Helicopter parking areas will soon be paved
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 07/22/2009
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Pilots and passengers will soon experience the comfort of dry ground as helicopter parking areas get paved.
The Federal Aviation Administration has given the Purdue airport a grant to start construction on a helicopter parking area, to be located near the base tower, that is expected to be completed in mid-August.
Betty Stansbury, airport director, said, “We had requested the funding to construct helicopter parking and it’s part of the Federal Aviation Administration for the airport improvement program.”
Previously, helicopters were parked out in the grass but, thanks to the grant, pilots and passengers alike will be able to benefit from a little bit of concrete.
“In the winter or when it’s rainy, pilots and occupants have to step out in mud,” Stansbury said.
This is an inconvenience they will soon no longer have to deal with, but along with this added comfort also comes added security.
Stansbury said pilots will no longer have to worry about getting (the helicopter) stuck in mud when it comes time for takeoff, and that refueling is better on a hard surface.
Jeff Pittard, president of Lafayette Aviation, said the parking is important because, “Obviously, same as the aircraft, they won’t have to worry about rain and they’ll have a place to park.”
Helicopters are no strangers to Purdue’s airport; Stansbury said there’s one based on the airport, and Pittard said there’s a “handful a week” that come to the airport.
Pittard said passengers aboard the helicopters vary from state police to University officials.