Northwest Alabama Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Northwest Alabama Regional Airport is a public-use airport
in Colbert County
, Alabama
, United States
. It located one nautical mile
(2 km
) east of the central business district
of Muscle Shoals
. The airport is operated by the counties of Colbert and Lauderdale
. It is mostly used for general aviation
, but is also served by one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service
program.
As per Federal Aviation Administration
records, the airport had 8,680 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
2010, an increase of 25.9% from the 6,897 enplanements in 2009. This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2011–2015, which categorized
it as a non-primary commercial service airport (between 2,500 and 10,000 enplanements per year).
as a World War II
pilot training military airfield. It was assigned to the AAF Flying Training Command, Southeast Training Center (later Eastern Flying Training Command) as a basic (stage 2) pilot training airfield.
Instruction at the school consisted of teaching the cadets to fly in formation, fly by instruments or by aerial navigation, fly at night, and fly for long distances. Aviation Cadets who washed out of pilot training were usually sent to navigator or bombardier school. The initial aircraft complement numbered 24 Vultee BT-13 Valiant
and BT-15 aircraft. The ten-week course consisted of 70 hours of flight training and 150 hours of ground training.
Pilot training at the airfield apparently ended on 30 May 1944, with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program. The airfield was returned to civil control at the end of the war.
fleet. Under federal law, Delta Connection must continue service to Muscle Shoals until a replacement carrier is found. In 2011, Air Choice One
, a Missouri-based carrier, has submitted a proposal to the US DOT to serve Muscle Shoals to either Atlanta, Nashville, or Memphis. If the proposal is accepted, the airline plans to begin the air link in as little as 30 days.
s (259 ha
) at an elevation
of 551 feet (168 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 11/29 is 6,694 by 150 feet (2,040 x 46 m) and 18/36 is 4,000 by 100 feet (1,219 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending November 30, 2010, the airport had 44,490 aircraft operations, an average of 121 per day: 94% general aviation
, 3% military
, 2% scheduled commercial
, and 1% air taxi
. At that time there were 57 aircraft based at this airport: 54% single-engine
, 26% multi-engine, 11% jet
, and 9% 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...
in Colbert County
Colbert County, Alabama
Colbert County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of brothers George and Levi Colbert, Chickasaw Indian chiefs. George Colbert operated a ferry across the Tennessee River in 1790 near present day Cherokee....
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It located one nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
(2 km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
) 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 Muscle Shoals
Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Muscle Shoals is a city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of 2007, the United States Census Bureau estimated the population of the city to be 12,846. The city is included in The Shoals MSA. It is famous for its contributions to American popular music.-Geography:Muscle Shoals is located...
. The airport is operated by the counties of Colbert and Lauderdale
Lauderdale County, Alabama
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*86.4% White*10.0% Black*0.4% Native American*0.7% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*1.4% Two or more races*2.2% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. It is mostly used 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...
, but is also served by one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these...
program.
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 8,680 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...
2010, an increase of 25.9% from the 6,897 enplanements in 2009. This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. It is developed and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration . Its purposes are:* to identify all the airports in the U.S...
for 2011–2015, which categorized
FAA airport categories
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has a system for categorizing public-use airports that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's Airport...
it as a non-primary commercial service airport (between 2,500 and 10,000 enplanements per year).
Military
The airport was opened in February 1940, however in 1942 it was taken over by the United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
as a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
pilot training military airfield. It was assigned to the AAF Flying Training Command, Southeast Training Center (later Eastern Flying Training Command) as a basic (stage 2) pilot training airfield.
Instruction at the school consisted of teaching the cadets to fly in formation, fly by instruments or by aerial navigation, fly at night, and fly for long distances. Aviation Cadets who washed out of pilot training were usually sent to navigator or bombardier school. The initial aircraft complement numbered 24 Vultee BT-13 Valiant
BT-13 Valiant
The Vultee BT-13 Valiant was an American World War II-era basic trainer aircraft built by Vultee Aircraft for the United States Army Air Corps, and later US Army Air Forces...
and BT-15 aircraft. The ten-week course consisted of 70 hours of flight training and 150 hours of ground training.
Pilot training at the airfield apparently ended on 30 May 1944, with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program. The airfield was returned to civil control at the end of the war.
Recent
Prior to Summer 2009, Muscle Shoals was served from Northwest Airlines' hub in Memphis. After Northwest was acquired by Delta, service was transferred to the company's larger hub in Atlanta. This has seen increased passenger numbers and less market leakage to nearby Huntsville Airport. Despite the increase in enplanements, on November 23, 2010, Delta announced that it would not re-apply for the Essential Air Service subsidy to serve Muscle Shoals. The cited reason was the retirement of partner Mesaba's Saab 340Saab 340
The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
fleet. Under federal law, Delta Connection must continue service to Muscle Shoals until a replacement carrier is found. In 2011, Air Choice One
Air Choice One
Multi-Aero, Inc., doing business as Air Choice One, is an American airline with its Multi-Aero, Inc headquarters in Farmington, Missouri and Air Choice One headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri. It acts as a regional airline offering commuter flights from Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
, a Missouri-based carrier, has submitted a proposal to the US DOT to serve Muscle Shoals to either Atlanta, Nashville, or Memphis. If the proposal is accepted, the airline plans to begin the air link in as little as 30 days.
Facilities and aircraft
Northwest Alabama Regional Airport covers an area of 640 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (259 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
) 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 551 feet (168 m) above mean sea level. It has two 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...
s: 11/29 is 6,694 by 150 feet (2,040 x 46 m) and 18/36 is 4,000 by 100 feet (1,219 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending November 30, 2010, the airport had 44,490 aircraft operations, an average of 121 per day: 94% 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...
, 3% 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...
, 2% 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...
, and 1% 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...
. At that time there were 57 aircraft based at this airport: 54% 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...
, 26% multi-engine, 11% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
, and 9% 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...
.
Airline and destinations
See also
- Alabama World War II Army AirfieldsAlabama World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Alabama for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
- List of airports in Alabama
External links
- Northwest Alabama Regional Airport, official site
- Aerial image as of 8 February 1999 from USGS The National Map