There’s a new airport in the Houston area.
Houston Executive Airport (78T) commenced operations earlier this month. Businessman and avid pilot Ron Henriksen built the airport with private funds. It is on the west side of the city and designed to give the business aviation community an alternative to the area’s crowded commercial airports.
“This airport was not designed for commercial Part 139 carriers,” explains airport spokesman Drew Coats. “It was designed for the business users and we welcome with open arms general aviation pilots who want an alternative to commercial carrier airports.”
The runway measures 5,050 feet and has a parallel taxiway and pilot controlled lighting.
According to Coats, the opening of the airport was ahead of schedule.
“We started construction in November of 2005 and finished at the end of 2006. We built like gangbusters out there,” he said, adding that an FBO is already open, albeit operating out of a temporary building. The FBO is a Chevron dealer with 100LL fuel and a self-serve facility. Eventually the FBO also will carry Jet-A fuel and there will be at least two instrument approaches into the airport.
“Those could be ready for use as early as August,” said Coats.
Although the airport is open, construction continues.
“We have some hangars going up now and plans for more,” he said. “Construction on the FBO hangar should begin in a few months. There are plans for at least two sets of T-hangars and at least one more community hangar. In addition we have been talking to a number of ground lease tenants who want to develop facilities on a long-term lease.”
As this issue was going to press, no aircraft were based at the airport, but Coats expects that to change as the hangars are built and aircraft owners see the potential of the new facility.
“The airport sits on 1,980 acres,” he said. “We have used approximately 190 of that so far. That gives us plenty of room to grow, as well as a natural buffer between us and the community.”
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