Cecil Field
Encyclopedia
Cecil Airport is a public joint civil-military airport
located in Jacksonville
, a city in Duval County
, Florida
, United States
. The airport is owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority
and services military aircraft, corporate aircraft, general aviation, and air cargo. The Florida Army National Guard
's primary Army Aviation Support Facility and the U.S. Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron
(HITRON) are also located here, the former operating CH-47 Chinook
, UH-60 Blackhawk and C-12 Huron aircraft, while the latter operates the MH-65C Dolphin helicopter.
Cecil Field, commonly known as either "Cecil" or "Cecil Commerce Center", also houses the FSCJ (Florida State College Jacksonville) aviation course hangar and associated training aircraft. Facilities operated by major aerospace firms such as Boeing
and Northrop Grumman
are also located at Cecil, providing major maintenance and overhaul services for a variety of U.S. military aircraft.
In 2010, Cecil Field became the United States' eighth licensed commercial spaceport
and the first in Florida authorized to fly space vehicles that take off and land horizontally.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, Cecil Field is assigned VQQ by the FAA and NZC by the IATA. The airport's ICAO
identifier is KVQQ. The NZC identifier was the airport's previous FAA identifier when it was Naval Air Station Cecil Field, its former name until its closure as a naval air station
in 1999.
, which opened in 1941 and closed in 1999 following the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) decision. Covering a total area of 22,939 acres (92.8 km²), it was the largest military base in the Jacksonville area and supported all Atlantic Fleet F/A-18 Hornet
strike fighter squadrons and S-3 Viking
sea control squadrons.
s (24 km²) and contains four runway
s:
For the 12-month period ending September 30, 1999, the airport had 64,255 aircraft operations, an average of 176 per day: 73% military (46,783) and 27% general aviation (17,472). There are 107 aircraft based at this airport: 64% military (69), 16% jet aircraft (17), 10% single engine (11) and 9% helicopters (10).
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 in Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, a city in Duval County
Duval County, Florida
Duval County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2010, the population was 864,263. Its county seat is Jacksonville, with which the Duval County government has been consolidated since 1968...
, 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...
. The airport is owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority
Jacksonville Aviation Authority
The Jacksonville Aviation Authority is the independent government agency that owns and operates the four airports of Jacksonville, Florida. It was established in 2001 after being branched off of the Jacksonville Port Authority...
and services military aircraft, corporate aircraft, general aviation, and air cargo. The Florida Army National Guard
Florida Army National Guard
The Florida Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the US Army's available combat forces and approximately one third of its support organization...
's primary Army Aviation Support Facility and the U.S. Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron
Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron
The Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron is an armed U.S. Coast Guard helicopter squadron specializing in Airborne Use of Force and drug-interdiction missions. It is based at Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida....
(HITRON) are also located here, the former operating CH-47 Chinook
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its top speed of 170 knots is faster than contemporary utility and attack helicopters of the 1960s...
, UH-60 Blackhawk and C-12 Huron aircraft, while the latter operates the MH-65C Dolphin helicopter.
Cecil Field, commonly known as either "Cecil" or "Cecil Commerce Center", also houses the FSCJ (Florida State College Jacksonville) aviation course hangar and associated training aircraft. Facilities operated by major aerospace firms such as Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
and Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
are also located at Cecil, providing major maintenance and overhaul services for a variety of U.S. military aircraft.
In 2010, Cecil Field became the United States' eighth licensed commercial spaceport
Spaceport
A spaceport or cosmodrome is a site for launching spacecraft, by analogy with seaport for ships or airport for aircraft. The word spaceport, and even more so cosmodrome, has traditionally been used for sites capable of launching spacecraft into orbit around Earth or on interplanetary trajectories...
and the first in Florida authorized to fly space vehicles that take off and land horizontally.
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...
, Cecil Field is assigned VQQ by the FAA and NZC by the IATA. The airport's ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
identifier is KVQQ. The NZC identifier was the airport's previous FAA identifier when it was Naval Air Station Cecil Field, its former name until its closure as a naval air station
Naval Air Station
A Naval Air Station is a military airbase, and consists of a permanent land-based operations locations for the military aviation division of the relevant branch of their Navy...
in 1999.
History
The airport is located on the site of the former Naval Air Station Cecil FieldNaval Air Station Cecil Field
Naval Air Station Cecil Field or NAS Cecil Field was a United States Navy base, located in Duval County, Florida. NAS Cecil Field was the largest military base in the Jacksonville, Florida, area....
, which opened in 1941 and closed in 1999 following the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC) decision. Covering a total area of 22,939 acres (92.8 km²), it was the largest military base in the Jacksonville area and supported all Atlantic Fleet F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
strike fighter squadrons and S-3 Viking
S-3 Viking
The Lockheed S-3 Viking is a four-seat twin-engine jet aircraft that was used by the U.S. Navy to identify, track, and destroy enemy submarines. In the late 1990s, the S-3B's mission focus shifted to surface warfare and aerial refueling. The Viking also provided electronic warfare and surface...
sea control squadrons.
Facilities and aircraft
Cecil Field covers an area of 6,000 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (24 km²) and contains four 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:
- Runway 9L/27R: 8,002 x 200 ft. (2,439 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete
- Runway 9R/27L: 8,003 x 200 ft. (2,439 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete
- Runway 18L/36R: 12,504 x 200 ft. (3,811 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete
- Runway 18R/36L: 8,003 x 200 ft. (2,439 x 61 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete
For the 12-month period ending September 30, 1999, the airport had 64,255 aircraft operations, an average of 176 per day: 73% military (46,783) and 27% general aviation (17,472). There are 107 aircraft based at this airport: 64% military (69), 16% jet aircraft (17), 10% single engine (11) and 9% helicopters (10).
External links
- Cecil Field page at the Jacksonville Aviation Authority website
- Cecil Spaceport Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville website
- Cecil Field Spaceport Cecil Field Spaceport website brochure from CFASPP (July 2006)
- Jacksonville JetPort FBO at Cecil Airport