Private aviation is important to Iola and Allen County. Allen County Airport has 50 to 55 airplanes using it weekly, including several that carry people to town because of Gates Corporation, Russell Stover Candies or other business missions. Other planes stop to take on fuel — aviation fuel here is among the cheapest around, at just cents above costs — and some are emergency service fixed wing aircraft come to ferry people in need of medical care.
Mitch Garner, airport manager, said the last two days about 1,000 gallons of fuel were sold, a common amount for the local airdrome.
Hangars at the airport hold 18 airplanes, including two belonging to Accel Aviation used for pilot training.
Among the airport’s most vocal cheerleaders is Bill King, director of Public Works for the county, who long has stumped for improvements on the premise that an up-to-date airport sufficient to handle modern aircraft is one of the area’s best economic development tools. Airports in many communities have been magnets for industry.
A few years ago, the runway was expanded to 5,500 by 100 feet, from 4,100 and 75. That not only permits Allen County Airport to accommodate larger planes, including corporate jets, but also gives those who stop for fuel the opportunity to take on more with a longer runway to accommodate the added weight during takeoffs.
The most recent improvement, about to start, is changing the apron’s surface from asphalt to concrete to support larger and heavy planes.
THE COUNTY’S aggressive attitude toward upgrading the airport is a good example of progressiveness that taken in total will serve the county and its cities well into the future.
Standing still in any phase of technology — that includes transportation — translates to slipping backward.
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— Bob Johnson
