Plainville’s Robertson Airport, a regional resource like no other
Take a gorgeous early spring morning, punctuate it with the exciting buzz of aircraft from the WW II era, some modern sport planes and even a few small jets taking off or landing and you have a really interesting event for the Plainville area.
Saturday, the privately owned Robertson Airport went on public display. The airport is known as one of the best equipped in all of Southern New England and serves the needs of both private flight and civic serving organizations like the Civil Air Patrol. Late last year, Tomasso Brothers Inc. offered the airport for sale to a combined group including the Town of Plainville, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the State Department of Transportation (DOT). As it exists, the airport is already a profitable operation with the capability and room to expand in the future.
The open house was a great opportunity for the Town of Plainville and its citizens to look over the airports operation and dream of what could be. Based on the enthusiastic number of adults and “children of all ages” examining the almost 100 aircraft, its claim to be a positive benefit to the community was being well received. The day’s events included aircraft rides for local youth, numerous information booths and static displays by aviation groups such as the Civil Air Patrol who allowed visitors to climb in and out of the search and rescue (SAR) aircraft, one of which was the very first civilian aircraft to fly humanitarian aid missions over NY City after the terrorist attack of September 11th 2001. Additional presenters included Life Star helicopter, the FAA, the Town of Plainville DOT, Interstate Aviation and even the opportunity to stop and talk with Mike Allen of WTIC’s Traffic Control.
The existing runway is just over 3,000 feet long and can accommodate private and light commercial aviation including small or ‘light” jets such as the Cessna Citation. There are various services already established such as a parallel taxiway, a fuel farm and plenty of tie down and aircraft parking space. The facility has been profitable for the past 38 years. The facility is already fully operational and will incur normal maintenance expenses sometime in the next five years, covering pavement maintenance and safety improvements.
Already in the black, already providing direct transportation to the region and already providing staging areas for community service and search and rescue operations the Robertson Airport is a real, living benefit to the region.
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