New Century AirCenter
Encyclopedia
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...
airport located four miles (6 km) southwest 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 Olathe
Olathe, Kansas
Olathe is a city in and the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. Located in northeastern Kansas, it is also the fifth most populous city in the state, with a population of 125,872 at the 2010 census. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, Olathe is the fourth-largest city in the...
, a city in Johnson County
Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. The county is largely suburban, being part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, and containing many of its affluent southwestern suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 544,179. Its county...
, 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...
.
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...
, New Century AirCenter is assigned IXD by the FAA and JCI by the IATA (which assigned IXD to Bamrauli Airport in Allahabad
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
). The airport's ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
identifier is KIXD.
The airport’s codes were derived from its name of Johnson County Industrial Airport. The county originally sought the “IND” designation for its “industrial” name but that identifier went to Indianapolis International Airport
Indianapolis International Airport
Indianapolis International Airport is a public airport located seven miles southwest of the central business district of Indianapolis, a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority...
. The county then sought an “IJC” code based on the Johnson County name but that was rejected as too similar to the OJC code of the neighboring Johnson County Executive Airport
Johnson County Executive Airport
Johnson County Executive Airport is a public airport located four miles southeast of the central business district of Olathe, a city in Johnson County, Kansas, USA.The facility is the fourth busiest airport in the state of Kansas.-History:...
(which was previously a naval auxiliary landing field, or NALF, under the control of Naval Air Station Olathe
Naval Air Station Olathe
Naval Air Station Olathe is a former United States Navy base located in Gardner, Kansas. On its grounds at one point was Olathe Air Force Station...
). As a civilian facility, the airport was assigned the closest available industrial code "IXD." The previous FAA code for Naval Air Station Olathe was NUU and the ICAO code KNUU.
Military use
With the departure of Navy and Marine Corps Reserve flying units, the sole remaining military aviation presence at the airfield is the US Army Reserve's Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, flying the CH-47 ChinookCH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
.
Civil use
The airport was acquired by Johnson County in 1973 and renamed Johnson County Industrial Airport to reflect a new mission of being an industrial park (including the Fred Allenbrand Criminal Justice Complex for Johnson County). On September 28, 1994 the name was changed to New Century AirCenter so as not to minimize its aviation component. In 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) voted to close Naval Air Reserve Center (NAVAIRESCEN) Olathe and consolidate its units and functions at other Naval Air Reserve activities, with all Navy activities ceasing in 1996.The base was featured in a segment on the A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
entitled “Haunted America” in which it is claimed the base is the site of paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
activity after a pilot crashed into an aircraft hangar next to the airport control tower in the 1950s. According to the report: security guards hear voices, whistles, footsteps on the floor and on overhead catwalks. Locks refuse to stay locked and doors open and close without wind or human intervention and an occasional apparition makes an appearance.
Facilities and aircraft
New Century Aircenter Airport covers an area of 2600 acres (1,052.2 ha) which contains two runwayRunway
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:
- Runway 4/22: 5,130 x 100 ft (1,564 x 30 m), Surface: Asphalt
- Runway 18/36: 7,339 x 150 ft (2,237 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
For 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 58,114 aircraft operations, an average of 159 per day: 55% transient general aviation (32,150), 39% local general aviation (22,697), 4% air taxi (2,179) and 2% military (1,088). There are 130 aircraft based at this airport: 73% single engine (95), 21% multi engine (27), 6% jet aircraft (8) and 12% military (16).
External links
- New Century Air Service, Inc. (Full Service FBO & Line Service, 24-7 fueling, aircraft maintenance & insurance repairs, aircraft appraisals and sales)
- New Century AirCenter (Johnson County web site)
- Kings Avionics, Inc. (Avionic Services @ EB Hangar)
- Executive Beechcraft, Inc. / BBA Aviation (EB FBO located on west side of 36/18 at H)
- FltPlan.com Airport, Runway,& Weather Info