Grayling Army Airfield
Encyclopedia
Grayling Army Airfield is a public/military use airport
located one nautical mile (1.85 km) northwest of the central business district
of Grayling
, in Crawford County
, Michigan
, United States
. It is owned by United States Army
. The airfield is located 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of the main cantonment
area of Camp Grayling
.
Grayling AAF covers an area of 923 acres (373.5 ha) at an elevation
of 1,158 feet (353 m) above mean sea level. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2008, the airport had 4,691 aircraft operations, an average of 10 per day: 63% general aviation
and 37% military
.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, this airport is assigned GOV by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA (which assigned GOV to Gove Airport
in Australia
).
with parking for 100 helicopters, 50 with cement pads with a total of 70 tie downs. The control tower was recently upgraded to a STVS
(Small Tower Voice Switch) system with positions in three different locations. There is an 800 square feet (74.3 m²) operations building which includes an operations center, flight planning room, safety office, commander's office, and a weather room. Additionally, the airfield contains a 6400 square feet (594.6 m²) maintenance hangar, crash rescue barn and NAVAIDS which include TVOR
, NDB
, VASI and REIL.
s.
Runway 5/23 and taxiways A/D/E are closed during the winter months, since there is no snow removal on these surfaces.
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 one nautical mile (1.85 km) northwest 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 Grayling
Grayling, Michigan
Grayling is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Crawford County. The population was 1,952 at the 2000 census. Grayling takes its name from the Grayling fish that was once prevalent in its lakes and streams....
, in Crawford County
Crawford County, Michigan
See also: List of counties bordering eight counties-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,273 people, 5,625 households, and 4,038 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 10,042 housing units at an average density of 18 per...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 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 United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. The airfield is located 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of the main cantonment
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
area of Camp Grayling
Camp Grayling
Camp Grayling, near Grayling, is located primarily in Crawford County, Michigan, and spreads over three counties. Camp Grayling is the main training facility for the Michigan National Guard and is the largest National Guard training facility in the nation....
.
Grayling AAF covers an area of 923 acres (373.5 ha) at an elevation
Elevation
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 1,158 feet (353 m) above mean sea level. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2008, the airport had 4,691 aircraft operations, an average of 10 per day: 63% 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 37% 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...
.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
Location identifier
A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for manned air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programming, weather reports, and related services.-ICAO...
for the FAA
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...
and IATA
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
, this airport is assigned GOV by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA (which assigned GOV to Gove Airport
Gove Airport
All flights are met by a shuttle bus connecting to Nhulunbuy.- Statistics :Gove Airport was ranked 42nd in Australia for the number of revenue passengers served in financial year 2009-2010....
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
).
Facilities
The airport is staffed from dawn until dusk. The 29000 square feet (2,694.2 m²) parking area can accommodate fixed-wing aircraftFixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
with parking for 100 helicopters, 50 with cement pads with a total of 70 tie downs. The control tower was recently upgraded to a STVS
STVS
STVS is a television network in Suriname. It broadcasts in the Dutch language....
(Small Tower Voice Switch) system with positions in three different locations. There is an 800 square feet (74.3 m²) operations building which includes an operations center, flight planning room, safety office, commander's office, and a weather room. Additionally, the airfield contains a 6400 square feet (594.6 m²) maintenance hangar, crash rescue barn and NAVAIDS which include TVOR
VHF omnidirectional range
VOR, short for VHF omnidirectional radio range, is a type of radio navigation system for aircraft. A VOR ground station broadcasts a VHF radio composite signal including the station's identifier, voice , and navigation signal. The identifier is typically a two- or three-letter string in Morse code...
, NDB
Non-directional beacon
A non-directional beacon is a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. As the name implies, the signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information, in contrast to other navigational aids such as low frequency radio range, VHF...
, VASI and REIL.
Runways
The airfield consists of two 5000x150-foot runways with 1200 feet (365.8 m) overrun and 50 feet (15.2 m) wide connecting taxiwayTaxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
s.
- Runway 5/23: 5,000 x 150 ft (1,524 x 46 m), Surface: Concrete
- Runway 14/32: 5,000 x 150 ft (1,524 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
Runway 5/23 and taxiways A/D/E are closed during the winter months, since there is no snow removal on these surfaces.
Transit
- The airport is accessible by road from M-93M-93 (Michigan highway)M-93 is the designation of a state trunkline highway in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It links both Camp Grayling and Hartwick Pines State Park with Interstate 75 . Both termini of M-93 end at locations, rather than junctions with another road. The western end of M-93 turns...
, and is close to M-72M-72 (Michigan highway)M-72 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan, running from Lake Huron to Lake Michigan across the northern part of the Lower Peninsula. The highway connects M-22 in Empire with US Highway 23 in Harrisville. It is one of only three Michigan state trunklines that cross the Lower...
and I-75.
See also
- Michigan World War II Army AirfieldsMichigan World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Michigan for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
External links
- Grayling Army Airfield page at Michigan National Guard website
- Aerial photo as of 30 April 1999 from USGS The National Map page at Michigan Airport Directory