Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Indiana has 108 public use airports and heliports, and with the exception of eight located in or near large metropolitan areas, the Warsaw Municipal Airport ranks at the top of the earnings and economic impact list.
According to a summary report compiled by the Aviation Association of Indiana, the city's aviation center makes a $40,455,732 impact on the local economy.
It's a huge sum for a municipal airport with five full-time employees, two part-time seasonal employees and a half-million-dollar budget.
David Beall, airport manager, credits Zimmer, DePuy and Biomet orthopedic companies, the "Big Three," as they are known locally, with the modern facility's success.
"We're a revenue generator," Beall said recently. "Sewage department is the only other one that makes money."
The money comes mainly from fuel sales, which average $72,000 per month. The aviation department sells the fuel to the 40 private planes hangared or stored there.
In addition to the orthopedic companies, Image Air and Cheyenne Charter, as well of Explorer Van, have hanger space at the 400-acre airport.
The planes land and take off using an instrument landing system which most city- or town-owned airports don't have.
The instrument-based system allows pilots to fly in less than favorable weather conditions with visibility a quarter of a mile and cloud cover at 500 feet.
"Businesses want to know if they can get in or get out," Beall said, "Here, they can. It's a great economic incentive and a first-rate facility."
Mayor and licensed pilot Ernie Wiggins agrees, going further, saying the airport is probably one of the finest in the country.
Everything except very large commercial liners like 757s and 747s can land on the 6,000-foot-long, east-west runway, Beall said.
