Business View Magazine | August 2022

179 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 8 on continual expansion, at least for the near future. “The plan for next month is to begin construction of a new taxi lane that will open up that area on the north side so that those hangars can be built and connect to our current taxiway,” says Whitlock. “The project that we just completed increased our parallel taxiway the entire length of the current runway. This fall will also see the rehabilitation of the runway; we will be doing a mill and overlay to get brand-new pavement, new LED runway lights, signs, and markers. The ramp has also been completely resealed.” At present, there are two businesses based at Jones Field. H&M Aircraft Service, which is a small maintenance facility that works on some of the local aircraft as well as any transient needs, and Whitlock Air Service that offers agricultural services. The city currently has a large hangar and they are in negotiations with another larger scale maintenance company to open up a shop in that hangar. The terminal building was given a complete remodel in 2018 and will see the airport through the foreseeable future. It has offices, a conference area, free Wi-Fi, a weather station, and plenty of places for pilots to come in and relax. Although there is no formal flight school on the property, this being rural Texas, word gets around – and if a young person seems to have an interest in flying, there is always someone who will take them under their wing and show them the ropes, which may include introductory flights and even training. The team at Jones Field Airport just love flying so much that they are willing to share that passion with anyone who shows a little initiative. In the past, Jones Field also put on a fly-in air show called the Festival of Flight. This was free for the public (also sponsored by BEDCO) and some people flew in their current planes, some historical planes, and War Birds. There would also be static displays and vendors. The event was very successful and helped to promote aviation, so they JONES F I ELD A I RPORT hope to do more of these in the future. When asked about the airport’s growth and optimistic outlook, Whitlock gives huge credit to the work of the Bonham Economic Development Corporation (BEDCO). With projects that spread into many different areas of interest, BEDCO has been a strong supporter and advocate for growth in the city and at the airport itself. The corporation is very pro-airport and has been pushing expansion as a means of economic generation. “This new taxi lane project,” Whitlock notes, “was fully funded by BEDCO. We are not receiving outside grants for this work, the city has just decided that we need to bring more business into