Perry County Airport's runway, fuel and medevac role underappreciated

Perry County Municipal Airport, identified as TEL (ICAO KTEL), is a county-owned general aviation field roughly six miles northeast of Tell City that plays an outsized role in local transportation and emergency access. The airport’s single asphalt runway, 13/31, measures 4,400 by 75 feet at an elevation near 659 feet and is equipped with RNAV (GPS) instrument approaches for both runway directions, improving reliability when weather moves in.

For residents and businesses, those technical details matter. The runway length and pavement type accommodate the bulk of light and medium general aviation aircraft, medevac helicopters and small turboprops used for regional business trips and air-taxi operations, while limiting routine use by larger corporate jets that need longer runways. The presence of RNAV approaches reduces weather-related cancellations and keeps medical and time-sensitive flights moving — a practical benefit for a county where road trips to distant hospitals can add critical minutes.

Operationally the field is untowered; pilots use CTAF/UNICOM frequency 122.7 to coordinate arrivals and departures. On-site services include self-service Avgas and mogas pump options, tiedown and hangar space, and basic pilot amenities. The availability of mogas is notable for owners of certain piston aircraft and light-sport planes, lowering operating costs and making the airport more accessible to a broader slice of the flying community.

The airport is owned and operated by the Perry County Airport Authority, which maintains manager and contact information for pilots and users. As a public, county-managed facility, the airport is positioned to pursue infrastructure and safety improvements that would support more predictable service and potential economic lift. Maintaining fuel service, hangar capacity and instrument procedures helps sustain local jobs, supports visiting business traffic, and underpins medevac and public safety missions.

Long-term trends in regional aviation favor airports that combine navigational reliability with affordable fuel and storage. For Perry County, modest investments in pavement, hangars and instrument procedure maintenance could reduce flight cancellations, attract more transient business traffic and improve emergency response times. Conversely, neglecting upkeep risks supply disruptions for fuel and aircraft parking that would ripple through local firms that depend on timely air access.

Our two cents? If you fly into or rely on the airport, keep its untowered procedures and CTAF 122.7 in your preflight brief and consider supporting local efforts to secure funding for hangar and safety upgrades. For county leaders, prioritizing modest investments in runway and weather procedure upkeep will amplify the airport’s benefits for medevac, business travel and Perry County’s broader economy.