Ocala International Airport
Encyclopedia
Ocala International Airport is a city-owned public-use airport
located four nautical mile
s (7 km) west of the central business district
of Ocala
, a city in Marion County
, Florida
, United States
. It is also known as Ocala International Airport-Jim Taylor Field, Ocala Regional Airport and/or Jim Taylor Field.
The airport is located approximately 31 miles south of the Gainesville Regional Airport
.
of 89 feet (27 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt
paved runway
s: Runway 18/36 measuring 7,463 by 150 feet (2,275 x 46 m) and Runway 8/26 measuring 3,010 by 50 feet (917 x 15 m).
The Ocala International Airport began in 1968 with one runway served by Eastern Airlines and then Allegheny Commuter Airlines. Scheduled air service was discontinued in the early 1980s, however the original facilities were expanded over the years to include a 3,000 foot crosswind runway, an extension of the main runway out to 6,900 feet, an all weather instrument landing approach, and FAA Part 139 certification. Due to several factors including airline deregulation
, current runway length and strength, economic issues related to the operations of competing airports such as Gainesville Regional Airport
, Orlando International Airport
and Tampa International Airport
, the likelihood of scheduled air carrier service returning to Ocala is unlikely.
In 2004, a $1.3 million improvement plan was put into motion that will upgrade apron security systems. The airport is the first within the State of Florida
to utilize the polycon pavement surface treatment.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2008, the airport had 75,000 aircraft operations, an average of 205 per day: 98% general aviation
, 1% air taxi
and 1% military
. At that time there were 145 aircraft based at this airport:
68% single-engine
, 23% multi-engine, 6% jet
and 3% helicopter
.
In May of 2009 construction began on a control tower. The tower was certified and staffed in the summer of 2010.
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 mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (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 Ocala
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
, a city in Marion County
Marion County, Florida
Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 316,183. Its county seat is Ocala....
, 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 also known as Ocala International Airport-Jim Taylor Field, Ocala Regional Airport and/or Jim Taylor Field.
The airport is located approximately 31 miles south of the Gainesville Regional Airport
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...
.
Facilities and aircraft
Ocala International Airport covers an area of 1532 acres (620 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 89 feet (27 m) above mean sea level. It has two 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: Runway 18/36 measuring 7,463 by 150 feet (2,275 x 46 m) and Runway 8/26 measuring 3,010 by 50 feet (917 x 15 m).
The Ocala International Airport began in 1968 with one runway served by Eastern Airlines and then Allegheny Commuter Airlines. Scheduled air service was discontinued in the early 1980s, however the original facilities were expanded over the years to include a 3,000 foot crosswind runway, an extension of the main runway out to 6,900 feet, an all weather instrument landing approach, and FAA Part 139 certification. Due to several factors including airline deregulation
Airline deregulation
Airline deregulation is the process of removing entry and price restrictions on airlines affecting, in particular, the carriers permitted to serve specific routes. In the United States, the term usually applies to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978...
, current runway length and strength, economic issues related to the operations of competing airports such as Gainesville Regional Airport
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...
, Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
and Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport
Tampa International Airport is a major public airport located six nautical miles west of the central business district of Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. This airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority...
, the likelihood of scheduled air carrier service returning to Ocala is unlikely.
In 2004, a $1.3 million improvement plan was put into motion that will upgrade apron security systems. The airport is the first within the State of 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...
to utilize the polycon pavement surface treatment.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2008, the airport had 75,000 aircraft operations, an average of 205 per day: 98% 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...
, 1% 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 1% 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 145 aircraft based at this airport:
68% 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...
, 23% multi-engine, 6% 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% 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...
.
In May of 2009 construction began on a control tower. The tower was certified and staffed in the summer of 2010.
External links
- Ocala International Airport, official site