Blue Skies Ahead for FBO Bouffard

 July 20, 2006
By Greta Sproul

         Old Town Airport will be saying good-bye to fixed base operator Bob Bouffard this month. Bouffard, who also owns FBO operations at Bar Harbor Airport, has decided to “downsize” his responsibilities and will be focusing exclusively on his coastal business. But the aviation veteran makes it clear that he sees a positive future for DeWitt Field.

“Traffic and interest are both on the increase here in Old Town,” Bouffard said. “The busier Bangor gets, the better it is for us. We’re less congested here and we have more flexibility. It gives this airport a real appeal.”

Bouffard can back up his assessment of Old Town’s airport with years of experience. Prior to establishing FBO operations at Bar Harbor Airport in 1982 and his three years tenure in Old Town, the Rumsford native was an Air Force pilot who started taking flight lessons while still a teen-ager. He says that apart from an uncle who served as a World War II Air Force mechanic, his family had no special ties to the flying world.

“I’ve just always been drawn to aviation,” he said. “I started out with model planes and went from there. But no one in my immediate family did any flying, although my parents did have friends who were pilots.”

Bouffard’s desire to settle down at his “home base” in Ellsworth may have something to do with the fact that he’s spent a lot of time away from home. He attended college in Boston before joining the Air Force, and while in the service, was stationed in Texas. It was only after his Air Force stint ended that he, his wife, and their three young children moved back to Maine. One of those children now lives in Ohio, but the other two make their homes in state. Bouffard’s youngest daughter, works for Old Town Aviation. His wife passed away a few years ago.

“Bob is an extremely knowledgeable person,” Peggy Daigle, Old Town city manager, has said about the avionics expert. “I have the utmost respect for him. His leaving is going to be a terrible blow to the aviation world around Old Town.”

But even as he prepares to leave the city, Bouffard retains his enthusiasm for the airport itself.

“The health of an airport dictates the health of the city it’s in,” he said. “This airport can benefit the city in so many ways. Emergency vehicles can use it instead of having to drive to Bangor. The forest service works out of here. The airport provides service to the sea planes out on the river.”

Bouffard’s contention that the airport an integral part of Old Town’s future is borne out by the resurgence of activity in and around DeWitt Field. Some of that activity is cosmetic, such as the recent painting and re-roofing of one of the hangars. The recent hiring of the South Portland design firm OEST has set the stage for expansion of the site, including 98,000 square feet of additional office space and hangar space. The retaining of the surrounding wetlands will also be an important factor in the revamping of the airport. The presence of the wetlands lends the airport an aesthetic appeal while providing a natural sound buffer.

“People should try to get out to the airport once in a while,” Daigle said. “I took someone out there recently and they were amazed at the amount of activity going on.”

While Bouffard plans to move on by the end of the month, he says that he may extend the deadline for the actual sale of FBO operations.