Welcome to Your Harrison Neighborhood AIRPORT Clare County Airport 80D
Connecting Harrison Area Pilots with Residents and fostering community
Pilots:
Please register your landings in the log book
located in Jackies Airport Restaurant.
Harrison Area Pilots Association - Fly Harrison
Harrison's Clare County Airport - AKA: "The Gateway to the North"
George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport
George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport
There are not a lot of communities that can claim the prestige of having their own community aiport.
Harrison is one of the few!
Not everyone will know, but community airports are vital to any locality because of its quantifiable benefits to the people and to the community itself.
They may not be able to accommodate large and commercial
There are not a lot of communities that can claim the prestige of having their own community aiport.
Harrison is one of the few!
Not everyone will know, but community airports are vital to any locality because of its quantifiable benefits to the people and to the community itself.
They may not be able to accommodate large and commercial planes, but it is a gateway for fast intercity or interstate travel, and that is crucial in bringing value into your community.
We’ve listed some reasons why community airports are vital in any town or city.
It boosts economic activity
A community airport—also called general aviation airport—provides the capability for fast and on-demand transportation and this allows new business and trade to come in.
Small communities benefit from what the airfield brings in. Economic stimulants like factories, warehouses, and commercial stores help create job opportunities and generate local revenue, which the city could use in improving infrastructure and services to enhance the quality of life.
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, an airport has a multiplier effect on local jobs and income, whereby every $1 spent in the airport leads to an additional $2.53 to your local economy.
Also, areas with airports tend to be well maintained and welcoming of new opportunities that could bring direct and indirect positive impact to the city.
There’s no air traffic congestion
General aviation airports provide convenience and cost-effectiveness for personal or business travel. Unlike large, commercial airports which are congested and expensive, daily air traffic in community airports is at a minimal, thus providing alternative land strips to busy airline hubs.
Airline flights are also focused on major hubs. This is where community airports come in—they connect you to communities that are not served by airlines.
It accommodates fast delivery of services and relief
Your community airport also opens the door for other services than ferrying people in and out of the city. It supports flights for small and mid-sized businesses, schools, universities, postal services, and other government and private-sector service providers that are immediate and swift travel.
Moreover, your local airport is especially important in emergency cases such as bringing in disaster relief, aeromedical services, and law enforcement.
It stimulates tourism
Little does anyone know that even your community airport brings in tourists into your city. Aviators love flying that they try to find out new places to go to. And when they find an interesting place, they share it with their fellow aviators.
Community airports also have built-in hangars, making it convenient for business and personal aircraft owners and pilots to leave their planes for a while.
George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport
George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport
George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport
As commissioners reviewed the budget expense lines, George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport, stating he believes it is subsidizing recreation for a few people in the county, and not really servicing the county or the economy. He claimed one flight every 9.5 days is either recreation or drug traffic, and th
As commissioners reviewed the budget expense lines, George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport, stating he believes it is subsidizing recreation for a few people in the county, and not really servicing the county or the economy. He claimed one flight every 9.5 days is either recreation or drug traffic, and the county shouldn’t subsidize either one.
Eyebrows up, Commissioner Gabe Ambrozaitis, chairman of the Airport Committee and driving force behind the airport’s forward motion, quickly rebutted the disparaging remark.
“I couldn’t disagree more, George,” he said. “That is an economic driver for Hayes Township and Harrison. It is a county airport: one of 83 we have in the state. A mere $20,000 that we appropriated last year – we’re asking the same amount this year – allows us to continue to rehabilitate the airport. It shows good faith with MDOT if they are providing us money. We have the ability to get lights in this year. That $20,000 is a minor amount and, yes, you might think that only certain planes come in, but on Labor Day there were three aircraft parked in front that flew in to have breakfast at the airport – none of them signed in. There is no guarantee because there is no requirement for any pilot to sign in; it’s a request.”
When Commissioner Rickie Fancon asked if any support was coming in from the City of Harrison or Hayes Township, Ambrozaitis expressed his desire to reinstitute an agreement with those two entities.
“This begins the discussion,” he said. “If we give no money to the airport, then I cannot have a discussion with the city or the township. And both of them have indicated a willingness to rejoin a joint agreement between the three entities.”
He explained that having such an agreement would allow for application for grants.
“I think this is the way forward,” Ambrozaitis said. “It’s only $20,000 – we saved $70,000 on health care. We saved a lot of money, as the administrator has pointed out.”
Commissioner Jack Kleinhardt spoke of various revenue increases the county can reasonably be anticipating, seemingly illustrating that, in comparison, the $20,000 in question was not a hardship.
After the budget presentation, Commissioner David Hoefling thanked Phelps for all the hard work done on the budget.
The Board then went into closed session to confer with an attorney regarding pending arbitration.
In the final Public Comment, Kimberly Davis of the Clare County Sheriff’s Office spoke in support of the airport appropriation, noting that if one helicopter Med-Flight lands there and saves one life, to her it’s worth at least $20,000.
The BOC will meet next at 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30 for a public hearing, make any last-minute changes, then adopt the resolution approving and adopting the County General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2025.
Excerpt form Clare County Cleaver
By DIANNE ALWARD-BIERY
Cleaver Staff Writer
Jackie's Airport Restaurant, an icon at Clare County Airport - 80D
George Gilmore again raised his opposition to budgeting for the airport
Jackie's Airport Restaurant, an icon at Clare County Airport - 80D
Jackie's Airport Restaurant at Harrison's Clare County Aiport has been an icon for decades. Known for great food at great prices, Jackie's has been drawing local residents and Michigan pilots from around the state. Listed on aviations Fun Places to Fly: "Clare County Airport 80D, a little north of the center of the Lower Peninsula. Not
Jackie's Airport Restaurant at Harrison's Clare County Aiport has been an icon for decades. Known for great food at great prices, Jackie's has been drawing local residents and Michigan pilots from around the state. Listed on aviations Fun Places to Fly: "Clare County Airport 80D, a little north of the center of the Lower Peninsula. Not a $100 hamburger .. it's a pasty flight - the biggest and best one you may ever find. Half a pie in size! Fine, inexpensive home cooking ... very clean and hospitable to fliers."
80D Clare County Airport
Official FAA Data Effective 2023-11-02
Location Information for 80D
Coordinates: N44°3.14' / W84°48.79'
Located .02 miles NW of Harrison, Michigan on 80 acres of land. Estimated Elevation is 1142 feet MSL.
Airport Use: Open to the public
Activation Date: April 1940
Status: Operational
Control Tower: No
Seg-Circle: Yes
Beacon: White-Green
(Lighted Land Airport)
Wind Indicator:Yes