Why is there so much in Eden Prairie today? Partly because almost nothing was here once.
The year was 1941. The United States Navy needed a new airfield. More specifically, it needed an airfield that wasn’t. No runways. No infrastructure. No nothing. Just flat, dark and empty fields where pilots could practice rough takeoffs and landings.
Fortuitously, “flat, dark and empty” were three of Eden Prairie’s main attractions at the time. Our town proved most useful to the Navy until 1945, when available positions for fighter pilots sharply declined due to reasons that don’t beg explanation.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), which had recently been founded to operate multiple airports within the area, purchased the site of the Navy’s former airfield in 1948. By 1966, MAC had grown that once dark and empty patch of earth into the Central United States’ second busiest airport.
Flying Cloud Airport (FCM) now serves as the metro’s busiest reliever airport. MAC logs over 120,000 operations there annually, which include business aviation, flight training, recreational flying, and emergency medical operations. So much activity generates around $230 million in annual revenue, and has created almost 1,200 jobs.
Robert Dockry is proud to call one of those jobs his own.
“One family vacation to the Kennedy Space Center was all it took to hook me on aviation,” said Robert. “I got my pilot license during my freshman year at University of North Dakota, where I majored in unmanned aircraft systems hoping for a career in the military. That all changed when Joe Harris, an alumnus of UND, spoke to my class about his amazing experience working for MAC. ‘As an airport director, you never live the same day twice,’ he said. I couldn’t ask him if MAC offered internships fast enough.
“Fast forward seven years to 2023, and I’m the manager of FCM. Isn’t it funny how that works?
“My duty is to keep the airport safe, secure and legal. I help our awesome staff minimize risk and prepare for every conceivable emergency. I oversee maintenance of our runways, buildings, grounds, and fences. I deal directly with over 140 lessees, ensuring their multifaceted needs are always met in full by our facilities. I work closely alongside air traffic control, take charge of all construction and capital development, and do whatever I’m able to keep animals away from the airport. If you ever need advice on how to harmlessly frighten coyotes away using pyrotechnics, I’m your man.
“I’m happy to say Joe was telling the truth. I never do live the same day twice at FCM.
“And I’m not getting complacent anytime soon. Our comprehensive, long-term plan to maintain and improve FCM is never-ending. So too is our mission to build good will with the community we’re so fortunate to be surrounded by. That includes supporting Wings of the North’s AirFair (returning this year on July 12th), as well as Girls in Aviation Day which shows girls and boys the exciting careers they can have in aviation – not just as pilots, but as mechanics, fuelers, painters, upholsters, and the enormous variety of other professionals who make modern aviation possible.”
“It’s hard to believe I used to be one of those wide-eyed kids,” said Kelly Gerads, director of reliever airports. “I started with MAC 33 years ago – almost immediately after earning my degree in aviation management from St. Cloud State – on an internship in the department that monitored noise within the community. I stayed on to assist with ordinance development, public process, and property management. After a couple of years, I became a full-time employee for the best organization I could ever work for.
“I don’t just love aviation for the opportunities it has given me. This industry offers meaningful careers to people from all walks of life. It’s essential to businesses of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500 companies. It truly connects the world!
“It’s certainly connected me to a lot of great people. Overseeing MAC’s six airports puts me shoulder to shoulder with a very competent and experienced staff: professionals like Robert, who somehow make my monumental task not just manageable, but enjoyable. And although my role puts me in some position of authority here at MAC, I still see myself as a servant. I’m here to help the aviation community overcome challenges, however complex they might be, and benefit the metro at large by keeping it a bustling capital of commerce.
“If that sounds like a good day’s work to you too, then I invite you to join us!”
Visit MetroAirports.org to discover the exciting careers that await at MAC and FCM.