Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 1

56 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 Raleigh Exec welcomes those smaller aircraft with a contemporary terminal building and a single, 6,500-by-100 foot runway. Operating as its own Fixed Base Operator, or FBO, the airport is responsible for constructing, maintaining, and leasing hangar space, and provides pilots with Jet A and 100LL aircraft fuel. On-site businesses offer a portfolio of services, including complete aircraft maintenance, avionics repair, pilot weather services, flight schools, secure hangars with limited-access gates, courtesy and rental automobiles, and catering. The quasi-governmental organization responsible for operating the jetport is registered under a former airport name as the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport Authority, which moved the jetport to its current location two decades ago. At the time, the airport hosted 27 airplanes and leadership understood that a larger airport was needed, one with more space for aircraft, a longer runway and other amenities. With close proximity to Raleigh Executive Jetport Expansion has been steady ever since. About six years ago, Raleigh Exec rehabilitated its entire runway, which can now accommodate nearly any business jet. Two years ago, it added a new terminal and later completely rebuilt and expanded its aprons and taxiways, allowing aircraft to maneuver more easily and make larger turns. None of the expansions could have happened without support and funding from the State of North Carolina, Lee County, and the City of Sanford. But those aren’t the jetport’s only partners. Raleigh Exec also works with the Sanford Area Growth Alliance and Sanford Tourism Development Authority to strengthen the facility’s regional impact. “We’re all trying to get those first visitors to come in through our front door at the terminal,” Heuts says. “We’re focused on getting visitors to see our community, potentially move here, and then invest in the area.”