Zephyrhills Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Zephyrhills Municipal Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport
located one nautical mile
(1.85 km
) southeast of the central business district
of Zephyrhills
, a city in Pasco County
, Florida
, United States
.
. The airport was hosted by the 3rd Army Air Force Base Unit under the Air University's Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics (AAFSAT) tactical combat simulation school in Central and Northern Florida
.
Headquartered at Orlando Army Air Base, the school's mission was to develop tactics and techniques of aerial warfare and to establish technical and tactical proficiency requirements for combat units to effectively engage and defeat enemy air forces. This was done with a small variety of aircraft, including heavy strategic bombers; tactical fighters; medium and light bombers; reconnaissance and dive bombers, based at different airfields of the school.
The airfield was used by the 10th Fighter Squadron (Special), which initially flew P-40 Warhawks at the airfield from 4 January 1943 - 29 January 1944. The airfield was used to train pilots in ground intercept missions. In July 1943, the squadron converted to P-51 Mustang
s. Zephyrhills AAF was also used as a standby landing strip for other USAAF aircraft flying in the area, such as those from MacDill Field and Drane Field
.
The military use of the airport ended on 31 October 1944 and in 1947 the airport was deeded to the city, which has run it ever since.
of 90 feet (27 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s:
4/22 is 4,999 by 100 feet (1,524 x 30 m) and 18/36 is 4,954 by 100 feet (1,510 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending November 5, 2008, the airport had 37,750 aircraft operations, an average of 103 per day: 98% general aviation
, 2% military
, and <1% air taxi
. At that time there were 48 aircraft based at this airport: 75% single-engine
, 8.3% multi-engine, 10.4% glider
and 6.2% ultralight.
. Prior to that, a drop zone was operated on the southwest side of the airport. Jim Hooper became the manager of Zephyrhills Parachute Center in December, 1976. Si Fraser owned The Zephyrhills Parachute Center. The drop zone was previously managed by Searles.
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 one 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...
(1.85 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...
) southeast 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 Zephyrhills
Zephyrhills, Florida
Zephyrhills is a city in Pasco County, Florida. The population was 10,833 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 11,854. It is a suburb of the Tampa Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, a city in Pasco County
Pasco County, Florida
Pasco County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 344,765. The July 1, 2007 census estimate according to the U.S. Census Bureau for the county is 462,715. Its county seat is Dade City, Florida which is in the northeast part of the county - somewhat...
, 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...
.
History
Opened in January 1927, as a sub-base of Alachua AAFGainesville Regional Airport
Gainesville Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Gainesville, a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. The airport is owned by the City of Gainesville, FL and operated by the Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport...
. The airport was hosted by the 3rd Army Air Force Base Unit under the Air University's Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics (AAFSAT) tactical combat simulation school in Central and Northern 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...
.
Headquartered at Orlando Army Air Base, the school's mission was to develop tactics and techniques of aerial warfare and to establish technical and tactical proficiency requirements for combat units to effectively engage and defeat enemy air forces. This was done with a small variety of aircraft, including heavy strategic bombers; tactical fighters; medium and light bombers; reconnaissance and dive bombers, based at different airfields of the school.
The airfield was used by the 10th Fighter Squadron (Special), which initially flew P-40 Warhawks at the airfield from 4 January 1943 - 29 January 1944. The airfield was used to train pilots in ground intercept missions. In July 1943, the squadron converted to P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
s. Zephyrhills AAF was also used as a standby landing strip for other USAAF aircraft flying in the area, such as those from MacDill Field and Drane Field
Lakeland Linder Regional Airport
Lakeland Linder Regional Airport is a public airport located four miles southwest of the central business district of Lakeland, a city in Polk County, Florida, United States...
.
The military use of the airport ended on 31 October 1944 and in 1947 the airport was deeded to the city, which has run it ever since.
Facilities and aircraft
Zephyrhills Municipal Airport covers an area of 813 acres (329 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 90 feet (27 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 4,999 by 100 feet (1,524 x 30 m) and 18/36 is 4,954 by 100 feet (1,510 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending November 5, 2008, the airport had 37,750 aircraft operations, an average of 103 per day: 98% 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...
, 2% 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...
, 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 48 aircraft based at this airport: 75% 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...
, 8.3% multi-engine, 10.4% glider
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
and 6.2% ultralight.
Skydiving
This airport has a long history of skydiving, possibly the longest continuous history of skydiving at any U.S. airport. Skydive City, Inc., founded in 1990, operates a skydiving center, or drop zone, on the southeast side of the airport. The predecessor drop zone was Phoenix Parachute Center, operated by George Kabeller, just north of the current drop zoneDrop zone
A drop zone is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes...
. Prior to that, a drop zone was operated on the southwest side of the airport. Jim Hooper became the manager of Zephyrhills Parachute Center in December, 1976. Si Fraser owned The Zephyrhills Parachute Center. The drop zone was previously managed by Searles.
Accidents and incidents
- On 20 April 1993, Douglas C-47B N8056 of Phoenix Air was written off in a wheels-up landing at Zephyrhills following an engine failure while engaged in a parachuting flight based at the airport. An investigation by the NTSBNational Transportation Safety BoardThe National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
found that the aircraft should have been able to climb on one engine. The pilot's type rating for the DC-3 was suspended following the accident with the requirement that he should pass a Federal Aviation Authority proficiency check before it was restored.
See also
- List of airports in the Tampa Bay area
- Florida World War II Army Airfields
- Army Air Force School of Applied TacticsArmy Air Force School of Applied TacticsThe Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics was a military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II...
Other sources
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5
- Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
External links
- Aerial image as of 3 May 2002 from USGS The National Map