Business View Magazine l October 2022

217 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 10 NEWTON C I TY-COUNTY A I RPORT administrative offices, and conference room – as well as an enclosed observation vestibule. There are 85 T-hangars and 135 aircraft based onsite and over 14 businesses operating on the airport property that offer numerous functions, including flight instruction, airframe and power plant maintenance and repairs, award-winning aircraft restoration, as well as new and used aircraft sales, ferrying, and delivery. “All of these are on the west side of the airport,” Palmer states, “and we have a half dozen green sites left over there for construction, as well. Right now, there is Horizon Aviation which is a flight school. Then Hesston College has a four-year aviation program. And we have two aircraft service centers: Midwest Aircraft and Webco Aircraft. In addition, Wiebe Ag Inc. is based here, as well as Ballard Aviation which buys, refurbishes, and then resells airplanes. Park Electrochemical Corps, a composites manufacturer, is probably one of our largest employers on the field, with 200 employees.” Palmer admits to really working hard over the last eight years that he’s been with the airport organization to make sure that people know what a real gem they have in this airport. He recalls, “When I first got here in 2014, I could walk in downtown Newton and nine out of ten people didn’t know that there was an airport three miles outside of town. We continue to grow and make ourselves known and continue to have an impact. The state of Kansas has determined that our airport generates about $120 million a year in economic impact for the community. And the way Wichita is growing north along the I-35 corridor, if you land in Newton, it’s closer to get to a lot of the newer businesses on the north end of Wichita than it is to go into the two main airports in the city.” When it comes to outreach from an educational perspective, a lot is happening at Newton City-County Airport. Hesston college has been offering Aviation Education onsite since 1985. In 2016, they went from a two-year degree program to a four-year baccalaureate. Palmer points out that this is an agricultural area, with kids growing up around machines. “They come out of high school with a welder’s certificate, so to get them to notice that aviation offers a specialization which will let them go further and earn more is a very needed tool. We’re working hard to get out into our local high schools and even middle schools because what we’re finding is that there is an aptitude and ability there. The FAA will even pay for a lot of the education to go further.” The airport hosts community gatherings on the property, as well. The local EAA previously held a fly-in at the airport each year – although this has been moved to Wichita during the last few years of construction – and will hopefully return to Newton soon. The Chamber