Work wrapped up on a $2.4 million resurfacing project at Hutchinson Municipal Airport this past week and operations reopened Friday.
Among the first planes to touch down on the new runway surface was a Falcon 900 14-passenger jet, one of 20 planes operated by the charter company Club Jet.
Club Jet is owned by Hutchinson natives Brandon and Shane Luthens, sons of local dairy farmer Daryl Luthens. The company provides executive air transportation for entertainers, politicians, cargo, doctors and others.
The Luthens brothers learned to fly at the airport under the instruction of Doug McGraw, who greeted them at the airport Friday afternoon. The brothers, friends and other family members were on their way to Deadwood, S.D.
Crews with contractor Duininck Inc., of Prinsburg completed the airport project, which included milling off the hard surfaces of the runway, taxiway, connections and apron to address cracking that has developed over the years and then repaving those areas. In addition, an area between the runway and parallel taxiway was graded to improve safety. Also, the perpendicular connection between the runway and taxiway was moved slightly north to eliminate a direct connection from the runway to an area along the apron where planes are refueled.