Facilities and Aircraft
Hickory Regional Airport covers an area of 739 acres (299 ha) which contains two asphalt paved runways: 6/24 measuring 6,400 x 150 ft. (1,951 x 46 m) and 1/19: 4,400 x 150 ft. (1,341 x 46 m). For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2009, the airport had 40,504 aircraft operations, an average of 111 per day: 99% general aviation and 1% military. There are also a total of 70 aircraft based on the airport.
The airport has an operating control tower from 7:00am to 9:00pm daily for safety and sequencing of aircraft landing and departing. Also on the field is a Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) station manned 24/7. For weather information, the airport uses an automated airport weather station (ASOS).
The airport terminal building, which was built in 1960, has served as a hub for commerce and transportation for more than 40 years. However, it no longer supports airline travel as the most recent airline, Delta Connection, ceased operation from Hickory in 2005. The building remains an active part of the airport housing airport administration and maintenance, a café, rental cars, a bus service, as well as the Hickory Aviation Museum.
In 2003, a new building was constructed to serve the general aviation community. There are several flight instructors who instruct at the Hickory Regional Airport. Airplane rental is provided through various private entities. Instruction is provided both on an individual basis where the prospective pilot is taught both the knowledge and flight training required by the instructor, and through the flight school at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, where the knowledge component is taught in a classroom setting. Additional pilot instruction including sport pilot training is given through an independent company on the airport that operates a Remos GX and a Cub Crafters Sport Cub aircraft.
Riverhawk Aviation (and its subsidiary companies), which was the airport's only FBO, voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. On 8 December 2011 the United States bankruptcy court, having found that Riverhawk does not have the assets to continue as a viable company, removed Riverhawk as the FBO. On 9 December 2011 the city of Hickory assumed all FBO operations in order to insure no interruption in general aviation services at the airport.
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Famous quotes containing the word facilities:
“I have always found that when men have exhausted their own resources, they fall back on “the intentions of the Creator.” But their platitudes have ceased to have any influence with those women who believe they have the same facilities for communication with the Divine mind as men have.”
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815–1902)