Washington County Airport (Pennsylvania)
Encyclopedia
Washington County Airport is located three miles (5 km) southwest of Washington
in the South Franklin Township
of Pennsylvania
, United States
. It is owned and operated by Washington County
.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, Washington County Airport is assigned AFJ by the FAA and WSG by the IATA.
for other airports such as Allegheny County Airport
and Pittsburgh International Airport
.
Washington County Airport has a runway 5000 feet (1,524 m) in length, as well as a full parallel taxiway
system that is fully lit for night operations. The airport has a partial electronic guidance system consisting of a Localizer
, Distance Measuring Equipment
and Non-directional beacon
. The non-precision approach is available as well. The airport also has a Remote Communications Outlet
and an Automated Surface Observing System. The first Instrument Landing System
(ILS) approved by the Federal Aviation Administration
that was added in 2003.
while 24% is general transportation. 17% of the operations are used as air charter
, while less than 1% is military use.
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
in the South Franklin Township
South Franklin Township, Pennsylvania
South Franklin Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,796 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned and operated by Washington County
Washington County, Pennsylvania
-Government and politics:As of November 2008, there are 152,534 registered voters in Washington County .* Democratic: 89,027 * Republican: 49,025 * Other Parties: 14,482...
.
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...
, Washington County Airport is assigned AFJ by the FAA and WSG by the IATA.
Facilities
The airport is situated on 365 acres (1.5 km²) and home to 94 aircraft, 37 T-hangars, seven corporate hangars and seven businesses that employ approximately thirty people. The airport serves as a relieverFAA 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...
for other airports such as Allegheny County Airport
Allegheny County Airport
Allegheny County Airport is located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, four miles southeast of the city of Pittsburgh. It is the fifth busiest airport in Pennsylvania following Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Harrisburg...
and Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport
Pittsburgh International Airport , formerly Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and commonly referred to as Pittsburgh International, is a joint civil–military international airport located in the Pittsburgh suburb of Findlay Township, approximately west of...
.
Washington County Airport has a runway 5000 feet (1,524 m) in length, as well as a full parallel taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
system that is fully lit for night operations. The airport has a partial electronic guidance system consisting of a Localizer
Localizer
In aviation, a localizer is one of the components of an Instrument Landing System , and it provides runway centerline guidance to aircraft. In some cases, a course projected by localizer is at an angle to the runway . It is then called a Localizer Type Directional Aid...
, Distance Measuring Equipment
Distance Measuring Equipment
Distance measuring equipment is a transponder-based radio navigation technology that measures distance by timing the propagation delay of VHF or UHF radio signals....
and Non-directional beacon
Non-directional beacon
A non-directional beacon is a radio transmitter at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. As the name implies, the signal transmitted does not include inherent directional information, in contrast to other navigational aids such as low frequency radio range, VHF...
. The non-precision approach is available as well. The airport also has a Remote Communications Outlet
Remote Communications Outlet
Remote Communications Outlets are remote aviation band radio transceivers, established to extend the communication capabilities of Flight Information Centres and Flight Service Stations ....
and an Automated Surface Observing System. The first 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...
(ILS) approved by the 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...
that was added in 2003.
Operational statistics
Washington County Airport is home to 94 aircraft, 70 of which are single engine airplanes, while 17 are multi engine aircraft. The airport is also home to five jets and two helicopters. The airport hosts approximately 110 operations per day. Roughly 60% of Washington County Airport's traffic is local general aviationGeneral 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...
while 24% is general transportation. 17% of the operations are used as air charter
Air charter
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft as opposed to individual aircraft seats...
, while less than 1% is military use.