Scott Adkins has taken over management of Powell Municipal Airport, replacing Debbie Weckler when she retired in June.

Weckler was well known for building a rapport with pilots, and while Adkins doesn’t bake cookies for them, he makes sure the terminal is comfortable and welcoming.

Adkins said the airport offers a lot of convenience to pilots, including no tie-down or landing fees. It gets a lot of traffic from oil and gas operations.

“You’d be surprised how much traffic comes through this little airport,” he remarked.

Adkins came to Wyoming from Fairborn, Ohio, which is a historic point of interest in aviation history. At Huffman Prairie near the town, the Wright Brothers performed many test flights, following their historic flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

In 2014, Adkins visited Yellowstone National Park with his wife, Kristen, on a vacation.

“I thought, ‘Why not live here and have the place where everyone vacations in my backyard?’” he said.

A short time later, Adkins bought some land north of Clark and built a house. His family now includes two daughters.

Adkins did a lot of flying around in helicopters and aircraft during his time in the Army. He was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington, doing special operations. He also had combat deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. After that, he worked in military intelligence.

He was once featured in one of the prints by renowned military artist James Dietz, a work titled “I Shall Defeat Them on the Field of Battle.”

Adkins said he’s really enjoying his job at the airport. He said the city staff has provided the support he needs to be successful.

“I can’t say enough about them,” Adkins said, adding, “I couldn’t be happier.”