LOCAL AIRPORTS EXPAND COMMUNITY POTENTIAL By Terry Moore Most large cities take their airports for granted.

In the smaller areas though, the airport is unique However, airports are unique in smaller areas and although an airport is often called by its city name, it is a regional asset that provides service to numerous counties and across state lines. The Mid Ohio Valley Regional Airport is a hugely capable but underutilized Commercial Airport serving a population of roughly 150,000 in West Virginia and Ohio. On the surface the airport is a large industrial complex, tucked away a few miles out of town. As a small commercial airport with about 15,000 passengers passing through it each year, the impact would appear to be small, but that is not the case. The impact it reaches far beyond simple numbers. Business travelers are the primary users of the airport. These passengers are able to expand their business to all parts of the country through their use of the airport. They are constantly generating sales and creating local job growth. The same is true in reverse, business people arrive in the community through the airport looking for markets and opportunities in our area. This Airport has four round trip flights daily to the United Airlines hub in Cleveland. Thats all it takes to connect a rural area with the national transportation network. In order to qualify for commercial flights, the Airport must maintain the annually inspected and constantly evolving standards set by the FAA. These standards are inspected annually and constantly evolving. The Annual certification inspection ensures that we are worthy of being included in the small group of certified commercial airports. This credential makes the Mid Ohio Valley Regional Airport one of about 500 commercial airports in the United States. As a result the Community community gains instant recognition by being listed on flight schedules around the globe. Its like having a large Neon Sign neon sign over the region that says I AM HERE. Businesses looking to expand often utilize the commercial airport identifier as a common discriminator to shorten the search list and to differentiate the myriad of cities and towns that otherwise look fairly similar. Keeping the airport open and manned 24 hours a day requires three shifts and spreads the staff pretty thin. Also, fire fighting capability must be available for each commercial flight. At our airport, the first flight takes off at 6am and the last one lands at 9:30 pm. During the winter months, airport personnel constantly watch the weather with the knowledge that when a half inch of snow falls they will be called to the airport to begin snow removal that will then continue until the storm ends. They will continue removing snow until the storm ends. The runway must be available for any aircraft needing to land. Salt cannot be used at the airport because of the corrosive effect on aircraft and engines, so the only option is to continue plowing the snow. We just keep plowing. The Airport must be ready to provide the public those unique aviation capabilities not available anywhere else. Often, in an emergency, the Airport airport continues to operate with its own emergency systems. It is available to provide a cool place in the summer or a warm place in the winter. There is a restaurant available that can be open even when others are not, . There is fuel available for

emergency vehicles, staging areas for emergency supplies and the ability to bring help directly to our region even if the roads are impassible. The airport brings money into the community as well as people. With Airport Improvement Program funds from the FAA, much of the airside infrastructure is kept in good condition. Areas used by the airport to generate revenue are maintained from airport operating funds which. Airport operating funds are produced through sales and rentals of aviation unique services. Business tends to be robust in the summer but lackluster during the winter. As significant as the Commercial aircraft are, they are just a small percentage of the overall aircraft that use the airport. The vast majority of our air traffic comes from the General Aviation segment. Usually, this segment is where the bread and butter business of the airport is accomplished. That business is selling aviation fuels, renting hangar and office space and providing aircraft related services. General Aviation aircraft include everything from a small Cherokee 140 used for flight training to a Boeing 737 used to bring in a football team. There are 52 private aircraft based at this airport, the majority of which are registered to businesses. Additionally, there are 13 military aircraft based here. Many of the aircraft served by the airport are transients, these are aircraft enroute to either this location or to a different location that need to purchase the goods and services offered. Customer service and good facilities are critical to winning over the transient customers so they will return to our area, use our hotels and eat in our restaurants. Having access to the National Transportation system allows things to happen that otherwise you only read about. People happen. We have had visits from Hollywood personalities, Sports Personalities sports personalities and Politicians politicians. As a matter of fact, we have even had four Presidents come into our airport. We host airshows and we as well as provide the wonder of flight to every child that comes up here, and holds onto the fence and watches the airplanes. Children are able to see activities at the airport they could see nowhere else and these things become career opportunities that might not otherwise be considered possible. We are an outstanding rural airport and we are a gateway to the world with all the possibilities that flying represents. For the price of a ticket you can go from here to anywhere!