DARKE COUNTY — The Darke County Commissioners and Darke County Chamber of Commerce celebrated the opening of a new community box hangar at the Darke County Airport with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Darke County Commissioner Aaron Flatter called the ceremony an important day for the airport and the county.
“This is a new highway into the county for people to come do business, expand business, and raise their family,” Flatter said.
The event included remarks from Jacob Eiting, who recently built a private hangar next to the new community hangar.
Flatter referenced former Ohio Gov. Jim Rhodes’ observation that “a mile of roadway will take you a mile, but a mile of runway will take you around the world.”
“I just love seeing the economic development here and what this can do for our county,” Flatter said.
The new hangar is part of a series of improvements that have changed the airport’s appearance and capabilities. The work includes a new terminal, two new hangars and the removal of the former terminal building.
“Absolutely, it’s a modern look out here,” Flatter said. “To be honest, I kind of came in on the tail end of the vision.”
Flatter credited former and current county leaders, including former Commissioners Mike Rhoades and Mike Stegall and Commissioner Matt Aultman, for helping develop and advance plans for the airport.
“All of them had a vision, and I think we’re starting to really touch on that vision now,” Flatter said. “I look forward to working on that next vision with different architects in the area and future commissioners.”
Dave Burrows, representing the Dayton Development Coalition, said airport expansions can attract attention from aviation businesses looking for places to build aircraft and manufacture parts.
“This is a big deal,” Burrows said. “Anytime we get expansions like this in aviation, it attracts news, and it attracts more companies to look in the area. We need hangars and runways in order to bring more aviation companies here.”
The Dayton Development Coalition serves as the region’s JobsOhio network partner and works to attract aerospace companies while helping existing businesses grow.
Burrows said companies from across the United States and around the world are considering new locations in the region.
“The U.S. economy still supports aviation better than anywhere else in the world,” Burrows said. “More people want to build aircraft here and build parts here than ever.”
Burrows described Dayton and Ohio as growing centers for aviation development.
“Dayton is a hotbed right now,” he said. “Ohio is in general. Dayton is gaining a lot of traction with companies looking for aviation locations here.”
Burrows said representatives from Europe were expected to visit the region to explore potential locations. Their tour was expected to include Darke County and the Darke County Airport.
