Tuscaloosa Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport
located three nautical mile
s (3.5 mi
, 5.6 km
) northwest of the central business district
of Tuscaloosa
, a city in Tuscaloosa County
, Alabama
, United States
. It is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2011–2015, which categorized
it as a general aviation
facility.
The airport had 2,200 commercial passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
2009. The majority of this traffic was athletic charters from the University of Alabama
.
was brought to Alabama to set up a Civilian Pilot Training Program
, CPTP, for the University of Alabama
. A brick hangar was built on the property and the first class of students were licensed before the end of 1939.
The airport was opened in April 1940 as Van De Graaff Field. It originally consisted of 4 turf runways: 00/18 (2500 by 500 feet), 04/22 (3777 by 600 feet), 09/27 (4082 by 600 feet), 13/31 (5208 by 600 feet).
, the field was revamped to include a single main runway (the current 11/29). The rest of the filed was usable as an all-way field.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration designated van de Graff Field as an intermediate field (#59). It operated as a United States Army Air Forces
primary (phase 1) pilot training field by a detachment of the 51st Flying Training Group, Greenville Army Airfield, Mississippi. Pilot training was provided under contact by the Alabama Institute of Aeronautics, Inc. Flying training was performed primarily with Fairchild PT-19
s, in addition to PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks. Military operations were inactivated on September 8, 1944, with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program. The airfield was turned over to city control at the end of the war though the War Assets Administration
.
as one of the original six destinations served by Southern Airways
. Service on Southern would continue to grow in serving Tuscaloosa with the Martin 4-0-4
and eventually McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 aircraft by the 1970s. Service would peak in the mid-1970s with eight daily arrivals and departures to Atlanta, Memphis
and New Orleans
. Southern merged into Republic Airlines
in 1979, and service was discontinued altogether on June 1, 1984, as most passengers were drawn to nearby Birmingham's airport. Briefly following the exit of Republic, Sunbelt Airlines provided 2 daily flights to Memphis from June 1 through its elimination of service on September 13, 1984.
On April 15, 1986, American Eagle
commenced service between Tuscaloosa and Nashville
. The service was initially operated by Air Midwest
and operated three times daily from Tuscaloosa on 19 seat-turboprop
aircraft. Service ended with the closure of the Nashville hub in June 1996, with service being redirected to Dallas/Fort Worth on 34 seat-turboprop aircraft with an intermediary stop in Jackson
. Due to dwindling ridership, the city voluntarily removed itself from the Essential Air Service
program resulting in service being discontinued on April 18, 1997.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines
provided daily service between Tuscaloosa and Atlanta between 1982 and June 1992. GP Express Airlines
would continue service to Atlanta from June 6, 1992, through the elimination of the EAS subsidy for its operation on June 30, 1994. No airlines have offered commercial flight services since the departure of American Eagle in 1997.
as part of a program to help restore commercial airline service to smaller cities. The city matched the grant with $100,000 of local funding. In 2006, the city authorized paying $8500 to a consulting firm to court airlines in an effort to revive commercial service to the airport. City and airport officials stated their belief that the area was in a different economic picture with the Mercedes-Benz
plant located in the city (the only one in North America) and new developments in and around the campus of the University of Alabama
, including an expansion to Bryant-Denny Stadium
.
DayJet
announced per seat VLJ service on two pilot planes nonstop to 14 hubs in 3 states in July 2008 from Tuscaloosa. However, DayJet discontinued all passenger service operations on September 19, 2008 citing their inability to raise financing needed for continued operations.
Jet charters continue to periodically operate at Tuscaloosa, but sustained commercial air service has eluded Tuscaloosa Regional as of April 2011.
of 170 feet (52 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 4/22 is 6,499 by 150 feet (1,981 x 46 m) and 11/29 measures 4,001 by 100 feet (1,220 x 30 m). Runway 4 is equipped with an Instrument Landing System
and approach lights, allowing landings in visibility as low as a half mile.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 55,763 aircraft operations, an average of 152 per day: 71% general aviation
, 27% military
, 2% air taxi
, and <1% scheduled commercial
, At that time there were 76 aircraft based at this airport: 60% single-engine
, 24% multi-engine, 8% jet
and 8% 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 three 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...
s (3.5 mi
Mile
A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile...
, 5.6 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...
) northwest 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 Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, a city in Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama
Tuscaloosa County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is named in honor of the pre-Choctaw chief Tuskaloosa. In 2010, the population was 194,656...
, 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 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 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...
facility.
The airport had 2,200 commercial 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...
2009. The majority of this traffic was athletic charters from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
.
History
In 1939 Oliver ParksOliver Parks
Oliver L. “Lafe” Parks was a pioneer in the fields of pilot training and aviation studies in the early decades of the aviation industry’s existence...
was brought to Alabama to set up a Civilian Pilot Training Program
Civilian Pilot Training Program
The Civilian Pilot Training Program was a flight training program sponsored by the United States government with the stated purpose of increasing the number of civilian pilots, though having a clear impact on military preparedness....
, CPTP, for the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. A brick hangar was built on the property and the first class of students were licensed before the end of 1939.
The airport was opened in April 1940 as Van De Graaff Field. It originally consisted of 4 turf runways: 00/18 (2500 by 500 feet), 04/22 (3777 by 600 feet), 09/27 (4082 by 600 feet), 13/31 (5208 by 600 feet).
World War II
During the World War IIWorld 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...
, the field was revamped to include a single main runway (the current 11/29). The rest of the filed was usable as an all-way field.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration designated van de Graff Field as an intermediate field (#59). It operated as a United States Army Air Forces
United 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....
primary (phase 1) pilot training field by a detachment of the 51st Flying Training Group, Greenville Army Airfield, Mississippi. Pilot training was provided under contact by the Alabama Institute of Aeronautics, Inc. Flying training was performed primarily with Fairchild PT-19
Fairchild PT-19
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II . London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4....
s, in addition to PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks. Military operations were inactivated on September 8, 1944, with the drawdown of AAFTC's pilot training program. The airfield was turned over to city control at the end of the war though the War Assets Administration
War Assets Administration
The War Assets Administration was established in the Office for Emergency Management, effective March 25, 1946, by EO 9689, January 31, 1946. American factorieshad produced massive amounts of weaponry during the World War II...
.
Commercial air services
Runway 11/29 was paved in the early 1950s. A northeast-southwest runway (4/22) was constructed in 1970, along with a passenger terminal, in order to facilitate jet service. Commercial airline service to Tuscaloosa commenced on June 10, 1949, on a 25-seat Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
as one of the original six destinations served by Southern Airways
Southern Airways
Southern Airways was a regional airline operating in the United States from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979 when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines, which on October 1, 1986, became part of Northwest Airlines, which in 2008 became a part of Delta Air...
. Service on Southern would continue to grow in serving Tuscaloosa with the Martin 4-0-4
Martin 4-0-4
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Andrade, John. U.S. Military Aircraft Designations and Serials since 1909. Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1979, pp. 95, 217. ISBN 0-904597-22-9....
and eventually McDonnell-Douglas DC-9 aircraft by the 1970s. Service would peak in the mid-1970s with eight daily arrivals and departures to Atlanta, Memphis
Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States....
and New Orleans
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is a Class B public use international airport in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by the City of New Orleans and is located 10 nautical miles west of its central business district. The airport's address is 900 Airline Drive...
. Southern merged into Republic Airlines
Republic Airlines
Republic Airline, Inc., operating as Republic Airlines is a regional airline subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings that operates service as Frontier Airlines, Midwest Airlines and US Airways Express using a fleet of Bombardier Q400, Embraer 170, Embraer 175 and Embraer 190 aircraft...
in 1979, and service was discontinued altogether on June 1, 1984, as most passengers were drawn to nearby Birmingham's airport. Briefly following the exit of Republic, Sunbelt Airlines provided 2 daily flights to Memphis from June 1 through its elimination of service on September 13, 1984.
On April 15, 1986, American Eagle
American Eagle Airlines
American Eagle Airlines is a brand name used by American Eagle Airlines, Inc. , based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Executive Airlines based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in the operation of passenger air service as regional affiliates of American Airlines. All three airlines are wholly owned subsidiaries...
commenced service between Tuscaloosa and Nashville
Nashville International Airport
Nashville International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in southeastern Nashville, Tennessee. The IATA Airport Code BNA is derived from the early name of the facility—Berry Field, NAshville. Berry Field was the name of the airport until 1988, when the name was changed to reflect...
. The service was initially operated by Air Midwest
Air Midwest
Air Midwest, Inc., was a Federal Aviation Administration Part 121 certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number AMWA510A issued on May 15, 1965. It was headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, United States, and was a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group. It operated flights as US...
and operated three times daily from Tuscaloosa on 19 seat-turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
aircraft. Service ended with the closure of the Nashville hub in June 1996, with service being redirected to Dallas/Fort Worth on 34 seat-turboprop aircraft with an intermediary stop in Jackson
Jackson-Evers International Airport
Jackson-Evers International Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport located in Jackson, Mississippi, five nautical miles east of the central business district of Jackson, across the Pearl River....
. Due to dwindling ridership, the city voluntarily removed itself from 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 resulting in service being discontinued on April 18, 1997.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines
Atlantic Southeast Airlines
Atlantic Southeast Airlines is an American airline based in the A-Tech Center in College Park, Georgia, flying to 144 destinations as a Delta Connection carrier and, as of February 2010, commenced service as a United Express carrier. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. ASA operates...
provided daily service between Tuscaloosa and Atlanta between 1982 and June 1992. GP Express Airlines
GP Express Airlines
GP Express Airlines was a regional airline with its headquarters in Grand Island, Nebraska The parent corporation of the airline began on-demand air charter operations in December 1975...
would continue service to Atlanta from June 6, 1992, through the elimination of the EAS subsidy for its operation on June 30, 1994. No airlines have offered commercial flight services since the departure of American Eagle in 1997.
Attempts to restore commercial service
During the 2000s, the city of Tuscaloosa and the airport attempted to lure commercial service back to the airport. Between 2002 and 2006, the airport received $2.2 million in federal, state, and local money to improve its facilities, including $400,000 from the FAAFederal 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...
as part of a program to help restore commercial airline service to smaller cities. The city matched the grant with $100,000 of local funding. In 2006, the city authorized paying $8500 to a consulting firm to court airlines in an effort to revive commercial service to the airport. City and airport officials stated their belief that the area was in a different economic picture with the Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
plant located in the city (the only one in North America) and new developments in and around the campus of the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
, including an expansion to Bryant-Denny Stadium
Bryant-Denny Stadium
Bryant–Denny Stadium, located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is the home stadium for the University of Alabama football team. The stadium opened in 1929, and was originally named Denny Stadium, in honor of former Alabama president George Hutchenson Denny...
.
DayJet
DayJet
DayJet was an American commercial aviation operation that provided on-demand jet travel using Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets. The company began operations in Florida in October 2007 and suspended operations on September 19, 2008....
announced per seat VLJ service on two pilot planes nonstop to 14 hubs in 3 states in July 2008 from Tuscaloosa. However, DayJet discontinued all passenger service operations on September 19, 2008 citing their inability to raise financing needed for continued operations.
Jet charters continue to periodically operate at Tuscaloosa, but sustained commercial air service has eluded Tuscaloosa Regional as of April 2011.
Facilities and aircraft
Tuscaloosa Regional Airport covers an area of 724 acres (293 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 170 feet (52 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: 4/22 is 6,499 by 150 feet (1,981 x 46 m) and 11/29 measures 4,001 by 100 feet (1,220 x 30 m). Runway 4 is equipped with an Instrument Landing System
Instrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
and approach lights, allowing landings in visibility as low as a half mile.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 55,763 aircraft operations, an average of 152 per day: 71% 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...
, 27% 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% 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% 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...
, At that time there were 76 aircraft based at this airport: 60% 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...
, 24% multi-engine, 8% 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 8% 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...
.
External links
from City of Tuscaloosa- Aerial image as of 24 February 1999 from USGS The National Map