News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Upper Cumberland Regional Airport will soon purchase a piece of equipment that helps get jet engines started.
Manager Dean Selby said the airport borrows its current ground power unit (GPU).
“Aircraft have to have a ground power unit to be able to start and run. In the summer time they (pilots) use them to run their air conditioning,” Selby said. “It’s primarily just for them (pilots) to start their aircraft with. This one was built in the 1960’s and I can’t get parts for it anymore. We need to replace it, and it’s a required item with the jet traffic that we have.”
The Upper Cumberland Airport board voted Tuesday to let Selby spend up to $40,000 to replace the unit. Selby said he will pay for the item with revenue generated from increased fuel sales.
“We are up almost $100,000 over gross profit over what we projected already in the first six months of the year,” Selby said.
The airport sold 22,837 gallons of fuel last month, compared to 7,754 gallons in December 2018. Selby said he’s sold $294,649 in Jet-A fuel through the first six months of the fiscal year.
