Hickory Regional Airport is three miles (5 km) west of Hickory, in Catawba County, North Carolina. It is owned by the City of Hickory. Facilities Hickory Regional Airport covers and has two asphalt runways: 6/24 is 6,400 x 150 ft. (1,951 x 46 m) and 1/19 is 4,400 x 150 ft. (1,341 x 46 m). In the year ending July 31, 2009 the airport had 40,504 aircraft operations, average 111 per day: 99% general aviation and 1% military. 68 aircraft are based on the airport. The airport has an operating control tower from 7:00am to 9:00pm daily. For weather information, the airport uses an automated airport weather station (ASOS). The airport terminal building was built in 1960. The most recent airline, Delta Connection, ceased operation from Hickory in 2005. The building houses airport administration and maintenance, a café, rental cars, a bus service, as well as the Hickory Aviation Museum. In 2003 a new building was built for the general aviation community. Several flight instructors teach at the Hickory Regional Airport. Airplane rental is provided through various private entities. Instruction is provided on an individual basis under Part 61 for sport pilots, private pilots, commercial pilots, and other ratings, and under Part 141 through the flight school at Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, where the knowledge component is taught in a classroom setting. Riverhawk Aviation (and its subsidiary companies), which was the airport's only FBO, voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. On December 8, 2011, the United States bankruptcy court, having found that Riverhawk did not have the assets to continue as a viable company, removed Riverhawk as the FBO. On December 9, 2011, the City of Hickory assumed all FBO operations in order to insure no interruption in general aviation services occurred at the airport. On Monday, October 23, 2017, an EF2 tornado (confirmed by the National Weather Service's Greenville/Spartanburg bureau) occurred at the airport, destroying two hangars and several privately owned planes, along with several vehicles. Winds were estimated at a maximum of 125 mph as the storm slammed the airport's north side. A new hangar began to be built where the previous hangar stood, completing construction in early 2021. Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting The Hickory Fire Department provides aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) services to the Hickory Regional Airport. The fire department staffs an ARFF truck, known as Engine 4, with one firefighter 24 hours a