County manager Blaine Williams has appointed ACC Central Services Director David Fluck to serve as Interim Airport Department Director until a permanent replacement is named after a national search. Fluck has extensive experience in the aeronautics industry. Prior to being named the Central Services Director in 2006, he worked for the U.S. Army as an Aerospace Engineer conducting basic research on helicopter aerodynamics for seven years and worked for NASA at the Ames Research Center as a Research Facilities Engineer and Facilities Planning Branch Chief supporting world-class aerospace research facilities for 16 years.