Leesburg International 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 three miles (5 km) northeast 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 Leesburg
Leesburg, Florida
Leesburg is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 15,956 at the 2000 census. As of 2005, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 19,086.. Leesburg is located in central Florida, between Lake Harris and Lake Griffin, at the head of the Oklawaha River system....
, a city in Lake County
Lake County, Florida
Lake County is a county located in the state of Florida, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 210,528. The Census Bureau estimated the population in 2008 to be 307,243. Its county seat is Tavares...
, 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 is owned by the City of Leesburg.
Facilities and aircraft
Leesburg International Airport covers an area of 769 acres (311.2 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: 3/21 measuring 4,957 x 100 ft (1,511 x 30 m) and 13/31 measuring 5,000 x 100 ft (1,524 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending May 18, 1999, the airport had 114,061 aircraft operations, an average of 312 per day: 99.8% 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...
and 0.2% military. There are 186 aircraft based at this airport: 67% single-engine, 23% multi-engine, 5% ultralight, 3% jet 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...
.
Passenger Service:
- There is no scheduled commercial passenger service available into Leesburg. In 2007, DayJetDayJetDayJet was an American commercial aviation operation that provided on-demand jet travel using Eclipse 500 Very Light Jets. The company began operations in Florida in October 2007 and suspended operations on September 19, 2008....
included Leesburg as a "Per-Seat On-Demand Destination" available through its charter service, but the company ceased operations in September 2008.
History
The airport was constructed in 1942 and was commissioned in January 1943 as Leesburg Army Airfield (AAF). It was used as a United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
training airfield by the Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics
The Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics was a military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II...
at Orlando Army Air Base. Leesburg was a sub-base of Alachua AAF
Gainesville Regional Airport
Gainesville Regional Airport is a public airport located three miles northeast of the central business district of Gainesville, a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States. The airport is owned by the City of Gainesville, FL and operated by the Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport...
with the 901st Army Air Force Base Unit being the host unit for the station.
The 313th Fighter Squadron was assigned to the airfield from 5 January-17 November 1943 training students with the P-40 Warhawk, with the 1158th School Squadron providing instruction in twin-engine fighter aircraft (predominately the P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
). Leesburg was also a repair depot with several aircraft supply and ground maintenance units.
The airfield was closed after the end of 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...
and the facility was turned over to the City of Leesburg.
References
See also
- Florida World War II Army Airfields
- Army Air Force School of Applied TacticsArmy Air Force School of Applied TacticsThe Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics was a military training organization of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II...
External links
- Leesburg International Airport (official site) brochure from CFASPP (October 2007)