Homer Airport
Encyclopedia
Homer Airport is a state-owned public-use airport
located two nautical miles (4 km) east of the central business district
of Homer
, a town in the Kenai Peninsula Borough
of the U.S. state
of Alaska
.
Homer Airport covers an area of 1040 acres (420.9 ha) at an elevation
of 84 feet (26 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 3/21 with a 6,701 x 150 ft (2,042 x 46 m) asphalt
pavement, and a facility for floatplane
s on nearby Beluga Lake.
For the 12-month period ending January 1, 2006, the airport had 49,821 aircraft operations, an average of 136 per day: 46% scheduled commercial
, 32% air taxi
, 22% general aviation
and <1% military
. At that time there were 93 aircraft based at this airport: 90% single-engine
, 4% multi-engine, 3% helicopter
and 2% ultralight.
The FAA completed a new master plan for the airport in 2006 and expansion and safety improvements are ongoing. The plan calls for a new haul out area for floatplanes, a public-use helipad
, a building for managing rescue and firefighting operations based at the airport, and other general improvements.
dealer, Jason Karlo Anderson, who had fled from charges in Minnesota
. The suspect had rented a car at the Homer airport, and the rental agent assisted police in luring him back to the airport. Marshals were unaware that the entire Homer High School
choir, over 100 students, would be departing for a trip at the same time as the setup. The suspect apparently panicked when he arrived and discovered so many people at the small airport, and a shootout ensued in the parking lot after marshals boxed in his car. Karlo was killed, but not before severely wounding his own infant son with a gunshot to the head. The infant's mother, Cheryl Dietzmann, has contested the finding that Anderson shot his own son and in February 2009 filed against the U.S. Marshals asking for seventy-five million dollars in damages. In July 2011 the Marshals settled with Dietzman for 3.5 million dollars. An additional case against the individual Homer Police officers has yet to make it to court.
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 two nautical miles (4 km) east 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 Homer
Homer, Alaska
Homer is a city located in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population was 5,364. One of Homer's nicknames is "the cosmic hamlet by the sea"; another is "the end of the road"...
, a town in the Kenai Peninsula Borough
Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska
-National protected areas:* Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge ** Chiswell Islands** Tuxedni Wilderness* Chugach National Forest * Katmai National Park and Preserve ** Katmai Wilderness...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
.
Facilities and aircraft
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 84 feet (26 m) above mean sea level. It has 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 3/21 with a 6,701 x 150 ft (2,042 x 46 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, and a facility for floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s on nearby Beluga Lake.
For the 12-month period ending January 1, 2006, the airport had 49,821 aircraft operations, an average of 136 per day: 46% scheduled commercial
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
, 32% 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...
, 22% 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 <1% 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...
. At that time there were 93 aircraft based at this airport: 90% 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...
, 4% multi-engine, 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...
and 2% ultralight.
The FAA completed a new master plan for the airport in 2006 and expansion and safety improvements are ongoing. The plan calls for a new haul out area for floatplanes, a public-use helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
, a building for managing rescue and firefighting operations based at the airport, and other general improvements.
Airlines and destinations
- There are also numerous sightseeing and fly-in fishing and hunting operations.
Notable incidents
In March 2006, agents from the US Marshal service, in conjunction with local police, attempted to apprehend a violent methamphetamineMethamphetamine
Methamphetamine is a psychostimulant of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of psychoactive drugs...
dealer, Jason Karlo Anderson, who had fled from charges in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. The suspect had rented a car at the Homer airport, and the rental agent assisted police in luring him back to the airport. Marshals were unaware that the entire Homer High School
Homer High School (Alaska)
Homer High School is located in Homer, Alaska at 600 E Fairview Ave. It is part of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District. The school's mascot is a Mariner, usually represented by a wheel or sometimes an anchor.- Ethnicity :...
choir, over 100 students, would be departing for a trip at the same time as the setup. The suspect apparently panicked when he arrived and discovered so many people at the small airport, and a shootout ensued in the parking lot after marshals boxed in his car. Karlo was killed, but not before severely wounding his own infant son with a gunshot to the head. The infant's mother, Cheryl Dietzmann, has contested the finding that Anderson shot his own son and in February 2009 filed against the U.S. Marshals asking for seventy-five million dollars in damages. In July 2011 the Marshals settled with Dietzman for 3.5 million dollars. An additional case against the individual Homer Police officers has yet to make it to court.
External links
- FAA Alaska airport diagram (GIFGIFThe Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and has since come into widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability....
)
