Mar. 7—Members of the Plainview-Hale County Airport Board were informed that Legacy Air is no longer operating its maintenance shop at the airport.
Legacy Air is a "specialized aviation services provider," according to its website, that for years operated its business from the Plainview airport. In addition to offering services such as surveying and manufacturing Chinook light-sport aircraft, Legacy provided airplane maintenance, refurbishment, and annual inspection services at its mechanic shop.
Plainview-Hale County Airport Manager Ryan Stevenson broke the news to board members at their Feb. 27 meeting. During the meeting, Stevenson said he is looking into ensuring inspections can continue on the premises.
"Legacy kind of shifted their focus more towards the Chinooks now," Stevenson said. "It is unfortunate, but we no longer have maintenance at the airport. I was late to figure this out. I pretty much figured it out the same day that they shut down; the communication hasn't been the greatest."
Stevenson said he is considering leasing the airport's "line shack hangar" to a new business tenant, as previously reported by the Herald. Currently, this hangar houses fuel trucks, but Stevenson suggested converting it into a new maintenance location would be both simple and accommodating.
"That hangar happens to be a prime location as well as a very nice size for exactly the purpose of doing annual inspections," Stevenson said. "You can fit two aircraft in there; you won't ever become overwhelmed. As well as that, I think that would provide ample space for the work to be done."
Stevenson also reported that a couple of businesses have already expressed interest in touring the facility as potential tenants. He said he is working on gathering the building's square footage to help the board determine appropriate rental pricing.
However, Stevenson acknowledged challenges in fielding potential clients due to the airport's liability insurance requirements, which he said are too high for some businesses. He suggested revising the requirements to allow for more types of light maintenance or "making a new category of work" with less stringent insurance stipulations.
"No matter what type of work you're doing in these hangars, it would need to be a million-dollar coverage," Stevenson said. "So that comes out to quite a bit each year for these guys to pay, which I believe is one of the reasons why the maintenance from Legacy did not stick around."
John Tye, an airport board representative, underscored the importance of having a maintenance facility on-site, noting its significance to local and surrounding pilots.
"An airport without a (mechanic) shop is like a day without sunshine," Tye said during the meeting.
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