Hillsboro Regional Airport has been recognized as North Dakota’s “2021 General Aviation Airport of the Year”

Posted 3/14/22 (Mon)

Hillsboro Regional Airport has been recognized as North Dakota’s “2021 General Aviation Airport of the Year.” Airports receive this award for excellence in community outreach, facility management, construction and beautification projects, and special events. The award is sponsored by the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission in partnership with the Airport Association of North Dakota, and was presented on March 8th, 2022, at the FLY-ND aviation conference held this year in Fargo.
Airport Accomplishments for 2021:
The Hillsboro Airport Authority has shown great commitment to promoting the growth of aviation in North Dakota. Many Authority members are active pilots and can be found at area continuing education training seminars. A new flight simulator was installed at the terminal to help train student pilots and experienced aviators alike. The airport hosted a big fly-in event in August with pilots offering rides to the public and more than 30 aircraft from across the region taking part. The team at Hillsboro also helped to create the first annual “Fly to Beach” event with pilots from around the state flying into the Beach Airport to attend the Medora Musical and spend the night.
2021 was an outstanding year for activity at Hillsboro Regional Airport. Three newly minted pilots joined the ranks of the Hillsboro flying community, as well as twelve new aircraft. Business was up, with record fuel sales and two new aerial application businesses moving to the airfield. The airport also continued their partnership with L3 Harris, who operates an on-site radar station used to study Beyond Visual Line of Site operations of drone aircraft.
Multiple major construction projects were completed in 2021. A new airport beacon was installed early in the year. During the summer a full-length taxiway was completed running parallel to the runway and included airfield drainage improvements and a lighting system. This new taxiway dramatically improved aircraft traffic circulation and is a welcome safety and operational enhancement for Hillsboro’s aviators and the many student pilots on training flights from UND Aerospace. A small taxilane was added on the western side of the airport to allow for the construction of much-needed new hangar facilities. To help alleviate demand by area pilots for space to store their aircraft at Hillsboro, the airport board passionately pursued and successfully completed the construction of two new five-unit hangar buildings along the new taxilane, and all units were reserved before construction broke ground. Members of the Airport Authority volunteered their time and labor to help complete work on the hangars, and even found the time to build a new patio area by the terminal building for the enjoyment of the flying community. Finally, the airport is moving forward with the design phase of a major project to rehabilitate their aircraft parking apron with construction slated for 2023.
The Hillsboro Regional Airport is congratulated for a tremendous year of accomplishments.

Hillsboro Regional Airport receives the 2021 General Aviation Airport of the Year award during the North Dakota Aviation Association’s FLY-ND Conference awards banquet on March 8th, 2022. Accepting the award for the airport are, from left to right, Larry Mueller, Les Hurt, Devon Cote, Chad Hanson, and Don Hanson, and presenting the award is Kyle Wanner (Executive Director, ND Aeronautics Commission).