Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 12

177 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 12 TR I ANGLE NORTH EXECUT I VE A I RPORT The need for space is a top priority for the airport. In that regard, they have plans for a pavement rehabilitation and apron expansion project. Currently, there’s an issue with building more T-hangars, as a state road is in the way. So the team is reaching out via multiple channels to relocate this road. However, with those circumstances out of their control, Triangle North is moving ahead with focusing on areas around the airfield that they can control. This means working on private, or other, construction projects on the north corporate hangar area, which they’ve denoted as the two “pad-ready” sites. One of these sites was recently taken under a 40-year land lease by a large business entity, that will house a Challenger 350 in the 115x115ft hangar. Franklin County operates as the airport’s FBO, providing all related services. Also, KLHZ has a terminal building where the management staff operate lights, run fueling, make payments, look after infrastructure, as well as conduct security measures. The county also owns T-hangar space, as well as the larger hangar space for corporations. Triangle North Executive Airport is home to a flight school, Total Flight Solutions, for over 10 years. They conduct courses in flying fixed- wing and rotary aircraft. The school also does maintenance, and service Robinson helicopters, aircraft fleet, and transient customers. Total Flight Solutions is continuously expanding their offerings and now provide a 141 certification, which will hopefully attract new military clientele. The airport is also home to the NC Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Squadron 145 that conducts the only glider operation training in the state of North Carolina. In addition, KLHZ also houses one of only two CAP aircraft in the State that has FLIR (forward looking infrared radar) capabilities for search and rescue during natural disasters as well as missing persons cases. They are on call 24/7 for emergency statewide assistance. While COVID-19 affected the number of operational flights out of the airport for the first few months of the pandemic, afterwards traffic bounced back and new trends emerged. “We saw a pickup in traffic after a number of months,” says Carson, “people were actively looking for opportunities outside commercial air in the chartered realm. And now we see more NetJets, Wheels Up, and other charter airlines to name a few.” Another reason for this boom has been attributed to the fact that chartering a private aircraft is safer than being packed into a fully-