Our New Building!

We dedicated our new building with a grand opening in the fall of 2003. The flight line features: wireless internet access, a T1 fiber optic backbone, 6 Aviation Flight Lab computers with flat screen LCD monitors and DVD drives (all have Microsoft Flight Sim X, 3 with yokes, throttles and rudder petals), a CATS testing facility, instructor offices, a simulator area, flight planning area, a commons area for snacking and socializing, 2 flat screen TV's, a huge schedule board, dispatchers office and 4 classrooms. The classrooms are outfitted with state of the art Dolby surround sound system, DVD and VHS players, high resolution projectors and ten foot screens. In addition we have many training aids including a huge floor standing E6B, an engine cutaway featuring all the moving parts, exhaust system cutaway and many others.

Big Bend Community College flight facilities are located on approximately 60 acres with over 15 acres paved or graveled for hangar operation, administration, fuel/wash areas, parking and ground circulation areas for aircraft. More than 100 acres of additional land (College and Port owned) adjacent to taxi and runways is available for expansion.

The College presently operates an aviation administration/ classroom building (Building 3000) holding faculty offices, flight operations, training simulators, and classrooms. The College also operates a covered hangar (Building 3100) 27,000 square feet and housing 22 of the college aircraft. The College also has an airframes/powerplant building (Building 3200). The airframe / powerplant building has recently undergone a $900,000 remodeling.

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One of the premier aeronautical facilities in the Western United States, Grant County International Airport covers over 4800 acres and is one of the largest commercial airports west of the Mississippi. A former Strategic Air Command (SAC) base, it was home to the 462nd Bomber Wing, utilizing B-52's and KC-135's. The air base was decommissioned in 1965 and has been owned and operated by the Port of Moses Lake since 1966.

Grant County International Airport

Enjoying an incredible 350 VFR days per year, Grant County International Airport is ideally suited for the Big Bend Flight Training Program. The main runway is 13,500' by 300' and the crosswind runway is 10,000' by 100'. There are two smaller runways, one 3263' by 75' and the other is 3025' by 75'. The Airport is a certified air carrier airport and provides a full line of aeronautical services that include a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control Tower, state of the art ASR-9 Radar, precision ILS on the main runway, PAPI, VASI, VOR, DME, ATIS full runway and taxiway lighting and a new Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS). In all, there are 13 instrument approach procedures including the afore mentioned ILS, NDB, VOR and GPS. Security is provided by the Public Safety Department staffed 24 hours per day seven days a week. Fire protection is outstanding including a 3,000 gallon Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicle, 1500 gallon ARFF vehicle, two smaller excellently equipped vehicles and a disaster support vehicle. The Airport meets Index 'D' airport fire protection capability. In addition, the Port is the location for the new Northwest Mountain Region Fire Fighting Training Center: a newly constructed facility built at a cost of over one million dollars.

Corporate and general aviation is represented by the Airport's Fixed Base Operators (FBO), Air America and Columbia Pacific Aviation, in which they provide Ground Support Equipment, A&P maintenance, sales and service, aircraft rental, charter services and aviation fuel sales.

The weather lends itself to terrific flying conditions. In addition to the 350 VFR days per year, the climate is also semi-arid, averaging less than 8 inches of precipitation per year.

The major advantages for using Grant County International Airport for both private and crew training can be summarized as follows: