On June 23, the Federal Aviation Administration announced that grant funding was awarded to a number of airports across the nation, including $162,540 in funding to the Picayune Municipal Airport.
The funding is part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program.
Airport Manager Andy Greenwood said the funding will help with the next phase in the construction of a taxiway for helicopters. The taxiway will provide a separate path for Chevron and El Paso Corporation’s helicopters to help keep rotor wash, or air turbulence caused by a helicopter’s rotors, away from fixed wing aircraft stored at the facility. Greenwood said he expects about two more phases to be involved in construction of the taxiway.
According to a legal notice published in the Item on July 5, the lighted taxiway will be 35 feet wide and 1,000 feet long. The taxiway will also keep helicopters away from the various fixed based operations at Picayune’s Airport, including Phillips Aviation and Cloud Nine Aviation.
Greenwood said this round of funding will be used to conduct wetlands mitigation.
Since the funding is not currently in the city’s hands, Greenwood said a timeline for the work has not been established.