About
Blue Ridge Regional Airport Managing Director, Jason Davis, was the recipient of the 2017 Virginia Department of Aviation Aiport Manager of the Year.
Blue Ridge Regional Airport boasts 5002 feet of runway and is home to two medical helicopters, Air Life and Air Care.
Blue Ridge Regional Airport serves Martinsville, Henry and Patrick Counties, and the surrounding region. The airport currently averages 23,000 enplanements annually and 64 operations per day. Blue Ridge Regional Airport is home to over 50 based aircraft, including two medivac helicopters. Along with serving the general aviation population, the airport serves medical transports, military, law enforcement, and local, state, and federal governmental agencies.
Aviation found its way into Martinsville and Henry County in the early 1920s. After World War I, there was a surplus of trainers known as the Curtiss or Standard JN-1 (Jenny). This surplus bred a hearty breed of "barnstormers" whose livelihood depended on offering locals airplane rides. There were multiple sites for this in Martinsville and Henry County, with one growing to become Martinsville's first official airport.
Establishing the airport was possible through numerous efforts, including G.T. Lester Jr. Lester was Martinsville's first citizen to own an aircraft and was the area's first commercial multi-engine instructor. The original airport was one block north of the Martinsville city square on Liberty Street, named Lester Airport, also known as Lester Field.
With the onset of World War II, Lester's field served as training grounds for the first flight experience of many aspiring airmen who would become military pilots. During the war, the war training command used the airfield as an auxiliary or emergency field. Post-war efforts to expand Lester Field were unattainable due to topography. The land where the airport sits today was purchased in 1962, and Blue Ridge Airport was born with a 3,600-foot runway.
Blue Ridge Regional Airport's history may have evolved from humble beginnings, but the future is visionary. The vision includes an aggressive expansion plan, developing the terminal area apron to provide significant parking space for future growth. The project's apex will consist of a runway extension of 6,000 feet, paralleling our region's economic growth and providing the critical infrastructure needed to serve our surrounding communities adequately.