Business already is booming. Since the fall of 1996, the number of aircraft based at Denton Municipal Airport has climbed to 225 from 115. The airport has 95,000 airport operations takeoffs and landings per year based on 1997 statistics, the most recent available. The airport plans to update those statistics in a new master- plan that will take eight to 12 months to complete and is expected to assist it in future economic development efforts. The first project will be the control tower, which will increase safety and improve the airport's efficiency by sequencing takeoffs and landings, Nelson said.
Pilots now use radio frequencies to communicate their locations and intentions with one another.
Some corporate pilots are reluctant to use Denton Municipal Airport because it lacks a tower, he said. The runway extension should further increase corporate interest in the airport. The city plans to add 1,500 feet to the strip. A longer runway also would allow Denton to shut a portion of the runway for maintenance and still allow takeoffs for smaller, general aviation planes, which remain its bread and butter. The city is working with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration to get funding.