July 26, 2011

Tipton Municipal Airport

I talked with Marvin Huff, caretaker of the Tipton airport, who informed me of a runway lighting project underway at the airport.  High fuel prices and extreme heat this summer have both caused the activity level at the airport to be low.

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Cordell Municipal Airport 

I visited with Charlie Brown of Cordell regarding airport activities.  Cordell also has a runway lighting project ongoing.  There are 6 aircraft based at F36 with little activity happening at this time of year.

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July 20, 2011

Altus/Quartz Mountain Regional Airport (KAXS)

I visited with airport employee Daniel Adams today and he gave me a quick tour of their new terminal/hangar building. They were actually in the process of moving into the facility while we toured. The terminal is very nice with many great features, including wifi throughout, pilot breifing areas, pilot lounges, kitchenette, and plenty of space for future expansion. Nothing was mentioned regarding a "grand opening" but when I find out, I will inform OAOA membership.

Congratulations to Greg Camp and his staff at AXS (my old stomping grounds).

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January 28, 2011    (Partial Report)

Lawton/Ft. Sill

Current projects at Lawton Ft. Sill include a terminal roof and replacement of the all terminal HVAC units, a Wildlife Assessment and buying a new ARFF truck. They are also working on a complete renovation of the airport terminal…new paint scheme, free WIFI,  new seating, planters and plants and  adding more tech friendly features… basically just updating and modernizing the terminal.

Passenger traffic is up over the previous year and military returns and departures are keeping ramps full.

LAW has also been working for several years with Fort Sill /DOD to fund Air Mobility Complex on the south end of the airport which will have a military terminal facility and an apron large enough to park 5 wide bodied aircraft. This project continues to be high on the Ft. Sill Commander’s list of priority projects and slated for 2014 construction.

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July 22, 2010 Report:

Lawton is continuing with terminal improvements.  If Barbara is at the meeting, she can give additional information.  I didn’t get to talk to her personally.

Altus has awarded bids for new GA hangar with attached terminal building.  The facility will replace the current 1960’s era terminal building.  Hangar size to be approximately 24,000 sq. ft. with an additional 3000 sq. ft. for the new terminal.  Work is scheduled to begin within 6-8 weeks with an estimated completion time of 5 months.  Property appraisal for needed land acquisition south of the airport’s runway is also underway at this time.

Overall activity is slow at the airport due to the sluggish economy, although a group of four aircraft traveling from Houston to Alaska stopped for fuel recently.

New airport manager Kevin Magrady at Hobart reported a good turnout for their recent Memorial Day Fly-in.  He also stated plans are ongoing for pavement resurfacing for one of the airport’s crosswind runways.

I was unsuccessful in attempts to contact other airports.

David Scott, SW Regional Director

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October 29, 2009 Report:

Altus/Quartz Mountain Regional Airport is in the process of installing new PAPI’s as replacement for the aging VASI’s which had been in place since the mid nineties.  The used VASI system was donated to Altus from Tulsa and installed sometime in 1996. 

The new fence phase 1 has been completed and now there is at least something in place to make any drivers on Highway 283 aware of the airport boundary.

Upcoming projects include taxiway edge light replacement with LED lights and an extension of the aircraft ramp.

An improved GPS approach has been added giving IFR pilots lower minimums when flying into AXS.

I visited with Officials of several other airports in the region, but specific information was not gathered.

David Scott, Acting Director