Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport is a public airport

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...

 in Bolingbrook

Bolingbrook, Illinois

Bolingbrook is a large village in Will and DuPage Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2010 US Census, the population is 73,366...

, a village in Will County

Will County, Illinois

As of the census of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile . There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile...

, Illinois

Illinois

Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Located 29 miles (46 km) southwest of the Chicago Loop

Chicago Loop

The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...

, it is a small 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...

 facility catering to private pilots, students, and commuter aircraft. It is also the location of the Illinois Aviation Museum at Bolingbrook.

Clow features a $100 hamburger

$100 Hamburger

$100 hamburger is aviation slang for a general aviation pilot needing an excuse to fly.A $100 hamburger trip typically involves flying a short distance , eating at an airport restaurant, and flying home...

 diner, Charlie's Restaurant, which serves breakfast and lunch.

History

The airport was originally a grass airstrip built by Oliver Boyd Clow in the 1950s. By 1989 it was named the best privately-owned, public use airport in Illinois. The airport was acquired by the Village of Bolingbrook in 2004. The village intends to expand the airport, which will include steps such as widening the runway, adding runway, taxiway, and landing glidepath lighting.

The airport was used as a location for the 1992 film Folks! with Tom Selleck and Don Ameche, which also had a cameo by O. Boyd Clow, the founder of the airport.

Facilities and aircraft

Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport covers an area of 205 acres (83 ha) and contains one 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...

 designated 18/36 with a 3,362 x 50 ft (1,025 x 15 m) 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...

 pavement.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 50,000 aircraft operations, an average of 136 per day: 96% 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...

 and 4% 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...

. There are 145 aircraft based at this airport: 83% single-engine, 10% ultralight, 3% multi-engine and 3% helicopter

Helicopter

A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...

. The Fixed-Based Operator (FBO) at Clow is A&M Aviation.

External links

• Bolingbrook's Clow International Airport is at 41°41′46"N 088°07′45"W