Aviation View | Volume 1, Issue 2

79 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 1, ISSUE 2 the City of Cortez had an airport. Vic Reynolds, a World War II bomber pilot, was encouraged by Rollin and Polly Usher to come to Cortez to start a flying service and in 1955, Reynolds, Herb Rose, and Milt Bettis formed Cortez Flying Service. They built the current office building, maintenance building, large hangar and some T-hangars and then moved in when the runway was completed. After 30 years these buildings reverted to the city and now Cortez Municipal Airport is a city-owned and operated organization – still serviced by the original FBO that started it all. “Today we are a small airport that is bursting at the seams,” says Airport Manager Jeremy Patton, “This is an agricultural, ranching, and mining area – but it has also become a tourist destination. We are in Southwest Colorado with a mix of high-altitude mountains, Mesa Verde National Park, a substantial network of Indian ruins, and Colorado’s fifth largest body of water, McPhee Reservoir.” CORTEZ MUNI C I PAL A I RPORT Cortez Municipal Airport covers 622 acres at an elevation of 5,918 feet, with one 7205- ft runway and just shy of 10,000 operations per year. Twenty-six aircraft are based at the airport, as is a small commercial service, Boutique Air, which currently flies four times a day to Phoenix and Denver. Also on-site are a flight school, charter service, fuel service, and a mechanic – offering all the amenities of a General Aviation airport. Patton took on the role of Manager in January 2021, as one of two busy employees who manage the overall day-to-day operations, plowing, mowing, maintenance, and administration. Patton reports, “We are just getting underway with thinking about where to go next. Our first step is to create a new 10-20 year Master Plan over the next 18 months. We are currently working with an engineering consulting firm, Armstrong Consultants, Inc. for the layout plan and project engineering, as well as Jacobs Engineering whom we have used for several Courtesy of Esther Babcock