Olympia Airport
Encyclopedia
Olympia Regional Airport is a public use airport
located four nautical miles (7 km) south of the central business district
of Olympia
, a city in Thurston County and the capital of the U.S. state
of Washington. Formerly known as Olympia Airport, it is owned by the Port of Olympia. It is about one mile (1.6 km) east of Interstate 5
, actually within the boundaries of the city of Tumwater
which is south of and adjacent to Olympia.
Olympic Flight Museum
is located at the Olympia Airport, and Airlift Northwest, the region's air medical transport service uses the airport as one of its medical helicopter bases. The flight museum and the airport play host to a moderate sized air show each June.
The airport's industrial park
, 300 acres (1.2 km²) in extent, includes a U.S. Department of Commerce
designated Free Trade Zone
.
An FAA funded $15 million improvement project to make the airport a safer facility was completed in September, 2008, focusing on runway line-of-sight improvements and enhanced signage. In the late 1990s, the airport's runway protection zone was extended with the purchase of $5.5 million worth of land on each end of the primary runway and an above ground fuel facility was constructed.
of 209 feet (64 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 17/35 is 5,501 by 150 feet (1,677 x 46 m) and 8/26 is 4,157 by 150 feet (1,267 x 46 m). The airport has a passenger terminal
, an air traffic control tower and a full-instrument landing approach system
.
The field is home to flight instruction, both fixed wing and helicopter, major oxygen and aircraft maintenance facilities, the Washington State Patrol
aviation division, and a key navigational aid (Olympia VOR
) for commercial flights inbound to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
and general aviation aircraft in the region.
For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2008, the airport had 74,169 aircraft operations, an average of 203 per day: 96% general aviation
, 3% air taxi
, and 1% military
. At that time there were 148 aircraft based at this airport: 74% single-engine
, 8% multi-engine, 3% jet
and 14% 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...
located four nautical miles (7 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 Olympia
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, a city in Thurston County and the capital 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 Washington. Formerly known as Olympia Airport, it is owned by the Port of Olympia. It is about one mile (1.6 km) east of Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...
, actually within the boundaries of the city of Tumwater
Tumwater, Washington
Tumwater is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. It lies near where the Deschutes River enters Budd Inlet, the southernmost point of Puget Sound. The population was 17,371 at the 2010 census...
which is south of and adjacent to Olympia.
Olympic Flight Museum
Olympic Flight Museum
The Olympic Flight Museum is an aviation museum at the Olympia Airport in Olympia, Washington, USA. The museum has more than 20 vintage planes and helicopters on display, most of which are in airworthy condition. Children can climb in such as the mobile Huey and T-28 Trojan. There is a scale...
is located at the Olympia Airport, and Airlift Northwest, the region's air medical transport service uses the airport as one of its medical helicopter bases. The flight museum and the airport play host to a moderate sized air show each June.
The airport's industrial park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
, 300 acres (1.2 km²) in extent, includes a U.S. Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
designated Free Trade Zone
Free trade zone
A free trade zone or export processing zone , also called foreign-trade zone, formerly free port is an area within which goods may be landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and reexported without the intervention of the customs authorities...
.
History
The airport served as a satellite of nearby McChord Field (now AFB) during World War II, and commercial aviation history at the Olympia Airport extends to the 1920s. The airport now supports large corporate jets, cargo aircraft, military helicopters and has a back-up runway lighting system for uninterrupted operations. Olympia Airport also has an Instrument Landing System and backup power system for operations during bad weather or low visibility.An FAA funded $15 million improvement project to make the airport a safer facility was completed in September, 2008, focusing on runway line-of-sight improvements and enhanced signage. In the late 1990s, the airport's runway protection zone was extended with the purchase of $5.5 million worth of land on each end of the primary runway and an above ground fuel facility was constructed.
Facilities and aircraft
Olympia Regional Airport covers an area of 1632 acres (660.4 ha) at an elevationElevation
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 209 feet (64 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: 17/35 is 5,501 by 150 feet (1,677 x 46 m) and 8/26 is 4,157 by 150 feet (1,267 x 46 m). The airport has a passenger terminal
Airport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
, an air traffic control tower and a full-instrument landing approach system
Instrument approach
For aircraft operating under instrument flight rules , an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft under instrument flight conditions from the beginning of the initial approach to a landing, or to a point...
.
The field is home to flight instruction, both fixed wing and helicopter, major oxygen and aircraft maintenance facilities, the Washington State Patrol
Washington State Patrol
The Washington State Patrol is the state police agency for the State of Washington. The first six motorcycle patrolmen of the Highway Patrol were commissioned September 1, 1921. The agency was renamed to Washington State Patrol in June 1933. In 1925 William Cole was appointed as the first...
aviation division, and a key navigational aid (Olympia VOR
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...
) for commercial flights inbound to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
The Seattle–Tacoma International Airport , also known as Sea–Tac Airport or Sea–Tac , is an American airport located in SeaTac, Washington, at the intersections of State Routes 99 and 509 and 518, about west of Interstate 5...
and general aviation aircraft in the region.
For the 12-month period ending September 30, 2008, the airport had 74,169 aircraft operations, an average of 203 per day: 96% 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% 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...
, 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 148 aircraft based at this airport: 74% 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...
, 8% multi-engine, 3% 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 14% 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...
.
See also
- Washington World War II Army AirfieldsWashington World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in Washington for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....
External links
- Olympia Regional Airport at Port of Olympia web site