Airport to host meeting

The organization that advocates for aviation statewide is coming to Portland.

Aviation Indiana has reached out to Portland Municipal Airport to host one of its quarterly meetings in 2024.

Hal Tavzel, Portland’s airport manager, reported to Portland Board of Aviation at its final meeting of the year Wednesday that he was approached about Portland Municipal Airport hosting an Aviation Indiana quarterly meeting. It is scheduled for Aug. 15.

“It’s quite the honor,” said Tavzel, estimating that 50 to 75 typically attend. “There’s airport managers from around the state, consultants and contractors that come over.”

He noted that the meetings typically run from about 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with multiple presentations. The host airport is in charge of creating the agenda.

Tavzel said there are opportunities for members of the community to get involved and local leaders to address those in attendance.

“It’s just a really good opportunity to showcase the airport to other communities around the state,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to that.”

This marks the first time Portland Municipal Airport has hosted such an event.

The January quarterly meeting is scheduled for Indiana Government Center – South in Indianapolis, with the April quarterly meeting at Greensburg Municipal Airport. The annual conference will be from Oct. 15 through 17 at Terre Haute Convention Center.

Aviation Indiana was formed in 1983 and acts as a network and advocate for general aviation, support industries, aerospace educators, airports, fixed base operators, aircraft owners and operators and pilots.

Portland Board of Aviation members Faron Parr, Clyde Bray, Caleb Lutes and John Ferguson also approved the airport’s federal financial report for fiscal year 2023.

Jason Clearwaters of Butler, Fairman & Seufert, the airport’s engineering firm, noted that the Federal Aviation Administration distributed $5,821,604.14 in funding to the airport during the period covered in the report.

“In my career, this is one of the highest ones I recall for a general aviation airport,” said Clearwaters.

Typically, airport projects are funded 90% by the Federal Aviation Administration, 5% by Indiana Department of Transportation and 5% by the local entity. By those standards, the $5.8 million the airport received would have required a local match of about $290,000.

However, FAA projects were fully federally funded in 2020 and ’21 via coronavirus relief money. The result is that Portland Municipal Airport paid just $3,056 in matching funds.

“It worked out very well for Portland that the two largest grants ever for the airport fell in (those years),” said Clearwaters, referencing the first and second phases of the airport’s runway extension project that took it to 5,500 feet from the previous 4,000 feet.

He also reported that the 12-month wildlife hazard assessment for the airport is complete. The ensuing wildlife management plan recommends that a fence be placed around the airport.

Tavzel noted that a 2021 crash in which an aircraft struck a deer at the airport prompted the FAA to push for the wildlife hazard assessment. (No injuries were reported in the crash.) He said deer and geese are the most frequent causes of problems related to wildlife at the airport.

In other business, the board:

•Learned from Tavzel that the airport sold 4,571 gallons of fuel in November for $22,574.69. That’s down from 6,006 in November 2022. Tavzel noted that the 12-month total of 86,909 is up several thousand gallons from the previous year. He said over the last decade, annual fuel sales had typically ranged between 50,000 and 75,000 gallons.

•Heard from Tavzel that the new 80-foot-by-80-foot Sonrise Aviation corporate hangar at the airport is nearly complete. It should be in use soon, he said. The board also agreed to reimburse Sonrise Aviation for $16,000 worth of additional concrete work related to the hangar project. (Sonrise is handling about another $24,000 in concrete work.)

•Approved FAA grant pay requests of $11,265.38 for the competition of the apron expansion design and $3,837.95 for the wildlife hazard assessment and the first phase of the apron expansion design.

•Heard from Clearwaters that the airport’s capital improvement plan was submitted to the FAA prior to the deadline in early December.