Yolo County Airport
Encyclopedia
Yolo County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport
located six miles (9.7 km) northeast of Winters
, five miles (8 km) northwest of Davis
and five miles (8 km) southwest of Woodland
, all cities located in Yolo County
, California
, USA
. The center of the runway is exactly 15sm, 20 degrees TC, from the freeway Y where I-505 heads due north and I-80 continues on to Sacramento on a TC of 45 degrees. Magnetic variation is 16E.
Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, this facility is assigned DWA by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
The airport is mostly used for general aviation
; many flights are recreational or farm-related, with few commercial flights. The airport has an active skydiving community and is home to Skydance. The airport grounds are also home to the Yolo Sportsman Association. The YSA facility has pistol, shotgun, and rifle ranges as well as small fishable lakes. Solono Targetmasters conducts training and competitions for IDPA, and USPSA Practical shooters. The YSA clubhouse has a kitchen, vending machines, bathrooms, and a hall with seating for over 100 persons. Expect loud reports from shotguns during daylight hours.
This area is extremely flat, floods, and is very prone to fog in winter months. Expect winds from the west of 10-25kts starting 2 hours before sundown, lasting for several hours from June through September. These winds are known locally as "The Delta Breeze" and will result in temperatures dropping by up to 50 degrees before dying completely by morning. Dust and smoke picked up by these winds can reduce visibility dramatically at times.
, and was turned over for local government use by the War Assets Administration (WAA).
of 100 feet (30 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 16/34 with an asphalt
surface measuring 6,000 by 100 feet (1,829 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2002, the airport had 60,360 aircraft operations, an average of 165 per day: 99% general aviation
and 1% air taxi
. At that time there were 67 aircraft based at this airport: 85% single-engine
, 10% multi-engine, 2% jet
and 3% 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 six miles (9.7 km) northeast of Winters
Winters, California
Winters is a city in Yolo County, California. The population was 6,624 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is near Lake Berryessa. It is noted as the one-time residence of cartoonist R...
, five miles (8 km) northwest of Davis
Davis, California
Davis is a city in Yolo County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and five miles (8 km) southwest of Woodland
Woodland, California
Woodland is the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento - Arden-Arcade - Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 55,468 at the 2010 census.Woodland's origins trace back to 1850 when California...
, all cities located in Yolo County
Yolo County, California
Yolo County is a county located in the northern part of the U.S. state of California, bordered by the other counties of Sacramento, Solano, Napa, Lake, Colusa, and Sutter. The city of Woodland is its county seat, though Davis is its largest city....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The center of the runway is exactly 15sm, 20 degrees TC, from the freeway Y where I-505 heads due north and I-80 continues on to Sacramento on a TC of 45 degrees. Magnetic variation is 16E.
Although many 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...
, this facility is assigned DWA by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
The airport is mostly used for 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...
; many flights are recreational or farm-related, with few commercial flights. The airport has an active skydiving community and is home to Skydance. The airport grounds are also home to the Yolo Sportsman Association. The YSA facility has pistol, shotgun, and rifle ranges as well as small fishable lakes. Solono Targetmasters conducts training and competitions for IDPA, and USPSA Practical shooters. The YSA clubhouse has a kitchen, vending machines, bathrooms, and a hall with seating for over 100 persons. Expect loud reports from shotguns during daylight hours.
This area is extremely flat, floods, and is very prone to fog in winter months. Expect winds from the west of 10-25kts starting 2 hours before sundown, lasting for several hours from June through September. These winds are known locally as "The Delta Breeze" and will result in temperatures dropping by up to 50 degrees before dying completely by morning. Dust and smoke picked up by these winds can reduce visibility dramatically at times.
History
The airport was built by the United States Army Air Force about 1941, and was known as Winters-Davis Flight Strip. It was an emergency landing airfield for military aircraft on training flights. During the spring of 1942, the runway at Yolo was painted to represent an aircraft deck as Doolittle's Raiders used the airport to practice takeoffs. It was closed after 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...
, and was turned over for local government use by the War Assets Administration (WAA).
Facilities and aircraft
Yolo County Airport, with the official Sectional Chart name of Davis/Woodland/Winters (KDWA), covers an area of 498 acres (201.5 ha) and has one runway 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 100 feet (30 m) above mean sea level. It has one 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...
designated 16/34 with an 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...
surface measuring 6,000 by 100 feet (1,829 x 30 m).
- Obstructions - Rwy 16; NONE
- Obstructions - Rwy 34: 110 ft (33.5 m). trees, 3500 ft (1,066.8 m). from runway, 30:1 slope to clear
- REIL lights: NO
- VSI: 2-light PAPI on left (3.00 degrees glide path)
- Fuel 24 hours 100LL JET-A
- Parking: tiedowns
- Airframe service: MAJOR
- Powerplant service: MAJOR
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2002, the airport had 60,360 aircraft operations, an average of 165 per day: 99% 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...
and 1% 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...
. At that time there were 67 aircraft based at this airport: 85% 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...
, 10% multi-engine, 2% 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 3% 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
- Yolo County Airport at Yolo County website
- Aerial image as of 12 June 1993 from USGS The National Map