Aviation View | April 2021

138 AVIATION VIEW APRIL 2021 407·599·1122 avconinc.com AVCON is honored to have partnered with the Leesburg International Airport on this unique and progressive Seaplane Base project. �ank You ENGINEERS & PLANNERS projects in the last while, the largest being the resurfacing of our primary runway, which has a designation of 13/31. The engineering has been completed and our contractor came on board in November of 2020 to start the process. The resurfacing will be a complete mill and overlay and there will be all new ‘bright and shiny’ striping.” The runway pavement will be grooved in the opposite direction to the way the planes come in, which will help with drainage by channelling water off the runway – significantly improving the overall surface. Dean adds, “There is also some safety area grading that goes along with this project and some associated lighting. Aside from regular inline lights, we have precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights at each end of the runway to help incoming planes make sure they are on the correct path to land; that they’re not too high or low in comparison to the length of the runway. Those lights will be brand-new, which is critical. We’re are also replacing the REIL (runway end identifier lights) strobe lights that allow pilots to better identify distance.” The construction work is being completed for $5.2 million, funded by a 100% FAA reimbursable grant. The completion date for the project is slated for April. Aside from general aviation, other tenants on the field include: Sunair Aviation, the airport’s FBO (Fixed Base Operator); Brainerd Helicopters, a helicopter company; Skybolt, a manufacturer of aerospace fasteners; Wipaire, an aircraft maintenance and modification business; The Villages; Central Florida Avionics & Instruments; Av-Mech Mechanics; Aerostat, Inc., aerial and firefighting equipment; Angel Flight, the Lake County Sheriff’s Aviation Unit; The Civil Air Patrol; and an Experimental Aircraft Association. The airport is a hive of activity and its growing popularity is creating an urgency for more hangars. Dean acknowledges, “We’ve been busy upgrading our hangar space. We just built two complete box hangars, each with five units that can accommodate planes with a 45-foot