Aurora State Airport
Encyclopedia
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 mile (2 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 Aurora
Aurora, Oregon
Aurora is a city in Marion County, Oregon, United States. It was founded as a religious commune in 1856 by Dr. William Keil who named the settlement after his daughter. The population was 918 at the 2010 census...
, a city in Marion County
Marion County, Oregon
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was originally named the Champooick District, after Champoeg, a meeting place on the Willamette River. On September 3, 1849, the territorial legislature renamed it in honor of Francis Marion, a Continental Army general of the...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned by the Oregon Department of Aviation
Oregon Department of Aviation
The Oregon Department of Aviation is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon chiefly responsible for matters relating to the continuing development of aviation as part of the state's transportation system, and the safety of its airways...
.
Although most 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...
, Aurora State Airport is assigned UAO by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
Primarily a 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...
airport, Aurora has significant business aviation based at the field. In addition the airport serves as the home to two major aviation companies Van's Aircraft
Van's Aircraft
Van's Aircraft is an American kit aircraft manufacturer, founded by Richard "Van" VanGrunsven in 1973.Van's RV series of aircraft, from the single seat RV-3 to the latest RV-12, are all-aluminum, low-wing monoplanes of monocoque construction...
and Columbia Helicopters
Columbia Helicopters
Columbia Helicopters, Incorporated, or CHI, is an aircraft manufacturing and operator company based in Aurora, Oregon, United States. They are known for operating tandem rotor helicopters; in present times, exclusively the Boeing Vertol 107 and Boeing 234. These helicopters are used in...
.
On May 26, 2009, the Oregon State Legislature passed a resolution identifying the airport as Wes Lematta Field at Aurora State Airport. The late Wes Lematta was the founder of Columbia Helicopters located on the northeastern corner of the field.
Facilities and aircraft
Aurora State Airport covers an area of 144 acres (58.3 ha) which contains one asphaltAsphalt
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...
(17/35) measuring 5,004 x 100 ft (1,525 x 30 m). For the 12-month period ending June 30, 2000, the airport had 73,895 aircraft operations, an average of 202 per day: 91% 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...
, 8% 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. There are 432 aircraft based at this airport: 84% single engine, 7% multi-engine, 1% jet aircraft and 8% 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...
s.
Three 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...
s operate at the field: Aurora Aviation, Aurora Jet Center, and Willamette Aviation. Aurora Aviation and Willamette Aviation provide aircraft fuel services, flight instruction, aircraft rentals, and aircraft sales, while the Aurora Jet Center primarily provides aircraft refuelling services, hangars for corporate aircraft, and an executive lounge for private and corporate jet operations.
History
The airport was built by the United States Army Air Force about 1942, and was known as Aurora Flight Strip. It was an emergency landing airfield by Portland Army Air Base for military aircraft on training flights. 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).
See also
- Oregon World War II Army AirfieldsOregon World War II Army AirfieldsOregon World War II Army Airfields were the airfields built or repurposed during World War II for training pilots and aircrews of United States Army Air Force fighters and bombers in Oregon....
- Columbia Aviation HeliportColumbia Aviation HeliportColumbia Aviation Heliport is a private heliport located one mile northwest of Aurora in Marion County, Oregon, USA. Heliport is located adjacent to the Wes Lematta Field at Aurora State Airport on its east side approximately mid-field....
- located on east border of airport - Columbia Helicopters HeliportColumbia Helicopters HeliportColumbia Helicopters Heliport is a private heliport located 2 miles northwest of Aurora in Marion County, Oregon, USA. The heliport is located at the northeast corner of Wes Lematta Field at Aurora State Airport and adjacent to the headquarters of Columbia Helicopters, Inc....
- located on northeast corner of airport