Casey McGhee, left, and her father, Mark McGhee, work on Cessna airplanes Thursday at Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn. Mark McGhee owns Dirigo Aerospace Solutions with his wife, Kate. They moved their business from Twitchell Airport in Turner to the Auburn airport after Twitchell’s closed in November. McGhee’s daughter, Casey, works alongside her father and her 7-year-old brother Seth, far right, came to work with his dad during school vacation. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
AUBURN — The majority of the aircraft displaced by the recent closure of Twitchell Airport in Turner have found a new home at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport.
Twenty-seven of about 40 aircraft formerly based at Twitchell Airport are housed at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport. The new additions have filled the airport to capacity nearly overnight, airport Manager James Scheller said.
“They occupy pretty much every available spot out there,” he said.
Among those who moved to the Auburn airport were Kate and Mark McGhee, owners of Dirigo Aerospace Solutions and the former managers of Twitchell Airport.
Kate McGhee has nothing but praise for the airport staff and community, whom she said have been incredibly welcoming since they moved their commercial maintenance company to the airport earlier this month.
“They’re looking to grow (the airport) and expand it in the best way possible for general aviation,” she said. “They saw our company as a good fit for that, and we’re excited about it. I’m excited about being a part of this facility, because this is an excellent, excellent airport.”
Twitchell Airport, the last privately owned and commercially operated airport in Maine, ceased operation at the end of November. It was the only place seaplanes could refuel between Rhode Island and Greenville.
A self-storage facility will reportedly be built on the 145-acre property.
The new occupants of the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport are just in time to enjoy the newly resurfaced East Ramp, one of two runways at the airport. Completed in October, the $1.9 million renovation will allow larger aircraft to use the airport, additionally improving the runway’s drainage, lighting and taxiways.
Scheller said the improvements have given aviators a “first class” experience
Kirk Nadeau of Auburn moves his Cessna 180 airplane Thursday to a hangar at the Auburn-Lewiston Airport in Auburn. Nadeau found space to store his ski-equipped airplane at the Auburn airport after being a patron of Twitchell Airport in Turner. He said he is thrilled that his mechanic, Mark McGhee, was able to move his family business from the Turner airport to the Auburn airport as well. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
At the start of the project in August, some pilots expressed concerns for the operations of their aircraft and businesses during the two-month construction project. Hangers on the East Ramp housed LifeFlight, Skyward Aviation and other flight service companies.
Ultimately, Scheller said the airport was able to move all but two of the aircraft affected to other hangers at the airport, allowing them to continue operating. The other two aircraft had relocated to Portland.
“The airport was able to accommodate them … and everything worked out,” he said.
Last week, U.S. Rep. Jared Golden announced that $1.6 million from the federal government has been allocated to help fund the construction of a large, heated hanger, which officials say will spark a larger expansion effort.
“The Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport is an economic pillar for the entire region,” Golden said in a prepared statement. “Investing in the airport’s growth and success benefits businesses and local economies all over Lewiston-Auburn and Androscoggin County, and could set the stage for passenger service down the road.”
Construction of the hanger would allow for bigger, commercial flights to land at the airport, boosting the local and regional economy, according to the statement.
However, Scheller said he plans to ask the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport board of directors to consider directing the funding to construct several smaller t-hangers. The airport has a waiting list for pilots interested in housing their planes at the airport, and the single-craft t-hangers are in the highest demand.
“That is a hot commodity, especially in the north,” he said. “It’s something in this region that’s very marketable.”
A large hanger at the airport was recently vacated, which could serve the same purpose at the proposed hanger, he said.
Earlier this year, Scheller told the Sun Journal that engineering and other work had already been completed in preparation for building the commercial-size hanger.
The Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport has also added a new flight simulator endorsed by the University of Maine for pilot training. The simulator will be open for use at the start of the new year.
“Somebody who wants to get their instrument rating, and they need hours in flight to get instrument rating, they can do it on the simulator and work towards their certifications,” Scheller said.
The $63,000 machine was purchased, in part, using surplus project funds from Lewiston and Auburn, he said.
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