Back about 1983 I made the first ever landing by a jet aircraft at PLK. A Branson time-share condo developer traded in his King Air for an early serial number Falcon 10 w/o thrust reversers and hired me to fly it, since I had flown that airframe for the previous owner. Before accepting the job, I set some non-negotiable limits with him for PLK - weight, weather, dry runway only, etc. He sometimes pushed, but I never gave in.
On the day of the first landing, nobody from the company wanted to ride with us, so the F/O and I went in empty for a pick-up. The airport in those days was owned and operated by
College of the Ozarks and all the students worked their way through school.
As we lined up on final the F/O said to me, "Don't *** it up." I asked why, and he pointed out that all the instructors and student workers in the aviation technology program had come out and lined up along the edge the ramp to watch the landing. No pressure there. Later on, a guy in a 20-series Lear with T/R's would occasionally drop in.
Years later the school operated a Citation, but the whole aviation technology program folded after the school's av-tech manager, I think, ran the Citation into a hillside about 4nm out during a GPS approach in wx below minimums,
killing all aboard.
Operating a Falcon at Point Lookout was fun, but I can't imagine stuffing a 737 in there, especially at night. The drop offs at the runway ends are sobering.
