Byron Airport
Encyclopedia
Byron Airport is a county-owned public-use airport
located two miles (3 km) south of the central business district
of Byron
, a community in Contra Costa County
, California
, United States
. According to the FAA
's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011, it is categorized as a reliever airport.
On the lee side of the Diablo Range
mountains, Byron regularly experiences variable 10-30 knot winds and thermals in the vicinity.
Local student pilots often use Byron to practice crosswind landings.
Uncontrolled and relatively isolated, Byron supports organizations for skydiving and soaring.
For skydiving, the popular drop zone
is on the north end of the airport and serviced by Bay Area Skydiving.
For soaring, the Northern California Soaring Association offers instructions on weekends in flying gliders.
All pilots should be mindful of the variable wind and thermals, rising terrain, and traffic without radios.
paved runway
s: 12/30 measuring 4,500 x 100 ft (1,372 x 30 m) and 5/23 measuring 3,000 x 75 ft (914 x 23 m).
For the 12-month period ending January 29, 2004, the airport had 60,050 aircraft operations, an average of 164 per day: 99.9% general aviation
and <1% military. There are 130 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 15% glider
, 8% multi-engine, 5% jet and 3% ultralight.
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 two miles (3 km) south 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 Byron
Byron, California
Byron is a census-designated place in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The population was 1,277 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, a community in Contra Costa County
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. According to 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...
's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2007–2011, it is categorized as a reliever airport.
On the lee side of the Diablo Range
Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges. It is located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California, the United States.-Geography:...
mountains, Byron regularly experiences variable 10-30 knot winds and thermals in the vicinity.
Local student pilots often use Byron to practice crosswind landings.
Uncontrolled and relatively isolated, Byron supports organizations for skydiving and soaring.
For skydiving, the popular drop zone
Drop zone
A drop zone is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land under parachutes...
is on the north end of the airport and serviced by Bay Area Skydiving.
For soaring, the Northern California Soaring Association offers instructions on weekends in flying gliders.
All pilots should be mindful of the variable wind and thermals, rising terrain, and traffic without radios.
Facilities and aircraft
Byron Airport covers an area of 1421 acres (575.1 ha) which contains two asphaltAsphalt
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: 12/30 measuring 4,500 x 100 ft (1,372 x 30 m) and 5/23 measuring 3,000 x 75 ft (914 x 23 m).
For the 12-month period ending January 29, 2004, the airport had 60,050 aircraft operations, an average of 164 per day: 99.9% 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...
and <1% military. There are 130 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 15% 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...
, 8% multi-engine, 5% jet and 3% ultralight.
External links
- Byron Airport at Contra Costa County Airports website
- Northern California Soaring Association
- Bay Area Skydiving