Coulter Field
Encyclopedia
Coulter Field is a public-use airport
located three nautical miles (6 km) northeast of the central business district
of Bryan
, in Brazos County
, Texas
, United States
. It is owned by the City of Bryan which is part of the Bryan-College Station
area. The airport is used entirely for general aviation
.
. With intentional parachute
jumps having been conducted since the mid-1950s, skydiving at Coulter Field has continued through today. Ags Over Texas (AOT) was the home of the Texas A&M University
skydiving team until its closure in 1999. In March 2002, Skydive Aggieland opened and is the current home of the Texas A&M University skydiving club. Texas Governor Rick Perry
completed a successful static-line skydive at AOT while he was attending Texas A&M University in the 1970s and former President George H. W. Bush
(41) completed a tandem skydive at Coulter Field in cooperation with Skydive Aggieland and the Golden Knights
a day prior to completing his last jump at his Presidential Library on Texas A&M University main campus.
of 367 feet (112 m) above mean sea level. It has one asphalt
paved runway
designated 14/32 which measures 4,000 by 75 feet (1,219 x 23 m). FAA records show it as Runway 15/33, but an aerial photo shows the runway marked as 14/32. A former turf
runway designated 17/35 is permanently closed.
For the 12-month period ending July 16, 2008, the airport had 16,200 general aviation
aircraft operations, an average of 44 per day. At that time there were 66 aircraft based at this airport: 82% single-engine
, 15% multi-engine and 3% helicopter
.
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) northeast 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 Bryan
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
, in Brazos County
Brazos County, Texas
Brazos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas in the Central Texas region. In 2010, its population was 194,851. The county seat is Bryan and it is part of the Bryan-College Station metropolitan area. Brazos is named for the Brazos River, along with Brazoria...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 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 the City of Bryan which is part of the Bryan-College Station
Bryan-College Station metropolitan area
The Bryan–College Station Metropolitan Statistical Area is a metropolitan area in the Brazos Valley region of Texas that covers three counties: Brazos, Burleson, and Robertson...
area. The airport is used entirely for 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...
.
History
Coulter Field has a long history with sport parachutingParachuting
Parachuting, also known as skydiving, is the action of exiting an aircraft and returning to earth with the aid of a parachute. It may or may not involve a certain amount of free-fall, a time during which the parachute has not been deployed and the body gradually accelerates to terminal...
. With intentional parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
jumps having been conducted since the mid-1950s, skydiving at Coulter Field has continued through today. Ags Over Texas (AOT) was the home of the Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
skydiving team until its closure in 1999. In March 2002, Skydive Aggieland opened and is the current home of the Texas A&M University skydiving club. Texas Governor Rick Perry
Rick Perry
James Richard "Rick" Perry is the 47th and current Governor of Texas. A Republican, Perry was elected Lieutenant Governor of Texas in 1998 and assumed the governorship in December 2000 when then-governor George W. Bush resigned to become President of the United States. Perry was elected to full...
completed a successful static-line skydive at AOT while he was attending Texas A&M University in the 1970s and former President George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
(41) completed a tandem skydive at Coulter Field in cooperation with Skydive Aggieland and the Golden Knights
United States Army Parachute Team
The United States Army Parachute Team, nicknamed and commonly known as the Golden Knights, is a demonstration and competition parachute team of the United States Army...
a day prior to completing his last jump at his Presidential Library on Texas A&M University main campus.
Facilities and aircraft
Coulter Field covers an area of 256 acres (103.6 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 367 feet (112 m) above mean sea level. It has one 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...
designated 14/32 which measures 4,000 by 75 feet (1,219 x 23 m). FAA records show it as Runway 15/33, but an aerial photo shows the runway marked as 14/32. A former turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
runway designated 17/35 is permanently closed.
For the 12-month period ending July 16, 2008, the airport had 16,200 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...
aircraft operations, an average of 44 per day. At that time there were 66 aircraft based at this airport: 82% 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...
, 15% 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...
.