July 2018

312 313 about 114 operations (landings and take-offs) a day, which comes out to be a little bit under 42,000 operations a year.” There are two other GA airports in the vicinity of G.O. Carlson, Brandywine Airport and New Garden Airport, but Hudson doesn’t believe they offer strong competition. “For the most part, we’re not in competition with them because our runway and our facilities are much larger,” he explains. “The other two airports’ runways aren’t large enough to accommodate jets, so when it comes to corporate jets or charter companies, those companies will fly into my airport, as opposed to New Garden or Brandy- wine, because they just don’t have the runway length.” Unlike some other small airports, G.O. Carlson does not double as a general business park or have any non-avi- ation-related businesses dotting its THE CHESTER COUNTY G.O. CARLSON AIRPORT We are a non-profit so, of course, all the money generated by the airport goes back into the airport. Our biggest sources of revenue are tenant rent and fuel-flowage fees. GARY L. HUDSON AIRPORT MANAGER grounds. In fact, Hudson sometimes wonders why businesses at two nearby industrial parks aren’t making more use of the airport, which is less than one mile away. Currently, the airport’s hangars for corporate clients are filled to capacity, but hang- er space for non-corporate uses is still available. “Right now, there are only two that have a direct or indirect need: one being Rampmaster, located in the Belair Business Park, which is just west of the airport,” he says. “They build airport refueling trucks. So, their operation is actually off-airport, but they have a hangar at the airport. The oth- er one is Lockheed-Martin, which was formerly Sikorsky Helicopters. Again, they’re to the west of us in the Belair Business Park. They build the S-92 and S-76 helicopters and also a small training he- licopter. But they do rent one of the hangars and they use it to house some of the helicopters that have been built and are waiting for customers to pick them up.” While G.O. Carlson Airport is owned by the Au- thority, it is self-sufficient and requires no assis- tance with operational funds. “We are a non-profit so, of course, all the money generated by the airport goes back into the airport,” says Hudson. “Our biggest sources of revenue are tenant rent and fuel-flowage fees.We get a percentage of the (aircraft) tie-downs from the FBO and a percent- age of fuel-flowage fees from the FBO. But our biggest thing is annual rents. That’s our big mon- ey maker right there.” For capital projects, funding must come from other sources –generally either FAA or other types of government grants. Recently, Hudson