Every 10 years, the Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to update its master plans. The current plan for the Powell Municipal Airport expires this year, so the city is pondering its future track. 

Four consultant firms are being considered for a five-year contract to develop the update. The Airport Advisory Commission met Feb. 1 to review the firms’ qualifications, and last week, the commission met with city councilors and City Administrator Zack Thorington to get further input on what direction the city should take with its airport. 

The most basic question is whether the city wants to just maintain what it has, or pursue future expansion. If it’s the latter, the question is what that would look like. 

Regardless of what proposals are contained in the update, the plan itself will create no obligation for the city, but the general consensus from the council is that the update should accommodate some kind of future growth. 

“We’ve been blessed with forward-thinking forefathers, with the substation and our sewer lagoons that haven’t tied our hands and allowed us to grow,” said Councilor Lesli Spencer. 

Competing with Cody?

One idea floated is for the airport to pursue scheduled service, which would put it in direct competition with Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody. 

The Powell airport has flatter terrain which makes landings and takeoffs far easier than the Cody airport, especially in inclement weather. 

“This airport is 100 times easier to fly into than Cody,” said Tom Rullman, member of the commission. 

Airport Manager Scott Adkins said that, while the airport has the benefit of better terrain, getting the facility up to FAA standards for scheduled service is an enormously expensive challenge. 

Besides upgrades to the runways and taxiways, the airport would need fuel trucks, mechanics, security and terminal upgrades. 

“It’s not going to work,” Adkins said. “The cost you’d incur, it’d bankrupt the city.”

Rullman agreed, saying that, “I doubt we could ever see Powell replace Cody.” 

To illustrate the difference in expense, Adkins said Cody received $18 million in CARES Act money last year, whereas Powell received $30,000. 

Thorington pointed out that, before the CARES Act dollars came down the pipeline last year, the City of Cody spent a lot subsidizing the airport; in fiscal year 2019-20, the City of Cody and Park County, which jointly control the airport, had been set to pay $345,565 to cover the facility’s budget shortfall. 

While the federal government will kick in subsidies to support such an airport, that only comes after the city pays for the needed upgrades. Although scheduled service is a bit too lofty of a goal, Adkins said it would be possible to make Powell the alternate airport for when Cody’s weather makes landings impossible.

Generally, however, he proposed that the city’s plan for the Powell airport be geared toward better serving general aviation, the costs of which are more manageable for the city’s budget. 

Throughout the year, about 100 corporate business jets use the airport. These flights are associated with various industries, but some companies using the airport were John Deere, Simplot, Basin Electric and Georgia-Pacific. 

Based on that activity, Adkins proposed the city enhance its fixed based operator (FBO)facility. 

“When they walk through the door, whether it’s the first time or the 10th time, this represents the City of Powell,” Adkins said. 

The airport’s property covers 850 acres. It currently has 21 hangars, holding 36 aircraft. 

“We got quite a few aircraft out here,” Adkins said. 

The problem with building more hangars, Adkins explained, is they don’t actually generate a lot of revenue. Adkins said they fetch about $0.20 per square foot, whereas storage space is $7.50 per square foot or higher. 

“Your return on your investment is huge,” going with expanded storage space, Adkins said. 

He added that commercial businesses could be enticed to the Powell airport. UPS stopped flying into Cody several years ago, Adkins said, largely because of the difficult approaches. The company now flies into Billings and trucks everything down to Powell and Cody. Powell might offer a better alternative, Adkins said.

He also said a charter business could be set up, to fly people from Powell to skiing trips to Jackson Hole or Bozeman, Montana, for example.

Events and drones

Lastly, Adkins said the Powell airport is ideal as a venue for events, as it has been in the past, for air shows, car shows, radio-controlled air races and charity runs. 

Rullman, who owns an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufacturing facility at the airport, said the facility is “tailor-made” for UAVs and could function as a hybrid airport for manned and unmanned flight. 

These types of UAVs are much larger than what people think of as drones; Many are fixed-wing aircraft and require some runway for takeoff. 

Two of the firms under consideration for the contract have UAV experience, and Rullman said the airport would need few, if any, upgrades to accommodate the aircraft. 

Rullman noted his financial interest in such a path for the airport and stressed he was just putting ideas out for the council to consider. 

“It does seem like we have an ideal facility,” said Councilor Steve Lensegrav, adding that such a hybrid facility would attract events and drone enthusiasts. 

There are some concerns about utilities. Since water has to be pumped uphill, the service is limited. The only bathrooms are in the FBO, which has fiber broadband, but those communications lines don’t extend to the hangars.

The council took no action at the meeting and left the input with the commission for consideration as it moves toward recommending the selection of a firm. 

Director of Public Works Ben Hubbard said the Aeronautics Division of the Wyoming Department of Transportation has a capital improvement plan that will also influence what the City of Powell can do at the airport. That plan budgets $333,000 for the airport’s master plan. The FAA pays a significant portion of the cost of projects it mandates, so the federal administration will cover 90% of the amount. WYDOT will put in another 6%, with the remaining 4% coming from the City of Powell.