Joliet Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Joliet Regional Airport is a public use airport
located four nautical miles (7 km) west of the central business district
of Joliet
, a city in Will County
, Illinois
, United States
. It is owned by the Joliet Park District.
The airport is also 37 miles (60 kilometers) southwest of Chicago
. It opened in April of 1930.
Richard Barr in the mid 1920s. It was operated by the Joliet Park District, the first airport in the country to be operated by such an authority. The land was purchased in September 1928 and the airport was built with assistance from the United States Department of Commerce
. The airport was dedicated in September 1930, with an aerobatics
show and bomb-dropping. The Park District relocated their main office to the airport. Most operations were transferred to a new airfield in 1940. A transmitter is still functional at the old airport and the hangar
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1980.
of 581 feet (177 m) above mean sea level. It has two runway
s: 12/30 is 2,937 by 100 feet (895 x 30 m) with an asphalt
pavement and 4/22 is 2,746 by 150 feet (837 x 45m) with a turf
surface.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 25,000 aircraft operations, an average of 68 per day: 89% general aviation
, 8% air taxi
, and 3% military
. At that time there were 114 aircraft based at this airport: 91% single-engine
, 6% multi-engine and 3% helicopter
.
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) 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 Joliet
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
, a city in Will County
Will County, Illinois
As of the census of 2000, there were 502,266 people, 167,542 households, and 131,017 families residing in the county. The population density was 600 people per square mile . There were 175,524 housing units at an average density of 210 per square mile...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, 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 Joliet Park District.
The airport is also 37 miles (60 kilometers) southwest of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It opened in April of 1930.
History
Joliet's first airport, Originally known as Joliet Municipal Airport, was proposed by Illinois SenatorIllinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
Richard Barr in the mid 1920s. It was operated by the Joliet Park District, the first airport in the country to be operated by such an authority. The land was purchased in September 1928 and the airport was built with assistance from the United States Department of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is the Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. It was originally created as the United States Department of Commerce and Labor on February 14, 1903...
. The airport was dedicated in September 1930, with an aerobatics
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
show and bomb-dropping. The Park District relocated their main office to the airport. Most operations were transferred to a new airfield in 1940. A transmitter is still functional at the old airport and the hangar
Hangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1980.
Facilities and aircraft
Joliet Regional Airport covers an area of 178 acres (72 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 581 feet (177 m) above mean sea level. It has two 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: 12/30 is 2,937 by 100 feet (895 x 30 m) with an 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...
pavement and 4/22 is 2,746 by 150 feet (837 x 45m) with a turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
surface.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 25,000 aircraft operations, an average of 68 per day: 89% 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 3% 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 114 aircraft based at this airport: 91% 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...
, 6% multi-engine and 3% 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...
.