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Officials: Falcon Field growingThu, 06/29/2006 - 3:05pm
By: John Munford
No commuter, cargo jets in plans Although there are plans to lengthen the runway at Falcon Field sometime in the future, doing so will not allow larger aircraft to land there, officials said. Instead, the extra runway is necessary so corporate jets can take off more easily in the warmer months, said Jerry Cobb, chairman of the Peachtree City Airport Authority. Currently, some jets can’t take off with a full load of fuel, meaning they can’t make long flights without stopping elsewhere to gas up, which is an inconvenience. Cobb recently told the City Council that the airport has no plans to host any larger aircraft that can currently land there now. “None whatsoever,” Cobb said, noting that no passenger service or cargo operations are even contemplated for the airport, which is nestled south of the Planterra Ridge golf course and subdivision. The runway is currently 5,220 feet long and a expansion would bring it to 6,000 feet, Cobb said. One of the authority’s main goals is to attract more corporate jets to the mix at Falcon Field, Cobb said. The airport is building a significant profile in the city’s economy with the addition of a nationally-known aircraft parts supplier, Aircraft Spruce, and a large repair facility, Gardner Aviation, that is already ready to expand. The airport currently has no additional developed land to lease, but it has plans to develop two large areas it has purchased for future growth. Interested persons are continually inquiring about when that land will be ready to build hangars on, Cobb said. The authority recently learned that it has been approved for a grant to purchase a precision landing system, which will also help attract corporate jets, Cobb said. The system will allow planes to land on days of inclement weather, when jets otherwise might have had to divert to another airport, Cobb said. Currently, aircraft approaching Falcon Field must level off at fixed altitudes, but the precision landing system uses Global Positioning System technology so the plane can take a direct “straight line” path to the ground. The precision landing system will cost the airport about $200,000, Cobb noted. “It’s one of the things that will help our airport the most,” Cobb said, noting that the Coweta County airport already has a precision landing system. The airport is also awaiting direction from the federal government on what security measures it will need to take in the future, such as perimeter fencing, video cameras and the like, Cobb said. Airport tenants generate approximately $270,000 in property tax revenues each year because of county taxes levied on aircraft. The airport had 165 aircraft based there, with projections for that number to rise. Although the airport is classified as a “Hartsfield reliever” that only means that general aviation planes are encouraged to land here, not commuter or cargo planes, Cobb said. Two-thirds of the lion’s share of airport revenues comes from fuel sales, and the airport is projected to have a net profit of $150,000 this year, Cobb reported. The airport also gets $120,000 from the city’s hotel motel tax, which is spent on capital improvements at the airport, Cobb said. login to post comments |