BY DAN HILDEBRAN
The manager of the Keystone Heights Airport said he would ask the FAA to change the facility’s identifier from 42J to KHA or a three-character combination that more closely aligns with the airport’s name.
The identifier is used mainly by pilots and others in the aviation industry. However, in recent years, some cities, like Gainesville: GNV, Jacksonville: JAX, and Tampa: TPA, have incorporated the label to include the broader community.
Although the airport’s current identifier coincides with its founding year, 1942, it cannot be linked to its location otherwise.
Keystone Heights Airport Manager Craig Coon told the facility’s board during its September meeting that since the airport is approved for all-weather operations and since it has a runway of 5,000 feet or more, it qualifies for the three-character alpha designation.
“I think for the airport to grow and to make us more attractive, that’s one of the things that we can do,” he said.
