When general aviation customers taxi up to the new terminal at Ocala International Airport (OCF) in northcentral Florida, there is no doubt they're in horse country. The stone-clad building is topped with a barn-style cupola, and the entrance from the ramp area is lined with small statues of jockeys.
Last November, Scottsdale Airport (SDL) inaugurated its Aviation Business Center, the centerpiece of a $27 million redevelopment project that also includes a veterans memorial and two new hangars. The 23,800-square-foot building replaces SDL's outdated, underutilized terminal built in 1968.
South Carolina's historic Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport (SPA) has undergone an extreme makeover of sorts in the last seven years to enhance its economic development role and help it better compete with neighboring airports. The multi-project effort was capped by a $30 million runway rehabilitation and extension that opened in October 2018.
A long-term effort to improve service for residents of Northern Maine has ultimately resulted in the award of commercial jet service by a legacy carrier to the recently rebranded Presque Isle International Airport (PQI).
What began as a 1942 military training facility and group of outdated buildings is now a modern general aviation terminal, fixed base operator and flight school all in one building. In August, Ohio State University Airport/Don Scott Field (OSU) opened its new $15 million Austin E. Knowlton Executive Terminal and Aviation Learning Center.
Fernandina Beach Airport (FHB) didn't simply build a new terminal to handle general aviation operations for Amelia Island, just off Florida's northeast coast. The project team took a page from the community's history book and designed the building to resemble the iconic 4FU Corsair aircraft that flew from the airport during World War II.
In 1965, a forward-thinking businessman and aircraft operator named Robert Morrison marshaled local politicians and civic leaders to create the Ashtabula County Airport Authority for the purpose of developing an airport that would serve as an economic driver for Ashtabula County and northeast Ohio.
When Devon Brubaker began his job as manager of Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (RKS) in spring 2015, many residents of the southwest Wyoming community were not even aware the airport offered service to major connecting hubs. Since then, his team has worked with SkyWest Airlines to create more affordable flights, supported by more effective marketing; and Brubaker is proud of the results.
The Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority gave contractors 60 days to rebuild the runway and terminal at John C. Tune Airport (JWN), and collectively, they rose to the challenge. In order to provide numerous crews with around-the-clock access to multiple worksites, JWN officials closed the airport from June 1 to July 30, 2015.
When Signature Flight Support opened a new $82 million corporate aviation facility at Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International (SJC) in early November, airport officials were thrilled to have a second fixed base operator on the field. They also viewed the new tenant as a larger symbol of what is and has been happening at the airport that serves California's Silicon Valley. One of the primary tenants at the new facility is Blue City Holdings, which represents the principals of Google. In fact, the company financed a significant portion of the hangar development, reports Signature.
Located near the center of "Tornado Alley," Wayne, NE, (population 5,500) has had its share of twisters. But the EF4 that roared through the tiny town in 2013 was especially cruel, damaging or destroying nearly everything in its path - including much of Wayne Municipal Airport (LCG) Stan Morris Field.
