The Cotulla-La Salle County Airport ICOT) is located one mile north of Cotulla, Texas, and it’s been one of the prime hunting hubs in the state for some time. Recently, however, it’s been earning more attention for an industrial boom located in the region. A classic Texan resource often referred to as black gold, Texas tea or simply as crude oil has been bringing more people to this small yet enthusiastic town.
During late-summer and early-fall, la Salle County in southern Texas becomes a haven for both novice and experienced hunters gathering for the plentiful doves, quail and white-tail deer in the area. located in the Golden Triangle of South Texas-an area comprised geographically of five counties and nationally recognized for its trophy-buck potential-COT sees the influx of visitors to the region and accommodates their general aviation IGA) needs.
”The trophy bucks in the area routinely win competitions in the state and the country,” Airport Manager E.T. Page says. ‘We have many customers who regularly fly in from places as far away as Los Angeles, Seattle, Boise, Detroit, Boston, Nashville, Jacksonville and St. Petersburg, as well as numerous nearby hunters from Arkansas, Louisiana and from within Texas. It’s prime hunting ground here.”
COT’s one asphalt runway, 13/31, measures 5,005 feet by 75 feet and has two-light PAPls on both approaches. Additionally, it has the two best straight-in instrument approaches within a 60-mile radius, plus local ASOS weather reporting. Other amenities provided by the airport’s FBO, Page Aviation, include fuel (Jet A and 1 00LL), catering, hangar space, line service, Internet access, oxygen service, aircraft maintenance, ample parking, and most importantly, COT also has the only car rental services within 60 miles.
“We easily offer three times as many services as our competitors in the area,” Page says. “If you have a need for services we don’t have listed, please just let us know and we will respond to the best of our ability. It’s always a pleasure to serve our customers.”
The hunting draw once comprised a majority of COT’s seasonal traffic, but improvements in oil drilling technology have given oilmen access to a fertile supply in the surrounding Eagle Ford Shale formation. Drilling through layers of day and sediments to reach the rich oil and gas beneath the surface, companies from around the world are flocking to the area. This has also presented COT with great opportunities.
“The oil and gas industry has definitely upped the jet traffic to the airport,” Page says. ‘We’ re a great hub for these businesses because we’re centrally located in the heart of all of the operations.”
With the traditional arrival of hunters and the new burgeoning economy from the now-accessible natural resources, COT is poised to capitalize on the arrival of all these visitors to the area. One way is the proposed 6,000-foot runway with a parallel taxiway and more parking.
”The construction of the new runway would mean a lot more jets to the airport,” Page says. “It means more oil field businesses would start basing their companies in our county as opposed to others, which means more jobs locally. There would be a lot more direct and indirect jobs coming from the completion of this project.”
COT is also planning a new privately funded hangar to accommodate current and projected jet patrons. As for the runway, the city and county are in the process of gathering the 10 percent matching funds toward the $6 million needed to get the new strip completed. Page is committed to the principle that the obvious advantages of the new runway will help the area by setting it apart from competing cities and counties, as well as providing opportunities for growth.
‘We’re trying to get more of the oil field business here to Cotulla,” Page concludes, “and I think it’s going to work.”
For more information on the Cotulla-La Salle County Airport, please visit http://www.cotullaairport.com.
Copyright 2010 The AutoPILOT Magazine, reprinted with permission.