Garland/DFW Heloplex | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Garland/DFW Heloplex, otherwise known as Garland Heliport, 2559 S. Jupiter Road, Garland, TX 75041. | |||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | City of Garland | ||||||||||
| Operator | SKY Helicopters Inc. | ||||||||||
| Serves | Garland, Texas | ||||||||||
| Location | 2559 S. Jupiter Road, Garland, TX 75041 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 601 ft / 183 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 32°53′16″N096°41′1″W / 32.88778°N 96.68361°W /32.88778; -96.68361 | ||||||||||
| Website | http://www.skyhelicopters.com | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  T57 | |||||||||||
 | |||||||||||
| Helipads | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Statistics (2012) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Garland/DFW Heloplex (FAALID:T57) is a city-owned publicheliport inGarland, inDallas County,Texas,United States, located approximately 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of thecentral business district.[1][2] The facility is used forgeneral aviation andair taxi purposes and is operated by SKY Helicopters. The heliport has noIATA orICAO designation.[3] The facility is alternately known as theGarland/DFW Heliport,Garland Heliport, orGarland/DFW Heliplex.[N 1]
In development since 1985, the facility opened in November 1989, becoming the first municipal heliport inTexas.[6] The project cost about US$2.5 million, with the majority being provided by twoFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) grants totaling nearly US$2 million, and the remainder provided by the city of Garland.[6]
Despite initial optimism, anticipated shuttle service toDallas/Fort Worth International Airport andDallas Love Field never materialized, and the Garland City Council voted on 12 August 1991 to shut down the facility, citing US$40,000 in annual operating expenditures, a lack of future expansion space, and the failure of the heliport's original operator, Garland/DFW Heliplex Corp., to follow through on promises to improve the facility.[7] However, despite a second closure vote on 21 January 1992 and negotiations with an industrial property developer to sell the site, the heliport was ultimately kept open to avert the likelihood that the city would have to repay the initial US$1.5 million FAA construction grant.[8][9][10] While negotiations with the FAA and the potential buyer were being conducted, the facility was leased to its second operator, Heli-Tex Inc.[9][10]
On 5 October 1992, a plan was announced to keep the heliport open by leasing it to an independent operator on a long-term self-sustaining basis.[11] On 5 January 1993, the City Council approved a five-year US$6,000 annual lease arrangement withCarrollton-based SKY Helicopters Inc., which promised to build a new hangar, promote the property, and provide helicopter services, while the city would receive a percentage of the proceeds from fuel sales and set the money aside in a special fund for major repairs.[12]
On 14 June 1999, the City Council voted to grant SKY Helicopters a 40-year lease of the facility, and the company agreed to make US$2 million to $3 million in improvements, including an expansion of hangar space from 4,000 to 20,000 sq ft (371.6 to 1,858.1 m2), and the replacement of the existing 3,000 sq ft (278.7 m2) prefabricated metal terminal with a more permanent 13,000 sq ft (1,207.7 m2) structure.[13]
Garland/DFW Heloplex covers 8 acres (3.2 ha) at anelevation of 601 feet (183 m) abovemean sea level. Its onehelipad, H1, is 105 by 105 feet (32 × 32 m) concrete.[1]
In the year ending 31 December 2012 the heliport had 36,400general aviation and 100air taxi operations, average 100 total per day. 15helicopters were then based at this heliport.[1]
