Have you ever driven, like in a van, on an airport runway? Stood on a runway? Somehow, it looks like a stretch of paved roadway but you just sense it’s different. To many pilots, the runway is both an escape and home. When we visited the Hanover County Airport, we learned a lot about why.

As a private pilot with a plane of your own, you can be, “in Hanover now and the Eastern Shore in under an hour” Tommy shared. If you hanger your plane in a local airport like Hanover it’s easy to access – convenience is key. Convenience is what makes reliever airports attractive to individuals and corporations. Easy, stress-free flying is a big piece of why this unique business exists.

The Hanover County Airport is owned by the county but run by Fixed Base Operators, Tommy and Kim Grimes. The husband-and-wife team have been in the business for 25 years and raised their 6 kids in and around their aviation “hobby.”

It was a gorgeous, sunny Wednesday when our chamber team toured the airport (Melissa, Ben, Steve, Alexander, Nancy and Christen). Many of us had never been there before and it was a blast! After learning more about what “running an airport” means, we walked the grounds. We passed maintenance hangers and huge gasoline trucks, saw corporate jets and two-seat propeller planes, drove down to the start of the runway and watched planes take-off and land right in front of us. (Chris and Melissa even got to sit in the flight simulator!)

What an awesome field trip! We hope you enjoy watching the video as much as we enjoyed creating it. Three cheers to Tommy and Kim Grimes of Heart of Virginia Aviation for giving us this tour. Let's fly!

Watch the video on our YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/PnOEoD2m7-c