Building Relief in Houston

In the Midst of Rice Fields Grows a New Private Reliever

On August 6, local businessman Ron Henriksen landed his Piaggio P-180 Avanti at the new Houston Executive Airport some 35 miles west of downtown Houston, officially dedicating the privately owned, public-use airport he funded. Ground is now being broken for a fixed base operation, set to open in 2007.

The 500-plus acre airport is built on the site of a former private airport, Air Rice – rice fields and oil derricks – have long been an economic staple of the region west of Houston. It lies in the eastern end of Waller County, which today has a population of around 35,000 but is expected to experience significant growth as the metroplex moves westward.

Henriksen, who is a long-time pilot and local businessman, made his mark in the communications business with his company Logix Communications Ltd. He has overcome numerous obstacles to get his business aviation-oriented airport built, including initial objections by the Federal Aviation Administration, which was concerned about air traffic patterns, and environmentalists.

Six months ago, Henriksen hired Andrew Perry from Dubuque (IA) Regional Airport to oversee the development efforts and to run the FBO, which will operate initially in temporary facilities.

Explains Perry, "Henriksen Jet Center will open by year-end, but without maintenance and avionics - services we would like to attract [as tenants]. Our core business will be line services for business aviation and property development."

Perry says that although it is a private airport it will operate much like traditional U.S. airports, offering tenants long-term leaseholds instead of selling parcels outright. "We’re not selling the property," he says. "We want to maintain control and the owner wants to ensure that this is an airport forever. So we will operate in a traditional sense, but with significantly less red tape."

The 5,050x100-foot runway and parallel taxiway infrastructure is fully operational, at an initial investment of some $18 million. Henriksen’s total investment to date is some $32 million with property included, according to Perry.

The FBO facilities will encompass 10,000 square feet of office and terminal space and a community hangar, says Perry. He says the airport was built to FAA Part 139 and TxDOT standards and constructed within a one-year timeframe. The initial marketing target: the energy corridor the dominates business activity west of Houston.