Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
WASHINGTON – A $1.5 million airport extension project at the Daviess County Airport will make it possible for bigger jets to land and has the potential to bring more business to the airport and strengthen the local economy.
Construction began this summer with site preparation. Paving will begin Sept. 18 and the runway has a tentative completion date of Oct. 16.
The project will extend the runway from the current 4,615 feet to 5,001 feet. Extending the runway has been talked about for decades. Erica Burkemper, Daviess County Airport manager, said the extension has been needed for sometime.
“No one is buying smaller jets and the county sees this and wants to make sure we’ve done everything we can to make the Daviess County Airport appealing for more businesses to come in and do business,” Burkemper said. “More business means the county grows, more people move here and families stay here.”
Corporate jets have been landing at Daviess County Airport for years, but with the size of the jets increasing, Burkemper said the county leaders saw the need and allocated funds for the project.
Large corporate-owned jets that can’t land at the Washington airport typically land at an airport in Lawrenceville, Illinois, and then make the 40-mile drive to Washington.
Perdue Farms, which has an operation in Daviess County, is one of those that flies in and out of Lawrenceville when visiting Daviess County because of needing a longer runway.
Some of the corporate jets the DCA currently serves include jets used by the Grain Processing Corporation, which has a home office in Iowa, Belt Tech, a conveyor belt business that houses two jets at the airport, and Eagle Rail, a rail car service that repairs and renovates rail cars. Burkemper said the airport will be able to accommodate visitors coming to the WestGate Technology Park and future WestGate One microelectronics campus.
Bob Grewe, executive director of the Daviess County Economic Development Corporation, said providing aviation services to meet current and future needs is an essential component for economic development.
“It’s critical that we be able to accommodate these corporate aircraft. It increases the potential for existing companies that fly in to check on their facilities so that when it’s time to talk about expansion, if they can get in and out easily, that’s an important benefit to consider,” Grewe said.
‘Aviation industry is exploding’
Looking ahead, the runway extension is serving as a catalyst for other activity.
“The aviation industry is exploding right now,” Burkemper said. “We get calls weekly for people wanting lessons to get their pilot license or needing hangar space.”
The airport is home to two businesses – Sky Ventures and Midwest Aerosports – that offer pilot training and plane rentals; airplane mechanics come to the airport for service and repair calls.
Plans also call for adding more T hangars, which Burkemper said will alleviate a wait list for hangars.
A second project is rebuilding the taxiways, which will be paid for with a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration. The taxiways will be realigned and a new stormwater system constructed to eliminate a problem with standing water.
The airport is open for now and will close starting on Sept. 18 when paving begins. Additional runway lights will also be added.
“Our goal is to minimize our down time as much as possible,” she said.
Burkemper said the grass runway will be open for those pilots comfortable landing on grass.