Hamilton County’s Airport Authority has hired a full-time director for the Indianapolis Executive Airport in Zionsville. Sam Sachs began his duties this summer after a career in the United States Air Force.
Sachs is originally from California, but spent five years active duty in the USAF where he worked in airfield operations.
“As an officer, I was in charge of the airfield in general,” Sachs said. “It included air traffic control and navigational aid maintenance.”
He served in New Jersey, Virginia and Spain, before his discharge. He was getting his master’s degree through Purdue when he saw the position advertised. He had never set foot in Indiana before the job offer.
He still serves in the Air National Guard. He said he is the eyes and the ears for the authority, but the job can vary wildly.
“One day I can be chasing birds off the runway and the next day there can be a long-term plan meeting for where we want to steer the airport,” Sachs said.
The adjacent county has owned the former Terry Airport since 2003, Bill Frye, president of the authority, said. The airport is expanding its runway from 5,500 feet to 7,000 feet, making it even more of an economic engine to the benefit of both counties.
Sachs said the extension will not mean larger aircraft. It will give the corporate jets the chance to fly farther because of the ability to add fuel to the plane.
“So if we’re in the middle of winter, a little icy, a little snowy, the plane cannot be fully weighted down with fuel to fly cross country,” Sachs said. “The runway (currently) is not long enough. It’s not safe enough. At 7,000 feet, that becomes an option.”
The total cost of the runway extension is $7.5 million. Frye isn’t sure when the project will be complete because of Federal Aviation Administration funding, but hopes it is done by 2022.
There has been an uptick in corporate jet traffic since the pandemic. The IEA is positioning itself as an alternative to Indianapolis International Airport for private air traffic.
“You get a guy who owns a company and he lives in Zionsville or he lives in Carmel, he doesn’t want to drive down to Metro (Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport in Fishers),” Frye said. “So, they store their aircrafts here.”
One of its largest users is Beck Hybrids who often flies in clients to tour the Atlanta headquarters.
Frye said the airport is an economic development tool but it is not self-sufficient. He said Hamilton County supports the operation of the airport by supplementing the budget with $600,000 every year. A 2013 economic impact study showed the airport was worth $430 million in development for the area. Frye said he wasn’t convinced of that number, but even 10% of the estimate is still an economic boon.
“The airport will grow as the business community grows,” Frye said. “We don’t grow just for the sake of growth. We grow because there’s demand.”
The third busiest airport in Indiana is working to increase value to users. First Wing Jet Center is the fixed base operator that provides services such as fuel to users. First Wing General Manager Sean White said the airport has the largest flight training operation outside of a university setting.
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