Carl Honaker

Director of County Airports Carl Honaker oversees all of the airports, and is responsible for the overall management of the County's airports system.

A Nebraska native, Carl graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1975 (on a Navy ROTC scholarship) with a business degree before entering Naval Flight Training in 1976. A graduate of the Naval War College, he has Masters degrees in Management and National Security.

During his 20-year career in the Navy, Carl flew Lockheed P-3 Orion subhunting aircraft worldwide. Rated as an Airline Transport Pilot, Carl has over 4,000 hours of flight time.

During his last tour of duty, Carl was the Naval Air Station Moffett Field Executive Officer (Deputy Base Commander) and Airfield Operations Officer, responsible for the day-to-day operations of a major military base including management of an airfield with over 80,000 annual operations.

Retired from the Navy and working for NASA Ames Research Center to help manage Moffett Federal Airfield, Carl worked closely with cities, universities, and other agencies to develop and market this valuable asset.

He couldn't pass up the opportunity to get back into airport management, and in October 2001 was selected as the Assistant Director of Santa Clara County Airports. In early 2004, Carl was named Director.

Carl married his college sweetheart, Karen (Leonhard), a prominent watercolor artist. The Honakers enjoy golf, Husker football, and travel.