GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) – With the reconstruction of the Georgetown County Airport’s secondary runway, aviation officials are hoping new businesses can make the perfect landing in the area.
The airport broke ground on reconstructing Runway 11/29 on Friday, as county officials hope it helps enhance travel and efficiency.
“Airports are more than just runways and taxiways and pavements and parking spaces, right?” South Carolina Aeronautics Commission Executive Director Gary Siegfried said. “They’re gateways. Gateways to your community.”
With the reconstruction of a $6.3 million secondary runway, the county is able to improve business travel, help those in flight school, and bring economic impact at ground level.
The airport’s manager, Jim Taylor, says the pilots training at this facility should be using the secondary runway, but it’s not in the best condition.
“So, they’re landing in a direct crosswind out on our primary runway,” Taylor said. “I mean, it’s good to learn the crosswind technique. But for a fresh student pilot, they need to learn into the wind.”
The South Carolina Aeronautics Commission says secondary runways are not usually eligible for Federal Aviation Administration funding, which causes them to be in poor condition. As a result, airports are often forced to either close or fix them. However, a new state program is helping to cover most of the cost to fully tear out the runway, rebuild the base and repave it.
Siegfried says Georgetown was number one on their priority list.
Plus, with the recent $3.9 million improvements to the taxiway and stormwater and utilities, Taylor says there’s now more space to put at least five more aviation businesses on their land. And he says there are already two on the way.
“We don’t necessarily know everybody that lands,” Taylor said. “And when I walk out and shake whoever’s hands getting off the airplane,… We’re the first line of communication that person might have with Georgetown County. And if we give them a good positive taste, he may be a business owner that starts to think well, maybe I can expand my business down to Georgetown.”
He says this airport is responsible for putting $9.5 million back into the local economy.
The improved runway’s construction is expected to start in the middle of June, with the contract taking about 150 days. The runway should be up and running before the end of the year.
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