Business View Magazine | April 2021

109 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE APRIL 2021 NEVADA COUNTY A I RPORT of the event and the amount of people.” The Golden Empire Flying Association and the local Experimental Aircraft Association #1175 organize and run the event that provides money for scholarships and airport improvements. It’s a way for the community to have fun but also support an entity that plays an important role in economic development and safety. The small, general aviation airport is home to the United States Forest Service and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Grass Valley Air Attack Base. Nevada County Airport is the permanent location for two Grumman S-2 Air Tankers that drop fire retardant and two air attack aircraft that coordinate the efforts of the tankers and other firefighting assets and personnel. Those aircraft and crew members were put to the test in August, when the Jones Fire burned more than 700 acres. “It kicked off just north of Nevada City, which is just seven miles from the airport, by a lightning strike overnight, and they were flying on it for two days,” Edwards recalls. “They dropped 94,826 gallons of retardant on that fire alone. In just two days, we sold them over 9,200 gallons of jet fuel.” The Grass Valley Air Attack Base services seven counties and has a long history at the Nevada County Airport. Established in 1958, the base was one of the first in the U.S. to begin carrying flame retardant. “So this airport is really historical in the aspect of public safety,” Edwards explains. “It puts a lot of our population at a little bit of an ease, since they know that they’re based here. And their response time to a fire is very, very quick. Ninety-eight percent of the time CALFIRE is able to keep the fire contained under 10 acres.” There have been discussions about expanding the airport property to accommodate more firefighting helicopters. The owner of some land along the tree line on the north side of the