2025 Hall of Fame Inductees


Jim McIntyre
Jim McIntyre was Kentucky’s preeminent aviation engineer for general aviation (GA) airports from 1998 to 2009. He was affectionately called the “Pied Piper” of general aviation consulting due to a devoted client base that followed him wherever he went. When he began his career with Stantec, the firm’s client base included ten airports. Within 18 months, the base had expanded to include thirty-five existing or planned airports, all due to Jim.
Jim earned a BS in Civil Engineering at University of Kentucky in 1976. He began his civil engineering career at Haworth & Associates in 1976 as an engineer-in-training and left the firm in 1982 to join Golden Oak Mining Company as a project engineer/manager. Jim became a licensed professional engineer and eventually, added licensed professional surveyor to his skills. From there, Jim moved to J. M. Crawford & Associates where he worked as a project engineer for several years. He joined HMB Professional Engineers in 1989 and served as a principal in charge of their Aviation/Construction Services practice until 2005 when he joined ENTRAN (now Stantec). He led Stantec’s aviation practice until his death in 2009.
Throughout his aviation career working for two different firms, Jim worked at 80% of the GA airports in Kentucky as well as several GA airports in other states. He was considered an expert in new GA airport design, having engineered six new airports into the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. He had a devoted client base because he was devoted to them. Jim gave up much of his spare time in service to his airport clients. 12-14 hours days were the norm, and, on weekends, he often flew his private plane to his airports to “check on something.” He often took his granddaughter Kelsie with him.
Jim attended the annual Kentucky Aviation Association meetings, the only true industry organization
in the state. He also was a member of the very first ACEC/KYTC Aviation Committee. In 2010, the Kentucky Department of Aviation decreed July 20, the date of his death in 2009, as Jim McIntyre Day. A memorial plaque was hung in the Department’s conference room.
