Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 12

165 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 12 Miami, or New York and Miami, so that means if you are flying south you can stop here and purchase 500-600 gallons of jet fuel. We have a brand-new fuel farm that provides 24 hours a day refilling. That was a recent project that came in at $1.5 million. Or you can just rest here in our beautiful terminal.” A dedicated eight-member, on-site staff allows the airport proper to operate from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM. In addition, the runway and pilots’ area is open 24/7, 365 days a year. A separate section of the terminal can be opened with a code and comprises one-third of the space. It includes the pilot lounge, a kitchen, restroom, shower, and a corporate pilot sleeper room with a pull-out bed and three recliner chairs, TV, microwave, couch… all the amenities you would need for your layover. Premier Aviation runs a flight school out of the old terminal building, connected by a breezeway to the current terminal. They have a French- L INCOLNTON – L INCOLN COUNTY REGIONAL A I RPORT made Socata Tobago, as well as three Cessna 172s – the most common trainer in America. They also run a maintenance shop. On the infrastructure improvement front, Lincolnton – Lincoln County Regional Airport has recently been awarded a $3 million grant from the FAA through the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Tate explains, “The county had to come up with 10 percent, and so with that money, we are looking at constructing a new taxiway, which will help with the increased traffic. It also means we are going to be moving a lot of dirt and that will create some additional building space. Right now, even though we have about 500 acres of land, we only have two acres that are levelled. When the taxiway is completed, we will have some 40 acres to build on, and that means 10 to 12 corporate hangars. Or perhaps a business park and hangars. Charlotte/Douglas International is at capacity for hangar space, and so we are in a good position to have new tenants.”