Aviation View | Volume 1, Issue 2

165 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 Four Corners has 131 aircraft based on the field and there are always people looking for space. Lewis points out that there is a waiting list for leased hangars at the airport, but developable land is available for private construction. In the last five years there have been three private hangars constructed. The Fixed Base Operator (FBO) is Atlantic Aviation and they operate a terminal, sell fuel, as well as all the aviation- related amenities one might need. There are also two flight schools and a full-service restaurant, the aptly named ‘No Worries Sports Bar and Grill’. Speaking to recent upgrades, Lewis notes, “We have two asphalt paved runways, one is 6500 feet and one 6704 feet. This summer our major project is going to be to overhaul the 6500-foot runway. It is at the end of its useful life, therefore starting in August, we will be using $ 7 million in federal and state grant money to rehabilitate it. The other runway will still be open so it really will not affect operations. Next year we are going to do some taxiway realignment based FOUR CORNERS REGIONAL A I RPORT on upgrading the category of our runway to handle regional jets. We can currently operate regional jets with a modification to standard and a memorandum of understanding from the FAA, but if we relocate those taxiways a sufficient distance from the runway, we will no longer require that waiver. He adds, “We have been replacing our lighting systems with LED lights and hope to do both ends of the main runway this year and the taxiways in the following couple of years. Like any airport, we always have routine repainting, sign panel replacement, mowing, and things like that which we upgrade all the time. We have upgraded our older technology VASI (visual approach slope indicator system) on runway 23 to the latest technology PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator), and plan to do the same on runway 5 along with the runway overhaul.” There are 130 acres of land on the north side