Lewistown Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Lewistown Municipal Airport is a public-use airport
located two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of the central business district
of Lewistown
, a city in Fergus County
, Montana
, United States
. It is owned by the City of Lewistown and Fergus County. This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2009–2013, which categorized
it as a general aviation
facility. It is also designated to receive commercial service subsidized by the federal Essential Air Service
(EAS) program.
Scheduled air service at Lewistown ended on March 8, 2008, when Big Sky Airlines
(the designated EAS operator) ceased operation. Great Lakes Airlines
has been given USDOT
approval to take over EAS service between Lewistown and Denver, Colorado
.
With construction complete, Lewistown was built as a satellite field for Great Falls Army Air Base. Squadrons were trained in the navigation of the B-17 in addition to receiving gunnery and bombing practice. Once their training was complete, the men were sent to the European front.
The airfield was in operation during a 12-month period between 1942 and 1943 and thereafter deactivated. The field was declared surplus in 1948 and has served the local community as a municipal airport ever since.
of 4,170 feet (1,271 m) above mean sea level. It has three asphalt
paved runway
s: 7/25 is 6,100 by 100 feet (1,859 x 30 m), 2/20 is 5,600 by 100 feet (1,707 x 30 m), and 12/30 is 4,102 by 60 feet (1,250 x 18 m).
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 15,972 aircraft operations, an average of 43 per day: 84% general aviation
, 12% air taxi
, and 4% military
. At that time there were 46 aircraft based at this airport: 83% single-engine
, 9% multi-engine, and 9% 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 two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest 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 Lewistown
Lewistown, Montana
Lewistown is a city in and the county seat of Fergus County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,813 at the 2000 census. Lewistown is located in central Montana, the geographic center of the state, southeast of Great Falls...
, a city in Fergus County
Fergus County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge * Lewis and Clark National Forest * Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument -Demographics:...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, 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 Lewistown and Fergus County. This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. It is developed and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration . Its purposes are:* to identify all the airports in the U.S...
for 2009–2013, which categorized
FAA airport categories
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has a system for categorizing public-use airports that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's Airport...
it as 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...
facility. It is also designated to receive commercial service subsidized by the federal Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these...
(EAS) program.
Scheduled air service at Lewistown ended on March 8, 2008, when Big Sky Airlines
Big Sky Airlines
Big Sky Airlines was an American regional airline that operated from 1978 to 2008. Headquartered in Billings, Montana, United States. Big Sky was wholly owned by Big Sky Transportation Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of MAIR Holdings....
(the designated EAS operator) ceased operation. Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines , is an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters are located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with hubs at Denver International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, McCarran...
has been given USDOT
United States Department of Transportation
The United States Department of Transportation is a federal Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with transportation. It was established by an act of Congress on October 15, 1966, and began operation on April 1, 1967...
approval to take over EAS service between Lewistown and Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
History
Lewiston Army Airfield was constructed during 1942 as one of four training facilities for B-17 Flying Fortress crew members and included a storage site for the top secret Norden Bombsight.With construction complete, Lewistown was built as a satellite field for Great Falls Army Air Base. Squadrons were trained in the navigation of the B-17 in addition to receiving gunnery and bombing practice. Once their training was complete, the men were sent to the European front.
The airfield was in operation during a 12-month period between 1942 and 1943 and thereafter deactivated. The field was declared surplus in 1948 and has served the local community as a municipal airport ever since.
Facilities and aircraft
Lewistown Municipal Airport covers an area of 2200 acres (890.3 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 4,170 feet (1,271 m) above mean sea level. It has three 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...
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: 7/25 is 6,100 by 100 feet (1,859 x 30 m), 2/20 is 5,600 by 100 feet (1,707 x 30 m), and 12/30 is 4,102 by 60 feet (1,250 x 18 m).
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 15,972 aircraft operations, an average of 43 per day: 84% 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...
, 12% 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 4% 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 46 aircraft based at this airport: 83% 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...
, 9% multi-engine, and 9% 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...
.
Airlines and destinations
External links
- Lewistown Municipal Airport, official website