Salina Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Salina Municipal Airport is a public-use airport
located three nautical mile
s (6 km) southwest of the central business district
of Salina
, a city in Saline County
, Kansas
, United States
. It is owned by the Salina Airport Authority.
The airport is located on the site of the former Schilling Air Force Base
(also known as Smoky Hill Air Force Base). It is mostly used for general aviation
but is also served by one commercial airline, SeaPort Airlines.
SeaPort Airlines is an FAA certified carrier that currently operates flights in nine states, including Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. SeaPort Airlines is headquartered in Portland, Oregon; additional operating bases are located in Memphis, Tennessee and Juneau, Alaska. All service in Alaska is operated under their sister brand, Wings of Alaska.
The airport was used as the takeoff and landing point for the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer
, flown by Steve Fossett
in the first nonstop, non-refueled solo circumnavigation of the earth from February 28 to March 3, 2005. Fossett also used the airport as the takeoff and landing point for a later nonstop and nonrefueled solo circumnavigation in the GlobalFlyer from March 14 to March 17, 2006 which set a new record for greatest distance traveled by an aircraft on a closed course.
Salina Municipal Airport is also the home of the Kansas State University - Salina
flight department.
of 1,288 feet (393 m) above mean sea level. It has four asphalt
paved runway
s: 17/35 is 12,300 by 150 feet (3,749 x 46 m), 12/30 is 6,510 by 100 feet (1,984 x 30 m), 18/36 is 4,300 by 75 feet (1,311 x 23 m), and 4/22 is 3,648 by 75 feet (1,112 x 23 m).
For the 12-month period ending February 28, 2007, the airport had 84,977 aircraft operations, an average of 232 per day: 90% general aviation
, 7% air taxi
, 3% military
and <1% scheduled commercial
. At that time there were 137 aircraft based at this airport: 74% single-engine
, 13% multi-engine, 4% jet
, 3% helicopter
, 2% glider
and 4% military
.
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 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 (6 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 Salina
Salina, Kansas
Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...
, a city in Saline County
Saline County, Kansas
Saline County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 55,606...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, 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 Salina Airport Authority.
The airport is located on the site of the former Schilling Air Force Base
Schilling Air Force Base
Schilling Air Force Base is a former a United States Air Force Base located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Salina, a city in Saline County, Kansas, United States...
(also known as Smoky Hill Air Force Base). It is mostly used for 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...
but is also served by one commercial airline, SeaPort Airlines.
SeaPort Airlines is an FAA certified carrier that currently operates flights in nine states, including Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. SeaPort Airlines is headquartered in Portland, Oregon; additional operating bases are located in Memphis, Tennessee and Juneau, Alaska. All service in Alaska is operated under their sister brand, Wings of Alaska.
The airport was used as the takeoff and landing point for the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer
Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer
The Scaled Composites Model 311 Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer is an aircraft designed by Burt Rutan in which Steve Fossett flew a solo nonstop airplane flight around the world in a time of 67 hours 1 minute from February 28, 2005 until March 3, 2005...
, flown by Steve Fossett
Steve Fossett
James Stephen Fossett was an American commodities trader, businessman, and adventurer. Fossett is the first person to fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon...
in the first nonstop, non-refueled solo circumnavigation of the earth from February 28 to March 3, 2005. Fossett also used the airport as the takeoff and landing point for a later nonstop and nonrefueled solo circumnavigation in the GlobalFlyer from March 14 to March 17, 2006 which set a new record for greatest distance traveled by an aircraft on a closed course.
Salina Municipal Airport is also the home of the Kansas State University - Salina
Kansas State University - Salina
Kansas State University-Salina is a branch campus of Kansas State University, and the home of the University's College of Technology and Aviation. It is located in Salina, Kansas, United States.- College of Technology and Aviation :...
flight department.
Facilities and aircraft
Salina Municipal Airport covers an area of 2954 acres (1,195.4 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 1,288 feet (393 m) above mean sea level. It has four 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: 17/35 is 12,300 by 150 feet (3,749 x 46 m), 12/30 is 6,510 by 100 feet (1,984 x 30 m), 18/36 is 4,300 by 75 feet (1,311 x 23 m), and 4/22 is 3,648 by 75 feet (1,112 x 23 m).
For the 12-month period ending February 28, 2007, the airport had 84,977 aircraft operations, an average of 232 per day: 90% 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...
, 7% 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...
, 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...
and <1% scheduled commercial
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
. At that time there were 137 aircraft based at this airport: 74% 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...
, 13% multi-engine, 4% 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...
, 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...
, 2% glider
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
and 4% military
Military 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:...
.
Airlines and destinations
External links
- Salina Airport Authority, official site