We always like to hear about new airport developments, and Austin, Texas, has needed a story like this for a long time. In 1999, the city closed down two airports — Austin Executive and Robert Mueller– leaving general aviation struggling for a place to call home. Now a private investor, Ron Henriksen, has purchased the privately owned, public-use Bird’s Nest Airport 12 miles northeast of Austin and hopes to upgrade it to a modern general aviation airport catering to the piston crowd.
While the Texas state government has recognized the need for a new airport in the area for some six years, not much has happened. With the help and encouragement of the Texas Aviation Association and AOPA, Henriksen may provide the solution Central Texas aviators have been waiting for. He has his work cut out for him. Bird’s Nest has a rich history (student solos from the 1970s were carved into the stones that still exist at the field), but the tiny field has fallen into disrepair and disuse over the years. We’re rooting for him.
