For most who work in the Corridor. The daily commute can be taxing. Up and down the Tollway in bumper to bumper traffic, trying to exceed 20 mph while driving along 635 and wondering why that red light on Belt Line was so damn short. For local businessman Denis Burns, his commute to and from work day in and day out has a little different flare.
The 1968 Cessna Airplane that Denis Burns flies to the Addison Airport from his ranch in Cooke County. Photo courtesy Denis Burns.
Burns, who has worked in accounting and tax law in Addison and North Dallas for the past 25 years (owning his own company, The Burns Firm, for the last 18), commutes to and from his work every day traveling over 100 mph, making the trip from his ranch in Cooke County (outside Whitesboro, Texas) in an easy 25 minutes. Although he doesn’t drive a BMW, Audi or Mercedes, he flies his 1968 Cessna airplane for this daily commute.
Burns takes off from the landing strip on his ranch about 75 miles north of Addison and makes, what would be at least an hour and 15 minute to an hour and 45 minute drive, a smooth 25 minute flight from take off to landing at the Addison Airport. From there, Burns makes a short five minute drive to his office of The Burns Firm. The end of the day follows a similar format, a short drive to the Airport from work and a quick flight home while the rest of us cringe in the North Texas traffic.
Denis Burns picking up his plane in Las Vegas before flying back to North Texas in November 2012. Photo courtesy Denis Burns.
“Sometimes when I’m flying over the Tollway I feel a little guilty seeing all the cars stacked up,” Burns said. “But I love working in Dallas with some of the top financial minds in the country and still be able to be at my ranch in overalls, boots and tending to my cattle within 30 minutes of being off work.”
Burns started flying back in 1999 before receiving his pilot license in 2002. While he would occasionally fly, it wasn’t until November 2012 that Burns purchased his first plane. He picked it up from Las Vegas and flew it back to Texas, where he kept it at the Gainesville airport until he finished the landing strip on his ranch.
Burns is currently living on his ranch part time while currently constructing a permanent house that will be completed in January of next year.
“Being able to fly like this has always been a dream of mine,” explained Burns who takes care of longhorn cattle, Black Angus cows, manages a cow-calf operation and even producing an annual cash crop. “It’s a pretty nice commute.”
Although Burns spends many hours at his ranch, he is no stranger to the North Dallas Corridor. As owner of The Burns Firm, he not only manages multi-million dollar transactions for his clients, but also does CPA work, accounting and even testifies in federal court for lost profits and damages and quantifies damages for lawsuits. The Burns Firm operates with a small core of employees and Burns works with clients who have been with him for 25 years.
“It’s always a pleasure to land in Addison,” Burns said. “The airport is oriented a little differently than others because it is not exactly north to south and is sometimes hard to find in the middle of all of the buildings here, but it has a very nice long runway, tower and overall airport.”
While most of us are very envious of the commute Burns makes every day, it’s not all just a walk in the park. When weather doesn’t permit flying, such as heavy rains or fog, Burns has to make the drive to work. He indicated that he looked at properties as far north as Oklahoma, but was glad he doesn’t live too far out for days that he is forced to drive.
Also the Addison Airport can sometimes get a little busy around 5 p.m. when people are leaving work. Burns will occasionally have to wait on the airport taxiway for a few extra minutes while the many planes fly out in the afternoon. Still, it beats rush hour on our Corridor roads.
Some of the cattle on Burns’s ranch. Photo courtesy Denis Burns.
I wanted to know a little more about flying and the experiences Burns has had and Denis expressed to me that he has always had smooth flights in and out of Addison. The worst experience he had was on a trip to take his son to orientation at Texas Tech where he flew his son and his son’s girlfriend to Lubbock. On his way back they had to turn around and go back to the Lubbock airport, but saw a sandstorm that was 7,000 feet high, produced zero visibility and had crosswinds of over 40 knots. Initially Lubbock cleared Burns to land, but when the sandstorm hit, Burns had to find another nearby airport. He turned south and tried to land in Slaton, but again the sandstorm beat him to the airport. Worrying the storm might take the plane, Burns managed to set down the plane in a cropdusting field, avoiding a possible disaster!
Denis Burns is a unique individual doing his business here in the Corridor. With the Addison Airport being such a big part of the community, it’s easy to picture people like Denis using the airport every day to come to one of the liveliest business centers in all of Texas.
Burns expressed his appreciation for the area, “Addison’s a great place to do business, live, go to restaurants and land a plane!”
