William R. Fairchild International Airport
Encyclopedia
William R. Fairchild International Airport is a public airport
located within the city limits of Port Angeles
, in Clallam County, Washington, United States
. It lies three nautical miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district
of Port Angeles, near the Strait of Juan de Fuca
. The airport is owned by the Port of Port Angeles.
, the U.S. Army
and the U.S. Navy
. It was named Clallam County Municipal Landing Field when ownership was given to Clallam County in 1948. Three years later the county transferred the airport to the Port of Port Angeles. In 1953, William R. Fairchild started the Angeles Flying Service and became the first airport supervisor. The airport was renamed in his honor in 1969, following his death in a tragic aircraft accident.
William R. Fairchild International Airport covers an area of 797 acres (322.5 ha) at an elevation
of 291 feet (89 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 8/26 is 6,347 by 150 feet (1,935 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 3,245 by 50 feet (989 x 15 m). The primary runway is operated with an Instrument Landing System and can handle aircraft up to Boeing 737s.
For the 12-month period ending February 1, 2005, the airport had 52,675 aircraft operations, an average of 144 per day: 88% general aviation
, 12% air taxi
, and <1% military
. At that time there were 85 aircraft based at this airport: 92% single-engine
, 6% multi-engine and 2% 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 within the city limits of Port Angeles
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
, in Clallam County, Washington, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies three nautical miles (6 km) 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 Port Angeles, near the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
. The airport is owned by the Port of Port Angeles.
History
The airport was developed from 1934 through 1948 by the Works Progress AdministrationWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
, the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. It was named Clallam County Municipal Landing Field when ownership was given to Clallam County in 1948. Three years later the county transferred the airport to the Port of Port Angeles. In 1953, William R. Fairchild started the Angeles Flying Service and became the first airport supervisor. The airport was renamed in his honor in 1969, following his death in a tragic aircraft accident.
Facilities and aircraft
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 291 feet (89 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: 8/26 is 6,347 by 150 feet (1,935 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 3,245 by 50 feet (989 x 15 m). The primary runway is operated with an Instrument Landing System and can handle aircraft up to Boeing 737s.
For the 12-month period ending February 1, 2005, the airport had 52,675 aircraft operations, an average of 144 per day: 88% 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...
, 12% 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 85 aircraft based at this airport: 92% 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...
, 6% multi-engine and 2% 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...
.
Charter
- Rite Brothers Aviation (Pacific Northwest and Western Canada)
External links
- Port of Port Angeles: William R. Fairchild International Airport
- WSDOTWashington State Department of TransportationThe Washington State Department of Transportation , was established in 1905. The agency, led by a Secretary and overseen by the Governor, is a Washington governmental agency that constructs, maintains, and regulates the use of the state's transportation infrastructure...
Pilot's Guide: Wm. R. Fairchild International (PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
59 kb) - WSDOT Economic Impacts: William R. Fairchild International (PDFPortable Document FormatPortable Document Format is an open standard for document exchange. This file format, created by Adobe Systems in 1993, is used for representing documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems....
434 kb) - Aerial photo from USGS The National Map