SMALL AIRPORTS PROVIDE BIG SERVICE FOR SMALL TOWNS

When a pilot shoots an approach to Twin Cities Industrial Airport, there is a hope that airport personnel aren't mowing the runway at the time.

"It's just a small, grass-stripped airport," said Jennings Bond, the manager of the airport at Marble Hill.

The twin cities -- Marble Hill and Lutesville -- consolidated a few years ago, but the sign on Highway 34 pointing to the strip doesn't indicate the merger.

Many rural areas in Southeast Missouri depend on small airports in order to exist. Although the airports aren't staffed with flight service personnel and air-traffic control isn't an option for pilots, small airports are vital to the towns they serve.

"We have business traffic in and out of here," Bond said. "We mostly have relatives flying in for visits, though."

Bond said five single-engine aircraft are based at the Marble Hill airport. The airport, surrounded by a cornfield, has a grass runway more than a half-mile long. Bond said fuel facilities also are available, but he has the key to the lock on the pump.

"If someone needs gas, I come out when I get the call," he said. "That only happens about a dozen times a year."

Bond said he usually knows when pilots need fuel and he meets them at the airport. He said the airport is for public use and he is more than happy to unlock the fuel pump for a visiting pilot.

In addition to serving the small town of Charleston, the airport near there focuses on serving the county. Mississippi County Airport has a few aircraft based at the airport, but it is renowned for the SEMO Skydiving Club, the group that manages the airport.

"It's a small-use airport," said Stan Hubbard, club owner. "It does have a crop dusting operation that works off the other end."

He said the airport is used for business and personal traffic. Student pilots from Sikeston and Cape Girardeau also use the facility for touch-and-go landings, he said.

Mississippi County Airport is slightly more developed. The 3,250-foot runway is paved.

Hubbard said the airport has a definite economic impact on Charleston and Mississippi County. Because of the airport's importance, Hubbard said his group is pursuing a federal grant for improvements.

"We want to do some repainting and get some new runway lights and a new beacon," he said. "This airport has been around for about 22 years and there hasn't been a whole lot done to it."

Hubbard said the renovations could spur growth at the airport and also help the area's economic development. He said members are wading through the massive amounts of paperwork needed to apply for the federal funds.

"Once we get it approved," he said, "we'll have a new grand opening."