(July 2)  Stephen Dunn, who on Monday had his last official day as Upland city manager, immediately landed on his feet, taking on the assignment of manager of Cable Airport.
Cable Airport lies entirely within the city of Upland. Founded in 1945 by Dewey Cable, it is now the world’s largest privately owned airport open for public use. Located north of Foothill Boulevard, west of Benson Avenue and east of the city limits with Claremont at the Los Angeles County Line, the airport covers an area of 95 acres and offers one  runway measuring 3,864 by 75 feet and two helipads, each measuring 65 by 65 feet. There are 350 aircraft based at the airport.
The Cable family pegs the airport’s real estate value at over $100,000,000 and the aviation facilities are conservatively estimated at $20 million, having been appraised as worth $15 million during the depth of the economic recession four years ago. There are in excess of 80,000 aviation operations out of Cable Airport annually. Ownership of the airport has passed to Dewey and Maude Cable’s grandchildren, who are now actively involving the fourth Cable generation in operations at the facility.
Bob Cable, the president of Cable Airport, told the Sentinel “I got a heck of a deal” in hiring Dunn. “An airport is like a little city,” he said. “You have to deal with governmental and FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] rules and regulations just like a city normally would and on top of that you have regulations from the private sector. Stephen is currently a pilot who owns and flies his own airplane. He has knowledge of the inner workings of the city we have to deal with. He knows grant writing, finance and has human resources skills. We have always had qualified people in the position he now holds but he has the best qualifications of anyone who has been at the helm of the airport. I am excited about where we will be going future-wise with him here.”
Cable added, “I think this is going to be a very rewarding job for him in that it will allow him to see how the private sector can get things done in a hurry as opposed to the public sector.”
Dunn told the Sentinel, “I am excited about going to work for the Cable Family. Being able to work in the aviation field, which is an area I  have an interest in, is something I am looking forward to.”