Turners Falls Airport
Encyclopedia
Turners Falls Airport is a public airport
located three miles (4.8 km) north of the central business district
(CBD) of Montague
, a town in Franklin County
, Massachusetts
, USA
. The airport is owned by the Town of Montague. It has one runway, averages 54 flights per day, and has approximately 28 aircraft based on its field.
Although started by a private group, the airport was the site of a large New Deal
work relief camp during the Great Depression
. Civilian Conservation Corps
workers lived in tents on the grounds and labored by day. They were generally out-of-work local men who were grateful for a job. Military protection was provided to the fledgling airfield as it provided a transit point for ball bearings (required for tanks and planes) made by Greenfield Tap & Die, the only manufacturer of such items during World War II
. The field was expanded in the ensuing peacetime and eventually gained the name Turners Falls Municipal Airport. The term 'municipal' was dropped as the airport focused on regional economic development.
The airport complex is situated in a valley between a small mountain and the Barton's Cove oxbow of the Connecticut River
. This location lends itself to calm weather and provides a guarantee that obstructions will never be placed on the river side. The land side also provides over a mile of flat and virtually uninhabited land, leaving plenty of room for runway expansion if a road was rerouted. A dispute with Native Americans over alleged burial grounds once threatened to shut down the airport but an accord has been reached on the matter.
Today the Airport Industrial Park includes major high-tech manufacturers, biotech companies, and Hallmark Institute of Photography
. Turners Falls Airport was formerly known as "Turners Falls Municipal Airport" until a large industrial park sprang up around it. Private jet traffic has increased due to local corporations and students at the Five Colleges
, Williams College
, Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH), Deerfield Academy
, Eaglebrook School
, and The Bement School.
A new terminal was recently completed and other general aviation upgrades are underway. A total upgrade of the runway, taxiway, apron, and related facilities is expected to commence in 2008. It will improve taxiway-runway spacing, allow larger aircraft to land, and incorporate design features that have been developed since the 1920s and 1950s expansions. These original plans have served the airport remarkably well, functioning during every aviation era from open biplanes to corporate jets. The realignment of the runway will mark the first such alteration in over 80 years.
Turners Falls Airport has been serviced for decades by Pioneer Aviation, the current fixed-base operator. It provides major repair services, inspections, and fuel.
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 miles (4.8 km) north 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"...
(CBD) of Montague
Montague, Massachusetts
Montague is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,489 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan statistical area....
, a town in Franklin County
Franklin County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,535 people, 29,466 households, and 18,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 31,939 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport is owned by the Town of Montague. It has one runway, averages 54 flights per day, and has approximately 28 aircraft based on its field.
Although started by a private group, the airport was the site of a large New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
work relief camp during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
. Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
workers lived in tents on the grounds and labored by day. They were generally out-of-work local men who were grateful for a job. Military protection was provided to the fledgling airfield as it provided a transit point for ball bearings (required for tanks and planes) made by Greenfield Tap & Die, the only manufacturer of such items 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...
. The field was expanded in the ensuing peacetime and eventually gained the name Turners Falls Municipal Airport. The term 'municipal' was dropped as the airport focused on regional economic development.
The airport complex is situated in a valley between a small mountain and the Barton's Cove oxbow of the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...
. This location lends itself to calm weather and provides a guarantee that obstructions will never be placed on the river side. The land side also provides over a mile of flat and virtually uninhabited land, leaving plenty of room for runway expansion if a road was rerouted. A dispute with Native Americans over alleged burial grounds once threatened to shut down the airport but an accord has been reached on the matter.
Today the Airport Industrial Park includes major high-tech manufacturers, biotech companies, and Hallmark Institute of Photography
Hallmark Institute of Photography
The Hallmark Institute of Photography is a for-profit photography school located in Turners Falls, Massachusetts which is nationally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges...
. Turners Falls Airport was formerly known as "Turners Falls Municipal Airport" until a large industrial park sprang up around it. Private jet traffic has increased due to local corporations and students at the Five Colleges
Five Colleges
Five Colleges may refer to:*Five Colleges *Five Colleges of Ohio* The Claremont Colleges in Claremont, California....
, Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH), Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy is an independent, coeducational boarding school in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States. It is a four-year college-preparatory school with approximately 600 students and about 100 faculty, all of whom live on or near campus....
, Eaglebrook School
Eaglebrook School
Eaglebrook School is an independent junior boarding school for boys in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It is located on the Pocumtuck Range near Deerfield Academy and sited on a campus which is also preserved by the Deerfield Wildlife Trust....
, and The Bement School.
A new terminal was recently completed and other general aviation upgrades are underway. A total upgrade of the runway, taxiway, apron, and related facilities is expected to commence in 2008. It will improve taxiway-runway spacing, allow larger aircraft to land, and incorporate design features that have been developed since the 1920s and 1950s expansions. These original plans have served the airport remarkably well, functioning during every aviation era from open biplanes to corporate jets. The realignment of the runway will mark the first such alteration in over 80 years.
Turners Falls Airport has been serviced for decades by Pioneer Aviation, the current fixed-base operator. It provides major repair services, inspections, and fuel.