Improvements at the Plymouth Municipal Airport over the last several years have led to interest in new customers but the hanger shortage is causing problems. There were eleven people requesting hangers to base their airplanes at the airport and no available hangers when Bill Sheley took over last month as the new airport manager. In the last month Culver Military academy has begun preliminary discussions with the airport about moving their operations to the Plymouth Municipal Airport. That would mean needing to house at least six more airplanes. Ancillia College has also contacted the airport about starting an aviation program. The college has at least one airplane donated to them, if they can find a place to house it.
Airport manager Bill Sheley is working to find a place to house those airplanes in the short term but they need more hanger space. Hangers could be built on the south end of the property but there would also need to be an expensive taxiway to connect those hangers to the runway. The airport is continuing discussions with the educational facilities as well as the eleven people who want to base their airplanes there to solve the problem.
The airport board granted Bill Sheley permission to purchase a new finish mower for the property. The mower with a 15 foot cut will most likely be purchased from Bushhog who had the lowest bid. The current mower has broken down twice in the last month.
Sheley also reported that the Jet A fuel pump quit working on July 27th. The repairs showed a split in the pipe which delivers the fuel from the tanks to the pump. That breakdown cost the airport at least 1300 gallons of fuel sales to three jets who stopped at the airport but couldn’t get fuel.
Jim Kunze Correspondent
