In the not too distant future, Treasure Coast International Airport will receive more than $11 million in investments for two significant projects – the expansion of Aviator College, and construction of a massive hangar for maintenance and repair.
And that doesn’t even count the recently re-opened U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility for the Trusted Traveler/Global Entry program. In the few months the facility has been re-opened, more than 500 people have filed applications in hopes of being marked as a “trusted traveler.”
Having such a designation allows travelers to clear Customs faster, without going through slow processing lines.
Located at 2990 Curtis King Blvd., the airport’s Customs facility underwent a $2.1 million renovation with substantial upgrades to enhance customer service and security.
Aviator College recently announced its plans to expand its operations at the airport, to the tune of nearly $4 million.
The aviation industry suspects there will be a shortage of pilots and maintenance technicians in the coming years, according to Aviator College of Aeronautical Science and Technology president Michael Cohen. “We plan to do our part to meet those needs,” he said in a prepared statement about the planned expansion.
Aviator’s plans call for expanding its existing academic building by another 5,000 square feet, bringing the building to nearly 30,000 square feet. The building houses classrooms, a flight simulator, a learning resources center, an FAA testing center, a library, a pilot shop, a bookstore and administrative offices.
Cohen said he also plans to create a new 18,000-square-foot Airframe Power Plant Technician Training facility, which will serve as a new simulator building for flight simulation and additional college campus housing.
“This is a very big moment for TCIA and St. Lucie County!!” St. Lucie County Administrator Howard Tipton wrote in a memo to the Board of County Commissioners announcing Aviator College’s announcement.
Tipton said in the memo that having such a school facility at the airport “is a critical workforce development component and sets the stage for faster/greater [Maintenance Repair Operations] growth.”
To that end, the county has secured $7.4 million for a massive hangar project that will allow for maintenance and repair of large aircraft. The hangar would be able to house two Boeing 737s or Airbus A320/321s at a time.
Construction on both projects is expected to start sometime in 2019, with Aviator College’s expansion starting sooner.
The newest hangar will be a total 45,000 square feet and will include 5,000 square feet of office space and another 5,000 square feet for shop space to house tools and equipment.
Air and Sea Ports Director Stan Payne told commissioners that the changes and improvements coming for the airport will lay the foundation for growth.
“There is no drum roll” for the newly updated airport master plan, Payne said while presenting the final version to the commission last month. He called the plan “evolutionary, not revolutionary.”
The plan takes into account the newly refurbished Customs facility, Aviator College, and the planned hangar. It also calls for taxiway improvements and land to be set aside for both aeronautical and non-aeronautical development in key areas.
According to the plan, there is no need for massive expansion at the airport. The three runways currently in operation are equipped to handle modest growth over the next 20 years. One runway handles training flights of small aircraft; another runway handles medium-sized business jets; and the third is capable of handling many of the larger aircraft, including Boeing 737s and those of similar size.
What the airport does need, according to the plan, are some safety upgrades – addressing legacy issues from when the airport was built for the purpose of World War II aircraft. The geometry of the taxiways is a continued source of confusion for pilots.
In all, approximately $120 million worth of work and development has been identified for the next two decades at the Treasure Coast International Airport.
Commissioners were assured that the airport continues to receive generous support from both the federal and state governments through grants, meaning the county won’t be on the hook for the full price tag.
Commissioners approved the presented master plan, which will be sent to both the FAA and the Florida Department of Transportation for final review and approval. With the master plan finalized, the county would then be able to start submitting for grants to help knock on the work identified.
