Air Tractor to Help City Pay for Upgrades to Olney Airport

Air Tractor President Jim Hirsch told the Olney City Council on June 8 that airport improvement projects are moving forward, with Air Tractor continuing to help the city cover its share of several major infrastructure improvement costs.

Mr. Hirsch updated the council on airport operations, capital projects, and future needs at Olney Municipal Airport, which Air Tractor manages under contract with the city.

The largest project on the horizon is a full-depth repair of the airport’s primary north-south runway, which has suffered damage over the past several years from heavier aircraft traffic. Mr. Hirsch said the Federal Aviation Administration and Texas Department of Transportation have determined the runway must be repaired.

Engineering work is already underway on the project, with construction expected next year. The total cost is estimated at $6.5 million. Under the FAA’s airport improvement program, the federal government would pay 90 percent of the cost while the city would be responsible for the remaining 10 percent. Mr. Hirsch said Air Tractor has budgeted funds to cover the city’s share.

“We’ve been doing that a lot,” Mr. Hirsch told council members. “We’re the primary user.”

The runway project follows other airport improvements funded either through grants or direct contributions from Air Tractor. Hirsch noted that the northeast-southwest runway was striped and sealed last year at a cost of more than $200,000, with Air Tractor paying for the work.

Additional airport needs identified during the presentation include replacement of the airport’s aging runway and taxiway lighting system, which Hirsch said is more than 40 years old, repainting airport hangars, and completion of an updated airport master plan.

The master plan update, originally estimated at $150,000, has grown to about $300,000 after federal and state officials recommended adding an obstacle and obstruction survey to document trees and other potential hazards around the airport. Hirsch said the survey is important because it helps preserve the airport’s instrument approaches, which pilots rely on during poor weather conditions.

Air Tractor is also funding the reconstruction of Leland Snow Way, the airport’s main entrance road. Mr. Hirsch said most of the concrete work has been completed, with a small section remaining to be finished during the company’s summer shutdown.

Beyond infrastructure improvements, Mr. Hirsch reported that Neal Aircraft, an Air Tractor dealer from Slaton, Texas, has renewed interest in constructing a private hangar