Home Local News Improvements continue at Richmond County Airport

Improvements continue at Richmond County Airport

One phase of a fencing project at the Richmond County Airport, mostly funded by a grant, has been completed.
Photos by William R. Toler - Richmond Observer

ROCKINGHAM — Some improvements at the Richmond County Airport are complete while another is underway.

The final inspections were held Wednesday for the lighting and fencing projects, according to County Manager Bryan Land.

Ninety percent of the latter was funded by a $32,000 grant from the N.C. Department of Transportation, awarded in mid-2018.

Land said that 4,000 feet of the perimeter 6-foot fence along the south side of the airport has mostly been replaced with an 8-foot fence featuring three strands of barbed wire at the top.

The project also included clearing out several acres of trees and vegetation on the southeast side.

The next phase of the project should complete the fencing around the airport, but Land said that could be a few years out.

Other grants the airport has received in recent years include:

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  • $160,373 for apron reconstruction and hangar relocation (December 2017)
  • $270,000 for environmental assessments (April 2019)

The county also recently began an in-house project raising the doors on the front hangar, Land said.

By doing so, the airport will have room for larger planes, which Land hopes will lure in additional tenants.

The economic output of the Richmond County Airport is $3.71 million, according to the NCDOT’s 2019 State of Aviation Report — the fifth lowest of the state’s 62 general aviation airports. 

Nearby Montgomery County has the second-lowest output at $1.7 million. Jackson County, in the mountains has the lowest at $1.34 million; Hyde County, near the coast, is third-lowest with $1.8 million; and the fourth-lowest is the Billy Mitchell Airport in Hatteras at $2.41 million.

Also on Wednesday, the U.S. Army returned to the field on the back side of the runway for a training exercise in controlling air traffic.

The Army and Civil Air Patrol worked together on a similar exercise in October of last year.

The airport is also offering flying lessons. For more information, call 910-417-9800.

 

 



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Managing Editor William R. Toler is an award-winning writer and photographer with experience in print, television and online media.