Elizabethton Municipal Airport receives state recognition for improvements
Published 9:27 am Monday, April 18, 2016
Star Photo/Rebekah Price
Jordan Simerly, airport line service specialist, uses a jet porter to move an airplane into departure on the airport’s new ramp. This is one of many facets of daily operation of the airport for visiting pilots and pilots with based aircraft.
In the last decade, Elizabethton Municipal Airport has received recognition as the Airport of the Year, as well as for having Airport Manager of the Year, Randy Musick. This year, it was recognized as the 2016 Most Improved Airport.
“Each year, the Tennessee Aeronautics Commission gives out four awards, and in the last decade, this airport has received three of those four awards,” said Airport Manager Dan Cogan. “I don’t know of any other airport in the state that can make that claim.”
The award this year recognizes the City of Elizabethton’s vision and confidence to acquire the property from Moody Aviation, which had been the primary tenant since 1967.
“When they announced they were leaving in 2005, it could have become a crisis,” Cogan siad. “Instead, city leadership and airport commissioners had a vision and plan and acquired this property, and we have built the airport of the future in 10 years.”
In 2005, the airport had 34 based planes. Cogan said today it has 57 based aircraft. Where it had 12 private T-hangars under Moody ownership, Elizabethton expanded it to include 26.
“It had a value of a little more than $2 million, and today it is worth more than $11 million in asset value,” Cogan said.
The investment in that growth, which Cogan said led to a tripling of annual sales, was funded primarily by external sources.
“In the last ten years, we have received more than $7 million in federal and state grant funding, so that’s external money being invested locally,” Cogan said.
On top of that, he said it is one of the busiest airports in the state, out of 74 airports.
He said the state aeronautics commission made it clear that the award was given because of the leadership and level of confidence of the City of Elizabethton.
“At a time when the airport was losing its major tenant and could have started into a downward spiral, the City had a vision to acquire the property and build and grow it,” Cogan said. “And we have more plans for expansion.”
Cogan represented the airport when recognized at Thursday’s City Council meeting. He congratulated the city and thanked its staff for their ongoing support and leadership which were he said were critical for the success it is seeing today.
