Sep. 9—Terre Haute Regional Airport officials are calling a military exercise held in August, which brought in about 40 military aircraft, a success.

"The airport hosting the Jaded Thunder event is a collaboration that started a year ago," said Jordan Brown, who along with his wife, Nicole, are owners and operators of Hoosier Aviation, the airport's fixed-base operator which provides fuel, flight training, de-ice, rental aircraft and on-field maintenance partner Williams Aviation.

"We got nothing but good feedback from Stamp Walden," lead planner for Jaded Thunder, which was a military interoperability and integration exercise held at the airport in August, Brown said at the airport's board of directors meeting Wednesday.

For the 10 days of the exercise, Hoosier Aviation pumped 650,000 gallons of jet fuel, earning the airport about $65,000 in fuel fees, Brown said, clarifying the numbers after the meeting.

"We don't get anything out of that, we turn that right back to the airport," Brown town the airport's board of directors.

"It was neat to see how many people were out here" just to watch some aircraft, Brown added.

"They said they will definitely be back, so that is a huge thing for our counts at the airport that week and everything else," Brown said of the military exercise.

Kara McIntosh, director of operations at the airport, said there were "days where there were hundreds" of people watching aircraft. "They brought their lawn chairs out ... and congregated" toward the terminal in the airport's parking lot. "And, some days, it was smaller {group}," she said.

Airport Director Jeff Hauser said the military exercise "never lost any days due to weather" or maintenance problems. They made every sortie they planned on flying," Hauser said.

The military aircraft flew to Camp Atterbury and Muscatatuck Urban Training Facility.

"They do this a couple times a year, but next year is already figured out, so I know we are hoping maybe in 2023 {for the exercise to return}, but we will see," Hauser said.

The event brought 1,200 people to the city, staying in Terre Haute/Vigo County hotels and was the first such military exercise at the airport, McIntosh said.

Other business

In a separate matter, airport consultant Monica Newhouse-Rodriguez, managing principal of Newhouse & Associates, said the airport's strategic plan is nearing completion, awaiting a final landscape design for plants that will not require much maintenance. The plants would be along an exit of Interstate 70 at U.S. 40/Indiana 46.

Once the plan is completed, Newhouse-Rodriguez said airport officials need to implement a zoning overlay plan.

"We need to figure out what we our next steps to be to incorporate that into city and county {zoning} code," she said. "The overlay zoning is something we absolutely must do to preserve the airport long term."

Newhouse said the zoning will protect airspace and land use around the airport. That is required, she said, as the airport accepts federal funds annually.

"Right now you just don't have the control, particularly in the city, that you might want and there is nothing in the county for wildlife hazards. We really do need to get those updated and incorporated into city and county (zoning) codes. We need to make sure that, with the city, that there is some mechanism to make sure that is actually happening," she said.

In another issue, The Women's Air Race Classic to be held at the airport has been moved to 2022, Hauser said. The event originally was slated for 2020, but was delayed twice by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter@TribStarHoward.

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