Volunteer retires after 11 years of service to LGB

Eleven years ago, Ken Velten decided to go to work for the Airport as a volunteer.

Ken Velten, LGB Ambassador, Tour Guide, Volunteer Extroardinaire

If you've flown through the airport on a Friday night, he may have helped you with directions or guided you to check-in. Have you ever taken a tour of Long Beach Airport? Ken may have given you a tour or more than likely trained your tour guide.

Ken worked at McDonnell Douglas/Boeing for 34 years from 1965 to 1999. He also served on the Airport Advisory Commission from 1999 to 2002. He had never earned a pilot's license, but learned about flight on the job and by talking to pilots. He said he almost took lessons once, but left the job of pilot to his brother. Regardless, flight had entered Ken's veins and he was attracted to travel and helping people get on their way.

So volunteering at the airport it was. The mission was helping people.

"Volunteerism for me is all about helping people, whether in a big or small way. That's why we liked the airport because it was about helping people, making their lives a little easier, especially if they needed a restroom," he said.

Barbara Velten, Ken's wife, also volunteered as an airport archivist. Barbara can be credited with saving many of the historic photos found in the Airport's basement from water damage and complete destruction. The couple will move back to Ballwin, MO where they can be closer to family and start their second phase of retirement.

Ken says there are several reasons he loves Long Beach Airport but his favorite thing is "the very friendly and very helpful staff. Everyone from the people that clean the airport, to the police, to the TSA, and the airline personnel. There have been so many times that I have watched them help passengers."

There have been so many times that we have watched Ken do the same.

Long Beach Airport Celebrates Veterans Day

On Saturday November 10, the Long Beach Airport (LGB) saluted military veterans in the community by walking in the 16th Annual Veterans Day Parade. 

Volunteers Cyrus McVey (left) and Bernice Vanatta (right) proudly march down Atlantic Ave

Beginning at Houghton Park, the parade marchers made their way down Atlantic Ave. greeted by the cheers of thousands of people.

                      Officers in LGB's Police Cruiser Waved and Cheered All Along the Way

Airport volunteers and staff also participated in the festival until 3 pm. Several booths lined the park. LGB's booth was dedicated to remembering Long Beach's rich military history and introducing the community to the grand opening of its new passenger concourse in December.

LGB Staff, Johnathan Wilson, passes out Long Beach Aviation Legends Long Beach Airport's Role in Previous Military Efforts

LGB Spends the Weekend With You

It was a big weekend for those of us at Long Beach Airport (LGB). Our job was to spend Sunday, October 28 with you.

Wings, Wheels and Roters

LGB participated in The Wings, Wheels and Roters Expo in Los Alamitos.  In support of the annual festival, exhibitors presented airplanes, antique cars, helicopters, safety equipment and various related products pertaining to the automobile and aviation industries. LGB's booth, complete with displays and informational materials, highlighted plans to modernize the Long Beach Airport.

Volunteer, Chris Rubacha and Public Affairs Staff, Eileen Shock welcome visitors

Enjoying a beautiful day on the last remaining military airfield in the greater Orange County Area, LGB also presented its plan to unveil a new passenger concourse in December.  The new concourse will have a partially open-roofed garden walkway and concession area that will include some of the most well known retail shops and gourmet eateries in Long Beach.


Traveling Tales, California On The Move

Kids dressed in costume visit LGB's booth

On the same day, more LGB staff members participated in the Children's Fall Harvest Festival in the Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens. The event showcased California's network of trails, roads, rails, sea routes and airways designed to keep our Golden State on the move and focused on teaching kids different modes of transportation.

Personalizing balsa wood planes

 More highlights from the Traveling Tales event included a costume parade, pony rides, a circus featuring jugglers, and a transportation forum presented by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

Lined up to race balsa wood planes and win a special LGB prize



Scores of Potential Employees Attend Job Fair

On the first day of a weeklong job fair to fill more than 100 positions in Long Beach Airport’s new passenger concourse, nearly a thousand people attended, seeking employment with the new concessionaire. Folks were dressed in their best, prepared with applications and resumes, hopeful and patient as they waited to be seen by hiring managers. During a time when people are anxious about employment, it is my honor to be able to contribute to the local workforce.

New hires will work in one of eight retail and restaurant spaces managed by The Paradies Shops. Employees and passengers alike will feel at home in the area as the new concourse is designed to reflect the unique character of Long Beach. Features include patios with shaded seating and a fireplace. Inside, travelers will sit comfortably in a sunlit boarding lounge, next to floor-to-ceiling windows, where they will be able to watch their plane approach the gate.    

The new jobs available in restaurant and retail are all due to the Airport’s successful modernization program. The concourse, set to open as early as December 2012 is months ahead of schedule. The opportunity to benefit the community by connecting people to much needed local jobs is invaluable because not only is it the right thing to do, but job creation attracts important revenue to our area. It is clear that Long Beach is better with an airport, than it is without.

It is humbling to learn that some job seekers began lining up three hours before the job fair started at 9 am. As a steady stream of people arrived at the Long Beach Airport Marriott and the hall filled with those looking for a job at LGB, it was a stark reminder of the enormous affect the Airport has on the community. Long Beach Airport Area Complex is directly responsible for supporting nearly 18,000 local jobs, or 9 percent of all jobs in Long Beach. Now, we’re adding more.

Not only have we been successful in working with our concessionaire to contract with local restaurants, but those local businesses must hire and prepare for a new beginning.  All of the employees at the Airport have a great opportunity to be a part of something exciting. Fresh paint will line the walls, passengers will be the first to test the seating, and employees will work with equipment which up to that point has never been used.

Our commitment is to increase customer service satisfaction and maximize the use of Airport resources.  The opportunity to welcome passengers in and out of Long Beach is a great responsibility. LGB has built a reputation of quality customer service and with a new concourse, will be known for comfort too. Long Beach Airport is a gateway in and out of the City and quite often we are the first introduction to the area. As a whole, those who work and serve at LGB, are committed to providing passengers with choices and information, and making the travel experience as hassle-free as possible.

(Mario Rodriguez is Director of Long Beach Airport. He has 25 years of experience in the aviation industry and has overseen airports from Kuwait to New Orleans. Questions about this column may be directed to Public Affairs at the Long Beach Airport 562-570-2678.)

The Antonov Arrives at LGB With Spacecraft Cargo

One of the largest cargo planes, an Antonov An-124, arrived at Long Beach Airport this week transporting a EUTELSAT-70B satellite of Eutelsat. The sattelite has been transported to the Sea Lauch "Home Port" facility in Long Beach.



The Antonov An-124 cargo plane carrying the EUTELSAT-70B spacecraft arrives under foggy conditions



Following unloading, the satellite was delivered to the clean room area of the 16-acre sites payload processing facility, where mission operations and integration efforts are now underway.

After standalone spacecraft operations are completed, the satellite will be handed over to Sea Launch's prime contractor, Energia Logistics, Ltd., to be mated with the payload support structure and integrated with the Zenit-3SL launch vehicle before departure to the launch site in November.

The launch of the EUTELSAT-70B satellite is scheduled for the early December timeframe.

The Antonov An-124 will depart LGB this Thursday at 1 pm.

LGB Working to Be Your Good Neighbor

The Long Beach Airport (LGB) was one of hundreds of participants to show their community spirit at this year's Good Neighbor Festival.  The event, created by Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, honors individuals and Long Beach businesses that make a significant impact in improving neighborhoods.

Enjoying the day at Good Neighbor Park

As an active leader in the local business community, LGB staff had a great day at Good Neighbor Park handing out aero props, pom-poms, and reusable grocery bags to smiling residents. 

We hope to see you at the next event!

LGB's booth contained displays outlining its plan to open a new passenger concourse in December.

Super Pumas Unveiled at LGB

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD) Aero Bureau unveiled it's new Super Puma helicopters at Long Beach Airport this week.

AS 332L1 Super Puma

It's the LASD's latest crime-fighting and life-saving tool. The AS 332L1 Super Puma helicopters will be used for several tasks including search-and-rescue missions, SWAT insertions and extractions, homeland security support, and personnel support after natural disasters.

SH-3H Sea King

The new helicopter replaces the aging former United States Navy Sikorsky SH-3H Sea Kings currently in operation. With parts for the Sea Kings getting more expensive, maintenance for the Super Puma is expected to be easier to support. Once delivered the Super Pumas will be upgraded with external hoists, nose mounted forward-looking infrared cameras, (a first on a Department rescue helicopter), night-vision compatible cockpits, multi-patient medical interiors and various other airframe modifications specific to the Aero Bureau's requriements.

The Super Pumas which are sleeker and faster in design than the Sea Kings have the added personal touch as each of the three helicopters will be given a custom tail number to honor LASD personnel.

Ship 1. N950SG SG, Sewell Griggers, First Captain LASD Aero Bureau

Ship 2. N952JH JH, Deputy James Harrell, Emergency Services Detail Paramedic

Ship 3. N951LB LB, LA County Sheriff, Leroy Baca

Other guests to the event included: