By Rhys Baker

The Clay Center Municipal Airport’s fueling system is a recurring maintenance problem for the City of Clay Center.  Councilman and Property and Recreation Committee member Phil Kasper explains, “The computer board continues to cause problems, and we continue to repair it. When the computer board goes down, the whole system stops working. We’ve repaired it over the last four years and spent about $13,000 to do that. So we can continue to do that  or we can just replace the entire system for a little over $12,000, so that’s the route that we have chosen to go.”

While the over $12,000 payment might seem expensive, the fuel system computer board is more than just a want for the airport. Kasper says it is needed for the facility. “Obviously, I can be an issue for pilots that use the airport; it’s an issue for Heinens, but it can be an issue for life flight, life watch, or any of that kind of stuff that uses the airport as well. Every time that it goes down, we obviously fix it and get it running again and Scott Heinen is able to do some different things so pilots can get fuel, but after hours is the main issue. The FAA requires us to have it and have it working.”

The Federal Aviation Administration issues operating certificates to municipal airports that meet safety and emergency response requirements, including – signs, lights, and marking; aircraft rescue and firefighting; wildlife hazard management; snow and ice control; and aviation fueling safety.