Adirondack Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Adirondack Regional Airport is a public use airport
located four nautical miles (7 km) northwest of the central business district
of Saranac Lake
, in Franklin County
, New York
, United States
. The airport is owned by the Town of Harrietstown
. It is situated in the north-central Adirondacks two miles (3 km) from Lake Clear
, in Harrietstown.
As per Federal Aviation Administration
records, the airport had 2,597 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
2004 and 2,682 enplanements in 2005. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011, Adirondack is classified as commercial service - non-primary because it has between 2,500 and 10,000 passenger boardings per year.
, near Saranac Lake
. Their thinking was that such a development would play an important part in the future development of the Adirondaks. Due to the mountainous nature of the region many thought such a development would not be likely. However, after countless reviews of area maps, a plateau large enough for airport purposes was identified within a few miles of Saranac Lake
Village.
The Planning Board's search for an airport site had been prompted by an announcement from Washington, DC that Congress had appropriated funds for the building of a system of airports throughout the country. There was, among other problems, however, one restriction. The land for an airport site, to be acceptable to the federal government, had to be publicly owned. The ideal site which these men had spotted on the map was part of the holdings of the Paul Smith's Electric Company. Since no other tract of suitable terrain was to be found within a radius of some 40 miles (64.4 km), the whole effort might have bogged down but for the public-spirited cooperation of the Paul Smith's Electric Company which, in the interests of regional development, immediately deeded the 1200 acres (4.9 km²) tract to the Town of Harrietstown
without cost.
With the requirement of public ownership thus complied with, events moved swiftly toward the realization of an airport for the Adirondacks. Through persistent effort on the part of various citizens, who maintained close contact with Washington, DC, the site was inspected and federal expenditures for construction of a Class III airport were approved. Step by step, the Town of Harrietstown Town Board and the Saranac Lake Airport Commission worked closely with state and federal agencies in the building process. Construction of the airfield was completed in 1942. The Town of Harrietstown
issued bonds to augment the available funds and erected a terminal building in 1948 and a 100 by 100 feet (30.5 m) hangar in 1950.
At the time, the airport was rated as one of the best built Class III airports in the country. Two commercial airlines, Colonial Airlines
and Resort Airlines, served the region at that time. Airmail service was provided by Colonial Airlines. The volume of air express business handled by Railway Express increased steadily, as did the number of privately owned aircraft using the field. Resort traffic response was immediate and increased steadily.
The airport was officially dedicated to the service of the people of the Adirondacks on July 10, 1949. Since 1960, the Town of Harrietstown has operated the airport. The Saranac Lake Airport was renamed in 1989 to the Adirondack Regional Airport.
Day to day operations are under the jurisdiction of the airport manager who is appointed by the Town Board. The airport manager supervises a staff of five full-time and one part-time employee. The airport is open 365 days per year. Cape Air
currently serves the airport and offers flights to Boston
.
of 1,663 feet (507 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: 5/23 is 6,573 by 150 feet (2,003 x 46 m) and 9/27 is 3,998 by 100 feet (1,219 x 30 m).
In the 1960s, the Adirondack Airport had three runways. Runway 16/34 was 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) long and 100 feet (30.5 m) wide, but was abandoned sometime between the mid 1970s and early 1980s. The main runway was lengthened from approximately 5000 feet (1,524 m) to its present length during the early 1970s or thereabouts and an instrument landing system
and approach lighting system was installed on the southwest-facing runway 23. Also, a parallel taxiway was added to almost the full length of runway 9-27 and a partial parallel taxiway was added between the abandoned northwest-southeast runway - part of which was converted into a taxiway and the approach end of runway 23.
For the 12-month period ending July 14, 2009, the airport had 8,100 aircraft operations, an average of 22 per day: 56% general aviation
, 43% air taxi
, and 1% military
.
At that time there were 15 aircraft based at this airport: 73% single-engine
, 7% multi-engine, 13% helicopter
and 7% ultralight.
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 four nautical miles (7 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 Saranac Lake
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
, in Franklin County
Franklin County, New York
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,599. It is named in honor of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport is owned by the Town of Harrietstown
Harrietstown, New York
Harrietstown is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 5,575 at the 2000 census, much of it concentrated in the village of Saranac Lake....
. It is situated in the north-central Adirondacks two miles (3 km) from Lake Clear
Lake Clear, New York
Lake Clear is a hamlet and a lake in Franklin County, New York, United States. The area is named for Lake Clear, part of the original Seven Carries canoe route...
, in Harrietstown.
As per 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...
records, the airport had 2,597 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...
2004 and 2,682 enplanements in 2005. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011, Adirondack is classified as commercial service - non-primary because it has between 2,500 and 10,000 passenger boardings per year.
History
In the autumn of 1940, a group of local men from the Saranac Lake Planning board got together to discuss the possibility of an airport in the Adirondack MountainsAdirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
, near Saranac Lake
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
. Their thinking was that such a development would play an important part in the future development of the Adirondaks. Due to the mountainous nature of the region many thought such a development would not be likely. However, after countless reviews of area maps, a plateau large enough for airport purposes was identified within a few miles of Saranac Lake
Saranac Lake, New York
Saranac Lake is a village located in the state of New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 5,406. The village is named after Upper, Middle, and Lower Saranac Lakes, which are nearby....
Village.
The Planning Board's search for an airport site had been prompted by an announcement from Washington, DC that Congress had appropriated funds for the building of a system of airports throughout the country. There was, among other problems, however, one restriction. The land for an airport site, to be acceptable to the federal government, had to be publicly owned. The ideal site which these men had spotted on the map was part of the holdings of the Paul Smith's Electric Company. Since no other tract of suitable terrain was to be found within a radius of some 40 miles (64.4 km), the whole effort might have bogged down but for the public-spirited cooperation of the Paul Smith's Electric Company which, in the interests of regional development, immediately deeded the 1200 acres (4.9 km²) tract to the Town of Harrietstown
Harrietstown, New York
Harrietstown is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 5,575 at the 2000 census, much of it concentrated in the village of Saranac Lake....
without cost.
With the requirement of public ownership thus complied with, events moved swiftly toward the realization of an airport for the Adirondacks. Through persistent effort on the part of various citizens, who maintained close contact with Washington, DC, the site was inspected and federal expenditures for construction of a Class III airport were approved. Step by step, the Town of Harrietstown Town Board and the Saranac Lake Airport Commission worked closely with state and federal agencies in the building process. Construction of the airfield was completed in 1942. The Town of Harrietstown
Harrietstown, New York
Harrietstown is a town in Franklin County, New York, United States. The population was 5,575 at the 2000 census, much of it concentrated in the village of Saranac Lake....
issued bonds to augment the available funds and erected a terminal building in 1948 and a 100 by 100 feet (30.5 m) hangar in 1950.
At the time, the airport was rated as one of the best built Class III airports in the country. Two commercial airlines, Colonial Airlines
Colonial Airlines
Colonial Airlines was a Canadian airline from the 1940s and 1950s with bases in Montreal and at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. It was formerly known as well as Canadian Colonial Airways and Colonial Airways before becoming Colonial Airlines.By 1956, Colonial's executive offices were on Park...
and Resort Airlines, served the region at that time. Airmail service was provided by Colonial Airlines. The volume of air express business handled by Railway Express increased steadily, as did the number of privately owned aircraft using the field. Resort traffic response was immediate and increased steadily.
The airport was officially dedicated to the service of the people of the Adirondacks on July 10, 1949. Since 1960, the Town of Harrietstown has operated the airport. The Saranac Lake Airport was renamed in 1989 to the Adirondack Regional Airport.
Day to day operations are under the jurisdiction of the airport manager who is appointed by the Town Board. The airport manager supervises a staff of five full-time and one part-time employee. The airport is open 365 days per year. Cape Air
Cape Air
Hyannis Air Service, Inc., operating as Cape Air, is an airline headquartered at Barnstable Municipal Airport in Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. It operates scheduled passenger services in the Northeast, Florida, the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic States, Midwest, and Micronesia...
currently serves the airport and offers flights to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Facilities and aircraft
Adirondack Regional Airport covers an area of 1499 acres (606.6 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 1,663 feet (507 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: 5/23 is 6,573 by 150 feet (2,003 x 46 m) and 9/27 is 3,998 by 100 feet (1,219 x 30 m).
In the 1960s, the Adirondack Airport had three runways. Runway 16/34 was 4000 feet (1,219.2 m) long and 100 feet (30.5 m) wide, but was abandoned sometime between the mid 1970s and early 1980s. The main runway was lengthened from approximately 5000 feet (1,524 m) to its present length during the early 1970s or thereabouts and 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 lighting system was installed on the southwest-facing runway 23. Also, a parallel taxiway was added to almost the full length of runway 9-27 and a partial parallel taxiway was added between the abandoned northwest-southeast runway - part of which was converted into a taxiway and the approach end of runway 23.
For the 12-month period ending July 14, 2009, the airport had 8,100 aircraft operations, an average of 22 per day: 56% 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...
, 43% 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 15 aircraft based at this airport: 73% 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...
, 7% multi-engine, 13% 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...
and 7% ultralight.
External links
- Adirondack Regional Airport
- History of ADK Regional Airport
- Aerial image as of 14 May 1994 from USGS The National Map