Culbertson Airport to Showcase Facility During Open House
Community members will have an opportunity to tour the newest addition at Big Sky Field during an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Culbertson Airport. Where o_cials will serve root beer floats to the public.
The airport recently completed construction of a new snow removal equipment building, a project that has been in the planning stages since 2021. The facility includes storage for snow removal equipment and a pilot’s lounge with restroom facilities and refreshments for visiting pilots.
The lounge is expected to benefit a variety of airport users, particularly medevac flight crews, who often wait at the airport while local medical teams prepare patients for transport to larger hospitals.
Big Sky Field is owned by Roosevelt County and managed by the Town of Culbertson through an operations agreement. Oversight is provided by a five-member Airport Board appointed by the Culbertson City Council. The board reviews airport operations, evaluates improvement projects and makes recommendations to the council.
Funding for the new building came primarily through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program and the Montana Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division. The FAA provides Big Sky Field with approximately $150,000 annually in entitlement funding, which airports can accumulate over several years for capital improvement projects such as runway maintenance and facility construction.
For the snow removal equipment building, the FAA covered 95 percent of the project’s cost, while the remaining 5 percent was the responsibility of local government. Montana Aeronautics provided grant funding to help o_set the local share.
The project experienced several delays before construction began. In February 2024, the Airport Board received a single construction bid totaling approximately $1.4 million. Board members recommended rejecting the bid because of its cost and returned to the design process in hopes of attracting more competitive proposals.
The project was rebid in the fall of 2025, drawing proposals from three contractors. Corland Construction of Sidney submitted the lowest bid at approximately $1.1 million and was awarded the contract.
Big Sky Field has served northeastern Montana for six decades. The airport was dedicated in June 1966, with William Piper, owner of Piper Aircraft Corp. and often referred to as the “Henry Ford of Aviation,” serving as the ceremony’s guest speaker.
Today, the airport supports a wide range of aviation services, including medevac flights, agricultural aviation, pipeline inspections, Montana Department of Transportation operations, Montana National Guard missions, corporate aircraft and private pilots. Eight privately owned aircraft are currently based at the airport.
Airport o_cials encourage area residents to attend the Aug. 6 open house to learn more about the facility, view the new building, enjoy root beer floats and visit with members of the Airport Board and local o_cials.
