Manager: Business good at Perry-Houston airport

WARNER ROBINS — Business is good and improvements are coming along at the Perry-Houston County Airport, Patsy Goff, airport manager, reported to the Houston County Development Authority Board of Directors on Wednesday.

Goff has been manager at the airport for almost three years, and when she arrived, the situation was very different, she said.

Since then, the airport has gone from having 28 hangars with vacancies to 42 hangars with a waiting list. About $1 million in improvements funded by the state Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration currently are under way, she said.

“It’s growing by leaps and bounds,” Goff said of the airport.

Improvements include extending the taxi lane to help promote corporate facilities, resurfacing the airport ramp and upgrading the inside of the terminal, she said.

In early 2009, the airport installed a $1 million glide slope, funded through a OneGeorgia grant, that will assist aircraft landing in inclement weather. The instrument landing system is not yet functioning as the airport works to relocate Airport Road and move the taxiway to meet rules regarding the instrument, Goff said. Rain has delayed the completion of those tasks, she said.

By assisting pilots with landing, the airport expects to bring in more traffic to refuel and visit the community, Goff said.

Houston County Commission Chairman Ned Sanders said the improvements help the Perry-Houston County Airport compete with the other airports in the state.

“It’s getting to be one of the better airports in Georgia,” he said.

Board Chairman Neal Talton noted the airport regularly is the first glimpse of Houston County seen by business prospects.

“It’s a big plus to economic development,” he said. “Everything you’re doing out there is worthwhile.”

To contact writer Jennifer Burk, call 256-9705.

This story was originally published January 14, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manager: Business good at Perry-Houston airport."