The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Editorials

December 25, 2012

The little airport that definitely could

The Register-Herald

Air service facilities will continue to play a critical role in how smaller regions across the country will be able to grow or not during the next few decades and here in our region we are fortunate to have the chance to keep developing Raleigh Memorial Airport.

Through determination and hard work we are seeing more and more upgrades at the Beaver airport that certainly bode well for us.

Currently, Raleigh Memorial is undergoing a major expansion of the apron area that will allow for larger aircraft to fly in and park. With the 2013 Boy Scouts of America Jamboree a little more than six months away this is a needed improvement that will greatly enhance and encourage more usage of the airport.

At the same time, space is being prepped for construction of additional hangars.

Airport manager Tom Cochran, along with many others including elected officials, economic developers and airport authority members, have been diligent in their efforts to keep the facility moving forward.

Along with advancing funds for further research to bring a new technology, in the form of a virtual tower, to Raleigh Memorial, plans are in the works to begin rehabilitating the primary runway in the next few years.

With airports, the key to success is traffic. Generating more usage depends on the quality and safety of the facility.

Our airport folks know that and are committed to the task or looking into every corner for funding to assist them in achieving success.

It certainly is the little airport that could.

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Editorials