Airport, Redtail Aviation flying high

By Scott Pendleton

There is a jewel here in Carbon County that is it has recently undergone major upgrades, including new hangars, a new plane, and a new runway. That hidden jewel is the Buck Davis Field Airport, Carbon County’s very own.
The main runway is 8,300 feet long, just a little over a mile and a half. The project cost $6.5 million, with 95 percent of the funding coming from the Federal Aviation Administration and federal government, 2.5 percent coming from the state, and the remaining funds coming from county contributions. The runway project was a boost to the local economy, with the contract going to Nielson Construction.
The new runway has small grooves cut into the runway in order to prevent hydroplaning, making the runway safer for aircraft that may need to land during inclement weather. One of the main reasons for the improvements was that the old runway was so damaged and rough that most aircraft would shred their tires during landing.
As a rough estimate, Mark Francis, the boss and a pilot as well, said that new tires for some of the jets that landed would cost $15,000.
Besides the new runway, other improvements have been done to improve to airports’ appearance and functionality. Redtail Aviation recently purchased a new plane, a Quest Kodiak, making it the second Kodiak of the same model they have in their fleet. They also have two Cessna 210 single engine planes, six Cessna 207 planes, a Cessna 206, and two Cessna 172 planes.
They have also added a 10,000 foot heated hangar, capable of fitting a Gulfstream G3 jet. There are four hangars alongside the runway, three of which were built by locals for storing privately owned aircraft and the other which was built and used by the county for the Civil Air Patrol.
There is a dolly that is used for the life flight helicopter operated by Castle View Hospital, along with helicopter landing circles on a runway. A parallel taxi way was added in 2005, after convincing the FAA that it would reduce safety concerns.
“With all the renovations, we have met my goals for what I had in mind for the airport,” said Francis. “We are now working with engineers to develop a maintenance program to ensure the pavement is properly maintained. We truly have a jewel here. The state is proud of our airport here in Carbon County. If you took out the St. George, Provo and Salt Lake City airports, then Carbon County would have the nicest airport in the entire state. Its a great asset to the county, and we are now working with the commissioners and economic drivers to promote the airport.”
Some of the airport’s regular business includes a UPS route that arrives every morning and evening, along with the local coal, oil and gas companies that utilize the facilities. During fire season, the airport tends to stay quite busy, with an average of 30 aircraft flying in and out to help fight fires. According to Francis, “We tend to have a few transient aircraft coming through the area that land in order to refuel, along with the occasional jet that comes through the area. Believe it or not, the former President George W. Bush flies in occasionally for a hunting trip with his family. Bush actually recently gave one of our pilots a painting that he personally painted. How many people can say that they have a painting that was given to them by a former President?”