Albert Lea Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Albert Lea Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport
located three nautical miles (6 km) north of the central business district
of the city of Albert Lea
, in Freeborn County
, Minnesota
, United States
.
Albert Lea Municipal Airport was recently granted over $3 million dollars in federal economic stimulus funds to relocate the main runway. The announcement follows another recent grant to rehabilitate the airport's crosswind runway.
of 1,260 feet (384 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 16/34 is 4,501 by 100 feet (1,372 x 30 m) and 4/22 is 2,898 by 75 feet (883 x 23 m).
For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2008, the airport had 26,175 aircraft operations, an average of 71 per day: 91% general aviation
, 8% air taxi
and 1% military
. At that time there were 40 aircraft based at this airport: 75% single-engine
, 5% multi-engine, 5% glider
and 15% ultralight.
contests at the Albert Lea Airport. The airport holds the distinction of being the only site in the United States to have hosted all seven classes of glider
competition.
From 1990-2008 Albert Lea was the host site for the International Aerobatic Club
Doug Yost Challenge Aerobatic Competition. This contest was moved to Spencer, Iowa
due to construction in the area needed for the contest.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
located three nautical miles (6 km) north of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of the city of Albert Lea
Albert Lea, Minnesota
Albert Lea is a city in and the county seat of Freeborn County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 18,016 at the 2010 census....
, in Freeborn County
Freeborn County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 32,584 people, 13,356 households, and 9,015 families residing in the county. The population density was 46 people per square mile . There were 13,996 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Albert Lea Municipal Airport was recently granted over $3 million dollars in federal economic stimulus funds to relocate the main runway. The announcement follows another recent grant to rehabilitate the airport's crosswind runway.
Facilities and aircraft
Albert Lea Municipal Airport covers an area of 273 acres (110.5 ha) at an elevationElevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 1,260 feet (384 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
paved runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s: 16/34 is 4,501 by 100 feet (1,372 x 30 m) and 4/22 is 2,898 by 75 feet (883 x 23 m).
For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2008, the airport had 26,175 aircraft operations, an average of 71 per day: 91% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, 8% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
and 1% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
. At that time there were 40 aircraft based at this airport: 75% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
, 5% multi-engine, 5% glider
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
and 15% ultralight.
Soaring contests
In the last 15 years, there have been 8 major soaringGliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
contests at the Albert Lea Airport. The airport holds the distinction of being the only site in the United States to have hosted all seven classes of glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
competition.
- 1992 U.S. Region 7 Contest
- 1993 1-26 Championships
- 1995 U.S. Sports Class Nationals
- 1997 U.S. 15m Nationals
- 1999 U.S. World Class Nationals and Region 7 Contest
- 2002 U.S. Region 7 Contest
- 2005 U.S. Region 7 Contest
- 2007 U.S. Open Class Nationals
- 2007 U.S. 18 m Class Nationals
- 2007 U.S. Region 7 Sport Class Contest
From 1990-2008 Albert Lea was the host site for the International Aerobatic Club
International Aerobatic Club
The International Aerobatic Club is a division of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the National Aeronautics Association...
Doug Yost Challenge Aerobatic Competition. This contest was moved to Spencer, Iowa
Spencer, Iowa
Spencer is a city in the state of Iowa , and the county seat of Clay County . It is located at the confluence of the Little Sioux and Ocheyedan Rivers. The population was 11,233 in the 2010 census, a decline from 11,317 in the 2000 census. Spencer is famous as the home of the Clay County Fair,...
due to construction in the area needed for the contest.
External links
- Aerial photo as of 17 April 1991 from USGS The National Map