Greenville Downtown Airport
Encyclopedia
Greenville Downtown Airport is a public airport
located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district
of Greenville
, a city in Greenville County
, South Carolina
, United States
. It is operated by the Greenville Airport Commission on public land.
paved runway
s: 1/19 measuring 5,393 x 100 ft (1,644 x 30 m) and 10/28 measuring 3,998 x 80 ft (1,219 x 24 m). It also had two helipad
s, each with a 50 x 50 ft (15 x 15 m) concrete
surface. It is located between the commercial corridors of I-385, Laurens Road, Pleasantburg Drive and Haywood Road.
The Airport Commission recently completed extensive runway, taxiway, and apron improvements, a major terminal renovation, and construction of a new road that made additional land available for development.
Located at GMU are many companies that provide aviation services like aircraft rental and flight instruction, aircraft maintenance, helicopter services and flight instruction, aircraft management, fuel service, aircraft sales, air charter and air taxi services. See: http://www.greenvilledowntownairport.com/index.html for details.
GMU also has a restaurant, the Runway Cafe. See: http://www.runwaycafegmu.com/ for details.
Total Employment - 453 jobs
Total Payroll - $13.4 million
Total Economic Impact = $35.2 million
The report notes that GMU is the busiest general aviation airport in South Carolina with nearly 80,000 take-offs and landings annually and more than 245 based aircraft. (source: A report prepared for the South Carolina Aeronatuics Commission by Wilbur Smith Associates in May, 2006)
The FAA Southern Region selected Joe Frasher, Airport Director of GMU, as the 2008 General Aviation Airport Manager of the Year. This award is presented to a general aviation airport manager in the Southeast who makes outstanding efforts to increase flight safety. Mr. Frasher was instrumental in completing numerous safety-enhancing projects at GMU over the last 26 years.
"The staff of the Greenville Downtown Airport is distinguished in its commitment to continually increasing flight safety," said Rusty Chapman, recently retired Manager of the Airports Division, FAA Southern Region. "They accomplished a significant number of safety upgrades while still successfully operating the state's busiest general aviation airport."
The award was presented to Mr. Frasher at the 2009 FAA Communications Conference in Atlanta on January 30, 2009.
During World War II
, the United States Army Air Force indicated a need for the airfield as a training airfield. The airport was used jointly by the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command
, Southeast Training Center (later Eastern Flying Training Command) as a contract glider training school, operated by Southern Airways, Inc from 1941 until mid-1943. The airport was then reassigned to Air Technical Service Command, and used as a supply and maintenance depot until being returned to full civil control in October 1945.
In 1954, Charles Lindbergh dedicated the opening of a new terminal. Up until 1962, GMU was the commercial airport for the Greenville area. It was from this airport that the fatal flight of the Lynyrd Skynyrd
Convair 240
departed on October 20, 1977. The recently renovated terminal won a national award.
You can view photos from GMU's history at http://www.greenvilledowntownairport.com/GMUHistory.html
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 three miles (5 km) east 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 Greenville
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, a city in Greenville County
Greenville County, South Carolina
- External Links :*...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is operated by the Greenville Airport Commission on public land.
Facilities
Greenville Downtown Airport covers an area of 385 acres (155.8 ha) which contains two 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...
s: 1/19 measuring 5,393 x 100 ft (1,644 x 30 m) and 10/28 measuring 3,998 x 80 ft (1,219 x 24 m). It also had two helipad
Helipad
Helipad is a common abbreviation for helicopter landing pad, a landing area for helicopters. While helicopters are able to operate on a variety of relatively flat surfaces, a fabricated helipad provides a clearly marked hard surface away from obstacles where a helicopter can safely...
s, each with a 50 x 50 ft (15 x 15 m) 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...
surface. It is located between the commercial corridors of I-385, Laurens Road, Pleasantburg Drive and Haywood Road.
The Airport Commission recently completed extensive runway, taxiway, and apron improvements, a major terminal renovation, and construction of a new road that made additional land available for development.
Located at GMU are many companies that provide aviation services like aircraft rental and flight instruction, aircraft maintenance, helicopter services and flight instruction, aircraft management, fuel service, aircraft sales, air charter and air taxi services. See: http://www.greenvilledowntownairport.com/index.html for details.
GMU also has a restaurant, the Runway Cafe. See: http://www.runwaycafegmu.com/ for details.
Governance
The Greenville Downtown Airport is governed by a 5-person appointed Commission authorized by Act 919. Two appointees each from City and County Councils and one at-large serve three year terms.Economic Impact
A recently completed statewide economic impact study for all of South Carolina's airports revealed that the Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU) has a significant economic impact:Total Employment - 453 jobs
Total Payroll - $13.4 million
Total Economic Impact = $35.2 million
The report notes that GMU is the busiest general aviation airport in South Carolina with nearly 80,000 take-offs and landings annually and more than 245 based aircraft. (source: A report prepared for the South Carolina Aeronatuics Commission by Wilbur Smith Associates in May, 2006)
Awards
The FAA Southern Region recently selected GMU to receive its General Aviation Airport Safety Award. The award is presented to a general aviation airport in the Southeast that makes outstanding efforts to increase flight safety. GMU accomplished this by completing numerous safety-enhancing projects. Of particular note, GMU was the first general aviation airport in the nation to install an Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) in the latter part of 2003. EMAS rapidly and safely decelerates aircraft that have overrun the active runway by utilizing energy absorbing material. In the summer of 2006, this system was credited with saving five passengers and a $20 million Falcon 900 jet that overran Runway 1 due to a brake malfunction.The FAA Southern Region selected Joe Frasher, Airport Director of GMU, as the 2008 General Aviation Airport Manager of the Year. This award is presented to a general aviation airport manager in the Southeast who makes outstanding efforts to increase flight safety. Mr. Frasher was instrumental in completing numerous safety-enhancing projects at GMU over the last 26 years.
"The staff of the Greenville Downtown Airport is distinguished in its commitment to continually increasing flight safety," said Rusty Chapman, recently retired Manager of the Airports Division, FAA Southern Region. "They accomplished a significant number of safety upgrades while still successfully operating the state's busiest general aviation airport."
The award was presented to Mr. Frasher at the 2009 FAA Communications Conference in Atlanta on January 30, 2009.
History
GMU was opened in 1928 and was initially named Greenville Municipal Airport. In 1930, GMU received its first airmail flight.During World War II
World 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...
, the United States Army Air Force indicated a need for the airfield as a training airfield. The airport was used jointly by the Army Air Forces Flying Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
, Southeast Training Center (later Eastern Flying Training Command) as a contract glider training school, operated by Southern Airways, Inc from 1941 until mid-1943. The airport was then reassigned to Air Technical Service Command, and used as a supply and maintenance depot until being returned to full civil control in October 1945.
In 1954, Charles Lindbergh dedicated the opening of a new terminal. Up until 1962, GMU was the commercial airport for the Greenville area. It was from this airport that the fatal flight of the Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...
Convair 240
1977 Convair 240 crash
On Thursday, October 20, 1977, a Convair CV-300 chartered by the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from L&J Company of Addision, TX ran out of fuel and crashed near the end of its flight from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana...
departed on October 20, 1977. The recently renovated terminal won a national award.
You can view photos from GMU's history at http://www.greenvilledowntownairport.com/GMUHistory.html
See also
- South Carolina World War II Army AirfieldsSouth Carolina World War II Army AirfieldsDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Force established numerous airfields in South Carolina for antisubmarine defense in the Gulf of Mexico and for training pilots and aircrews of USAAF fighters and bombers....