Business View Magazine - Nov 2023

287 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 11 JEFFERSON COUNT Y AI RPARK proximity to Pittsburgh and other such Keystone State communities is also a big economic advantage, and the Jefferson County Airpark can quite literally take you there. Many upgrades Thaxton also offered updates on the most recent goings-on and significant improvements at the airport. “Last year,” he says, “we finished and completely upgraded our taxiway. They tore it all down and put new (surfacing) in, and we got new runway lighting and taxiway lighting— all LED (or light-emitting diodes). That’s been a massive upgrade for the pilots.” Thaxton continues that a main target right now is the pursuit of grant money to build a wildlife fence that fully encompasses the airport. This will increase safety not only for critters (deer are often a hazard at such airports), of course, but also for pilots. Thaxton says this is the airport’s biggest project on the near horizon. Plus, within the last two years, the airport has acquired six new box hangars. Thaxton reports that they’re all full. “That’s been a successful market for us,” he adds, “because we’ve been able to accommodate people that want a little bit more than a tee hanger but not a full corporate-style hanger. They’ve been very popular.” Turning out the next generation of North America’s pilots is more important than ever these days, especially given the ongoing pilot shortage. Thaxton says Pier Aviation is helping address this problem. Also located in Jefferson County, it’s quite close by and is named for R.G. and Pauline Pier, who founded what is today the Jefferson County Airpark as Pier Airport, 75 years ago. “They’ve been busier in the last six to eight months than I think they’ve ever