Business View Magazine | December 2019

213 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE DECEMBER 2019 maintained by the City and Humboldt County. “In 1980, the city acquired about 857 acres, one 640-acre section plus 217 of another section from the BLM (Bureau of Land Management), and it was dedicated for airport development,” notes Airport Manager, Alicia Heiser. “At that time, the City of Winnemucca started working more with the FAA grants program, and our first FAA grant was in 1983, to construct the west parking apron and taxiway. Since then, we’ve had 27 FAA grants, so we’ve definitely taken advantage of that program. We’ve done almost $20 million worth of projects - most of it with FAA funding and just a small chunk from local matching grants.” Heiser adds that the Airport has one FBO, Winnemucca Air Service, which is under contract with the city, that its hangars are privately- owned on city-owned land that is leased to developers, and that the Airport is self-sufficient. “It’s not a huge money maker,” she says, “but it’s THE WINNEMUCCA MUNI C I PAL A I RPORT in the black.” Winnemucca Airport is home to a mix of private recreational and corporate aircraft. “Here in Nevada, we have gold mines as one of our main industries, so we do get that type of corporate travel, but we also have a fair amount of local, general aviation pilots,” Heiser notes. “Pilots around northern Nevada like to stop in Winnemucca; we have fuel and the things that they need.” In addition, the Airport is extremely active in the summer fire season as a BLM SEAT (Single Engine Air Tanker) base. “They really like our Airport,” she adds. “It’s in great condition because we take advantage of the FAA grants. We have two runways, one of which is 7,000 feet long, so we can accommodate almost any aircraft. We do have a heavy aircraft apron and hardstand, which allows them to park heavy aircraft if they need to, so it’s a nice central base for the BLM during fire season, and it’s used heavily.”