More solar for Smyrna

The Rexall drug store building on Lowry and the Schneider Solar plant were the two big solar projects in Smyrna I knew about. It seems there is now a third one...and it's BIG!

At 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for its new solar facility, located at 688 Fitzhugh Blvd.

The one-megawatt solar farm is a partnership between the Airport Authority and Soltas Smyrna, LLC, and is a part of the TVA Generation Partners Program. TVA buys the renewable generation from the distributor for its Green Power Switch program.

The included image is impressive.

Tickets on sale

Tickets for the 2012 Great Tennessee Air Show here in Smyrna are now on sale.

May 12th and 13th 2012
The Great Tennessee Airshow is back! Featuring the world famous U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Dan Buchanan, Matt Chapman, Rob Holland, and Corkey Fornof, with more acts to be announced! Come experience the excitement and the exhilaration of The Great Tennessee Airshow!

Buy your tickets today for a great family outing May 12th and 13th at the Smyrna Airport in Smyrna, Tennessee!

Like always I expect it to be a real blast.

2011 Great Tennessee Air Show

In all of my time in Smyrna I never have gone to the Tennessee Air Show. I might try to make it this year...it all depends on my poor knees. I hope this is a great show. We lost the BBQ festival and the air show did not happen last year, so we could use a great community event such as this to balance out the September Rotary Fish Fry.

Plane Crash in Smyrna

This afternoon a small two engine plane crashed killing three people onboard. WSMV has very good coverage, video and images for those who wish to follow the incident.

Good News

Every time I want to start a post with "Good news everyone" I hear his voice in my head. Oh well.


The good news is that the Smyrna Airshow is a 'GO!' for returning to Smyrna next year. Economically and tourist wise this is great news.

The Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority is announces the return of the United States Air Force Thunderbirds to the Great Tennessee Air Show at Smyrna Airport on May 7 and 8, 2011. This signature event has been held at Smyrna Airport for over forty years allowing the community the opportunity to experience aviation up close and personal.

This is great as we also lost the BBQ festival and a need for a tourist event was very much needed.

Fried meat.. Mmmmmmm!

This coming weekend is the big Rotary clubs Fish fry.

Wings of Freedom
Fish Fry
September 11, 2010
Gates open 4:30-11:00PM
Corporate Flight Management Hanger at Smyrna Airport
The Francis Family Musical Group
Music and Dancing by Rode West
View Corporate Flight aircraft
Enjoy good food and fellowship

I'll be there and so should you. Tickets are priced as such

ADULTS $40.00 PER PERSON
CHILDREN AGE 6 - 12 $20.00 PER PERSON
AGE 5 & UNDER FREE

See you there I hope.

Airport art show cancelled

The airport art show that Christina Cudworth was working so hard for has been put on semi-permanent hold by the airport.

From the bad news email

As John and I have reviewed your proposal, we realize that Art in Smyrna Airport could potentially be quite an undertaking. We also realize that we do not have the mechanism in place to proceed at this time. All of our Airport work is governed by an Airport Master Plan that’s approved by the Federal Aviation Administration and the TN Division of Aeronautics. I’ve researched a number of airports and how they handle their art showcases. All of them have an Airport Arts Master Plan (Plan) that delves into the community history, vision and passion, and the art exhibited is a reflection of the community. We feel that our own exhibits should do the same.

Over the next months we hope to draft a Plan for consideration by our Board of Commissioners. We plan to enlist the help of MTSU’s aviation department to assist with writing/designing this Plan. While I would not presume to know how our Board will react to Airport Arts, I would expect them to appoint members to an Arts Commission who would then implement the various facets of the Master Plan.

They included this line.

We believe a well-thought-out Master Plan is the best way to set goals and methods to achieve them so that our community can be as proud of our art exhibits as they are Smyrna Airport.

A government bureaucracy just cannot do something right, they need a master plan to know it is right.

Well I am greatly disappointed and it is only midweek.

Smyrna Airport

The Smyrna Airport aithority has a video out about the airport for new customers and business interests. The video is well made and includes history, capacities and facts that are not well known.



They did say at 3:55 that the airport is only a "short 10 minute drive from down town Nashville" ....maybe if travelling at Mach 2 on I-24. Other than that single laugh it's a great video.

Close to home

The news on the Tennessee State trooper accessing private computer files for possibly political reasons was big in the news the last few months...now a similar situation hits close to home.

Wilson County Commissioner Chris Sorey used a state Web site to run unauthorized background checks on citizens, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says.

Sorey misused what's known as the Criminal Justice Portal to access private records while he was a member of the Smyrna Airport's police department, TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm said. His actions came to light during an audit of the portal's use, she said.

Helm would not identify those whose backgrounds were checked, but Mt. Juliet City Manager Randy Robertson has told his employees that the portal was used to run private information on some city employees and a person of prominence within the city.

He was placed on suspension and has since resigned to work elsewhere, but it is a troubling occurrence of old school politics that raises its head more often then anyone would like.

He says he had a good reason to do it.

"Any activity that has taken place regarding the alleged misuse of the integrated criminal justice portal system was done in connection with my investigation of the past and ongoing fire code violations" in Mt. Juliet, within his district and elsewhere, he said earlier this week. "... I am very concerned that I now seem to be the subject of the investigation instead of officials addressing any possible safety issues."

The Smyrna airport has its access to the criminal justice website blocked for the current time.

Smyrna Air show

It's coming and will be one of the larger draws to our fine town in number of people, and money spent while here. A family affair of jets, trucks and noise.

The internationally known United States Navy's Blue Angels, the Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, will entertain regional crowds at the Smyrna Airport April 12 and 13, 2008. Also featured are skywriters; the Red Eagle Air Sports team; and Shockwave, a semi truck powered by three jet engines that can reach speeds of 300 miles per hour.

The Blue Angels' mission is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States, its elected leadership and foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors for the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps.

More information can be found at the Smyrna airport website.

A note for anyone who takes pictures or videos. The website "This is Smyrna TV" would love to post them if you put them online at sites like YouTube or Liveleak. Drop us a line and let us share your videos.