Saturday, March 23, 2013

Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport (KBUY), Burlington, North Carolina: Taking flight

Last year, the Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport was focused on rolling out a runway extension that economic development leaders hoped would make the airport more of a draw for businesses looking to locate in Burlington.

The runway was completed in December. This year the airport looks to expand its terminal and parking — both for planes and vehicles — to better accommodate the increasing number of professionals flying into Burlington.

And hopefully, attract even more.

The $21 million runway extension included building a culvert for Gunn Creek, and took the runway from 5,000feet to 6,405 feet.  The runway was also strengthened to accommodate planes as heavy and large as a Boeing 737, though the airport hasn’t had one of those land there yet, said Dan Danieley, director of Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport.

“It’s a matter of being able to accommodate whoever, whenever,” he said. “It’s an economic development engine.”

Danieley said when Mac Williams, president of the Alamance County Area Chamber of Commerce, is trying to recruit new businesses to the area, one of the first things he’s asked is whether Alamance County has an airport.

“Almost all businesses own, or charter, or have shares in some type of aircraft,” Danieley said.

Williams used to have to say “no” when asked that question, but now the county’s airport can accommodate them, with not only its new runway but also additional hangar space.

Danieley said airport traffic consists mostly of corporate jets, but the Marine Corps also practices takeoffs and landings there, and some Elon students are being flown in at the beginning of the school years on their parents’ corporate jets.

Over the past few years, Danieley said, the airport has built two more buildings with 10 hangars in each.

“They’re full. We’re planning to build another set of 10 this year,” six of which are already spoken for,  Danieley said.

On Tuesday, Danieley introduced to Burlington’s City Council the next phase for the airport. “It’s time to move on and build a new terminal facility,” he said.

Danieley said the airport is about to close on about 60 acres being sold by nearby landowners, which would mean extra space for a new terminal, additional aircraft apron space, parking and more hangars.

“This would afford us the space for what we need today, and space for what we need for many years to come,” he said.

Danieley said the current aircraft parking apron is too small for the amount of traffic the airport is seeing. “Aircraft take up a lot of space (with) their wingspan,” he said. Currently,  the space can handle seven medium-sized jets, or two to three larger ones like the Embraer 145 used by Elon University’s basketball teams.

And, Danieley said, the terminal building itself is too small, at about 3,000 square feet. A draft plan drawn up by The Wilson Group Architects and Talbert & Bright Aviation Consultants includes a new building at about 8,000 square feet, and a larger parking lot.

“We have hardly any automobile parking now,” said Danieley. “We’ve dealt with that for several years.”

He said the existing terminal wouldn’t be abandoned, but could possibly be used for flight school training or another airport use.

As far as a timeline, Danieley said, “It’ll be a several year thing, just like this runway job was.”

In planning for the  future, part of the runway extension included paving a special taxiway at the end, connecting the runway to the site being considered for Honda Aero’s service center.

Currently, Honda Aero Inc. is adjacent to the airport, and has a production site for the GE Honda HF120 engine used by HondaJet in its aircraft. The Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport has made preparations for a service center to move in, once GE Honda Aero Engines decides on a location for the center.

Mel Solomon, marketing manager for GE Honda Aero Engines, explained since GE Honda Aero Engines is a joint venture of Honda Aero, Inc. and GE Aviation, both parties have to agree on the service center’s location.

“They’re a 50/50 ownership,” he said.

Solomon said the main purpose of establishing that joint venture is to make the GE Honda HF120 engine available and marketable to the aircraft industry. “Currently, HondaJet is a large customer for this venture,” but Honda Aero had previously been contracted to build engines for Spectrum Aviation Services.

And, there’s the potential for GE Honda Aero Engines to pick up additional contracts. “We have been in discussion with other aircraft original equipment manufacturers,” or airframe companies, Solomon said.

Though the production site in Burlington isn’t assembling any engines — but it will soon.

Solomon said the Burlington site lacks a Federal Aviation Administration production certificate, so the HF120 engines are initially being assembled at a GE Aviation facility in Lynn, Mass. Then, production will transition to Honda Aero in Burlington, with its own FAA production certificate.

There are already 41 people employed at the location, and the company expects 65 by the year’s third quarter,  Danieley said.

The GE Honda Aero Engines service center would provide “a whole slew of after-market support,” and would also be managed by GE Honda Aero Engines, said Solomon. He added that no official decision has been made to build on the Burlington site.

 “It’s in the evaluation process.” Solomon said, “There are other candidates we’ll have to look at.”

Danieley said that part of the 2007 agreements the Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport made with Honda Aero was to provide that taxiway connection to the considered service site, and the airport has met those obligations.

When asked if that was a draw to GE Honda Aero Engines, Solomon said he wouldn’t call it a “draw” but, “It definitely enhances the candidacy attractiveness of Burlington for a service facility.”

He added, “Honda sees a bright future for that area.”

Story and Photo:   http://www.thetimesnews.com

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