20 Answers: David N. Edwards, Jr.

Hometown: Born in Patchogue, Long Island, New York. Lived in New York, Maine, and Virginia as a youth.
Education: Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Role Model: “My dad.”

1 I hold a private-pilot, multi-engine license. I am not currently active in flying these days, but I do hope to fly more in the future. I have never been a commercial pilot.

2 I grew up around flying. My parents owned a small, single-engine airplane that they used for recreational flying. This led to an education in aviation management.

3 The Upstate has so much to offer, great business community, and a great place to live and play. If there is an item that I have been extremely impressed with, it is the Upstate’s willingness to pull together for a common cause.

4 I have traveled very little internationally, but on a trip to Jamaica I was absolutely astonished at the level of poverty within certain areas of the country. It reinforced for me how lucky we really are as United States citizens.

5 9-11 was such a tragic event for our country and aviation. The follow-on security measures have and continue to be a challenge from an implementation perspective. All of us in aviation support having the safest and most secure aviation industry in the world, but we have to have a better way to deliver in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

6 The busiest day of the week varies somewhat, but Mondays and Fridays are typically our busiest.

7 GSP has actually seen a retraction in growth over the last several years due to a consolidation of the airline industry and higher-than-average airfares in our community. Our goal is to have the airlines provide more affordable and competitive fares to allow for continued growth of the airport, which is key to the economic vitality of the Upstate.

8 My first flight in an airplane was as a very small child with my father. We just flew around the airport. The first airline trip that I recall was also as a child when my parents took my two sisters and me to Disney World. We flew from Richmond, Virginia, to Orlando, Florida, on Eastern Airlines.

9 The top destinations of GSP carriers will change from time to time, but right now Orlando, FL; Dallas, TX; and St. Petersburg, FL, are at the top.

10 We have one of the most secure aviation systems in the world. Air travel, by far, is still the safest way to travel.