Summary
- The FAA approved a new Las Vegas Executive Airport for development, which will also house the Las Vegas Spaceport.
- The project is to break ground in three months, and the second phase will include a terminal and private jet hangars.
- The Las Vegas Spaceport aims to revolutionize space travel, including space pilot school and space plane takeoff/landing mechanism.
Early last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) greenlit a project that would develop a new executive airport in the Las Vegas metro area in Nevada. The area where the airport will be built is run by the Clark County Commissioners, who unanimously approved construction to begin on the runway earlier this year. The project also intends to house the Las Vegas Spaceport, which will be focused on providing access to space tourism.
New Las Vegas private aviation-focused airport
In May, the Clark County Commission unanimously approved the runway construction for the proposed airport, which has been designated as the Las Vegas Executive Airport for the time being. This airpo
Photo: Harry Reid International Airport
rt will be located approximately 30 miles west of Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), which is the region’s most popular airport for both commercial and general aviation flights.
Las Vegas is also served by the Henderson Executive Airport (HND) and the North Las Vegas Airport (VGT). The Clark County Department of Aviation operates each of these aircraft, so the addition of another executive airport would fall under its operations.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the project, Rob Lauer, who is also the CEO of the Las Vegas Spaceport, spoke about the ruling from the FAA. He told Fox 5 Vegas that the plan was to break ground for the runway within the next three months. The second phase of the project will include a terminal and separate hangars for private jets. This will allow the new Las Vegas Executive Airport to take advantage of global events that are held in the Las Vegas area, such as the popular Formula 1 race, the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The third phase of the plan would incorporate a casino and hotel near the airport.
Photo: stigmatize | Shutterstock
Specifically, the FAA’s approval of the plan stated that the airport could accommodate single and multi-engine aircraft as well as helicopter operations. When reached by Simple Flying, a spokesperson for the FAA confirmed the following:
“After a thorough review, the FAA determined that the proposed Las Vegas Executive Airport would not affect the safety or efficiency of the surrounding airspace.”
The project has already secured over $10 million in funding. It would need an additional $20 million in funding, beyond the FAA’s approval.
What will it be used for?
Speaking to Simple Flying on the phone this week, Lauer outlined several of the initial uses for the spaceport in the immediate future. The most exciting of which is potentially its role in hosting air races. Given its unique position in the desert, yet still accessible from downtown in 15 minutes by car or 15 minutes by helicopter, the site is well suited to support racing events without concerns of noise pollution.
The other primary use is as a flight training center. According to Lauer, pilot training at North Las Vegas airport can cost an extra $6,000, as trainees are not allowed to do touch-and-go and must practice at tertiary airports. This creates a unique opportunity for student pilots and their instructors in the region.
In the meantime, the airport is taking bids for a fixed-base operator, maintenance, repair, and overhaul provider, and fuel supplier.
A public spaceport in Las Vegas?
Beyond the new executive airport, the project also includes one of the world’s first public spaceports. This official project proposal has yet to be finalized and distributed to the FAA, but Lauder says that the proposal is expected to be filled later this summer. This application process can take approximately two years to pass through the FAA’s spaceport division.
Lauer also spoke about the spaceport plan for Fox 5 Vegas. He stated,
“They’ll be able to go to the moon, they’ll be able to go to space stations, they’ll be able to go fully into space, bring satellites into space, people into space. They’re going to change the world as we know it. As much as the jet airline changed the world, these space planes are going to change the world.”
The Las Vegas Spaceport will eventually include a space pilot school, a post-high-school academy, and a takeoff and landing mechanism for space planes, which are different from traditional rockets.
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