Bryce Canyon Airport
Encyclopedia
Bryce Canyon Airport is a public airport
located four miles (6 km) north of Bryce Canyon, in Garfield County
, Utah
, United States
. It is owned by Garfield County.
The airport is near Bryce Canyon National Park
and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
.
paved runway
(3/21) measuring 7,395 x 75 ft (2,254 x 23 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 3,132 aircraft operations: 57% general aviation
, 26% air taxi
and 17% scheduled commercial.
by the Works Progress Administration
in 1936. The hangar's gabled roof is supported sawn wood trusses spanning 83 feet (25.3 m). The trusses are expressed on the outside and infilled with half-rounds of log, giving a half timbered
effect. The hangar and airport were built by Garfield County and the WPA with the aim of attracting tourism to Bryce Canyon National Park, which had been designated in 1928.
The timber used in the hangar shows the marks of the borers that infested the trees, which were harvested as part of a program to remove beetle-killed trees. The hangar is unique in its adaptation of local construction techniques to accommodate a new transportation technology.
Bryce Canyon Airport was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978.
a DC-6 (NC37510) was on a flight from Los Angeles
to Chicago
when it crashed at 12:29 pm on October 24, 1947 about 1.5 miles southeast of Bryce Canyon Airport, killing all 5 crew members and 47 passengers on board.
On October 6, 2000 American Airlines
flight 2821 departed Denver International Airport
bound for Los Angeles International Airport
. As the MD-82 aircraft was cruising at 33000 ft (10,058.4 m), there was a report of smoke in the cockpit area and loss of cabin pressure. The airliner was immediately redirected to the Bryce Canyon airport in southwestern Utah. The single runway airport only handles small prop planes daily, but was actually built to handle larger aircraft in case of emergency for the long stretch flights between Denver and Las Vegas
. The American Airlines
flight 2821 and the 75 people on board landed safely at 8:45 A.M.
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 four miles (6 km) north of Bryce Canyon, in Garfield County
Garfield County, Utah
Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. As of 2000 the population was 4,735. It was named for James A. Garfield, President of the United States in 1881. Its county seat and largest city is Panguitch.-Geography:...
, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by Garfield County.
The airport is near Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park is a national park located in southwestern Utah in the United States. The major feature of the park is Bryce Canyon which, despite its name, is not a canyon but a giant natural amphitheater created by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau...
and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument contains 1.9 million acres of land in southern Utah, the United States. There are three main regions: the Grand Staircase, the Kaiparowits Plateau, and the Canyons of the Escalante. President Bill Clinton designated the area as a U.S. National...
.
Facilities and aircraft
Bryce Canyon Airport covers an area of 215 acres (87 ha) which contains one asphaltAsphalt
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...
(3/21) measuring 7,395 x 75 ft (2,254 x 23 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 3,132 aircraft operations: 57% 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...
, 26% 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 17% scheduled commercial.
Charter airlines and destinations
- Air Grand CanyonAir Grand CanyonAir Grand Canyon is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Grand Canyon National Park Airport in the Tusayan census-designated place in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States. Air Grand Canyon an air tour company flying tourists on sight-seeing flights around the Grand Canyon...
(Prescott, South Rim Grand Canyon) - Air VegasAir VegasHAir Vegas was an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of the North Las Vegas Air Terminal in North Las Vegas, Nevada. It operated daily sightseeing flights from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon...
(Las Vegas) - Talon Air (Las Vegas)
- Grand Canyon AirlinesGrand Canyon AirlinesGrand Canyon Airlines is an FAR Part 135 airline headquartered on the grounds of Grand Canyon National Park Airport in the Tusayan census-designated place in unincorporated Coconino County, Arizona, United States. It operates sightseeing tours over the Grand Canyon...
- King Air (Henderson)
- Westwind (Deer Valley, Page, Phoenix)
Historic significance
The Garfield County Airport Hangar is significant as an unusual example of a log hangar. The hangar was built of local ponderosa pinePonderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
by the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
in 1936. The hangar's gabled roof is supported sawn wood trusses spanning 83 feet (25.3 m). The trusses are expressed on the outside and infilled with half-rounds of log, giving a half timbered
Timber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
effect. The hangar and airport were built by Garfield County and the WPA with the aim of attracting tourism to Bryce Canyon National Park, which had been designated in 1928.
The timber used in the hangar shows the marks of the borers that infested the trees, which were harvested as part of a program to remove beetle-killed trees. The hangar is unique in its adaptation of local construction techniques to accommodate a new transportation technology.
Bryce Canyon Airport was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978.
Incidents
United Airlines Flight 608United Airlines Flight 608
United Airlines Flight 608 was a Douglas DC-6 airliner, registration NC37510, on a scheduled passenger flight from Los Angeles to Chicago when it crashed at 12:29 pm on October 24, 1947 about 1.5 miles southeast of Bryce Canyon Airport, Utah. There were no...
a DC-6 (NC37510) was on a flight from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
when it crashed at 12:29 pm on October 24, 1947 about 1.5 miles southeast of Bryce Canyon Airport, killing all 5 crew members and 47 passengers on board.
On October 6, 2000 American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
flight 2821 departed Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
bound for Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
. As the MD-82 aircraft was cruising at 33000 ft (10,058.4 m), there was a report of smoke in the cockpit area and loss of cabin pressure. The airliner was immediately redirected to the Bryce Canyon airport in southwestern Utah. The single runway airport only handles small prop planes daily, but was actually built to handle larger aircraft in case of emergency for the long stretch flights between Denver and Las Vegas
McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...
. The American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
flight 2821 and the 75 people on board landed safely at 8:45 A.M.
External links
- More about Bryce Canyon Airport
- Photographs of Bryce County Airport at the National Park Service's NRHP database