GAINESVILLE – You may notice low-flying aircraft making some extra turns over the Gainesville area for the next several weeks as they approach or depart Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport. That’s because one of the two runways will be closed several weeks for upgrades.
Work on Runway 5-23 began Thursday, and weather permitting, should be completed May 22nd.
(Airports label their runways according to the compass heading in which they lie; hence, Runway 5-23 travels between 50-degrees and 230-degrees on a compass.)
Runway 5-23 is the longer of the two active runways at the general aviation facility so some larger aircraft may not be able to use the airport until it reopens. Additionally, Lee Gilmer is like the vast majority of airfields in the United States and has no staffed control tower. That means pilots communicate on a common radio frequency with each other, detailing their takeoff and landing intentions with nearby aircraft, so extra maneuvering and spacing inflight could be necessary.
According to Gainesville officials, the general aviation facility sees nearly 40,000 takeoffs and landings each year.
The project on the 5500-feet runway includes pavement removal, shoulder grading, and replacement of existing airfield lighting and signage.
Public Works Director Chris Rotalsky explained after Thursday’s city council work session the ancillary notifications that accompany temporary changes at airports. “’NOTAMS’ go out, that’s ‘Notice To Air Men’ is what that acronym stands for…and a pilot…can see the construction or that the runway is closed or the taxiway is closed.”
Part of flight planning is the requirement for pilots to check NOTAMS for airports on their flight plan.
Rotalsky also addressed the frequent question of whether future commercial service is part of the long term planning when work takes place at Lee Gilmer Memorial. “That’s one of those things that’s always being evaluated. Is the community at a point where it is something they want to support, because to change from a general aviation airport to a commercially serviced airport has a lot of criteria that goes with that.”
“It’s a balancing act that is always being evaluated because who wouldn’t want to be able to out to Lee Gilmer and hop on a commercial flight.”
