Dec. 27--BROOKSVILLE -- For years, aviation officials had dreamed of a control tower on the grounds of the Hernando County Airport.
Just after dawn on Oct. 15, the dream came true and, given the importance of the event, it made Hernando Today's top 10 list for 2012.
At 7 a.m. that Monday morning, 83 feet above the airport grounds in the newly built control tower, the operators of the facility officially directed the first plane down the runway.
"The Brooksville tower is now operational," control tower operator Bill Horner spoke into his communications link-up with all pilots and other airports in the area.
While Horner was directing planes in the air, his colleague and tower manager, Jimmy Mills, was taking care of ground traffic.
"I never thought I'd see the day I would support a control tower here the way I do now," Russell said. "(But) it's obvious that it's timely."
An elevator takes controllers and visitors almost to the top, where they must walk up a short flight of stirs to control central.
The tower exterior is concrete and built to hurricane safety standards. The control "cab" has two one-half-inch panes of glass separated by another half-inch of air space for added strength.
The $2.25 million tower project was funded jointly by the Florida Department of Transportation and airport reserve funds.
The Hernando County Airport is home to 178 based aircraft, which includes 124 single-engine planes, 18 twin-engine planes, 21 helicopters and 15 jets.
Congressman Richard Nugent, also present on that historic October occasion, said the tower will enhance the reputation of the Hernando County Airport, which he calls the "catalyst for industrial and economic growth."
"This is a huge asset for Hernando County," Nugent said. "A lot of locales would kill to have an asset like this, even (without) the tower. This is pretty neat."
At a dedication ceremony May 10, Hernando County Aviation Authority Chairman Gary Schraut said the tower belongs to the people of Hernando County, who will reap its rewards in the form of heightened economic activity from aviation-related companies eager to locate here because of enhanced safety measures.
Schraut said Hernando County's airport will never match Tampa International, which is a major passenger airport 30 miles away.
Hernando County's bread and butter has always been in freight and light commercial and that should expand with the opening of the tower, he said.
Critics have said there's not enough air traffic to justify the $2.25 million tower.
Schraut said the volume is there and increasing all the time.
"This is smart growth" Schraut said.
Copyright 2012 - Hernando Today, Brooksville, Fla.
