Business View Magazine | August 2022

178 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 JONES F I ELD A I RPORT “Today Bonham sits at the intersection of US Highway 82 and State Highway 121 in Northeast Texas, about 60 miles northeast of downtown Dallas,” explains Zach Whitlock, Jones Field Airport Manager and owner of Whitlock Air Services. “This is an important corridor, and they are currently changing Highway 121 to a four-lane commuting highway to get people from rural Texas to be able to access the metroplex area. Dallas-Fort Worth is growing, and as it does, Bonham grows as well. In the last five years, two new reservoirs have been approved, with one 95% completed and the second one just starting construction.” Jones Field Airport has one runway, 17-35, that comes in at 4000 by 75 feet. According to Whitlock, “This is a fully operational general aviation airport, and we see somewhere in the ballpark of 6,500 general aviation operations a year. There are 47 aircraft currently based here and we have some transient business traffic coming in and out as well. Clayton Homes (a mobile home builder) has a factory in town and they fly out of Jones Field. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice has a major prison here, so they fly multiple aircraft in and out, and the Marshall Service transfers people now and then.” The Jones Field Airport property has a terminal building with a flight planning room and pilots’ lounge, 100LL AVGAS, and an on-site aircraft mechanic. All of this is run by the City of Bonham, however, Aviation Services Inc. is contracted by the city to manage the airport and provide Jet-A fuel for business aircraft. Zach Whitlock points out that a lot of the current success and growth of the airport comes from the ability to be easier, more user-friendly, and more competitive with fuel prices, as well as hangar rentals. He notes, “Since we exist within the limits of Bravo airspace for Dallas-Fort Worth, flight schools from that area often fly up to Jones Field to practice. It’s only 30-50 nautical miles away from the metroplex, and there are 10 to 15 airports surrounding the metroplex which are all full. We offer hangar space for half the price, and some people are willing to take that drive just to be able to afford their hobby.” Of course, there is a waiting list for the hangars at Jones Field as well, and a project beginning next month will see the creation of infrastructure on the north side of the airport for companies to come in with a land lease agreement to build more hangars – both private and for lease. Several businesses in Bonham have shown interest, and with all the growth, the airport has set its sights