Work to renovate aircraft parking at Methow Valley State Airport (S52) in Washington state begins May 28, 2019.
Once the work is completed in approximately 30 days, the long-awaited airport layout expansion will give pilots access to an updated tie-down area, according to airport officials.
Visiting pilots should not encounter any delays or runway closures while using the airport during the construction, officials say. However, pilots should still regularly check Notices to Airmen, they note.
The work will also expand this airport’s apron into compliance with FAA design standards, airport officials say.
“The expansion adds three additional parking positions designed for the critical design aircraft,” officials said in a prepared release. “There will be 54.49 feet spacing between tie-down points and seven more parking positions for smaller aircraft with 34 feet spacing between tie-down points. Some of the new tie-downs will better accommodate aircraft with wingspans in the typical range of 30 to 38 feet.”
The spacing of tie-down points for smaller aircraft was one of the highlighted issues after the completion of last year’s $5 million pavement rehabilitation project at the airport. This project was originally intended to be included as part of last year’s pavement rehabilitation work, but due to availability and timing of federal funding, the apron expansion was be re-bid in Fall 2018 for construction this summer, airport officials explain.
The $1.26 million construction costs are split between the FAA Airport Improvement Program (90%) and the Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation (10%).
Methow Valley State Airport in Winthrop is the largest of 16 WSDOT-managed airports. It supports Washington’s smoke jump base, medical evacuation flights, wildland firefighting staging, and more.