South Albany Airport Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Oct. 16—BETHLEHEM — South Albany Airport, a small, privately-owned public use airport in South Bethlehem, was once a small grass strip on a field of farmland. On Saturday, community members took flight from the now 60-foot-wide paved runway to celebrate the airport's 75 years of operations.

The airport celebrated the milestone on Saturday with a "Wings & Wheels" event that featured small airplanes and show cars and offered community members the opportunity to accompany a pilot on a scenic plane ride. From children to veteran aviators, the event drew in dozens of visitors interested in learning more about the niche location.

"We wanted to bring folks out that don't even know the airport is here and show them how nice it is," owner Ted Zabinski said. "Having some younger folks come down is great too, you never know if they may be interested in taking a lesson or going up for a scenic flight."

The airport, located on 6 Old School Road in Selkirk, has come a long way since William Van Valkenburg registered it with the Federal Aviation Administration in 1947. Much of the improvements are due to the leadership of Zabinski and his wife, who took over 15 years ago. The couple are the only two airport employees running the 66-acre location.

In 2001, they increased the runway from 20 to 60 feet wide and installed a parallel taxiway, 42 fixed wing aircraft hangars and 12 tiedown spaces. "The airport is continuing to grow," Zabinski said.

There are 42 fixed wing aircrafts based at the airport, as well as a LifeNet air ambulance helicopter, which picks up trauma patients in the Capital Region. The medical service is a paramount part of the airport, which received a $1 million grant in 2021 to upgrade its facilities. To serve the Eurocoptor EC135 helicopter, which has been based at the airport since 2013, a paramedic and pilot are on duty around the clock every day of the year and live in an apartment located on the property.

The airport is also often used for military training, with an estimated 520 military operations — which includes landings and take offs — taking place at the airport annually, as reported by the Airport Data and Information Portal.

Ted Simons stores his plane, a Cirrus SR 20, in one of the airport's hangars and can be seen taking it out for a spin every other week. He is a stalwart supporter of the airport, which served for years as a grassroots of aviation for many military and private pilots, and believes more like it should exist.

"For small planes like mine, they can get lost in the shuffle at a large airport, where there are a lot more logistics involved and you have jets and large planes flying in and out," Simons, who in part learned how to fly at the airport, said. "For smaller planes, private flyers, small businesses, this place is ideal."

The scenic flight rides were run by the airport's flight school, Hewison Aviation, which also has a location at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, Oneida County. Maura Hewison runs the school and said it currently has about 45 active students, from 15 years old to 65, that are training to become private pilots and sometimes, eventually join commercial airlines.

Participants looking to soar through the autumn air and enjoy unbeatable views of the region's fall foliage paid $40 per person for a 20-minute ride. Proceeds went toward an aviation scholarship fund named after Hewison's deceased father-in-law, which will help low-income individuals earn their pilot license.

"There is a huge pilot shortage right now," Hewison said. "We get a lot of people that want to become a pilot but just can't afford it." Despite the shortage, she emphasized that the school is experiencing a surge of interest and even has a waitlist for prospective students.

Emmanuel Abusei and his partner were among the first to take flight from the runway, which was full of small planes and retro cars on display for visitors to browse. It was Abusei's first time on a small plane and as a non- Albany native, he said it was the perfect opportunity to get to know the area better.

"I was kind of scared because our pilot explained that the winds from the Catskills could cause crazy turbulence which was kind of scary but definitely worth it," Abusei said. "Looking down at the trees and seeing the Catskills and the mountains from a bird's eye view was incredible."

The airport, which many Capital Region residents haven't heard of, let alone visited, is continuing to expand its operations. A new hangar is currently being constructed that will house six more aircraft, but Zebinski said they are hoping to build more soon to meet the demands of their current wait list.

But like other small, private airstrips, it's future is uncertain. The development of electric-powered planes and drone deliveries could become a central use of the location and drive economic development for the airport, which currently earns most of its money from private pilots paying rent for aircraft storage. "That technology is in development now and it could certainly be the way of our future," Zabinski added.

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