Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The runway is huge

This morning (10-13-09) I passed by the airport and I finally saw the workers pouring concrete. It was impressive. I counted seven cement trucks there at one time, though I could not get them all in one picture. Undoubtedly there were more loading up with concrete or in transit. Below is the view of the runway looking north.
The big machine that I have photographed several times was in action. The trucks dumped concrete in front of it, which it then smoothed. I would have loved to have gotten a bit closer and asked questions and seen exactly how the machine worked, but because I was probably not supposed to be where I was and they looked very busy, I did not push it. (Click on the picture for a better view.)
Behind the big machine was the smaller machine that has been in previous posts. I still have not figured out what it does.
I found a worker at the north end of the runway who was willing to talk to me. First, notice that the completed runway will have three strips from the paving machine, not the two that I expected. It is sixty feet wide--that is huge. The worker said that Jasper County Airport was designated as an emergency landing airport, and with this runway expansion it will be able to land a Boeing 727. (I think they need to check to see if it will work--I want to see a 727 land in Jasper County!)
I think they will finish pouring concrete either today or tomorrow, so I am glad I was there this morning. Next time you pass by, take a closer look aat the new Jasper County International Airport.

Update: See here for more info.

1 comment:

  1. The Boeing 727 is hardly used anymore except for cargo operations.

    According to Wikipedia, a fully loaded 727-200 takes about 5080 feet to stop, quite adequate for Jasper County's airport.

    (ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_727 )

    UP

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