Mason Jewett Field
Encyclopedia
Mason Jewett Field is a public use airport
located one nautical mile (1.85 km) southeast of the central business district
of Mason
, in Ingham County
, Michigan
, United States
. It is owned and operated by the Capital Region Airport Authority, which also oversees the nearby Capital Region International Airport (LAN) in Lansing, Michigan
. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2009–2013, it is categorized as a general aviation
airport.
Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, this airport is assigned TEW by the FAA and no designation from the IATA.
during World War II
, and the return of veterans to the area would make an airport an increasingly important asset to the community. Further, the airport could promote industrial development around Mason. On December 16, 1943, Arthur Jewett purchased the 180 acres (72.8 ha) Elsworth Farm southeast of Mason.
In early 1944 runway 9/27 was constructed at 2800 feet (853.4 m) with a turf
surface. An existing hip roof
barn
at the west end of the airfield was converted in to an airplane hangar
capable of holding three or four planes. A hangar with room for six planes, was built at the northwest end of the airport. A Civil Air Patrol
Squadron
plane from Lansing was the first to land on the new runway. In October 1944 Stanley Keck became the first operator of the new Jewett Flying School. A 2500 feet (762 m) north-south runway was completed at the east end of the existing runway.
An increase of privately-owned aircraft based at the airport prompted the construction of five t-hangars along Eden Road in mid-1946. The Sycamore Valley Flyers flying club operated at the airport from 1946 to 1966. In 1948 Laylin Jewett established an aircraft maintenance facility at Jewett Field. In fall 1949 lights were installed on runway 9/27. A model airplane hobby shop opened at the airport in the winter of 1949.
By 1950 there were more than 30 planes based at the airport. In September 1950 the airport owner, Arthur Jewett, decided to close the airport. By the mid-1950s Jewett reopened the airport with Bartlett Smith as Assistant Airport Manager. Harold Manville operated a flight training and aircraft rental business at the airport from 1968 to 1974.
In March 1977 the Capital Region Airport Authority purchased the 180 acres (72.8 ha) of airport property from Arthur Jewett as a reliever airfield for Capital City Airport (now Capital Region International Airport) in Lansing. The existing buildings at the airport were removed and a new 3000 feet (914.4 m) asphalt
runway 9/27 was constructed. The north-south runway was decommissioned and a new terminal
was built on its location. During the next decade, the Capital Region Airport Authority purchased approximately 100 acres (40.5 ha) of adjoining property, allowing the runway to be lengthened to 4000 feet (1,219.2 m). A lighted parallel taxiway
was also constructed.
The Experimental Aircraft Association
, Chapter 55, moved to Jewett Field in 1984. The Association built the airport's Chapter Hangar in 1985, which provides space for members' aircraft, a workshop, and a meeting room.
In 1998 Jewett Field operator, AeroGenesis Aviation, built a maintenance hangar and office building at the airport.
In June 2009 Lansing Community College
signed a 5-year lease for a hangar at Jewett Field to house the college's aviation mechanics program. The program is based out of nearby Capital Region International Airport, with potential displacement due to that airport's expansion plans. By February 2010 the June 2009 lease was under litigation. In February 2011 the hangar was purchased by Lansing Community College. In May the college announced that it would move its aviation mechanics program from Capital Region International Airport to the Jewett Field hangar.
. The event is organized by the Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 55, in Mason.
of 920 feet (280.4 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 10/28 with an asphalt
surface measuring 4,004 by 75 feet (1,220 x 23 m). The airport is staffed Monday through Friday from 7AM until 4PM. Currently Jewett Field has hangar space for more than 80 airplanes.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 17,822 general aviation
aircraft operations, an average of 49 per day (a decrease from 20,960 operations in 2008). At that time there were 64 aircraft based at this airport: 86% single-engine
, 8% multi-engine, 3% jet
and 3% ultralight.
single-engine plane lost power and crashed in a field north of the airport shortly after takeoff, crushing to nose of the plane. The pilot was hospitalized.
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 one nautical mile (1.85 km) southeast 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 Mason
Mason, Michigan
Mason is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is named after the state's first governor, Stevens T. Mason. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,252. It is the county seat of Ingham County. Mason is the only city in the U.S. that serves as a county seat ahead of a state capital,...
, in Ingham County
Ingham County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 279,320 people, 108,593 households, and 63,744 families residing in the county. The population density was 500 people per square mile . There were 115,056 housing units at an average density of 206 per square mile...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is owned and operated by the Capital Region Airport Authority, which also oversees the nearby Capital Region International Airport (LAN) in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
. According to 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, it is categorized 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...
airport.
Although many 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...
, this airport is assigned TEW by the FAA and no designation from the IATA.
1940s-1960s
Mason mayor, Arthur W. Jewett, believed that the popularity of aviationAviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
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...
, and the return of veterans to the area would make an airport an increasingly important asset to the community. Further, the airport could promote industrial development around Mason. On December 16, 1943, Arthur Jewett purchased the 180 acres (72.8 ha) Elsworth Farm southeast of Mason.
In early 1944 runway 9/27 was constructed at 2800 feet (853.4 m) 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. An existing hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
at the west end of the airfield was converted in to an airplane 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...
capable of holding three or four planes. A hangar with room for six planes, was built at the northwest end of the airport. A Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol
Civil Air Patrol is a Congressionally chartered, federally supported, non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force . CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded membership that includes people from all backgrounds, lifestyles, and...
Squadron
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
plane from Lansing was the first to land on the new runway. In October 1944 Stanley Keck became the first operator of the new Jewett Flying School. A 2500 feet (762 m) north-south runway was completed at the east end of the existing runway.
An increase of privately-owned aircraft based at the airport prompted the construction of five t-hangars along Eden Road in mid-1946. The Sycamore Valley Flyers flying club operated at the airport from 1946 to 1966. In 1948 Laylin Jewett established an aircraft maintenance facility at Jewett Field. In fall 1949 lights were installed on runway 9/27. A model airplane hobby shop opened at the airport in the winter of 1949.
By 1950 there were more than 30 planes based at the airport. In September 1950 the airport owner, Arthur Jewett, decided to close the airport. By the mid-1950s Jewett reopened the airport with Bartlett Smith as Assistant Airport Manager. Harold Manville operated a flight training and aircraft rental business at the airport from 1968 to 1974.
1970s to present
In October 1973 a two-year disagreement over a lease on the airport was settled between Arthur Jewett, and the airport's operator, Harold Manville. In November, the Michigan Aeronautics Commission granted a license to Arthur Jewett, allowing the facility to remain in operation. By 1973 Arthur Jewett reported losing $150,000 in operating the airport.In March 1977 the Capital Region Airport Authority purchased the 180 acres (72.8 ha) of airport property from Arthur Jewett as a reliever airfield for Capital City Airport (now Capital Region International Airport) in Lansing. The existing buildings at the airport were removed and a new 3000 feet (914.4 m) 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...
runway 9/27 was constructed. The north-south runway was decommissioned and a new terminal
Airport terminal
An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from aircraft....
was built on its location. During the next decade, the Capital Region Airport Authority purchased approximately 100 acres (40.5 ha) of adjoining property, allowing the runway to be lengthened to 4000 feet (1,219.2 m). A lighted parallel taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
was also constructed.
The Experimental Aircraft Association
Experimental Aircraft Association
The Experimental Aircraft Association is an international organization of aviation enthusiasts based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Since its inception it has grown internationally with over 160,000 members and about 1,000 chapters worldwide....
, Chapter 55, moved to Jewett Field in 1984. The Association built the airport's Chapter Hangar in 1985, which provides space for members' aircraft, a workshop, and a meeting room.
In 1998 Jewett Field operator, AeroGenesis Aviation, built a maintenance hangar and office building at the airport.
In June 2009 Lansing Community College
Lansing Community College
Lansing Community College is a two-year public college founded in 1957. The college's main campus is located on an urban, 42-acre site in downtown Lansing, Michigan spanning seven city blocks approximately two blocks from the state capital...
signed a 5-year lease for a hangar at Jewett Field to house the college's aviation mechanics program. The program is based out of nearby Capital Region International Airport, with potential displacement due to that airport's expansion plans. By February 2010 the June 2009 lease was under litigation. In February 2011 the hangar was purchased by Lansing Community College. In May the college announced that it would move its aviation mechanics program from Capital Region International Airport to the Jewett Field hangar.
Aviation Days
Aviation Days is an annual event at Jewett Field that showcases vintage aircraft, including homemade planes, antique passenger planes, and World War II-era military aircraftMilitary aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:...
. The event is organized by the Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 55, in Mason.
Facilities and aircraft
Mason Jewett Field covers an area of 275 acres (111.3 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 920 feet (280.4 m) above mean sea level. It has one 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...
designated 10/28 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...
surface measuring 4,004 by 75 feet (1,220 x 23 m). The airport is staffed Monday through Friday from 7AM until 4PM. Currently Jewett Field has hangar space for more than 80 airplanes.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 17,822 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...
aircraft operations, an average of 49 per day (a decrease from 20,960 operations in 2008). At that time there were 64 aircraft based at this airport: 86% 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...
, 8% multi-engine, 3% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
and 3% ultralight.
Transit
- The closest freeway is US-127U.S. Route 127 in MichiganUS Highway 127 is a part of the United States Numbered Highway System that runs from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. In Michigan, it is a state trunkline highway that runs for , entering from Ohio south of Hudson and ending at a partial interchange with...
, which is approximately 0.75 miles (1.2 km) west of Jewett Field. The airport is accessible by road by taking US-127 exit 64 (Kipp Road) east to Eden Road. State highway M-36M-36 (Michigan highway)M-36 is a state trunkline route in the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan that runs in a west–east direction from Mason to Whitmore Lake. The route connects US 127 south of Lansing and US 23 north of Ann Arbor-Route description:...
is approximately 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) north of the airport. - The Capital Area Transportation AuthorityCapital Area Transportation AuthorityThe Capital Area Transportation Authority provides mass transit bus service and paratransit within the metro Lansing, Michigan area including Michigan State University .- CATA system :...
(CATA) provides bus service from Lansing to Mason. Route 46 runs weekdays from downtown Lansing to the southside of Mason, near the airport. The Mason Connector runs weekdays and Saturday from south Lansing to Mason.
Incidents and Accidents
On September 17, 2010, a Tecnam P2004 BravoTecnam P2004
-See also:...
single-engine plane lost power and crashed in a field north of the airport shortly after takeoff, crushing to nose of the plane. The pilot was hospitalized.
See also
- List of Airports in Michigan
- Mason, MichiganMason, MichiganMason is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is named after the state's first governor, Stevens T. Mason. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,252. It is the county seat of Ingham County. Mason is the only city in the U.S. that serves as a county seat ahead of a state capital,...
- Capital Region International Airport
External links
- Mason Jewett Field, official site
- Capital Region Airport Authority
- Mason Jewett Field Airport at city-data.com at Michigan DOT Airport Directory