By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
An extended runway at Wood County Regional Airport could help expand training for students getting their wings.
On Tuesday, the airport board President Jamie Weidner asked the Wood County Commissioners for a line of credit to cover the local match for the $6.2 million runway expansion.
The project will lengthen the north-south runway from 2,600 feet to 3,200 feet long, and widen it from 50 to 60 feet, according to airport Manager Mark Black.
The current runway accommodates small single-engine planes and multi-engine planes being flown by experienced pilots. But a longer runway is needed if student pilots in the BGSU Flight Program land multi-engine planes on that runway, Black said.
“It will be a lot safer for them to train on,” Black said.
The airport’s current east-west runway is 4,200 feet, and can accommodate student pilots taking off and landing multi-engine flights. However, if there are strong winds from the north or south, the planes should use a north-south runway rather than try to land in a stiff crosswind, Weidner explained.
The approach for landing is from the south, over Poe Road. So in order to meet FAA design standards for a multi-engine runway, the airport board has already secured an easement from BGSU to no longer allow parking on the south side of Poe Road.
“This will be more viable for everybody, especially if the winds are strong out of the south or strong out of the north,” Weidner said.
The FAA is partnering with the Wood County Regional Airport, and will be picking up 90% of the $6.2 million project. The state will pay 5%, leaving 5% for the local match.
Although the airport board has already raised the matching dollars, pre-funding from the county commissioners would reportedly help to move the excavation and drainage portions of the project forward this year.
Weidner explained to the county commissioners that the airport board had already checked off several boxes for the project, such as pre-funding the design, completing an environmental assessment, and getting the easement from BGSU for the parking lot area south of Poe Road.
The board is also in the process of acquiring a small parcel of land on the northeast side of the airport from the homeowner. That will allow the expanded north-south runway to meet “line of visibility” requirements for the east-west runway, Black said.
It is hoped the runway extension can be completed by late summer of 2025.
The airport board is also interested in building more hangar space to attract more pilots in the area to store their planes at the Bowling Green airport.
However, the FAA only shares in the construction costs for hangars if all the paving needs are met at the airport, according to Weidner. Since paving updates are ongoing, it’s unlikely hangar funds will be available from the FAA.
“As soon as we’re done with the north-south runway, our east-west runway is in need of repair,” Weidner said.
The Wood County Regional Airport site currently has one larger hangar, and three T-hangars that can house up to 10 planes each.
