The Smithville Municipal Airport, opened in 1971 and originally funded with money from the Model Cities program, has been through some changes over the years, and with the recent addition of a jet-fuel farm, an LED lighting system, and a new runway, the facility is one of the most modern airports in the vicinity.

The airport began selling jet fuel for the first time in February after the installation of the new $615,000 fuel island. Before that, Airport Manager Joe Johnson said that jets landing in Smithville had to drop passengers off, fly to a surrounding county and refuel, then fly back.

“It has been in operation since February, and was funded mostly by grant money,” Johnson told the Review. “We have 100 octane low lead, which is gasoline for airplanes, and we have jet-a fuel, which covers all the jet aircraft. It’s self-serve. Now you can come in at midnight, use a card and fill up with fuel. Most airports don’t have 24-hour fuel service.”

Johnson said other recent improvements include paving and a $535,000 lighting project.

“We have a new apron, and a new runway that’s less than two years old,” the manager shared. “We have a very modern LED lighting system on the runway that is pilot controlled. The pilot can operate the lights with his aircraft radio. You can turn the lights on from a plane, and pick the intensity. If it’s foggy, and you need the lights to be brighter, the pilot can change that. The lights are all LEDs. The bulbs last for hundreds of thousands of hours, and the electrical usage is about 40 percent of what a regular bulb uses, so they save electricity too.”

He said the facility is set up to do mechanical work as well.

“We have a maintenance department,” he said. “We do service work and annual inspections, where the airplane has to be taken apart and inspected every year. The inspections must be done by a certified FAA mechanic. Every hinge, nut and bolt is checked for rust, the engine is checked top to bottom, you check out every light, and the radio. It doesn’t fly until everything’s fixed.”

Johnson said that while the facility is in good shape, there is always work to be done.

“Some of the other projects were looking at in the future are a new security fence and some more t-hangars, said Johnson. “We have a total of 18 private hangars to store planes, and they are all in use. We have a list of people wanting t-hangars, and they generate money. We need to replace some hangar