A new above ground fuel facility offering pilots the ability to refuel their own aircraft has opened at the Lake in the Hills Airport (3CK) in Illinois.
The facility, which allows the airport to offer fuel sales at any time of the night and day, consists of two 10,000-gallon steel double-wall tanks which weigh in at more than 30,000 pounds each.
The existing below ground fuel farm was too close to the runway for FAA standards which require a safety area extending 250 ft from either side of the runway centerline, according to airport officials.
As a result, $680,900 in federal grant money was allocated to relocate the airport fuel system to a safer location on the field. The new tanks sit adjacent to the parallel taxiway at midfield and allows easy access for pilots needing fuel, airport officials noted.
The total cost of the project is estimated at $716,000. Federal grants fund 90% of the work while state and local contributions make up the remaining 10%. The airport is responsible for $35,800, which is paid for entirely by revenue generated on the airport.
This is an outrageously high priced fuel system. They could have done it for a quarter of the cost to taxpayers if they had chosen a turnkey system with smaller fuel tanks. But that would not have maximized the profits to the airport engineering and fuel equipment suppliers. Since the airport had little of its own money investment, the airport cronies got essentially a blank check. Our tax dollars once again being wasted.
Yeah, and no mogas tank either…………….