March 17--By Arkansas Department of Aeronautics Director John Knight's count, there are 91 public airports in Arkansas. While some, like the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock and Fort Smith Regional Airport, boast commercial passenger service and multi-million-dollar facilities offering the latest and best in aviation technology, more of them are only a few steps beyond a strip of asphalt on a level piece of ground at the edge of town.
Knight knows them all.
"To the community they are in, the small airports are just as important as the big airports are to their big community," Knight said.
Knight said larger passenger and noncommercial airports have access to more federal funding than smaller airports do. "We try to take care of the little airports," he said. "Each airport has their agenda, and we work with them and with the FAA to make sure federal money that comes to the state gets put in the right places."
Funding comes in the form of matching grants, with the Federal Aviation Administration contributing 90 percent of the grant funds and the ADA picking up the remaining 10 percent. Knight said that there is a $300,000 cap on the grants, and few projects at smaller airports exceed that amount.
State funds are generated by taxes levied on aviation products, Knight said. Last year, about $12 million in tax revenue went to the grant program.
"We mainly use the money to make sure the airports are safe and that they are in a situation where they can attract industry and keep what industry they've got," he said.
Among the area's rural airports are the following:
Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport, a city-owned, general aviation airport in Polk County, continues to move forward in what newly installed airport manager Will Robbins calls a "state of slow recovery" from the economic downturn of 2008.
"We saw a slowdown, but fortunately only lost two of about 18 businesses on the airfield," Robbins said.
He said an assortment of private aviation-related enterprises -- interior finishers, avionics businesses, mechanics, charter services and general maintenance facilities -- has set up shop on the airport's 1,079-acre site.
The Arkansas Department of Aeronautics website, www.flyarkansas.gov, reports employment of 824 at the airport, with an annual payroll of $14.3 million and a total economic impact on the community of about $14.5 million.
A recent major expansion project was undertaken a year ago when Hampton Aviation, a large aeronautics service company based at the airport, agreed to lease a 225-by-100-foot hangar to expand its business. An aircraft paint operation also opened.
Hampton provides scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, repairs and services to the general aviation industry.
Robbins, who has been at the airport since 1987 and recently replaced Rick Lanman, who has taken an airport job in Maine, said much of the work performed at the airport is on aircraft flown in from locations throughout the U.S. and beyond.
"Our businesses offer them more competition with prices, and we do good work," he said.
The airport also upgraded its fire suppression capabilities -- building a water tank and extending water lines -- to the level required by the federal government for facilities performing maintenance and repair. The work was a likely factor in landing a recent contract for maintenance of military aircraft along the line of turboprop C12s, used for light cargo and passenger service. The deal "shows a lot of promise," Robbins said.
Another partner in Mena airport growth is Rich Mountain Community College, which offers a program in aviation maintenance. The RMCC program can provide the training necessary for workers to achieve certification that will leave them eligible for the jobs in a market that currently has a shortage of licensed aircraft technicians.
Logan County
The Paris Airport Commission has set the stage for future growth of that town's 46-acre Paris-Subiaco Airport.
In 2010, the commission purchased 24 acres of property to expand the safety area around the airport and allow for an extension of the existing runway from 2,750 feet to 3,200 or 3,500 feet in the next few years. The additional 500 feet would accommodate turboprop planes. At 4,000 feet, it could serve smaller jets.
Prior to that, the airport acquired FAA and ADA grants to rehabilitate and restripe the runway and rehabilitate runway and taxiway lights. The commission is also seeking grants to fund rehabilitation of the runway lights, taxiway lights and an airport beacon.
"Before we make ourselves bigger, we're trying to take care of some safety issues," Airport Manager John Minden said in a newspaper article detailing the improvements. "After that, we'll direct ourselves toward a runway extension."
The ADA website reports the availability of limited services at the airport, located two miles from downtown Paris.
Fuel is sold, and small hangars and apron tie-downs are available for aircraft storage and parking. The airport caters to general aviation operations, including agricultural application, medical helicopter operations, recreational flying and flight instruction, according to the ADA site.
Bill Tucker, manager of the Booneville Municipal Airport, said that facility serves both local operations and the air traveling public.
"It's a convenient cross-country stop," Tucker said of the 200-acre airport three miles from downtown Booneville. Tucker said many fliers plan their route by the availability and price of airplane fuel. He posts current fuel costs on the airport website, www.boonevilleairport.com, and updates the prices on the airport voice mail message.
The facility further serves travelers with the availability of a courtesy car, enabling them to do some site-seeing road trips.
Emergency air evacuation services frequently use the airport, which also serves as a base for ground-based EMS services. The U.S. Forestry Service frequently uses the airport as a base for firefighting operations in the nearby Ouachita National Forest. Aircraft maintenance and repair services are also provided.
The most recent capital improvement at the facility was the installation of a five-bay T-hangar. It and another 10-bay hangar accommodate the 15 aircraft that are based there.
Franklin, Scott Counties
Bill Nelson, chairman of the Franklin County Airport Commission, said the Ozark-Franklin County Airport has undergone several improvements in recent years, among them widening, resurfacing and restriping of the 3,302-foot runway and replacement of taxiway lights. A security fence was erected on the perimeter of the 46-acre airport site several years ago, he said.
Nelson said the airport provides easy access to Ozark by representatives of some of the area's larger employers -- Butterball and Baldor Electric Co. It also supports tourism as private planes ferry tourists to the area's wineries and other river valley attractions. Recreational flying, flight instruction and forest firefighting activities are also available.
The airport is currently without a fixed base operator, but fuel is available at a self-service facility.
The Waldron Municipal Airport, located on 106 acres two miles southwest of the Scott County town, has seen recent improvement.
Mayor Don Owens, who oversees operation of the facility, said in 2012 a $500,000 grant funded completion of a taxiway parallel to the 4,000-foot runway.
While the airport is city owned, much of its operations are privately held and most air activity is local, although, Owens said, occasionally it attracts outside traffic.
Owens said a small engine repair shop is located on the airport grounds.
Currently, there is no fixed base operator at the airport, and no services or fueling are available. Hangars and apron tie-downs are available for aircraft storage. The airport primarily caters to general aviation activity, including agricultural application and ultralight operations, according to the ADA website.
"Generally, these small airports don't see a lot of activity," Owens said. However, he expressed optimism that the facility could play a role in expansion that he sees on Waldron's horizon. He said a state-based grocery company has purchased land in the city and other retail operations have also expressed interest in moving to the area.
"Waldron has been sitting idle for 50 years. Now we are starting to come back to life," he said.
Copyright 2013 - Times Record, Fort Smith, Ark.
