If you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't know where to find the Town of Sweden's hidden treasure - Ledgedale Airpark. The airport, located on Colby Street, has been happily operating and serving the general aviation community since 1967 when Jack Mazzarella opened the hangar doors. Walter Eisenhauer, who operates the facility, said the airport has a couple of unique aspects. "First and foremost, Ledgedale Airpark was built and completed in one day," he said. "Construction began in the morning and by that evening aircraft were landing on the newly constructed runway. Secondly, Ledgedale Airpark was the first privately owned aviation facility to receive government funding." Through hard work, determination and government support, Ledgedale Airpark, which has been owned by Eisenhauer since 1988, has expanded to what it is today. An airport that features a 4,205 foot by 75 foot runway and parallel taxiway, 225,000 square foot aircraft parking apron that has 44 aircraft tie down spots, 20 T-hangars, 125 foot by 175 foot bulk hangar, three 10,000 gallon fuel storage tanks that hold Jet A and 100 LL, an Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter, a maintenance hangar and a flight school. Ledgedale Airpark has been successful in securing approval and funds through the federal government for the expansion of the airport. Through this program, the purchase of an additional 60 acres was made to the west of the airport and that extended the runway an additional 1,000 feet. Also, through federal funds the airpark was able to purchase snow removal equipment, received funding for the 125 by 175 foot hangar, with a pilot lounge and bathroom addition. Gretchen Pennington, airport manager and operator of Ledgedale's flight school, said Ledgedale is the largest private airport in New York state. Eisenhauer said the flight school is as successful as it is due in part to Pennington's personality and teaching methods. About 100 individuals go through the flight training school annually. Ledgedale Airpark, Eisenhauer and Pennington said, has gone from being the home of one corporation to the home of three. Big Fella Enterprises, Inc., owned by Eisenhauer, operates the airport facility. Soma Inc., owned by Jacob Eisenhauer, operates the FAA Certified Repair Station and Ledgedale Flight Training owned by Pennington, operates the Flight School. "We all work together to keep operations running smooth and safe," they said. In 1989, Ledgedale Airpark was designated as the reliever airport for the Greater Rochester International Airport to improve the efficiency and safety of the entire airport system. As demand for air travel increases, the reliever airports will play an increasingly important role in the region's overall transportation scene, Pennington said. "We're a reliever airport for Greater Rochester, which means we take the overload and if there are corporate aircraft that want to come to the westside they can land here," she explained. Eisenhauer said Ledgedale offers the same services as Greater Rochester Airport without the cost. He joked that he is the ground crew and the groundskeeper. "We're a low overhead airport," he said. "We get about 1,000 planes coming through here on a weekly basis and the military uses it for training," he said. "We also see a lot of charter planes come through." With the recent dedication of the road by Town of Sweden officials, Eisenhauer said the airport would likely become a more active corporate airport. Town Councilperson Danielle Windus-Cook said the airpark is a great asset to the community. "They have a great future, especially if they can attract commercial airlines like FedEx," Windus-Cook said. "As our town grows we will probably see more aircraft utilizing Ledgedale." For years Ledgedale has been working with the Town of Sweden representatives and have successfully had a private road located on airport property dedicated to the town. In addition, the board has approved the re-zoning of the property to light industrial. "We're committed to working with the community to explore options for moving additional projects forward to increase economic development and growth, businesses and tourism to the area," Eisenhauer said. Ledgedale Airpark has recently received the Airport Capital Improvement Plan for the future of the airpark. The plan consists of designing a third 16 Bay T-hangar to suit multi-engine and single engine customers, constructing inadvertent entry fencing, a new terminal building and a runway extension to add an additional 800 feet. For information on the airpark go to: www.Ledgedale.com. |
