After pushing his way in, Matt McVicker is departing Wood County Regional Airport this week.
McVicker, who in just a few years worked from being a student to manager of the airport, has taken a job
as director of Findlay’s airport.
His love of flight took hold at a young age, playing flight simulator games with a friend and traveling
to Canada in that family’s twin-engine airplane.
Even sooner, at age 4, McVicker said, he was hooked.
"It’s a different element, a different atmosphere. When you’re up flying, you’re above everyone and
everybody – not to sound arrogant, but you’re above everybody. No one’s going to tell you where to go
and what to do," he said.
"It’s your sky to navigate, and you are the pilot in command. It’s not a control thing for me. It’s
a freeing feeling knowing that I can leave the Earth safely and come back safely, and not have to worry
about anybody on the ground. I leave everything on the ground, because when you’re a pilot, you have to
have a clear head."
After earning his pilot’s license at 18 and starting in a business program at Bowling Green State
University, McVicker, a 2007 Anthony Wayne graduate from Monclova, changed his major to aviation and
asked for a job at the Wood County airport the same day. And he didn’t accept the entry-level service
job without also being given the opportunity to market the airport, he said.
"The first day I switched, I went over to the airport authority and said ‘I want to work here.’
"I’ve looked for opportunities from day one to be successful."
McVicker took a further step in addition to managing the larger airport: he started an aviation
consulting company last month and looks forward to marketing and branding airports, something he’s done
in Wood County and may continue here on a contract basis, he said.
"I’ve found my niche and I’m going at it full force, with a lot of intensity.
"If you want an opportunity in aviation, you start knocking down some doors. You tell people, you
show people what you’re worth. … You can’t sit back and wait."
McVicker challenges the claim that local airports benefit only those who can afford to use them. That
view ignores the approach typically taken by companies looking for new locations, which are often judged
by the presence or lack of an airport. It’s that chance for economic development that he’s excited to
take on in Findlay, he said.SClB"Findlay has the resources and infrastructure currently in place
for me to grow it ten-fold, and I know that. I also know that the current administration is very open to
growing their airport for the benefit of everybody."
McVicker was also recently appointed to the Ohio Aviation Association’s board of directors, where he
plans to advocate for regional airports across the state. He said he will visit Columbus later this
month to advocate for a larger piece of the fuel excise taxes collected by the state being given back to
airports like Wood County.
"I will continue to be a resource for the Wood County Regional Airport, because I have a sense of
pride for the place," he said.
McVicker offered advice to others his age searching for job opportunities.
"Don’t wait for them to come to you," he said. "A college degree does not entitle you to
anything.
"Your degree does not define who you are. You do."