Aviation View | Volume 1, Issue 2

47 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 foot runway (Runway 14-32). The original hangar area located on the south end of the airport was also updated to allow additional hangars, and a new aircraft parking apron was also constructed. Over the next 40 years, they added additional taxi lanes, many hangars, a parallel taxiway, and an aircraft parking apron. In 2006, construction began on an extension to the 4,003-foot primary runway and parallel taxiway to runway 14-32. The runway was completed in June 2007 and the parallel taxiway was completed in August 2007. The runway is now 5,507 feet (1,679 m) long. A helicopter landing apron and a connecting taxiway in the corporate hangar area were also completed as part of the 2006-2007 project. “We have roughly 220 based airplanes,” says Demulling, “a mix of corporate jets all the way down to experimental or light-sport aircraft. We have the equivalent of 70 full-time employees to manage everything including the various businesses on the field, and we have 106 hangers here at the airport with anywhere from three to five being built each year. This puts us in the top five tiers in Wisconsin as far as based airplanes, and it certainly makes us number one in terms of the number of hangars. Right now, we are seeing roughly 40,000 operations per year and that includes everything from touch and go through training airplanes to corporate departures and arrivals.” The airport is also home to 11 specialty aviation businesses as well as a Fixed Base Operator, East Metro Jet Center, which handles all the fueling, ground support equipment including full and self-service fueling, ground handling, cargo services with an on-site forklift, deicing, ground transportation including crew cars and rental vehicles, and a passenger terminal. Another point of pride for the airport is that they never shut down. “We will not let winter beat us, ever,” Demulling says with a chuckle. “No matter what it brings us, we will win. We pride ourselves www.stcroixedc.com (715) 381-4383 1101 Carmichael Road, Hudson, WI 54016 Connecting for Success St. Croix County is part of the Minneapolis/St. Paul market, offering major-metro advantages like best-in-class business services, cultural amenities, a major population center, and access to Interstate 94. St. Croix County is also home to great post secondary schools: University of Wisconsin-River Falls Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College (New Richmond) Chippewa Valley Technical College (River Falls) NEW R I CHMOND REGIONAL A I RPORT