36 Years in Less Than 36 Minutes

Episode Description

McGhee Tyson Airport has changed drastically since Bill Marrison walked into the terminal in 1982. From a new airport operations building, fire and rescue building, and an airport terminal building, to the largest construction project in airport history and the potential of adding a new general aviation airport into the system, Bill has experienced a lot in his 36 years at TYS. In this episode, Bill Marrison discusses how his love for aviation began, talks about his favorite airport projects, and shares what he hopes lives on as his ‘airport legacy’.

Guests in this Episode

Bill Marrison is the President of the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority (MKAA) and will be retiring on December 31, 2018, after 36 years of service to MKAA. He has been involved in the aviation industry for more than 50 years.

Bill AAAE DSA Award Presentation Dec 2010

Mentioned in this Episode

The Birth of Aviation- 1903
Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority
Civil Air Patrol
Flying Magazine
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
New Operations Building that opened in 2013: the 510 Center
The Proposed Oak Ridge Airport

Quotes in this Episode

‘Hire good people, get out of their way, and let them do their job.’ – One of Bill’s Management Mantras
‘I just want to give all of the employees here, current and former, kudos for the work they have done to improve this airport and to make it what it is today.’ – Bill Marrison
Jokingly, Bill mentioned that flying airplanes is made up of ‘hours and hours of boredom broken by a few minutes of stark terror.’
‘I’m really excited about the future of the airport. If there’s anything in my legacy box, I would like to think it’s the employees here at the airport.’ -Bill Marrison on his legacy