Yeager Airport
Encyclopedia
Yeager Airport is a public-use airport
located three nautical mile
s (4 mi
, 6 km
) east of the central business district
of Charleston
, a city in Kanawha County
, West Virginia
, United States
. It is owned by the Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority. The airport is co-located with Charleston Air National Guard Base
, home to nine C-130 Hercules
aircraft of the Air National Guard
's 130th Airlift Wing
(130 AW), an Air Mobility Command
(AMC)-gained unit of the West Virginia Air National Guard
.
The airport sits on a hilltop over 300 feet (about 100 m) above the valleys of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers, and the hill drops off sharply on all sides. Due to the airfield's unusual location, passengers flying into Yeager enjoy a scenic approach of either downtown Charleston, or the rolling hills to the north and east of the field.
As per Federal Aviation Administration
records, the airport had 264,818 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
2010, an increase of 11.2% from the 238,190 enplanements in 2009. This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2011–2015, which categorized
it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).
, Charleston's airport at that time, Wertz Field, closed when the airport's approaches were blocked once the federal government built a synthetic rubber plant next to the airport; this left the city without an airport. However, there were plans before the war to build a new Charleston airport, as Wertz Field was already becoming commercially obsolete.
The city started construction of its new airport in 1944; the facility opened in 1947 as Kanawha Airport. The airport received its current name in 1985, honoring then-Brigadier General
Chuck Yeager
, a native of nearby Lincoln County
who piloted the world's first supersonic flight in the Bell X-1
.
On February 27, 2008, Yeager's Governing Board voted to close the secondary runway, Rwy 15/33, to allow for the construction of two new hangars and additional ramp space for four additional C-130s to be based at the Air National Guard facility. It will allow the airport to triple the general aviation area's hangar space and create room for off-runway businesses, and provide parking for up to ten additional commercial airliners. 5 million dollars were given to the airport to build a canopy around the front of the terminal. Also, and additional 2 million have been given to create a covered walk-way from the main terminal to the airports parking garage.
s (310 ha
) at an elevation
of 981 feet (299 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 5/23 with an asphalt
surface measuring 6,802 by 150 feet (2,073 x 46 m).
Runway 5/23 currently sits on a heading of 235°. An Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) was recently built at the end of Runway 5 to prevent aircraft from being able to go over the hillside, in the unlikely event that one wouldn't be able to stop. Yeager's secondary runway, Runway 15/33, is now closed. Its heading was 335° and was 4750 feet (1,447.8 m) in length. The runway is now a taxiway. Runway 15/33 was mostly used by general aviation aircraft due to its length, but is now closed and now taxiway "Charlie" due to a new ANG hangar.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 102,223 aircraft operations, an average of 280 per day: 47% scheduled commercial
, 26% air taxi
, 24% general aviation
, 3% military
. At that time there were 104 aircraft based at this airport: 52% single-engine
, 31% multi-engine, 3% jet
, 5% helicopter
, and 10% military
.
On July 13, 2009, Southwest Airlines Flight 2294
from Nashville International Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport was forced to divert to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia after a hole formed on the top of the plane's fuselage near the tail resulting in depressurization of the cabin and deployment of the oxygen masks. All 133 passengers and crew landed safely and a spare plane was flown in to take the passengers to Baltimore.
On January 19, 2010, PSA Airlines
Canadair CRJ-200 N246PS performing flight JIA-2495/US-2495 to Charlotte, North Carolina
on behalf of US Airways
with 30 passengers and 3 crew, overran the runway following a rejected take-off at 16:13 local time (21:13 UTC). The aircraft was stopped by the EMAS
at the end of the runway, sustaining substantial damage to its undercarriage.
On February 8, 2010, a Freedom Airlines
Embraer ERJ-145 performing flight F8-6121/DL-6121 to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport on behalf of Delta Air Lines
with 46 passengers and 3 crew, rejected takeoff from Charleston at high speed and came to a safe stop about 400 feet (122 meters) short of the runway end. Both right main gear tires exploded, and the fragments substantially damaged the flaps.
On July 28, 2010, a United Airlines
Boeing 757
from Washington Dulles International Airport to San Diego Airport was forced to divert to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia after smoke was detected in a restroom. None of the 178 passengers and crew members aboard the flight was injured in the incident.
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 (4 mi
Mile
A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile...
, 6 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 Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, a city in Kanawha County
Kanawha County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 200,073 people, 86,226 households, and 55,960 families residing in the county. The population density was 222 people per square mile . There were 93,788 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, 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 Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority. The airport is co-located with Charleston Air National Guard Base
Charleston Air National Guard Base
Charleston Air National Guard Base is the home base of the West Virginia Air National Guard 130th Airlift Wing.-Overview:Charleston Air National Guard Base is home to the 130th Airlift Wing which provides staff and operational support for an eight primary authorized aircraft C-130H unit to airdrop...
, home to nine C-130 Hercules
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
aircraft of the Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
's 130th Airlift Wing
130th Airlift Wing
The United States Air Force's 130th Airlift Wing is an airlift unit located at Yeager Airport, Charleston, West Virginia.-Mission:Role Provide support for airlift missions at both the state and federal level-History:...
(130 AW), an Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command
Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....
(AMC)-gained unit of the West Virginia Air National Guard
West Virginia Air National Guard
The West Virginia Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is, along with the West Virginia Army National Guard, an element of the West Virginia National Guard...
.
The airport sits on a hilltop over 300 feet (about 100 m) above the valleys of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers, and the hill drops off sharply on all sides. Due to the airfield's unusual location, passengers flying into Yeager enjoy a scenic approach of either downtown Charleston, or the rolling hills to the north and east of the field.
As per Federal Aviation Administration
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...
records, the airport had 264,818 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
Calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day. By convention, a calendar year consists of a natural number of days. To reconcile the calendar year with an astronomical cycle , certain years...
2010, an increase of 11.2% from the 238,190 enplanements in 2009. This airport is included in 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 2011–2015, which categorized
FAA airport categories
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has a system for categorizing public-use airports that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's Airport...
it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).
History
During World War IIWorld 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...
, Charleston's airport at that time, Wertz Field, closed when the airport's approaches were blocked once the federal government built a synthetic rubber plant next to the airport; this left the city without an airport. However, there were plans before the war to build a new Charleston airport, as Wertz Field was already becoming commercially obsolete.
The city started construction of its new airport in 1944; the facility opened in 1947 as Kanawha Airport. The airport received its current name in 1985, honoring then-Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Chuck Yeager
Chuck Yeager
Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager is a retired major general in the United States Air Force and noted test pilot. He was the first pilot to travel faster than sound...
, a native of nearby Lincoln County
Lincoln County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 22,108 people, 8,664 households, and 6,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 50 people per square mile . There were 9,846 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
who piloted the world's first supersonic flight in the Bell X-1
Bell X-1
The Bell X-1, originally designated XS-1, was a joint NACA-U.S. Army/US Air Force supersonic research project built by Bell Aircraft. Conceived in 1944 and designed and built over 1945, it eventually reached nearly 1,000 mph in 1948...
.
On February 27, 2008, Yeager's Governing Board voted to close the secondary runway, Rwy 15/33, to allow for the construction of two new hangars and additional ramp space for four additional C-130s to be based at the Air National Guard facility. It will allow the airport to triple the general aviation area's hangar space and create room for off-runway businesses, and provide parking for up to ten additional commercial airliners. 5 million dollars were given to the airport to build a canopy around the front of the terminal. Also, and additional 2 million have been given to create a covered walk-way from the main terminal to the airports parking garage.
Facilities and aircraft
Yeager Airport covers an area of 767 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (310 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
) at an elevation
Elevation
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 981 feet (299 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 5/23 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 6,802 by 150 feet (2,073 x 46 m).
Runway 5/23 currently sits on a heading of 235°. An Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) was recently built at the end of Runway 5 to prevent aircraft from being able to go over the hillside, in the unlikely event that one wouldn't be able to stop. Yeager's secondary runway, Runway 15/33, is now closed. Its heading was 335° and was 4750 feet (1,447.8 m) in length. The runway is now a taxiway. Runway 15/33 was mostly used by general aviation aircraft due to its length, but is now closed and now taxiway "Charlie" due to a new ANG hangar.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 102,223 aircraft operations, an average of 280 per day: 47% 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...
, 26% 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...
, 24% 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...
, 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...
. At that time there were 104 aircraft based at this airport: 52% 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...
, 31% 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...
, 5% 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...
, and 10% 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
Accidents and incidents
On January 10, 2009 Colgan Air flight 6880 on behalf of United Airlines reported a hydraulics leak. The pilot was able to pump down the left wing gear. 13 passengers, and 3 crew were on the aircraft, no one was hurt. The aircraft landed safely on runway 23.On July 13, 2009, Southwest Airlines Flight 2294
Southwest Airlines Flight 2294
Southwest Airlines Flight 2294 was a scheduled US passenger aircraft flight which made an emergency landing at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, on July 13, 2009, after what was described as a "football sized" opening in the airplane's fuselage caused rapid depressurization of the...
from Nashville International Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport was forced to divert to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia after a hole formed on the top of the plane's fuselage near the tail resulting in depressurization of the cabin and deployment of the oxygen masks. All 133 passengers and crew landed safely and a spare plane was flown in to take the passengers to Baltimore.
On January 19, 2010, PSA Airlines
PSA Airlines
PSA Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered at Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio, that flies under US Airways Express brand for US Airways. PSA is wholly owned by US Airways Group. PSA has crew bases in Knoxville, Tennessee, Charlotte, North Carolina and Dayton, Ohio...
Canadair CRJ-200 N246PS performing flight JIA-2495/US-2495 to Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
on behalf of US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
with 30 passengers and 3 crew, overran the runway following a rejected take-off at 16:13 local time (21:13 UTC). The aircraft was stopped by the EMAS
Engineered Materials Arrestor System
An engineered materials arrestor system or engineered materials arresting system is a bed of engineered materials built at the end of a runway. Engineered materials are defined in FAA Advisory Circular No 150/5220-22A as "high energy absorbing materials of selected strength, which will reliably...
at the end of the runway, sustaining substantial damage to its undercarriage.
On February 8, 2010, a Freedom Airlines
Freedom Airlines
Freedom Airlines, Inc. was an American FAA Part 121 certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number FDKA087K issued on April 1, 2002. The Nevada Corporation is headquartered in Irving, Texas and is a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group...
Embraer ERJ-145 performing flight F8-6121/DL-6121 to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport on behalf of Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
with 46 passengers and 3 crew, rejected takeoff from Charleston at high speed and came to a safe stop about 400 feet (122 meters) short of the runway end. Both right main gear tires exploded, and the fragments substantially damaged the flaps.
On July 28, 2010, a United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
from Washington Dulles International Airport to San Diego Airport was forced to divert to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia after smoke was detected in a restroom. None of the 178 passengers and crew members aboard the flight was injured in the incident.
External links
- Yeager Airport, official web site
- Charleston/Yeager Airport from 2007 West Virginia DOT Airport Directory
- Aerial image as of 11 April 1996 from USGS The National Map