Andalusia Star News
Andalusia Mayor Earl Johnson and Chairman Bill Godwin greet pilots with the C-130 aircraft that landed at SARA Friday afternoon. | Michele Gerlach/Star-News
Almost nine years after two gigantic hangars were built to house C-130s for maintenance operations at South Alabama Regional Airport, a NASA aircraft landed there Friday for five months of work.
The Kearns Group of Daleville and Pinnacle Solutions of Huntsville will perform aircraft modifications for NASA on their C-130 Aircraft. The modifications include both electrical and structural modifications to the airframe, along with other minor installations, according to a release from The Kearns Group. Pinnacle is the prime contractor.
The Kearns Group, LLC is a veteran-owned small business that offers a diverse range of value-enhanced aviation business development, management, technical and creative services. Andalusia resident Ronnie Kearns is president and CEO of the company.
The Kearns Group recently entered a short-term lease agreement with the Southeast Alabama Regional Airport Authority for the hangars, most recently leased by DRS. Kearns said the C-130 project underway here is on a very tight schedule with an estimated departure date of no later than Oct. 2.
“We are extremely pleased to be working with SARA in this effort,” Kearns said. “The availability of the C-130 hangars along with the cooperation of the SARA Authority, DRS, local leadership and the Covington County Economic Development Commission (CCEDC) contributed to our success in securing this contract.”
CCEDC executive director Rick Clifton echoed Kearn’s praise.
“There were many pieces of this that had to come together to make this work,” he said. “We appreciate all who helped in the effort.”
The aircraft was flown from Virginia to Andalusia on Friday.
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility added the C-130 Hercules to its fleet in 2013. Formerly a U.S. Air Force aircraft, the C-130 brings the range and cargo capacity needed to serve as a long-range airborne laboratory and to carry cargo in support of science missions around the world.
Its first airborne mission was in support of the September 2013 IceBridge campaign to Greenland. It was then deployed to Christchurch, New Zealand, to provide logistical support for IceBridge’s Antarctic campaign based in Antarctica’s McMurdo Station.
Pinnacle Solutions is a SEI CMMI® DEV Version 1.2, Level 3 appraised and ISO 9001:2008 registered and Veterans’ Administration certified service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). The company has personnel in Ft. Rucker, Ala.; Millenhall, England; Stennis Space Center, Miss.; Wallops Flight Facility, Va.; Longtan, Taiwan; Taichung, Taiwan; Ft. Campbell, Ky; and Lexington, Ky.
Andalusia Star News
By Michele Gerlach
Almost nine years after two gigantic hangars were built to house C-130s for maintenance operations at South Alabama Regional Airport, a NASA aircraft landed there Friday for five months of work.
The Kearns Group of Daleville and Pinnacle Solutions of Huntsville will perform aircraft modifications for NASA on their C-130 Aircraft. The modifications include both electrical and structural modifications to the airframe, along with other minor installations, according to a release from The Kearns Group. Pinnacle is the prime contractor.
The Kearns Group, LLC is a veteran-owned small business that offers a diverse range of value-enhanced aviation business development, management, technical and creative services. Andalusia resident Ronnie Kearns is president and CEO of the company.
The Kearns Group recently entered a short-term lease agreement with the Southeast Alabama Regional Airport Authority for the hangars, most recently leased by DRS. Kearns said the C-130 project underway here is on a very tight schedule with an estimated departure date of no later than Oct. 2.
“We are extremely pleased to be working with SARA in this effort,” Kearns said. “The availability of the C-130 hangars along with the cooperation of the SARA Authority, DRS, local leadership and the Covington County Economic Development Commission (CCEDC) contributed to our success in securing this contract.”
CCEDC executive director Rick Clifton echoed Kearn’s praise.
“There were many pieces of this that had to come together to make this work,” he said. “We appreciate all who helped in the effort.”
The aircraft was flown from Virginia to Andalusia on Friday.
NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility added the C-130 Hercules to its fleet in 2013. Formerly a U.S. Air Force aircraft, the C-130 brings the range and cargo capacity needed to serve as a long-range airborne laboratory and to carry cargo in support of science missions around the world.
Its first airborne mission was in support of the September 2013 IceBridge campaign to Greenland. It was then deployed to Christchurch, New Zealand, to provide logistical support for IceBridge’s Antarctic campaign based in Antarctica’s McMurdo Station.
Pinnacle Solutions is a SEI CMMI® DEV Version 1.2, Level 3 appraised and ISO 9001:2008 registered and Veterans’ Administration certified service-disabled, veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB). The company has personnel in Ft. Rucker, Ala.; Millenhall, England; Stennis Space Center, Miss.; Wallops Flight Facility, Va.; Longtan, Taiwan; Taichung, Taiwan; Ft. Campbell, Ky; and Lexington, Ky.
The City of Andalusia hosted a memorial service in honor of the victims and victims' families of the Charleston, South Carolina shooting.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
WKNI TV 25
WKNI TV 25
The Andalusia Chamber of Commerce staff has a new face, but one that is familiar to the local community.
Maggie Jones, a 2011 AHS grad who recently graduated from the University of Alabama, has joined executive director Chrissie Duffy as the assistant director.
Jones spent time working for the city of Tuscaloosa while pursuing a public relations major. She earned minors in biology, psychology and computing technology and applications.
She said she is excited to be home and is ready to get to work helping the community.
Her first major project is working with a local firm to update the Chamber’s website.
Additionally, she’s heading up the annual Chamber golf tournament set for August.
And she’s added more social media outlets to the Chamber’s portfolio.
“I’ve created an Instagram and Twitter account for the Chamber,” she said. “Right now, I’m working on getting followers.”
The Chamber already had a Facebook account, but Jones said she wants to cover all bases to make sure that locals know what’s going on at the Chamber and communitywide.
She’s also been working to get to know the board of directors and Chamber members.
Jones said fate brought her back to Andalusia.
“I applied for Chrissie’s job,” she said.
In March, Duffy announced she would resign as director to be at home with her children, but the board and Duffy collectively agreed it wasn’t time for that transition.
Instead, Jones was offered a position at assistant director... READ MORE>
Andalusia Star News
