The Sights and Sounds of Progress

The Continuing Cycle of Infrastructure Improvements and Additions at the Port of South Louisiana’s Executive Regional Airport Stands as Testament to Port Leaders Staying True to its Mission of Providing a Premier Travel Hub for Business and Leisure In and Around the River Parishes.

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At the Port of South Louisiana’s Executive Regional Airport in Reserve, the song, if you will, sounds the same nearly every single day.

The periodic roar of planes taking off and landing mixes with the consistent hum of construction. For facility operators and officials like KAPS airport manager Charles Palmer, those sweet tones of progress have served as the regular soundtrack of the workweek for quite some time now.

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“During my time here, the transformation of this airport for the better has been something that hasn’t stopped, really,” Palmer said. “There’s so much potential for this airport to grow and so many areas for expansion left within this [facility’s] footprint. Our leaders and commissioners at the Port have recognized and continue to address the opportunities available that will accommodate current and future business at this airport.”

Most notably, final touch-ups on the airport’s second set of 10 T-Hangars was completed in the middle of this past summer, with lessees expected to house their aircraft in the new facility before the end of 2023.

The thought of constructing a second batch of “Nested” T-Hangars – a specific design that better utilizes space and cuts project costs by allowing for the tail sections of the aircraft to rest in the center of the structure – first arose during the building phase of the first batch, as public demand to rent these hangars quickly outweighed the Port’s initial supply of 10. In fact, the engineers of the 10 new T-Hangars purposely designed the $1.8 million facility to handle the dimensions of aircraft owned by those on the original wait list, such as Cessna 340s, Beechcraft 55 Baron, Daher TBM 900, among others.

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Once fully operational, the new T-Hangars will serve as the third-publicly accessible aircraft storage structure at the Regional Executive Airport, joining the aforementioned original set of 10 T-Hangars commissioned in 2018 and the 8,000 sq-foot Transient Hanger built in 2017 that can be rented out on a short-term basis when needed, similar to the ways travelers rent hotel rooms.

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While the T-Hangar 2.0 project nears its conclusion, another vital airport improvement is set to break ground in either November or December 2023.

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Just recently, surveyors completed preliminary work and environment impact studies on an approved airport runway and taxiway signage system – marking aids that provide pilots, the FAA, and airport support staff location indicators during the taxiing process either pre-take off or post-landing. Currently, there’s no specific labeling to identify what runway turnoff or “exit” a pilot is taking at KAPS’ half-dozen taxiways. 

“The signage system is something that helps with communication and direction on a couple different levels,” Palmer said. “For pilots in the air en route to the airport, we’re able to relay information about taxiway status. Say a tire blew out on the ground and an aircraft is stuck as its repaired…we’d be able to relay that information to inbound pilots so they’d know which taxiway to avoid after landing. ‘There’s an aircraft down on A1. Please use A2 or A3.’ It just helps our people, pilots, and emergency personnel better identify where there’s an obstruction or an issue or where a particular area is closed down.”

As a real-life example, Palmer noted that during the construction of the most recent batch of T-Hangars, inclement weather pushed debris near one of the taxiways. While the debris didn’t pose any danger or cause an obstruction, pilots still needed to be aware of the situation. Unfortunately, without a signage system marking the different runway outlets, pilots unfamiliar with the layout of the PSLA Executive Regional Airport might not have known what specific taxiway was being spoken about.

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“Instead of saying, ‘Debris on the northside…’ we can now pinpoint the exact location,” Palmer said. “It works the same way mile markers work on the side of the highway – an exact indicator that helps eliminate confusion and speeds-up fixing or addressing issues. You say A1, you know to go South. You say A7, you know to go North. It provides a sense of location.”

Finally, Palmer addressed key personnel additions at the airport which have aided in the facility’s day-to-day operations. In April 2023, Monica Pierre leant her administrative expertise to the airport, filling in for the retired Janeen Benn. Landry “Matt” Mathieu celebrated his one-year return to the airport after he was temporarily displaced because of Hurricane Ida. And maintenance worker CJ Bright expanded his role at the Port after passing the required training to assist with daily procedures at the airport.

 

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