Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 3

68 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 3 egional Airport KENTUCKY S ituated in the lush, rugged hills of southwest Martin County, Kentucky, Big Sandy Regional Airport is a glorious fly in and out spot for any pilot. With its high altitude of 1,222 feet and 5,000 by 100-foot runway, boasting a majestic drop-off of close to 200 feet, Big Sandy Regional is one of a kind. Built in the early 1980s and active since 1986, the airport’s infrastructure is built on a reclaimed surface mine near the City of Prestonburg. Initially, Big Sandy Regional Airport played host to the Eastern Kentucky mining sector, but the heyday of the coal industry has passed. Nowadays, people are pouring investments into the region, namely in apple farming. These apple farmers are taking notes from the development of the airport, by situating their orchards on reclaimed surface mines. The region’s topography of rugged sprawling hills makes it challenging to complete big construction projects at the area’s airports. This means that a sizeable 5,000-foot runway like the one at Big Sandy Regional Airport is relatively uncommon in the eastern part of Kentucky. Runways shorter than 5,000 feet can’t accommodate private aircraft because they aren’t insured when they land.