Tampa Executive Airport
Encyclopedia
Tampa Executive Airport , formerly known as Vandenberg Airport, is located in unincorporated Hillsborough County
, Florida
, six nautical mile
s (11 km
) east of the central business district
of Tampa
.
The airport was renamed in January 2009 in order to better identify the facility with the Tampa Bay area, and to lessen confusion with Vandenberg Air Force Base
in California.
It is a general aviation
airport
servicing the downtown Tampa business traffic, as it is only 15 minutes from the heart of Tampa. Tampa Executive has two runway
s, one 3,264 feet and the other 5,000 feet. Tampa Executive is operated by Leading Edge Aviation Services. The airport is located near the intersection of I-4 and I-75. The airport is open 7:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. 7 days a week, and after-hours service is available upon request.
The airport's original name was Vandenberg Airport. Jules Vandenberghe immigrated to this country from Belgium, and started a vegetable farm at this location. His two sons, Julian and George, later learned to fly and decided to put in an airstrip on their father's farm. Son George took the airport development seriously, and grew the field into one of the most popular and busiest general aviation airports in Florida. Many, many pilots learned to fly there from Eddie Vandenberghe, George's son. Quite a few private aviation service businesses started and flurished there, including: Sun State Aviation, Gulf Coast Avionics, Jefferies Aviation, Baker Aircraft Service, Dodge Aviation, Hawk Aircraft Refinishing, and more. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department Aviation unit has been based there for over 40 years.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, this airport is assigned VDF by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
Bonanza crashed shortly after takeoff after clipping an antenna tower. One of the aircraft's wings was torn from the plane. As a result of the wing damage, the aircraft crash landed short of runway 23 in an open field area and burst into flames. All three passengers on board were killed. The pilot was a volunteer for Angel Flight
which transports non-emergency medical patients to and from area medical centers for treatment. The passenger being transported had just finished treatment for cancer.
Hillsborough County, Florida
As of the census of 2000, there were 998,948 people, 391,357 households, and 255,164 families residing in the county. The population density was 951 people per square mile . There were 425,962 housing units at an average density of 405 per square mile...
, 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...
, six 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 (11 km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
) east 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 Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
The airport was renamed in January 2009 in order to better identify the facility with the Tampa Bay area, and to lessen confusion with Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
in California.
It is 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
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...
servicing the downtown Tampa business traffic, as it is only 15 minutes from the heart of Tampa. Tampa Executive has two 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, one 3,264 feet and the other 5,000 feet. Tampa Executive is operated by Leading Edge Aviation Services. The airport is located near the intersection of I-4 and I-75. The airport is open 7:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. 7 days a week, and after-hours service is available upon request.
The airport's original name was Vandenberg Airport. Jules Vandenberghe immigrated to this country from Belgium, and started a vegetable farm at this location. His two sons, Julian and George, later learned to fly and decided to put in an airstrip on their father's farm. Son George took the airport development seriously, and grew the field into one of the most popular and busiest general aviation airports in Florida. Many, many pilots learned to fly there from Eddie Vandenberghe, George's son. Quite a few private aviation service businesses started and flurished there, including: Sun State Aviation, Gulf Coast Avionics, Jefferies Aviation, Baker Aircraft Service, Dodge Aviation, Hawk Aircraft Refinishing, and more. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department Aviation unit has been based there for over 40 years.
Although most 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 VDF by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
Accidents
On July 17, 2008, a single-engine BeechcraftBeechcraft
Beechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....
Bonanza crashed shortly after takeoff after clipping an antenna tower. One of the aircraft's wings was torn from the plane. As a result of the wing damage, the aircraft crash landed short of runway 23 in an open field area and burst into flames. All three passengers on board were killed. The pilot was a volunteer for Angel Flight
Angel Flight
Angel Flight is the name used by a number of groups whose members provide free transportation for needy patients and perform other missions of community service...
which transports non-emergency medical patients to and from area medical centers for treatment. The passenger being transported had just finished treatment for cancer.
External links
- Tampa Executive Airport, official site