CAA: GA News, "Ingalls Field: Getting high on Virginia"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@cwnet.com>]

Friday, January 21, 2000

Ingalls Field: Getting high on Virginia
GA News


HOT SPRINGS, Virginia — The numbers are in, and the highest public-use
airport east of the Mississippi is Ingalls Field at 3,792 feet.

Located in Hot Springs, Ingalls Field (HSP) just recorded its highest
traffic count in recent memory: About 3,300 operations in 1999, up from
2,800 in 1998.

That’s the word from Airport Manager Chuck Sylvester, a Marine Corps veteran
who has been on the job for two years. Sylvester came aboard with orders to
improve the airport’s performance. But it’s not just a job for the
ex-military man: “I’m an aviation enthusiast,” Sylvester said.

Situated on a carved-off mountain top, the airport is named for Charles
Ingalls, the first World War I naval aviator ace. It dates to the 1920s, and
the past year has been spent completing preparations for the new century.

The runway and electrical system have been completely rehabilitated, and new
approach lighting, drainage system and generator have been installed. Along
with other improvements, the project has totaled $4.2 million.

Overnight tiedown is $3 for single-engine planes. For fly-in visitors, the
town’s eponymous hot springs are nearby for soaking, and the Homestead, a
famed luxury resort, provides airport pickup.

For airport bums, on-site attractions include the occasional Army Blackhawks
that use the airport as a refueling site.

Eight aircraft are currently based at the field. They reflect the gamut of
general aviation, from Cessna 172s to a Lancair, RV and Beechjet.

Meanwhile, with its infrastructure upgraded, Sylvester, who handled “a lot
of flight-line management” in the Marines, hopes to take on another project
at the airport for the new century: getting his pilot’s license.

“I’m going to pursue that just after taxes,” Sylvester said.

*****************************************
California Aviation Alliance: General Aviation Airport List E-mail Commands
To subscribe to the GA News List, send an email, from the email account you wish to receive your posts on, addressed to listserv@californiaaviation.org and place the following in the first line of the body of the message:
 Subscribe ganews YourFirstName YourLastName YourJobTitle YourAirport/Company 

To unsubscribe from the GA News List, send an email, from the email account you have been receiving your posts on, addressed to listserv@californiaaviation.org and place the following in the first line of the body of the message:
 Unsubscribe ganews YourFirstName YourLastName