Hoosier airports to receive FAA grants

On Feb. 20, Sen. Richard Lugar was notified that the Federal Aviation Administration granted more than $1 million to Indiana airports to keep them fully functional and operational.

The funds granted to 12 Hoosier airports totaled $1,042,698, according to a press release. This will assist various airport projects ranging from land acquisition to runway reconstruction and lengthening.

Mark Hayes, the press contact for Lugar, said each airport applied individually for the grants.

“It is the FAA that weighs certain criteria and affirms or denies the grants to each airport,” Hayes said.

The Indianapolis Executive Airport received the largest grant from the Federal Aviation Administration – a sum of $209,709, according to the press release. Dan Montgomery, manager of the airport, said this will help update the master plan of the airport, which includes additional buildings to be added to the airport grounds as well as a crosswind runway and an extension of a current runway.

Shelbyville Municipal Airport and Wabash Municipal Airport received the second- and third-largest grants from the airport administration.

Mark Shillington, engineer of record for the Shelbyville Municipal Airport, said Shelbyville’s request for funding was in response to its need of airfield guidance signage. Its $147,250 grant will help the airport install the signs needed to guide unfamiliar pilots to specific locations such as the take-off runway.

Shillington said the funding given by the Federal Aviation Administration to these Hoosier airports comes from the general aviation fund.

“This fund is created through tax on airline tickets, airplane excise taxes and fuel taxes as well,” Shillington said.

He also said the FAA ranks funds for projects by priority. Its main goal in funding is to provide the means necessary to keep an airport fully operational.

For example, the Federal Aviation Administration could assign funds for a given airport to buy a snowplow in hopes the airport may remain open in a snowstorm.

“This is good news for Indiana airports,” Lugar said in a press release. “I commend the officials for their work. Airport improvements are important in our combined effort to strengthen Hoosier communities.”