July 2018

294 295 TELLURIDE REGIONAL AIRPORT operators have included Continental, Rocky Mountain Airways, United, Great Lakes, and Amer- ica West Airlines. Currently, the Airport only serves general aviation. “The airport was conceived from a planning study in the ‘70s by the town of Telluride,” ex- plains Kenny Maenpa, Airport/FBO Manager, “and it is a wonderful example of how all three enti- ties: town of Telluride, town of Mountain Village, and San Miguel County, who is the sponsor of the airport, came together and planned the construc- tion of an airport on Deep Creek Mesa.,” “It was constructed on land which was former- ly a sheep ranch operation,” Maenpa continues, “about five miles west of the town of Telluride. When it opened in 1984, there was immediate interest from the airlines to begin flights to Tel- luride.We are a world-class ski resort and today there are year-round events. There were original- ly three airlines flying in and out of the airport with small aircraft - Dash 8s, Dash 7s, and Beech 1900s.” General aviation was also part of the airport’s growth, and the availability of travel by private and charter aircraft contributed to the develop- ment of home ownership in the area. “So, having a quality general aviation airport like Telluride supports those property owners; some are public figures, entertainment, successful business own- ers, or just people who have the means to own a getaway in the beautiful Colorado San Juan Mountains,” says Maenpa. “Because of our loca- tion, which is in the southwest corner of the state, there is a need for transportation, and general aviation is the self-sustaining lifeblood of this Airport.Within ten years of the Airport opening, we became a self-sufficient operation.We are not a busy airport, but the pilots and the users of the airport are very supportive of the Airport and the vision of the Airport Authority.” Although Telluride Airport is not a large-scale operation, it is constantly working on improve- ments. “We get a lot of help from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has been a wonderful partner, and the Colorado Division of Aeronautics,” says Maenpa. “The FAA has done a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of capital im- provements over the years. Probably the most notable, in terms of the history of the develop- ment of this Airport, was rebuilding the east-west runway.” Telluride has an interesting history of being a tricky place to land because of what pilots called “The Dip.” Basically, because of the shape of the mesa where it is built, the two ends of the run- way were higher than the middle. The result was a concave middle section, making landing similar to swooping down to land on an aircraft carrier. Lamentably, for those who enjoyed the challenge, it has since been re-engineered. “In 2009, the FAA awarded a series discretionary airport improve- ment grants for several large construction proj-