Council Airport Gets New Asphalt
If you have recently been down Airport Rd in Council or have heard the rumblings and rumors of updates at the airport and have been wondering what exactly is going on, it’s time to ease that curiosity! It’s true, the Council Airport is receiving a makeover and much needed rehabilitation!
The Council Municipal Airport is also known as the Clint Yates Field. Clint Yates once ran a maintenance shop at the airport and his wife was an instructor pilot. After Yates died in 1997, the name Clint Yates Field was officially adopted for the airport. Yates did a lot of work at the airport and was integral in getting the airport originally paved in the 1980’s, before that it was gravel. However, the 80’s was the last time the runway was paved, and over 40 years later the pavement has deteriorated beyond repair, prompting the current project at the Clint Yates Field. On September 18th, 2025, rehabilitation of the runway began in earnest.
The Council Municipal Airport/Clint Yates Field, has been a part of our local community since 1947. At that time, the village of Council and Mayor George Winkler submitted an application to the Civil Aeronautics Authority (the precursor to the current-day Federal Aviation Administration) to build an airstrip with two crossing runways to support the growing community, the delivery of mail by air, to support crop dusting, and to aid in the quick delivery of medical supplies. In 1977 a new master plan for the airport proposed expanding the single gravel runway from 2,100 feet to 3,600 feet, which required acquiring 25 acres to the north of the airport, which the city accomplished through selling airport property to the east. Orchard Road was rerouted to go around the runway extension to the north.
The FAA and the State of Idaho have always highly valued the network of rural airports that help to connect residents all over the state. The airport construction from the 1977 master plan was completed in 1982 at an approximate cost of $320,000. 90% of which was paid by the FAA and the remaining 10% by state and local funds. Likewise today, 95% of the funds required for the rehabilitation of the airport are coming from FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP), which is funded by aviation fuel taxes and commercial aviation fees. The remaining 5% of the construction costs is being funded by the Idaho Department of Transportation/Aeronautics. The planning for this current project began in 2021 and includes completely removing and replacing all the existing asphalt due to the deterioration of the pavement. Additionally, the airport received $250,000 from The Idaho Department of Transportation/Aeronautics to replace the airport lighting system, which has been inoperative for the past year.
The cost to rehabilitate the airport may not be coming directly from the local community it serves, but there is no doubt that the Council Municipal Airport/Clint Yates Field is a huge asset to the community and a boost to the local economy. The airport provides safe access to medical evacuation through LifeFlight and support for firefighting when needed. The Council Airport is known as “The best stop before the backcountry,” and many pilots come here specifically to recreate or enjoy the community. To encourage local tourism, there is a community car and community bikes at the airport that pilots can check out free of charge when they are flying in, so they can get out and about and support the community and economy. Kathy Hughes, current chair of the Airport commission, said that the community car gets checked out probably ten times a week in the summer, and it is common for a pilot to fly in and enjoy lunch or shopping around town.
Sometimes, a pilot flies in, and decides to stay. Such was the case for Kathy and Paul Hughes. Paul was a reconnaissance pilot and Kathy served for over 26 years as an instructor pilot, a reconnaissance pilot, and then a flight surgeon. Later in her career, she qualified as a Pilot-Physician, with specialties in life support equipment development and cockpit designs. While they were stationed in Mountain Home and Boise the aviation enthused couple used to travel around to little airports and camp out. “We like little airports,” said Kathy, “it’s such a great anchor to the community.” One day, they ended up in Council and thought “Wow! This is a great place, it’s a beautiful little valley, it’s a great little airport, and oh, there’s a hanger for sale!” So in 2003 they purchased a hanger at the Council Airport and decided to return to the community after they retired. In early 2020 they finally made the move full time, and planted lavender at their ranch in Goodrich.
The Council Municipal/Clint Yates Field’s code is U82 and is one of the 3,300 public use airports included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS). U82 is one of 36 NPIAS airports in Idaho and currently it has 13 based aircraft. This classification is extremely important as it qualifies the airport for funding through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program which is funded by aviation fuel taxes and commercial aviation fees. An airport needs a minimum of 10 based aircraft, aircraft that call the airport their home, to be classified through NPIAS. Several years ago, without sufficient volunteers, the Council Airport had fallen by the wayside and lost their classification. This was a big deal, as they lost all federal funding at that point. “It’s money that we desperately need for our little airport,” said Hughes. Maintaining NPIAS classification is one of the big things the current Airport Commission ensures happens and is the only thing making the current construction and rehabilitation possible. The NPIAS survey happens every two years and the Council Airport has been classified for the last two cycles.
The Airport Commission is a three person board that is appointed by the City Council. They are an advisory board only, the City Council has all the decision making capacity. Currently Kathy Hughes chairs the board, which also includes Terry Power and Murry Carter. Carter will be leaving the commission this fall and Hughes said there is another name coming before the City Council next month. The Airport Commission is subject to open meeting laws and meets every fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in Hanger Number 5. They report monthly to the City Council as well. There is also an Adams County Pilot Association which is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Hughes said it is small right now, but they want it to grow.
Construction has started on the runway, as anyone who has recently been that way knows. Currently the contractor has removed all the asphalt and is currently grading the surfaces that will be paved beginning the third week of September The project should be completed by mid-October and the helipad is still open during construction. The runway markings will be painted and the lighting repair is also anticipated to be completed before the winter. When the airport was first constructed the runway was 160 (to the south)/340 (to the north).
When the first paving was done in the early 1980s, due to magnetic drift the runway became 17/35. Now 40 years later another 10 degrees of magnetic drift will change the runway to 18/36.
In 2022, a contest was held to design a logo for use in promoting the airport and the local community. Curtis Crothers from Fruitvale submitted the winning design featuring an airplane taking off to the south, the Weiser River Trail, and Council Mountain in the background. He recently updated the logo to include the new runway heading.
Once the construction is complete, Hughes hopes they can host more events at the Council Municipal Airport/Clint Yates Field. Next year in the spring they plan to have another open house and STOL (Short Take Off and Landing) Clinic. The STOL Clinics are fun little events where they paint small markers on the runway mimicking a small landing strip like one would find in the backcountry for pilots to practice on. Hughes would like to see even more in the future. “My dream would be to have people be able to instruct out of here and maybe even have a little maintenance shop,” said Hughes.
The Council Municipal/Clint Yates Field is a wonderful resource for the community, encouraging visitors, supporting businesses, providing a safe place for medical evacuation and firefighting operations. A few years ago, Hughes said that people would say to her that Council was a fly over airport, but not anymore. With a courtesy car, courtesy bikes, reasonable prices for gas, recreation and a great community, it has become a destination. This is due in great part to the hard work of all the volunteers, donations, and the hard work of the Airport Commission. The new runway and lighting will only add to the airport’s reputation. “We have become a real nice destination for people to fly in,” said Hughes, “Idaho is a great aviation community.” Anyone interested in volunteering or who wants further information about the airport can email the Airport Manager at u82manager@gmail.com. The Council Municipal Airport/Clint Yates Field truly is the best stop before the backcountry!
