MUSKEGON, Mich. — A major development for the Muskegon County Airport is putting next year's Wings Over Muskegon on hold.
The airport received $20 million in federal funding to "modernize" the airport's tarmac, according to the airport director.
Beginning in the spring of 2025, crews will be removing the existing 6,500 feet of pavement on taxiway alpha including the runway's connectors and all existing lighting. Underground utilities and NAVAID devices, which aircraft can detect and fly to, will be removed as well.
The taxiway and its systems will then be rebuilt further to the southeast with all new infrastructure and new connectors.
Taxiway alpha lies less than 100 feet away from where crews were setting up tents, speakers and chairs for the 2024 Wings Over Muskegon airshow.
Organizers with the airshow said, with how much construction set to happen over the course of next summer, it makes more sense to cancel the festival for the year to then return in 2026.
"We are really happy for the improvements of the airport... it will improve his facility here year round, but it actually will help us, too with the types of aircraft that we can get in here," Brenda Kerfoot, Communications Director for the Muskegon Flight Museum said. "It's just a pause. We'll you know, hopefully by the end of 2025 be able to announce dates again and what our intentions are."
Kerfoot said the improvements will allow the team running Wings Over Muskegon to attract more talent, without having the pilots fear for any damages. Kerfoot said that is especially the case for their vintage aircraft, like the RB-25 and the C-47.
"You want to protect every aircraft, obviously, but aircraft like that, those are not easily repaired," Kerfoot said. "We want them to feel very comfortable and safe at the Air Show site."
According to Ken Efting, Muskegon County Airport's Director, the project is absolutely necessary. Taxiway alpha was built in the 1960s, making the pavement one of the oldest surfaces at the airport.
"This is a big project for Muskegon. In fact, it's about three and a half times more expensive than the most expensive project in the history of this airport," Efting said. "This pavement is in rough shape, it's about 75 years old, and two it will free up grant capital for future improvements down the road beyond 2025."
Every plane that lands, Efting said, has the chance to chip off pebbles from the asphalt. Those small rocks can then be kicked up, damaging aircrafts and making the landing process much more dangerous.
"They create wind from propellers or jets on their intake jet engines, they can ingest these rocks or kick them up and cause damage to windshields and cause many millions of dollars of damage to the aircraft," Efting said. "It looks solid because we maintain it at an extremely high level... it's due to be replaced, we can no longer just keep it together with preventative maintenance."
Efting said that his team spends upwards of $15,000 to maintain the runway and keep it safe for pilots.
"We need to have good pavement to keep, you know, our air service flying every day," Efting said. "But beyond the cost savings, it's really just improving the airport for aviation users and really making a safer place."
General aviation operations will not be affected throughout the project. Efting said it’s imperative that aviators check local NOTAMs every time they fly to stay up to date on current construction phasing.