For the World War II use of Page Field, see Page Field Army Airfield

Page Field Army Airfield

Page Field Army Airfield is an inactive United States Air Force base, approximately 4 miles south of Fort Myers, Florida. It was active during World War II as a Third Air Force training airfield...

Page Field General Aviation Airport is a public airport

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 three miles (5 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 Fort Myers

Fort Myers, Florida

Fort Myers is the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. Its population was 62,298 in the 2010 census, a 29.23 percent increase over the 2000 figure....

, a city in Lee County

Lee County, Florida

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. Located in southwest Florida, the principal cities in the county are Fort Myers and Cape Coral...

, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

, 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 the Lee County Port Authority.

Facilities and aircraft

Page Field covers an area of 670 acres (271.1 ha) which contains 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: 5/23 measuring 6,406 x 150 ft (1,953 x 46 m) and 13/31 measuring 4,912 x 150 ft (1,497 x 46 m).

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 75,765 aircraft operations, an average of 207 per day.

In May 2010, construction of a new terminal building began on the west side of Page Field. Once completed, the new terminal will replace the existing facility and will include a two-story, 22613 square feet (2,100.8 m²) building, a 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) multi-use hangar, parking lot and a new Fuel Farm with jet and AvGas fuel. The estimated total economic impact will be $28 million. The total project cost is $16.2 million and will support 300 jobs.

History

Constructed in 1927 as a civilian airport, Page Field was appropriated by the War Department at the beginning of 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...

. Renamed Fort Myers Army Air Field, it was used by the United States Army Air Force's Third Air Force

Third Air Force

The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....

 for both antisubmarine patrols and conventional bomber training in the B-24 Liberator

B-24 Liberator

The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...

. The facility was returned to the civilian control of the State of Florida and then Lee County shortly following the end of World War II.

Page Field later hosted domestic commercial air service for the greater Fort Myers area. In the 1950s, the army barracks were replaced with a small terminal, which was expanded in 1960. A new terminal was built in the mid-1970s on the north side of Page Field. With deregulation of the airline industry in 1978, the terminal facilities and airfield could no longer handle the increased demand for air transportation to and from Southwest Florida. Commercial traffic was transferred to Southwest Florida Regional Airport, known today as Southwest Florida International Airport

Southwest Florida International Airport

-Statistics:-Accidents and incidents:* November 28, 2007 - A single-engine fixed wing aircraft crashed about 9:20 a.m. one mile west of Runway 6. The crash killed the pilot...

 (RSW), in 1983. Page Field now serves as a designated FAA reliever airport for RSW and accommodates only general aviation traffic.

Awards

• Florida Department of Transportation
  Florida Department of Transportation
  The Florida Department of Transportation is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of the Florida State Road Department...
  
  named Page Field the General Aviation Airport of the Year in 2008

External links

• Page Field General Aviation Airport (official site) brochure from CFASPP (October 2007)