Living Jackson Magazine :: Jackson Looks to the Sky

Jackson County Looks to the Sky

Words by Gail Ellen Daly
Pictures by Joshua T. Barnett

On a bright sunny November afternoon, three planes lined up for fuel at Jackson County’s airport.

Headed for a variety of destinations as Thanksgiving approached, all three pilots quickly fueled up and were on their way.

Don Campbell of Blairsville, a 50-year veteran pilot, was flying several passengers to Gainesville. A plane filled with two families was flying from Illinois to Texas, while the third plane was off to Florida for the holiday weekend.

“This airport has the best fuel price,” Campbell said. “It (the facility) is a good asset and people don’t realize it.”

People likely don’t realize it, and may not even realize a county airport exists. Not only is the airport a fuel stopover and home to small aircraft, Life Flight (medical transport) recently built a permanent heliport on one side of the field and the Jackson County Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, has its meeting facility on site.

Although the county’s largest facility may be its best-kept secret through lack of awareness, change is on the horizon.

This year, Georgia is celebrating 100 years of aviation and Jackson County’s role is about to take a giant step forward. Recently hired airport manager Bob Stapleton envisions a general aviation airport that attracts corporate jets as well as private aircraft owners who lease hangar space at the Lyle Field Road facility.

Stapleton, who spent 18 years in Griffin as aircraft manager building up its airport, provides an optimistic outlook.

He assumed the Jackson County manager’s role on Nov. 5.

“Currently we have a significant level of general aviation activity,” he said. “Typically, we average 40-50 planes a day flying in, with more in the summer.”

Shannon Sell, chairman of the Jackson County Airport Authority, pointed out that location drives traffic and the airport is ideally situated.

And plans for adding 900 feet to the existing north-south runway will, Stapleton insisted, provide larger corporate jets access into the community. The runway length will increase from 4,100 feet to 5,000 feet with a side taxiway.

“That’s the threshold for corporate aviation,” he said. “Those jets require a safe operation balanced with a field requirement for insurance purposes.”

With partial funding in place, the $5 million project, which will be paid for through non-repayable grants, should get underway this summer.

“Local, state and federal grant funds are in place,” Stapleton explained. “We have submitted a grant request to Air Georgia for $3.5 million and will have an answer in March.”

County Commission Chairman Pat Bell said extending the runway has been talked about for 12 years and she has great hopes that it will finally happen this summer.

Another planned improvement in the near future is new hangars.

Currently 74 aircraft owners rent space at the facility—67 planes, one helicopter and six ultralights. About 60 percent of aircraft owners are Jackson County residents.

However, Stapleton explained that new hangars are a must for housing all size planes––corporate jets as well as recreational flying.

“One plane buys fuel, pays taxes, is not driving on county roads, uses no water, does not need any county services and has no kids in school,” he said.

In addition to generating tax revenue, the capability of housing corporate jets at the airport can spark industrial and commercial growth in the county.

Sell noted that the facility is near I-85 and industrial and commercial development sites.

“We’re working to build up services,” Stapleton said, “as corporations want a full service airport.”

He noted that it’s the quality of industry that counts. “It’s not about numbers.”

Eventually, Stapleton would like aviation-related businesses to locate at the airport. A sampling of services include a paint shop, aircraft maintenance business, a sheet metal shop, mechanics and finally a restaurant.

“Those facilities generate jobs and it all benefits the community,” he said.

The 110-acre general aviation airport was not always owned by Jackson County, but began life as a privately owned facility.

Sell, a pilot who owns his own plane, noted that the authority was formed on June 30,1964, after the former owner gave the airport to the county. For many years the authority did little toward improving the facility and Sell said, it remained virtually dormant.

“We have a valuable untapped resource,” he said.

The Board of Commissioners appoints authority members for one-year terms at the end of each year.

A year ago, commissioners appointed new members to the five-person authority; those members take an active role in the airport’s progress.

Don Lohmeier, a veteran pilot and member of the authority, said that finally government, the authority and pilots are “on the same page.”

In addition to the authority, the year-old Jackson County Aviation Association (JCAA) is also taking an active role in airport activities.

“There was a lot of griping among pilots about management and the lack of progress at the airport,” said Kenneth Botts, JCAA president.

Formed in 2006 as a way for pilots to speak in one voice, the organization then became affiliated with the Aircraft Owners Pilots Association (AOPA).

“Their mission is to keep general aviation alive,” Botts explained. “And they are a support network (for pilots).”

The aircraft owners association also protects pilots’ rights regarding residential encroachment.

Botts volunteered to serve as AOPA liaison with the public, which includes promoting aviation.

Botts, who has been flying for close to three years, calls himself a student pilot. He flies a Cessna 172 XP which he keeps in a hangar at the airport.

For the past two years JCAA has sponsored a ‘fly-in’ and invited the public to come and take part in numerous scheduled activities. It’s a way for residents to visit the airport.

At October 2008’s fly-in, numerous guest speakers talked of the facility’s great potential.

“It been here since 1964 and many people aren’t even aware it’s even here,” said Civil Air Patrol public affairs spokesperson M.J. Bridges. “We want to make this more for the community —this is their airport.”

Botts told community members attending the event that once the landing strip is extended to 5,000 feet, 90 percent of pilots would be able to fly into Jackson County.

His organization hopes to schedule more public events, possibly bringing in vintage World War II aircraft for the public to view.

Lohmeier, who is already planning the 2008 fly-in, expects to make it an even better family event.

“This (airport) belongs to the general public, not the rich pilots,” Botts said in a recent interview.

Nevertheless, the JCAA has goals similar to Stapleton’s.

“We have an ideal airport location and a valuable asset,” he said. “It could be a moneymaker.”

Larger hangars, a real terminal with a pilot’s lounge, a flight school and fixed base operations are a necessity.

Currently, a trailer serves as the terminal and the pilot’s lounge is an old cinder block building.

He believes business will come when a “real terminal” exists.

“I build airports,” he said, “that’s what I do best.”

Working on a long-term capital improvement plan, Stapleton is ready to build Jackson County’s airport into something the county can be proud of.