Skagit Fly-In cancelled

The biennial fly-in and air show normally held on odd-numbered years at Skagit Regional Airport (BVS) in Burlington, Wash., will not take place this year due to a construction project on the airport’s main runway.

The Port of Skagit, which owns and operates the airport, and the Skagit Airport Support Association, which organizes the event, agreed that the construction schedule for the two-year runway project must take precedence over the air show and fly-in, officials said. However, in the interim the two organizations will host an educational open house event at the airport this fall. Details about the open house will be announced later.

The air show and fly-in will resume at the airport in 2013 after the construction project is completed.

The Runway 10-28 project, which is planned in two phases, will bring the airport’s main runway up to FAA standards and make it more compatible with aircraft currently using the airport, airport officials said. The FAA will provide 95% of the funding for the project, including engineering and project management. A WSDOT grant further reduces the port’s cost of building the project.

The port has awarded a contract for $2,533,826.30 to Interwest Construction Inc., Burlington, to build the first phase this year. It will replace the runway’s failed under drain system with a new system located outside the boundaries of the runway pavement. A 2-inch-thick maintenance overlay, compatible with the pending crown conversion, will be placed on the runway to limit further deterioration of the surface.

The second phase of the Runway 10-28 project, likely taking place during the summer of 2012, will convert the runway to a crown section, shifting the highest part of the runway from the northern edge to the centerline. At the same time, the eastern 1,500 feet of the runway will be raised approximately 5 feet.

For more information: PortOfSkagit.com