Apalachicola Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Apalachicola Regional Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport
located two nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district
of Apalachicola
, in Franklin County
, Florida
, United States
. It was previously known as Apalachicola Municipal Airport. The airport supports general aviation
activity in the area and provides service via a tenant fixed base operator
(FBO).
. Expanded in February 1942, Apalachicola Army Airfield became a sub base of Tyndall Field, the present day Tyndall Air Force Base
. Apalachicola AAF's mission was to support the operations of the Training Command Flexible Gunnery School under the 2136th Army Air Forces Base Unit, and as a sub-base and auxiliary airfield for Tyndall. The Army Airfield was inactivated at the end of World War II on 30 September 1945 and turned over to Army Corps of Engineers on 2 February 1947 as excess. Eventually discharged to the War Assets Administration (WAA), it was deeded to municipality of Apalachicola and became a civil airport.
On 15 March 1964, a pilot with the U.S. Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels
, was killed during an attempted emergency landing at Apalachicola Municipal Airport
when his F-11A Tiger experienced engine difficulties while transiting from West Palm Beach, Florida
back to the Blue Angels' home base at NAS Pensacola, Florida. LT George L. Neale, USN, age 29, who flew in the Number Four slot position of the diamond formation, was returning from a demonstration at West Palm Beach with one other of the six team jets and an R5D Skymaster support plane when he radioed Tyndall Air Force Base
, near Panama City, Florida
, that he was declaring an emergency and requesting permission to land at Tyndall AFB when he suffered engine mechanical problems south of Apalachicola. Spotting the Apalachicola Airport, he attempted a landing there, ejecting on final approach at 1115 hrs. as the fighter came down ~250 yards short of the runway. Although he cleared the airframe at ~150–200 feet altitude, his chute did not have sufficient time to deploy and he was killed. He was survived by his wife Donna, of Pensacola, Florida, and his mother, Mrs. Katherine Neale, of Avalon, Pennsylvania
. Official Navy press reports at the time said that the cause of the mishap was being investigated.
of 20 feet (6 m) above mean sea level. It has three runway
s with concrete
surfaces: Runway 6/24 is 5,271 by 150 feet (1,607 x 46 m); Runways 13/31 and 18/36 are both 5,251 by 150 feet (1,601 x 46 m).
For the 12-month period ending March 13, 2009, the airport had 24,375 aircraft operations, an average of 66 per day: 94% general aviation
, 5% air taxi
, and 1% military
. At that time there were 18 aircraft based at this airport: 89% single-engine
and 11% multi-engine.
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 two nautical miles (3.7 km) west 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 Apalachicola
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...
, in Franklin County
Franklin County, Florida
Franklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177...
, 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...
. It was previously known as Apalachicola Municipal Airport. The airport supports 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...
activity in the area and provides service via a tenant fixed base operator
Fixed base operator
A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
(FBO).
History
The current airport was originally constructed in 1939 by the Army Air CorpsUnited States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
. Expanded in February 1942, Apalachicola Army Airfield became a sub base of Tyndall Field, the present day Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt Frank Benjamin Tyndall...
. Apalachicola AAF's mission was to support the operations of the Training Command Flexible Gunnery School under the 2136th Army Air Forces Base Unit, and as a sub-base and auxiliary airfield for Tyndall. The Army Airfield was inactivated at the end of World War II on 30 September 1945 and turned over to Army Corps of Engineers on 2 February 1947 as excess. Eventually discharged to the War Assets Administration (WAA), it was deeded to municipality of Apalachicola and became a civil airport.
On 15 March 1964, a pilot with the U.S. Navy's Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels
Blue Angels
The United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team...
, was killed during an attempted emergency landing at Apalachicola Municipal Airport
Apalachicola Municipal Airport
Apalachicola Regional Airport is a county-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles west of the central business district of Apalachicola, in Franklin County, Florida, United States. It was previously known as Apalachicola Municipal Airport...
when his F-11A Tiger experienced engine difficulties while transiting from West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
back to the Blue Angels' home base at NAS Pensacola, Florida. LT George L. Neale, USN, age 29, who flew in the Number Four slot position of the diamond formation, was returning from a demonstration at West Palm Beach with one other of the six team jets and an R5D Skymaster support plane when he radioed Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base
Tyndall Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located east of Panama City, Florida. The base was named in honor of World War I pilot 1st Lt Frank Benjamin Tyndall...
, near Panama City, Florida
Panama City, Florida
-Personal income:The median income for a household in the city was $31,572, and the median income for a family was $40,890. Males had a median income of $30,401 versus $21,431 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,830...
, that he was declaring an emergency and requesting permission to land at Tyndall AFB when he suffered engine mechanical problems south of Apalachicola. Spotting the Apalachicola Airport, he attempted a landing there, ejecting on final approach at 1115 hrs. as the fighter came down ~250 yards short of the runway. Although he cleared the airframe at ~150–200 feet altitude, his chute did not have sufficient time to deploy and he was killed. He was survived by his wife Donna, of Pensacola, Florida, and his mother, Mrs. Katherine Neale, of Avalon, Pennsylvania
Avalon, Pennsylvania
Avalon is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Ohio River, downstream from Pittsburgh. It is a largely residential borough with a few small stores...
. Official Navy press reports at the time said that the cause of the mishap was being investigated.
Facilities and aircraft
Apalachicola Regional Airport covers an area of 1100 acres (445.2 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 20 feet (6 m) above mean sea level. It has three 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 with concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surfaces: Runway 6/24 is 5,271 by 150 feet (1,607 x 46 m); Runways 13/31 and 18/36 are both 5,251 by 150 feet (1,601 x 46 m).
For the 12-month period ending March 13, 2009, the airport had 24,375 aircraft operations, an average of 66 per day: 94% 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...
, 5% 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 18 aircraft based at this airport: 89% 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...
and 11% multi-engine.
See also
- Florida World War II Army Airfields
External links
- Apalachicola Airport
- Apalachicola Regional Airport (April 2010), Florida Aviation System Plan (FASP)