Aviation Director Larry Brown Links SpaceX to Brownsville Airport Extending Runway to 12,000 Feet

Aviation Director Larry Brown

At the close of the regular meeting of the Airport Advisory Board October 22, 2013, Chairman Manuel Alcocer called for questions.  I directed mine to Aviation Director Larry Brown.  Brown, in his Director's Report, had quickly mentioned the extension of the airport's main runway to 12,000 feet, provided SpaceX chose Brownsville's Boca Chica Beach for their commercial rocket launch pad.

"Well, yes.  We have to establish to the FAA a public need for extending the runway to 12,000 feet.  Should SpaceX pick Brownsville, the shipping of rocket parts will necessitate the larger planes.  We could then justify federal and other grants possibly generating the $70,000,000 necessary to extend the runway.  We already have agreements to purchase the land necessary to do this."

When I mentioned the rumor that the airport had once owned, but sold the land tracts needed for runway extension, Brown said that was incorrect.  "We would never, ever do that," he clarified.

Bob Harper, not part of the airport board, but an administrator with Hunt Pan-Am, mentioned one of the factors stifling the airport in handling more cargo.  "Much of the air cargo for this region goes through Laredo.  The problem is many air cargo carriers are not licensed for Brownsville.  If the City of Brownsville would consider subsidizing the license fees, we could definitely siphon off some of that cargo traffic," Harper stated.  "Laredo is the largest land port in the U.S., so carriers are already licensed there."

In the Director's Report Brown also mentioned that the airport had been given approval to raise the height of their radar ball to 120 feet.  That adjustment would not only save 75% in costs, but allow hangar height to be elevated to accommodate the 747 sized aircraft.  Brown also announced that construction on the $10.5 million upgrade, funded through federal grants and City of Brownsville funding, will begin in November.

The maintenance supervisor reported that his crew had been working on weadeating, lawn maintenance, trash pickup and trimming the palm trees.  After our June 27, 2013 to the airport we had this observation:
Actually, the lack of landscaping may be one of the more obvious letdowns for travelers landing at a "subtropical" airport. The Brownsville/South Padre Island "International" Airport is not a tropical jewel, but more like a small town landing strip in the middle of a dusty, arid pasture. Large clay pots near the parking area are filled with plants on death row. North Iowa Rd., the primary artery, along with Billy Mitchell, into the airport challenges all drivers to dodge numerous pot holes capable of sending any vehicle into the shop for front end work.

Four months later it was obvious that the potted plants in front of the terminal had benefited from the summer rains, but the palm trees along the parking areas remained untrimmed.  The airport's image could greatly benefit from a professionally executed landscape plan.  We did notice exiting the airport that Les Mauldin Road, connecting Iowa Avenue and Amelia Earhart Drive, was being paved.  

Michael Jones, the airport's business development manager, teased the board with the prospect of another airline locating in Brownsville, much as he'd done at the last meeting we attended in June.  This time his optimism came from his attendance at a Las Vegas get-together involving the world's airlines.  Jones mentioned that he'd visited with 7 different airlines with one firm already "putting us on their budget."  As always, he could not give out more information at this time.

Meanwhile, McAllen's Miller Airport announced that Rumbo had added flights to San Luis Potosi to its Mexico schedule.