LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) - The Ohio Aviation Association (OAA) met with local leaders Thursday morning to discuss airport projects and other aviation issues.
The association went over completed and ongoing projects from multiple airports in northwest Ohio, including a $1 million plan to replace the fuel farm at the Allen County Regional Airport (ACRA).
The OAA represents the 104 public-use airports in Ohio and focuses on airport infrastructure, air service development, airspace protection, and workforce development. Officials say that regional airports serve as the front doors to their communities.Â
"You got different parts of the aviation industry that use them. You've got med flights (the medical side of it), travel and tourism, and people coming in and out of these airports. Where many of these airports around the state are, that's the front door where someone sees this community," said Tony Fiore, executive director of the OAA.
Recent projects with the ACRA include the complete replacement of the runway lighting system, which has allowed pilots to see their runway from 60 miles out.
"Everything's LED for the first time. We have better lighting out here than a lot of international airports would have. Pilots give us reports; they can see the lighting on our runway from 60 miles out when they're on the approach to land," said Josh Tattrie, general airport manager for the ACRA.
Plans for the airport's current development revolve around improving its capacity and their parking lot.
