DAA runway project still ongoing

DESERT AIRE – Although Desert Aire Airport's new main tarmac has been and is being used, the million dollar renovation project is still in process, according to Airport Manager Karl Gruber.

Recently, volunteers were working on the edge lighting for the main runway. They were also preparing for the installation of a precision approach path indicator (PAPI).

“We owe a special thanks to Glenn Leland, Port of Mattawa commissioner,” Gruber said. “He has volunteered his hard work and his large farm equipment for three days to dig the 18-inch trench for the new runway edge lighting.”

Another company that deserves a show of appreciation is Central Pre Mix Concrete Co., Gruber added. It donated and delivered needed concrete for the PAPI bases.

The PAPI is a visual aid that provides guidance information to help a pilot acquire and maintain the correct approach to an airport or an aerodrome. It is generally located beside the runway, approximately 300 meters beyond the landing threshold of the runway. It was used by NASA's Space Shuttle for its safe landing.

This renovation, which included an entirely new runway, has been a mass community effort, not just a pilot group, Gruber said. And the value of the work is not lost on anybody familiar with the South County airport or the remoteness of South County.

“At least once a month we get an emergency evacuation out of the runway or the 24-hour lighted emergency helipad,” Gruber said. “That's why so many people and businesses have pitched in.”