Two photographs and a newspaper article from the Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald, 22 October 2002, describing progress and improvements to the Bendigo Airport, located in Rush Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, just outside Tower City, Schuylkill County.
Caption for above photograph:
State Sen. David J. Brightbill, R-48, hands a citation to Bendigo Airport owner Gene E. Bendigo and his wife Helen, during dedication of facility improvements Monday.
Caption on second photo:
Richard L. Gonzalez, Schuylkill Haven, and Jerry Bohler, Pine Grove, discuss improvements at Bendigo Airport, Tower City, near Bohler’s Hughes 300 helicopter.
Text of accompanying article:
AIRPORT PROGRESS LAUDED
Owner of Dauphin Facility Celebrated as a Visionary
By Vicki Terwilliger, Correspondent
TOWER CITY – He’s seen as a visionary.
Gene E. Bendigo Sr.‘s efforts to improve his Clarks Valley area airport will provide local pilots more versatile landings and ultimately boost commerce and safety.
About 70 visitors and dignitaries were on hand Monday to honor the Tower City man, to dedicate Runway 5-23 at Bendigo Airport, and to witness first-hand the $978,000 improvement.
Located two miles south of the Tower City borough along Route 325, in Rush Township, Dauphin County, the facility serves pilots and travelers having destinations in Schuylkill and Dauphin counties.
Bendigo received grant money through the state Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Aviation for the upgrade, which transformed the airport from a grass turf landing strip to a first-class general aviation facility that services both private and corporate aircraft.
“All my life… I was involved with flying for 55 years,” Bendigo said. “The moment came when the Bureau of Aviation had these funds available, so I applied for them.
“I want to promote the airfield now for future generations, so that those that follow on behind will have an airport and be able to learn to fly and all of those good things related to aviation.
The view from Monday’s dedication was quite different from when the airport was first established in 1946 as a private airfield owned by the Kessler family. At the time, it consisted of a 1,200 foot runway and one based aircraft, a J-3 Cub.
In 1962, Bendigo purchased the airport and in 1963, he extended the runway length to 2,100 feet. It was licensed that year as a commercial airport with two based aircraft. Today, it is still the only public-use general aviation airport in Dauphin County.
Now, the facility is home to 19 aircraft and it experiences approximately 4,000 annual operations. Runway 5-23 is paved. It’s 2,325 feet long, 60 feet wide and includes full safety overruns, two taxiway turn-arounds, and two access taxiways, which all meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards.
Bendigo said he hopes to add runway edge lighting to accommodate nigh operations.
The dedication was held under sunny skies against a backdrop of blue ribbon streaming from a yellow replica Piper Cub to a red Pitts Special aerobatic plane. The owner was joined by his wife, Helen [Unger] Kessler Bendigo, family and friends.
The couple have three sons, Gene Bendigo Jr., Paul Bendigo, and Brian Bendigo; one daughter, Barbara Bendigo; and eight grandchildren. Three of the Bendigo children are involved in the aviation industry as air traffic controllers or in a related field, their father said.
Bendigo said his son, Paul, was instrumental in helping him keep up with the grant paperwork and in securing the funds.
Dick L. Gonzalez, Schuylkill Haven, attended the dedication ceremony. He has a hangar and two planes stored at the northern Dauphin County airfield and said the improvements offer more options for local pilots.
“It provides an all-weather landing and take-off capacity. Before, were were closed for certain parts of the winter because of snow and mud, since the runway was turf. Now, it will be open all year, and will provide for aircraft that are high-performance to land here,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a big plus.”
State and local dignitaries who participated in the event included state Senator David J. “Chip” Brightbill, R-48, Dauphin County commissioners Lowman S. Henry and Anthony M. Petrucci; PennDOT Bureau of Aviation Deputy Secretary for Aviation Elizabeth Sarge Voras, and attorney Gregory Kerwin, a pilot who represented the pilots whose planes are based at the airport.
Francis F. Strouse, and Richard L. Holes, officers with the engineering and architectural firm that designed the improvements, L. Robert Kimball and Associates, Ebensburg, also offered remarks.
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Article from the Pottsville Republican and Evening Herald, 22 October 2002, via Newspapers.com.
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