Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 1

102 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 eart of Georgia G I O N A L A I R P O R T O riginally a small railroad town on the line from Macon, the City of Eastman, Georgia has a tasty history as the birthplace of Stuckey’s Convenience Stores – think the Pecan Roll and many other delicious pecan treats. Coincidentally, it was the Stuckey family that saw the need to build an airport and, thus, the Heart of Georgia Regional Airport was born. In 1966, Heart of Georgia became the first regional airport in the state to be able to handle corporate jet traffic; eventually lengthening their single runway to 6500 feet. The airport still serves the Eastman corporate and general aviation needs, but it has also become the center of aviation education in Georgia, as the home of the Middle Georgia State University’s Aviation Center where they train pilots, airport managers, and offer programs in maintenance and traffic control management. Big news lately, components for the James Webb Space Telescope were created at the University’s campus on the airfield, while other components are produced at some of the businesses on the field, such as Valence Technologies, which puts a special coating THE CENTER OF AVIATION EDUCATION