ONTONAGON – Ontonagon County Airport Manager Carol Huntoon told the County Airport Committee last night that she plans to retire in about a year, but that won’t stop the committee from trying to increase air traffic.

“I want to get the airport committee up to snuff,” Huntoon said. “Then I want to retire. It might be another year.”

Huntoon only works 10 hours a week as manager but has been busy juggling multiple airport projects for 15 years.

Plans for the next year include installing an Automatic Weather Observation System (AWOS), extending the runway length and clearing land to create a runway protection zone for emergency landings.

AWOS, which most airports use, is a large tower with many weather sensors that gives pilots extensive weather information along their routes. Charter pilots rarely use airports without AWOS because they need detailed weather information before flying with an instrument flight. This plan allows the pilot to make plans in advance and is preferred over a visual flight plan.

“AWOS is a tool that allows commercial operators to use your airport,” said Dan Sullivan, a commercial pilot for Delta Airlines.

“It’s been on the five-year plan for several years,” Huntoon said, adding the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires airports to plan that far in advance. “It’s inspected three times a year from someone in Lansing.”

The estimated annual cost of maintenance is $14,000.

AWOS costs about $150,000 up-front, most of which would be covered by the FAA.

Gray Webber, an Ontonagon County Board commissioner who led last night’s meeting, said he will ask the county board to support the airport committee’s plans at its next meeting.

“I want to make dang sure there’s enough support because it’s a big-ticket item that a lot of people don’t see as a payback item,” Webber said, adding it actually would be an infrastructure improvement necessary to increase traffic. “This is a little-used field. Every investment you have to take some risk.”

The airport averages about 180 flights in and out each year, but would benefit if traffic increased by making it eligible for more project funds.

“We might pop the 500 mark,” Webber said, with these attractive upgrades. “The view of our county (would be) improved. That’s going to be part of my sales pitch.”

Other plans for the near future include:

changing the circling approach pilots now use to land to a preferred straight-in approach,

running a gas line from the highway to the airport site and replacing the current electrical heating system,

refurbishing the asphalt apron around the airport buildings,

finding a cheaper source for the fuel airplanes use.

Sullivan also intends to soon build a large hangar at the airport in which other pilots could rent space if desired.

“Our goal is to increase total takeoffs and landings here,” Sullivan said, adding having available hangar space should help by giving pilots an indoor place to park.

The airport is located west of Ontonagon south of M64 across from Lake Superior.

Most of the more than a dozen people at Thursday’s meeting were pilots or committee members.