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It's plane to see; Chamber coffee attendees learn airport's significance to Fort Scott
The Fort Scott Municipal Airport, a city asset since the 1940s, played host to the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Coffee on Thursday morning.
The 242-acre facility, located one mile south of Fort Scott on U.S. Highway 69 and three miles west on Indian Road, will also be the site of the 14th annual Airport Day set to take place Saturday. The show will feature aerobatic acts, military flybys, aviation exhibits, music and other activities.
"Airport Day is really a busy time of year for us," Airport Manager Kenny Howard told those attending the gathering, which also included refreshments and announcements of various community events.
Howard said members of his family volunteer their time to help out with the show, which is organized by the Fort Scott Airport Advisory Board and started in 1998. Activities begin at 6:30 a.m. with formal opening ceremonies scheduled to start at noon.
Fort Scott Airport Advisory Board Chairman Bob Marshall said organizers are "anticipating no rain on Saturday."
City Manager Dave Martin said the airport is a city asset that the city "helps provide and manage" on a daily basis. Martin said Howard and other staff at the airport are public servants for the city.
Howard said he is the only full-time employee at the airport. He has one part-time employee, Kevin Russell, whose duties include maintenance and upkeep of facilities and grounds, mowing and refueling planes.
The airport has a full-time mechanic, Derrick Mires, who operates his own business, Mires Worldwide Aviation LLC, at the airport. Mires, who moved to Fort Scott from San Antonio, Texas, six years ago, can make "any type of repairs to aircraft here," Howard said.
Mires started his business at the airfield one year ago this month, Howard said.
Various local businesses and businesspeople own planes in the airport hangar.
Services the airport provides include catering and fuel sales, as well as a 24-hour service for emergency purposes. Howard said he will open the air terminal up at any point during the day for pilots who need an air ambulance to transport patients, or "anyone needing help after hours." The airport also provides fuel services for aircraft.
Howard said the airport sells about 60,000 to 70,000 gallons of jet fuel each year. The airport also offers avgas, an aviation fuel, but "our biggest seller is jet fuel right now," he said.
The airport has sold about 558,000 gallons of fuel since he began managing the airport 11 years ago. About 85 percent of sales is transit traffic, while the remainder is local customers, Howard said.
Future plans for the airport include extending the runway, although it may be "five or six years before any construction happens," Howard said. The next step is acquiring the land needed for the expansion, and some design work that still has to be done, he said.
Howard said he is also in the process of trying to start a flight school at the airport. There is currently one flight instructor and he thinks there will be another after the first of the year.
Corporations are currently the airport's main user -- 75 percent, Howard said. There are also several individuals and groups from other towns and states who fly in to hunt on private property near the facility.
Howard said the airport is a good economic development tool for the city as it can draw companies to tow
"It's a real attraction to businesses locating here," he said. "It's a convenience for them."
Howard also said several investors who have been in town recently have visited the airport. Some existing businesses decided to locate in Fort Scott after using the airport to visit the town.
Other announcements at the coffee included:
* The Kansas Rocks Recreation Park Crawlfest Competition will take place Saturday at the park in Mapleton. The rock crawling event is geared toward novice off-road competitors.
* The Taste of Home Cooking School, a live cooking show with audience participation, is planned for Sept. 13.
* The Bourbon County Arts Council will hold its 25th annual fundraiser, Garagarama and silent auction, on Sept. 22 in the 4-H Building at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds. The organization is requesting donations of clean, usable items for the event.
* Allen Warren with the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta said the three-day tractor and steam and gas engine show will be held the last weekend of September.
* Clayton Tatro with the Fort Scott Kiwanis Club said he has tickets available for the club's fundraiser that will take place Saturday during Airport Day. The club will sell biscuits and gravy from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tatro said tickets can be purchased by contacting him at Fort Scott Community College at (620) 223-2700, or on the day of the event.
* Mark McCoy, owner and operator of McDonald's, said the new restaurant will open Sept. 13. The previous building was torn down in July to make way for a newer, larger restaurant in roughly the same location on the corner of U.S. Highway 69 and 23rd Street.
* Next week's chamber coffee will be hosted by local State Farm Insurance agent Kale Nelson in his new office at Five Corners.