Pelion airstrip facelift taking off

April 02--Lexington County plans to improve the runway at its Pelion airstrip and make other renovations to attract business fliers.

It's the first step in a facelift that a study says is necessary to make the site a stopover for corporate aircraft.

Doing that could more than double traffic at the airstrip by 2030, aviation consultants at the LPA Group say.

No price tag is put on any improvement, with the study suggesting most could take up to 10 years to complete. Virtually all work would be paid for by taxes on air travel.

Initial improvements approved by County Council last week include extending and widening the runway and allowing the sale of jet fuel.

The changes are part of a blueprint to upgrade an airstrip that has languished since the county acquired it in 2004.

The study is a map on making it a magnet for commercial development in addition to a hub for recreational pilots, county leaders hope.

"We need to go ahead and make something out of the airport so it can be an asset," Councilman Jim Kinard of Swansea said. "It's time we did something."

Hope persists that the airstrip can draw industry to the area, but Kinard said "nothing is imminent."

Some council members are uncertain if the improvements will pay off.

"I have my doubts about this thing," Councilman Bobby Keisler of Red Bank said. "I'm crossing my fingers. It's worth a gamble."

The study says a series of improvements can increase flights from 6,300 today to 14,500 in 2030, a prospect it says "may be considered an aggressive forecast."

Council members agreed to extend the runway from 4,335 to 5,500 feet and widen it from 60 to 75 feet, changes needed to make it usable for small jets that ferry business executives.

No one is sure how soon federal officials will approve the plan and provide aid that would pay for the bulk of the improvements.

The 190-acre site is big enough that extra air traffic created by the expansion won't be noisy for scattered homeowners nearby in the town of 700 residents, the study said.

Addition of fuel sales -- probably through a partnership with a private supplier -- would follow.

Other features suggested include a private flight school and additional hangars to store aircraft. As with fuel sales, the county could lease space for those to private operators.

Attracting business travelers will take time as development spreads toward the southwest corner of the county, the study says.

Fliers will discover that the airstrip may be more convenient than other airports nearby, the study says.

Hamilton-Owens Airport is 18 miles to the east, and Columbia Metropolitan Airport is 12 miles to the north.

Those fields mean the Pelion airstrip will play a complementary role in Midlands aviation, the study said.

But longer and wider runways, availability of jet fuel and new hangars can enhance its appeal, it said.

Reach Flach at (803) 771-8483.

Copyright 2012 - The State, Columbia, S.C.