Justin Pietz
Principal, Airport Planning Manager
Armstrong Consultants Inc.
Date of Birth: 6/15/1981
Years in Aviation: 13
Justin Pietz’ grandfather was an aviator and flew a B25 in WWII and his uncle flew F4 Phantoms. Aviation is in the genes in this family.
He recalls wanting to work in the aviation industry at a very young age. That desire led him to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Studies and a pilot certificate.
Pietz began his aviation career working as a line service technician for a fixed base operator (FBO) in Grand Junction, Colo. Working there provided him with a solid understanding of daily airport operations. He then joined Armstrong Consultants in 2004, quickly progressing from airport planner to senior airport planner, and he now leads the Planning and Environmental Department at Armstrong in the role of planning manager.
As a principal of the firm, Pietz helps set strategic vision, facilitates complicated and controversial public involvement meetings, conducts quality control reviews on all planning materials, prepares Scopes of Work, develops project fees, contributes to the development of Statements of Qualifications, participates in Consultant selection interviews, and ensures his projects are delivered in a quality manner, on schedule and within budget.
Pietz’ aviation planning expertise includes airport master plans, site selection studies, land use compatibility planning, aircraft noise evaluation, airport emergency plans airport financial plans and airport certification manuals. His project experience includes an immense variety of projects, ranging from small general aviation airport development to regional commercial service airport planning studies.
Since joining Armstrong, Pietz has successfully completed more than 70 airport planning projects at over 40 airports across the western United States. His efforts have contributed to the growth of Armstrong Consultants from a firm of only 27 employees when he began in 2004 to an extremely successful firm of more than 40 airport dedicated professionals today.
“It’s really satisfying when you’re working as an airport planner and laying things out on paper, and you then come in as a pilot and land on the pavement that you sketched and laid out,” he says. “There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
