OK open skies, summer 2012, v.6 no.1

              In This Issue
4
Commission Selects New Officers
Company Spotlight: ASIC
5
Fallin Touts Aviation & Aerospace
7
OAC Awards Av-Ed Grants
Plus Much More!
point to the existing terminal’s age
and current condition as reasons for
a new terminal.
In addition to the terminal project,
commissioners also approved a
$215,000 CIP grant to rehabilitate
the parallel taxiway at Davis Field.
The FAA will provide a $2.1 million
grant for the project, with the City of
Muskogee chipping in $128,000 of
the total cost.
The Commission also approved
$400,000 state grants to the cities
of Perry and Guymon. Perry will use
the money to help pay for the
OK Open Skies
A publication of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission Volume 6, No. 1 SUMMER 2012
Earlier this year, the Oklahoma
Aeronautics Commission ap-proved
its three-year Capital
Improvement Program (CIP), which
includes a project to extend the
runway and parallel taxiway system
at Enid’s Woodring Regional Airport
from 5,600 feet to 8,000 feet.
The Commission’s investment in
the Enid runway and taxiway project
– perhaps as much as $2.5 million
– would represent the state’s largest
ever for an airport project, Commis-sion
officials said. The City of Enid
will be responsible for providing the
remaining approximately $2.9 million
of an estimated project cost of $5.4
million, which may include $450,000
in federal funds.
“I know this is a difficult proposi-tion,
four times larger than any
other state-funded airport project
in history, but it’s the right thing to
do.”
-Victor Bird, OAC Director
“Enid has justified an extension
to 7,100 feet based upon civil avia-tion
demand. If we extend it another
900 feet, Enid Woodring can accom-modate
the T-38 Air Force trainer, in
addition to the T-1s and T-6s from
Vance Air Force Base that already
use the Enid airport as an alternative
runway,” said Aeronautics Director
Victor Bird.
Bird said it is critical that Oklaho-ma
sends a message to those who
may oversee another Base Realign-ment
and Closure process, similar
to the one the citizens of Oklahoma
County, Oklahoma City and the state
sent when the General Motors plant
was acquired with public funding and
provided to Tinker Air Force Base.”
“I am certain that we would never
want to look back and say what if we
had done that extra 900 feet to make
this an 8,000-foot runway. I know this
is a difficult proposition, four times
larger than any other state-funded
airport project in history, but it’s the
right thing to do,” Bird said.
MUSKOGEE, OTHER AIRPORT
PROJECTS UNDER WAY
While Enid’s airport improvement
projects may still be months away
from being officially approved by the
Commission, Muskogee and other
communities have already been
given the ”green light” to proceed
with their airport projects.
The Commission recently ap-proved
a $500,000 CIP grant to
the City of Muskogee to replace
the existing terminal building at
Davis Field. With the total cost of
$1,135,800, the city will provide
$635,800 in matching funds.
Aeronautics Commission officials
Facilities Will Improve
at Enid, Other Airports
from CIP Grants
In this undated photo, a plane is parked outside the terminal building of Enid’s Woodring
Regional Airport. The Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission earlier this year approved a project
to extend the airport’s runway and parallel taxiway system.
See CIP, pg 7