HOW WE SEE IT: Aviation Thrives In Rogers

ROGERS — The Rogers Municipal Airport is an underrated gem - or at least it was.

Now we can say it’s nationally rated.

That’s the big news from a recent Federal Aviation Administration report on the nation’s “general aviation” airports (not to be confused with commercial airports, such as Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport).

Among the nation’s nearly 3,000 general aviation airports, a relative few - 84 to be exact - are classified as “national,” meaning they support our aviation system by providing communities with access to national and international markets in multiple states and throughout America.

The FAA rates Rogers Municipal Airport as one of those 84 national airports, according to the agency’s report issued last month. It’s the only such airport in Arkansas. (Others were classified as regional, local or basic airports.)

The rating is a nice feather in the Rogers airport’s cap, though we already knew it was a valuable institution.

The past five years or so, according to manager David Krutsch, the Rogers airport has spent about $23 million on improvements to the runway, lights, signs, turns and aprons. Most of this work has been paid for with federal or state grants. A control tower was added in 2005.

Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport tends to get the most attention, but there’s more to aviation in our area than XNA. The biggest cities each have their own airports. Besides supporting commercial, industrial and economic activities, general aviation airports are used for aeromedical fl ights, law enforcement and disaster relief, among other things.

We’d be worse off without them. We’re grateful to those who keep these airports going strong.