Middletown to Receive Federal Grant for Airport Runway Improvement

The Federal Aviation Administration has awarded a grant for more runway improvementS at Middletown Regional Airport/Hook Field.

The office of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced today that the $112,500 grant will go toward installing new precision approach path indicators (PAPIs) to Runway 5/23.

Middletown officials had not been officially informed that the city was awarded the grant as of this afternoon. However, the grant is part of the annual allocation provided to the airport by the FAA, city officials said.

City officials said PAPIs are bright lights that shine out on a line and are visible about four miles out that indicate to a pilot that they are on the correct glide path as they approach the end of the runway. Too low and they turn one color and too high they turn a different color.

MWO had attempted a few fixes to the older system (installed in ~1980’s) but when we attempted to certify them last year, they did not meet standards.

The city’s 6,100-foot runway is one of the largest uncontrolled runways in the state.

“Ohio airports are vital to supporting travel and commerce in the state,” Brown said. “This investment will help to ensure the safety of the Middletown Regional/Hook Field Airport for residents and businesses for years to come.”

The FAA supports public-use airports included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) through the Airport Improvement Program. The program supports projects that improve airport safety, capacity, security and environmental impact.

The NPIAS identifies nearly 3,330 existing and proposed airports that are included in the national airport system, the roles they currently serve, and the amounts and types of airport development eligible for Federal funding under the Airport Improvement Program over the next five years. The FAA is required to provide Congress with a five-year estimate of AIP eligible development every two years.

The NPIAS contains all commercial service airports, all reliever airports, and selected public-owned general aviation airports. Middletown Regional Airport is considered a regional reliever airport for Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky and Dayton international airports, according to Matt Eisenbraun, acting economic development director.

In the past several years, the city has received close to $4 million in airport improvement grants from the FAA and the Ohio Department of Transportation/Aviation Division, and the city’s matching funds for those grants have been less than $300,000, Eisenbraun said. He said the funding is broken down at 90 percent from the FAA, five percent from ODOT and five percent from the city.

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