Forbes Field (Kansas)
Encyclopedia
Forbes Field is a joint civil-military public airport
located six miles (10 km) south of the central business district
of Topeka
, a city in Shawnee County
, Kansas
, United States
. It is owned by the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority.
The airport is on the former site of the Topeka Army Airfield, later known as Forbes Air Force Base
, a former Strategic Air Command
(SAC) facility which closed in 1973. Most of the former base administrative area is now used for offices and an industrial park. The 190th Air Refueling Wing
(190 ARW) of the Kansas Air National Guard
also uses a portion of the airport as an Air Force cantonment area and Air National Guard
installation in support of KC-135 Stratotanker
aircraft operations.
As per Federal Aviation Administration
records, the airport had 17,924 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
2006, up from 7,530 enplanements in 2005. The airport has no scheduled commercial airline service at this time. Allegiant Air
offered scheduled flights to Las Vegas
, but discontinued service here on July 30, 2007.
paved runway
s: 13/31 measuring 12,802 x 200 ft (3,902 x 61 m) and 3/21 measuring 7,000 x 150 ft (2,134 x 46 m). For the 12-month period ending October 31, 2007, the airport had 44,152 aircraft operations, an average of 120 per day: 58% military, 38% general aviation
and 4% scheduled commercial.
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 six miles (10 km) south 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 Topeka
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
, a city in Shawnee County
Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county's population was 177,934 for the 2010 census...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 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 Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority.
The airport is on the former site of the Topeka Army Airfield, later known as Forbes Air Force Base
Forbes Air Force Base
Forbes Field, previously Forbes Air Force Base, is a joint-use civil-military airport operated by the Topeka Airport Authority located approximately south of Topeka, Kansas....
, a former Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
(SAC) facility which closed in 1973. Most of the former base administrative area is now used for offices and an industrial park. The 190th Air Refueling Wing
190th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 190th Air Refueling Wing is an aerial refueling unit located at Forbes Field, Kansas.-History:...
(190 ARW) of the Kansas Air National Guard
Kansas Air National Guard
The Kansas Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Kansas. It is, along with the Kansas Army National Guard, an element of the Kansas National Guard. It is considered a part of the United States Air Force, as well as of the state....
also uses a portion of the airport as an Air Force cantonment area and Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
installation in support of KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
aircraft operations.
As per Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
records, the airport had 17,924 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
Calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day. By convention, a calendar year consists of a natural number of days. To reconcile the calendar year with an astronomical cycle , certain years...
2006, up from 7,530 enplanements in 2005. The airport has no scheduled commercial airline service at this time. Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air is an American low-cost airline owned by Allegiant Travel Co. that operates scheduled and charter flights. Allegiant Travel Company is a publicly traded company with 1,300 employees and one billion USD market capitalization...
offered scheduled flights to 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...
, but discontinued service here on July 30, 2007.
History
In April 1976, with the exception of those portions retained by the Air National Guard, most of the former Forbes Air Force Base was turned over to the city of Topeka and Shawnee County. During this transition, all commercial air service was moved from the Phillip Billard Airport to the newly established Forbes Field. On June 1, 1976, Frontier Airlines provided the first jet service out of Forbes Field. In 1981, a bond to build a new air terminal was rejected, but then approved a year later in 1982. The new $5 million terminal was completed in 1985. The terminal includes 5 airline ticket counters, the only current counter used is by Allegiant Air, 2 rental car counter, Hertz and Avis (seen outside in the parking lot with spaces provided for rental cars at one time), and one baggage claim carousel. Topeka has had several carriers throughout the mid-1970s to late-1980s, including Frontier, United, Midway and TWA. During this period, Forbes Field handled up to 180,000 passengers per year. After the major carriers pulled out, commuter flights were offered out of Forbes Field. As recently as November 2003, commuter service was provided by Air Midwest, codeshared with US Airways Express, on 19-passenger planes between Topeka and Kansas City International Airport.Facilities and aircraft
Forbes Field covers an area of 2854 acres (1,155 ha) which contains two concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
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: 13/31 measuring 12,802 x 200 ft (3,902 x 61 m) and 3/21 measuring 7,000 x 150 ft (2,134 x 46 m). For the 12-month period ending October 31, 2007, the airport had 44,152 aircraft operations, an average of 120 per day: 58% military, 38% 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% scheduled commercial.