George T. Lewis Airport


George T. Lewis Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Levy County, Florida, United States. It is located one nautical mile west of the central business district of Cedar Key. It was opened in 1936 by the United States military, and it does not have a control tower.

History

Formerly used as an air/sea rescue base during and after World War II, the facility was deeded to Levy County. It serves as a basic utility itinerant airport in Levy County for the resort and recreation activities of the City of Cedar Key. Its service area includes Cedar Key and the small communities of Rosewood, Sumner and Vista. It is one of two public airports in the county, the other being Williston Municipal Airport in Williston. It is located approximately southwest of Gainesville Regional Airport and west of Ocala International Airport-Jim Taylor Field.
A five-year construction plan to improve visual aids at the airport got underway by the Department of Transportation in 1998.

Facilities and Aircraft

George T. Lewis Airport covers an area of at an elevation of 11 feet above mean sea level. It has one asphalt paved runway designated 5/23 which measures 2,355 by 100 feet with a displaced threshold on Runway 23 - it is the shortest paved public runway in the state of Florida. For the 12-month period ending June 30, 2000, the airport had 4,000 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 10 per day.

Advocacy

In March 2011 the unincorporated association was founded with local aviators and business owners to promote the improvement and increased operational safety of the airfield. With the collection of extensive pilot surveys supporting local economic benefits over several years they were able to move Levy County to further investing in the airport including the addition of perimeter fencing, repaving, and additional runway lights. The membership exceeds 200 members as of January 2016 and continues to grow.