While in Albuquerque Recently ...

… I dropped in on the Double Eagle II airport, a reliever for Albuquerque International Airport. I had first visited the facility some 12 years ago, when as I recall there was one building and marginal general aviation activity. The airport is named for the Double Eagle II hot air balloon, which was the first to traverse the Atlantic from North America in 1978 and which is commemorated at the local hot air balloon museum. Since that time, the city has built an impressive terminal facility that houses airport administration and future growth. It was built at a time when the economy was roaring and Eclipse, based at ABQ, was planning on manufacturing the Eclipse 500 aircraft, the phenom of the very light jet movement. The facility the company built at Double Eagle II remains empty, though the airport sponsor reportedly has prospects for a facility it has “inheritedâ€. At one point, Eclipse was using the Double Eagle II as a primary /customer pilot training facility. Mike Medley, the operations manager at Double Eagle II, has been there since 1996 and reports that based aircraft today fluctuates between 150 and 200 aircraft. The airport was built in the 1980s some 20 miles west of downtown Albuquerque. In terms of activity, Medley reports that the airport “is busy enough that we don’t have to do cost-sharing for the contract tower. It does get busy at times.†Local police helicopters are based here, and the U.S. military has a significant impact on operations. In particular, points out Medley, Chinook helicopters routinely conduct training missions in this semi-desert location. “When they’re here, the fuel flowage goes way up,†says Medley. One FBO, Bode Aero Services, handles all refueling. The airport has a footprint of some 4,400 acres, much of it available for development. As Medley emphasizes, the new GA terminal “was built for growthâ€. Thanks for reading. jfi