CASE STUDIES:

Love for Aviatoion is Terminal

The past decade has seen incredible changes in the expectations of the traveling public and how airports meet them. Terminals throughout the country have become increasingly creative in what they have to offer people waiting for their flights. One airport, Syracuse's Hancock International Airport, turned what's typically time spent in airport lounges, restaurants and retail shops into an educational opportunity-one that allows a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes operations of the airport and aviation.

When Charles Everett, Syracuse's Commissioner of Aviation, arrived on the scene in January 1994, the airport was in the midst of a major $50 million renovation. The project involved all three of the terminal's concourses and it would increase in size from 250 thousand square feet to 312 thousand square feet. One plan for the public space that would result from the renovation was for the installation of a sports and athletic exhibit to showcase Syracuse's hometown pride for its university's Orangemen.

Everett wasn't convinced, however, that a sports exhibit and the airport were a perfect match. He set out on a planning process that invited community input and sought answers to the question of what travelers want to see when they spend time at the airport, regardless of whether it's by choice.

Among the ideas were the more typical restaurant and observation deck, along with the prospect of meeting and conference space. But also ranking way up on the list was an aviation display. Working with industrial designers Chase Design, Everett saw an opportunity to not only show the public some of what it takes to keep aviation in the air, but to also impress on children that careers in aviation went far beyond being a pilot-that they could pursue aviation professions that were related to medicine, law enforcement and other disciplines that went beyond flying an airplane.

"Discover the Airport " opened in December 1996. The exhibit incorporates static displays of the kinds of things you'd find on the airside of the terminal, such as lighting and snow removal equipment, with multi-media displays including a video wall and scale model of the airport. And a big favorite of visitors to the exhibit is the actual cockpit of a Boeing 737 airliner. The exhibit's design is tied to another airport activity that ranked high when the community's input was considered-a children's play area.

How well-suited is the exhibit to the early education of children about aviation? Ask the teachers who regularly bring their classes to Hancock International for a field trip. It's proof positive that this airport has become a destination in itself, ready to help instill a sense of appreciation for a mode of travel that we've all come to take for granted.

For more information about Syracuse's Hancock International Airport, contact Commissioner of Aviation Charles Everett's office at 315-454-3263, or visit the airport on the Web at www.syrairport.org.