Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 1

167 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 Recently, Thomas County Airport has welcomed two new businesses to the airfield – Jay Jones Car Rentals, that leases quality vehicles to anyone stopping at the airport, and Sandhill River Trips. Sandhill provides tubing, tanking (large floating cattle tanks), and kayaking trips down the Middle Loup River in the Sandhills of Nebraska. The Middle Loup River, which is north of the airport, is the world’s second most constant flowing river, meaning that seasons don’t affect its height as it is spring water fed. Currently, the main demographic flying into the airport is golfers, sportsmen, livestock buyers, hunters, and anglers who want to explore the many lakes on the massive government-owned National Game Refuge, 35 miles to the north, where you can fish and hunt. Also Halsy National Forest, 17 miles east – second largest hand- planted forest in the world – for hunting and ATV riding. The most jet trafic coming in are with golfers for the two world class golf courses. The Sandhill Golf Course and the Dismal River Club are just west of Thedford and South of Mullen NE. With all the upgrades being done, more and diverse air traffic are landing at the once sleepy airport. Johnston elaborates, “I’m excited to see more jet traffic and big turboprop aircraft landing at the airfield.” Management hopes that the new renovations and offering of jet fuel will attract more pilots, such as those who want to be able to self-serve, skipping the wait at other airports. This is different from the surrounding airports, where they may have higher traffic and could have to wait to be fueled from fuel trucks. With inclement winter weather and stronger storms becoming a norm, Thomas County Airport is ready for heavy dumps of snow with plows and blowers to ensure that operations carry on. Through a self-funded project, they have also added the 12 new security cameras with microphones that can record 24/7. While the airport is based in a remote region of the state, that doesn’t mean there’s no need to ensure the safety of pilots staying over. These new high-tech cameras on the field have now created a really secure environment for any planes on the Ramp. In the next six years, Johnston and the Airport Board hopes to get the additional 600 feet to the runway. Once the airport has a 5,000 foot runway, more jet traffic will be able to land, as most insurance companies will only cover certain jets landing on less then a 5,000 ft runway. The airport is already home to one of only two LED beacons in the country. And because all the lights at the airfield are LED, they can be left on at night. These lights can also be controlled by the pilots for IFR conditions. One click of the microphone button and the LED light goes to 10% power, five clicks and the power goes up to 30%, and with seven it rises to 100%. All these developments and the integration of new technology means that Thomas County Airport will be well positioned for a bright future. Paulsen Inc. is an experienced contractor when it comes to airports. We have worked on countless airport projects throughout the years and are proud to keep doing so. www.paulseninc.com Stick With a Contractor That Puts Safety First Quality Construction Services (308) 784-3333 1116 E Hwy 30 Cozad, NE 69130 THOMAS COUNTY A I RPORT