Sumner County committee appoints Franco Valentino to airport authority

Franco Valentino, a Hendersonville resident and applicant for the county airport authority, was approved for a five-year term by the Sumner County Committee on Committees at its February 2025 meeting. The committee voted unanimously after members described Valentino's long involvement with the local airfield and volunteer work.

The appointment matters because the county airport has grown in recent years and now supports fractional jets, expanded parking and community programs that county officials said benefit residents and local pilots. Valentino told the committee he has been “a pilot for over 30 years” and an active member of the local general aviation community since 2008; he also said he helped the airport “secure their airport's digital network” at the request of the airport chair and manager. "It would be a privilege for me to give back to the community that's given my family so much enjoyment and camaraderie over the years," Valentino told the committee.

Committee members praised Valentino's experience and volunteer service. A commissioner who spoke in support said he had known Valentino for decades and vouched for his character and work at the airport. A motion to approve the appointment was made and seconded on the floor; the committee then voted in favor with no opposition. The committee chair recorded the motion as passing unanimously.

Valentino described several local aviation programs and events during his remarks, including a reference to a recent experimental aircraft association (EAA) breakfast that, he said, drew a record crowd. He also cited a runway-extension project completed "a few years ago" that enabled fractional jets to use the field and reduced some traffic at larger regional airports.

The appointment fills a five-year term on the airport authority. No additional conditions or follow-up tasks were recorded on the appointment at the meeting.