Aviation View - Oct 2023

57 AVIATION VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 EASTLAND MUNICI PAL AI RPORT serves as the perfect gateway to a host of activities for those landing in the region. “We have a lot of great small-town restaurants, hotels, and sites that are scenic, including a lake here by the name of Ringling Lake which is named after the famous Ringling brothers who came to the area by train back in the 1920s and 1930s,” Zietz describes. There are many attractions in the region as well, Zietz continues. “We have Lake Leon which is good for fishing and there is a lot of Whitetail deer hunting so people fly in for tourism reasons and often go hunting and fishing when they arrive for fun and recreation.” Beyond its tourist draw, the area also boasts the 91st District Courthouse which brings in regular legal aviation traffic. The airport is also utilized during peak forest fire season by the Forest Service as a firefighting aviation base. Zietz insists that the airport can handle all the diverse flights and remains flexible and accommodating to those utilizing the dynamic airport. As for businesses that are already located at the airport, the list is also impressive. “We have Maverick Logistics right near the airport and we also have Encore Electric as well as several other businesses including Frito Lay and the Machine Shop.” “These companies use our airport for the ease of convenience and it is within an industrial area for economic activity,” he adds. Upgrades taking flight- Runway 5002 When describing the upgrades in the pipeline for this bustling airport, Zietz summarized the scope of the current activity relating to three areas of focus which include construction on the North and South parallel Taxiway, upgrades, and expansion to the airport’s apron and ramp, as well as the planned relocation of the airport ground’s fuel farm. He notes that the investment numbers add up to around $4.8 Million in Capital improvement projects that are currently in the works. “We are relocating our fuel farm for the ease of