News!!

January 2008 - Tidewater Review

Middle Peninsula Regional Airport Announces Opening of Runway

Mattaponi, VA  The Middle Peninsula Regional Airport Authority is please to announce the opening of the rehabilitation of the airport runway from 3,700 feet to 5,000 feet.  This increased length will provide current users of the airport a greater margin of safety for landing and take-off as well as making the airport useable for larger and faster aircraft.  Since the opening, a company that uses a jet aircraft to visit a local business has increased their purchase of fuel because of the increased length of the runway.  

With the runway rehabilitation, the airport runway lighting was completely replaced which increased the visibility of the runway at night and very cloudy days.  On both ends of the runway, Runway End Identification Lights (REILS) that are controlled by the pilot when selecting a “high” light setting.  The installation of REILS at the airport is to provide rapid and positive identification of the approach end of the runway.  The system consists of a pair of synchronized flashing lights located laterally on each side of the runway threshold.

Also, Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights were installed that will allow for visual approach to the runways.  The PAPI is located on the left side of the runway and can be seen up to five miles during the day and twenty miles at night.  It consists of four lights installed in a single row.  Each box of lights is equipped with an optical apparatus that splits the light output into two segments, red and white.  Depending on the angle of the approaching plane, the lights will appear either red or white to the pilot.  Ideally the total of lights will change from white to half red, moving in succession from the right to the left side.  The pilot will have reached the normal glide path (usually 3 degrees) when there is an even spilt in red and white lights.  If an aircraft is beneath the glide path, red lights will outnumber white; if an aircraft is above the glide path, more white lights are visible.

Tim Gaylord, Airport Manager, has applied to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for area navigation (RNAV) and a LPV approaches.  The FAA is publishing WAAS LPV (lateral precision with vertical guidance) approaches to general aviation airports. Given its precision approach capability, access to airports will increase. This system is frequently providing minimums of less than 300 feet and ¾ mile. The LPV approaches provide unprecedented access to general aviation airports, at a fraction of the cost of traditional instrument landing system (ILS) approaches. 

Funding for the first phase of this project was completed with 95% of the cost coming from the FAA, 3 % from the State Aviation and only 2% by local expenditures.

We invite everyone to come out to the Middle Peninsula Regional Airport and see the continuing improvements.  It is an airport the local people can be proud of.

October 2007

The airport is currently extending the runway from 3,700 feet to 5,000 feet. If the weather coorporates, we will be open by January 6, 2008 or before. Included in this construction, we will be installing new PAPI's and REILs. A request has been forwarded to the FAA for a certified RNAV and an LPV approach. The new runway will be designated as 10 - 28.

The next phase of the runway construction will be to rehabilitate the old ashphalt of the 3,700 feet with a new surface. This will start after the FAA and the State of Virginia issues a grant.

August 15, 2005

All who have already been to the Middle Peninsula Regional Airport and the new terminal have made many positive comments. Now it is time to officially open the doors for the public to see. On Friday, August 26, 2005, at 2 O’clock, everyone is invited to attend the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of the new airport terminal building and fueling facility. Planning for the new terminal was started around 1997 along with the purchase of the airport. A grant was received by the newly established airport authority to conduct a planning and design study for an airport terminal. The study provided three different types of buildings that were located at other airports. In 2004, the authority moved forward on application for another grant to construct the terminal building and parking facility. With the approval and support of Gloucester, King and Queen, King William Counties and the Town of West Point, the authority was able to secure a bond to pay for the local cost. Along with this project, other grants were secured for security fencing, airport beacon relocation and a new up-to-date aircraft self-service fueling facility.

Upon hiring Tim Gaylord in 2003, as the airport manager, he started on the floor plan for the new terminal and presented these plans to the authority for their approval and input. With a few minor changes, the plans were sent for review to the state. With all the approvals complete, the building process started in November 2004. The airport terminal was accepted and received a temporary occupancy permit on May 13, 2005 almost 2 months ahead of schedule with a cost savings slightly under budget. The terminal was used as command post for the presidents visit to New Kent County on May 12^th and the airport was considered as an alternate landing facility.

The airport beacon tower and runway lighting electrical vault were relocated to provide room for the airport fuel facility. The older 20,000 gallon Jet fuel tank was re-located into a walled fuel containment area and a 10,000 gallon 100LL aviation gas tank was added. A vapor recovery system, fuel/oil separator and storm water containment were added to comply with the latest environmental requirements. Pilots can now taxi their aircraft to the re-fueling facility, using a credit card; they can fuel their plane very similar to the way you do your car. Now aviation fuel is to the pilot 24 hours a day, everyday of the year.