Later in life, my dad became an enthusiastic fan of community airports. He helped manage the small airport in Claxton during his retirement years. Through this, I discovered the important role airports play in smaller communities. One of his favorite sayings was: “One mile of highway will only take you one mile, but one mile of runway can literally take you anywhere in the world.”
As far as airports go, we have a crown jewel here in Statesboro. The Georgia Department of Transportation just confirmed this in a recently released Statewide Aviation System Plan. The plan reviewed the 103 airports in Georgia. GDOT classifies the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport as a Level III Business Airport of Regional Impact, which is at the top of the pack.
According to Kathy Boykin, Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport manager, Statesboro easily met and exceeded the criteria for this classification, which included at least, among other criteria, 5,500 feet of runway and precision-like approaches to accommodate 95 percent of business jet aircraft.
Having airport maintenance on-site is another important part of this classification. Bill Long, an aviation maintenance expert, is based at the airport and has more than 56 years in aviation maintenance experience.
Statesboro’s primary runway is 6,000 feet long and the secondary runway is 4,382 feet long. Both runways include the same instrument landing systems as larger airports. This allows pilots to facilitate safe landings in less than ideal weather.
Bulloch County operates the airport at no expense to taxpayers with five employees, two full-time and three part-time. A local committee of business leaders and pilots help oversee the operations through the Statesboro-Bulloch County Airport Committee, chaired by Ellis Wood.
The airport provides a variety of services from fueling, (including jet fuel), tie-downs, hangar rentals, pilot supplies, a pilot lounge and flight planning resources. Many of these services generate revenue, which completely offset the operational expenses of the airport. There are nearly 80 aircraft currently based at the airport. Last year, the airport handled more than 20,000 flight operations.
Thanks to a federal grant and local SPLOST funds, they recently completed a nearly $1.5 million runway upgrade, which included resurfacing the 6,000-foot runway and restriping both of the runways.
Major corporations use the airport frequently, as do local businesses and citizens who travel for business and pleasure through private and charter plane services. The Georgia Forestry Commission maintains a base of operations at the airport as does the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary’s Statesboro “Eagle” Composite Squadron (GA451) of the Civil Air Patrol.
Our airport even provided critical roles for the military during war times. In WWII, the airport was a sub-base of Morris Field in Charlotte, NC. Statesboro hosted Reconnaissance Squadrons and Liaison Units. Pilots who trained in Statesboro were heroic individuals often asked to fly unarmed aircraft over front lines.
During the Vietnam War, the airport became a Strategic Air Command center for training pilots under a project known as Combat Skybot. The military reverse engineered a system they had been using for training to accurately target bombs using radar installations on the ground. Combat Skybot was used in every major campaign beginning in 1966.
Another important role the airport plays is one an economic development one. Flying enthusiast and Airport Committee member Doug Lambert explains: “A full-service airport is an important link in the economic development chain. Often, the first impression an industrial or business prospect has of our community is the warm welcome at the Statesboro Bulloch County Airport.
“As Development Authority of Bulloch County President, Benjy Thompson says, ‘Economic Development is often a process of elimination rather than attraction. If the State of Georgia Economic Development office or paid development consultants cannot land an airplane in a community, then that town is often eliminated from consideration.’”
A few years ago, a group of local pilots led by Josh Whitfield, who is also a member of the Statesboro Bulloch County Airport Committee, established Airport Day as a way to introduce our community to this “hidden” jewel. The goal of Airport Day is to bring awareness to how the airport positively impacts our community in incredible ways. They also hope to spark an interest in kids who want to learn to fly and hopefully encourage them and others to join the local aviation community.
Airport Day is a free family event and will be held this Saturday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be many aircraft on display plus food and activities for the entire family. This is a perfect opportunity to come out and see why our airport is ranked as one of the best in the state.