Van Nuys Airport opens a rebuilt runway and officials celebrate “the chaos” of thriving business – Daily News
Los Angeles World Airports celebrated the reopening of the newly reconstructed Runway 16L/34R at Van Nuys Airport, handing a classic 1979 Cessna 152 over to Hannah Wang, 17, a recently licensed pilot trained at the Hot Shot Aviation flight school who gave the audience a lesson in classy piloting.
Curt Castagna, president and CEO of Aeroplex Group Partners and president of the Van Nuys Airport Association, escorted two student pilots to the press conference. One of them, Wang, who now heads to college at UC Berkeley, flew a plane specially retrofitted and certified to use “newly available unleaded fuel” — a message that the bustling airport intends to be part of the San Fernando Valley’s future.
An effusive Nicholas P. Roxborough, a commissioner on the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners, said Van Nuys is the busiest airport in the nation of its size, telling the audience, “We know how busy it is, listen to the chaos!” He called Van Nuys Airport, “One of the best airports of the world,” and nothing less than “the economic engine of San Fernando Valley.”
The renovation of the landing strip was part of a $13.1 million project to improve the safety of airfield facilities at the general aviation airport. During the six-month reconstruction, in which a 4,000-foot long runway was rebuilt to extend its lifespan 20 years, the taxiway was installed with LED lighting, new signage, and safety features.
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