Operators of some posh FBOs sometimes complain that pilots are “looking for Wal-Mart prices.” At Beaver Lake Aviation at Rogers (Ark.) Airport (ROG), that’s exactly what they’ll find. The FBO is a division of the massive retailer and grew out of its corporate flight department. Wal-Mart has a lengthy aviation heritage, with founder (and avid pilot) Sam Walton having traveled the country by air, seeking new store locations. A facsimile of his first “corporate” aircraft, a 1948 Ercoupe, hangs in the atrium of Beaver Lake Aviation as a tribute to the aviation heritage surrounding Wal-Mart and Rogers.
But Beaver Lake services more than the current Wal-Mart fleet of 18 Learjets, a Challenger and a Global Express. The FBO pumps 250,000 gal of aviation fuel per month, split roughly 60/40 between Wal-Mart’s fleet and either transient customers or the 100 other general aviation aircraft based in Rogers. The airport has ILS, VOR, NDB and GPS approaches to its single 6,011-ft runway. The airport is adding a new control tower and fire station, scheduled for completion early next year. Also on tap is a new parallel taxiway.
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