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By Katie
Jarrett
New Runway Improvements In Porter
Sleepy little Williams Airport (9X1) in
Porter, Texas is waking up to a bright
new future. Herbert Jeffries and Steve
Bales quickly recognized the potential
for development and growth at Williams
and jumped on the chance to purchase it
when it became available earlier this
year. This little gem sits just 10 miles
from Bush Intercontinental Airport under
the 2000 foot shelf of the Class B
airspace and provides ideal General
Aviation access to the booming north
side of Houston.
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Without fuel or tie-downs, the
little strip languished as
transients passed it up for
other area airports. Now with
EarthQuest’s dinosaur museum and
theme park project in the
planning stages in nearby New
Caney, Houston’s Grand Parkway
slated to pass just to the south
of the airport, and lots of new
business and residential
development already springing up
in the East Montgomery County
area, Williams Airport is poised
to become a vital General
Aviation destination for the
north Houston area.
photo
right: Airport sign as you
enter Williams Field |
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Airport residents are already
noticing the changes. Work crews
have been on the property
cleaning drainage ditches,
mowing, and clearing out trees,
trash, and scrub. Repairs are
being made to the runway lights
and a lighted windsock has been
installed.
The fuel tank has been removed
for refurbishment and the
airport management reports that
they expect to have it returned
and operational in the next few
weeks. The tank will be sporting
a new self-service pump,
complete with credit card
reader. |
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Regular security patrols and an
increased management presence on
the airport have helped to
discourage the use of the runway
as the local racetrack and the
south end for other, shall we
say, more amorous adventures.
photo left: Piper Cub
performs short field landing in
Porter |
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The airport has expanded to
include a 33-acre tract of land
on the south end of the airport.
The master plan calls to utilize
this property to extend the
runway another 1700 feet, while
widening both the runway and
taxiway, and clearing the
approaches of as many trees as
possible. |
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The plan also calls for new
security fencing, the
construction of new T-hangars, a
new FBO building, and at least
one large corporate hangar.
photo right: Many tall
trees are cleared to make room
for longer runway |
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Until a new FBO building is
constructed, the airport
management is being housed in a
portable office building
adjacent to the large
maintenance building. There,
pilots now have access to a
phone and computer for weather
and flight planning, and a chair
or three for relaxing and
conversation, all in air
conditioned comfort.
photo left: Jim Hower
replaces upper sparkplug on his
Cessna 195 |
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Katie Jarrett Katie has a degree
in Statistics and Operations
Research from the University of
Houston. She holds a PPSEL and
flies a 1948 Luscombe. |
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