Published Thursday, September 26, 2002
for airport improvements
at weekend festival
Herald Staff Writer
Funding from the Federal Aviation Administration will help keep the Grove City Airport flying high for years and people can check out its progress this weekend by visiting the Firemen's Fall Festival of Flights.
The borough of Grove City, which has owned the airport property in Springfield Township since 1965, recently received two grants totaling about $338,000 to make improvements.
"We had to agree to a 10-year covenant to maintain it as a public use airport," said Grove City Councilman John Inman, who also chairs the airport committee. "We have a real good team, a good match. We have a council that's 110 percent behind the airport, and we've got a great management team out at the airport."
The FAA money will be used to clear any obstructions around the runways and to develop a five-year master plan for the airport.
"We want to develop the airport to be a major facility, and this would be a great way of starting. It allows us to plan the future," Inman said. Plans include additional hangars for small planes; a restaurant or an industrial warehouse in the main hangar; and the development of 28 acres that border state Route 208, he said.
Clearing runway obstructions will take the lion's share of the money, about $278,000. "One thing we've been hampered by is we have a 4,500-foot runway, but at the west end we have a 600-foot displacement because of a tree close to the runway," he said. "Planes have to go 600 feet over the runway to land. We can't use that end."
Clearing all the obstructions will make it more convenient for small commercial planes used by companies and Lear jets. Recently, Gov. Mark Schweiker was flown there in a Lear jet to visit Slippery Rock University, Inman said.
This weekend, the airport will be open for fly-in, drive-in fun, called the Firemen's Fall Festival of Flights.
Visitors can sample some of the airport offerings, such as airplane rides and skydiving. Saturday features children's water activities, a firefighter competition at 1 p.m. and a square dance at 7:30 p.m. There will be a car cruise Sunday.
Food will be available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The annual Drive-in/Fly-in Breakfast fund-raiser by the Springfield Township Volunteer Fire Department starts at 8 a.m. Sunday.
The festival is sponsored by Springfield Township, Grove City and Pine Township fire departments, the Experimental Aircraft Association, Elbow Street Aviation and Silent Wings Soaring.
"I think council is really starting to feel the positive momentum with the airport," Inman said. "It's going to be an exciting year for the airport."
For more information call (724) 748-4211.