Colorado Springs Airport
Encyclopedia
Colorado Springs Airport , also known as the City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, is a city-owned, public-use, joint civil-military 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...

 located six miles (10 km) southeast 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 Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...

, a city in El Paso County
El Paso County, Colorado
El Paso County is the most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States, now more populous than Denver County. The United States Census Bureau concluded that the county population was 622,371 in 2010. In recent years, the population had come closer to that of Denver...

, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, United States. It is the second busiest airport in the state of Colorado. The airport is co-located with Peterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base
Peterson Air Force Base is a base of the United States Air Force located at Colorado Springs in El Paso County, Colorado, United States and it provides runways for the adjacent City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport under a shared joint civil-military airport arrangement...

, which is located along the north side of runway 12/30.

History

The airport was founded in 1927, the same year Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...

 made his transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...

. Originally the airport covered an area of 640 acres (2.6 km²) and had two gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...

 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. By the late 1930s the first passenger traffic was flowing through the airport on a flight that ran from El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...

, through Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....

, Colorado Springs, and Denver, then back again. The original site was the present day location of the northern municipal power plant, east of Nevada Avenue and south of Winters Street. The first terminal was built in 1940 in an art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 style. Soon after the terminal was built, the field was taken over by the military in the months preceding 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...

. After the war, the city regained operations at the airport.

In 1966, a new terminal was built on the west side of the runways, at a new site east of Colorado Springs beyond Powers Boulevard. This terminal was expanded several times throughout the 1970s and 80s. By 1991, the airport consisted of three 150 feet (45.7 m) wide runways, one of which had a length of 13501 feet (4,115.1 m), making it the longest runway in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

 until 16R/34L, a 16000 feet (4,876.8 m) long runway, opened at Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...

 in September 2003. By 1991, the old terminal could no longer handle the increasing passenger traffic, and the city approved the building of a new terminal on the south side of the airfield.

The new terminal, a 280000 square feet (26,012.9 m²), 17-gate facility cost $140 million dollars to build. It was opened on October 22, 1994.

Operations

Through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the airport was constantly adding new fares and expanding service. The largest number of passenger arriving and departing the Colorado Springs Airport was in 1996, when the airport handled nearly 5 million passengers. At that time the now defunct Western Pacific Airlines
Western Pacific Airlines
Western Pacific Airlines, or WestPac, took up service on April 28, 1995 using eight Boeing 737-300 jets. The low-cost airline was formed in 1994 under the name Commercial Air but the name was changed to Western Pacific for marketing reasons. Edward Gaylord of Gaylord Entertainment Company was...

 had a hub at the airport. The airline moved their hub to Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...

 in late 1996, which caused an abrupt decline in passenger traffic.

Colorado Springs continues to expand service and now offers non-stop service to eleven U.S. cities. Most of the cities that can be reached from the airport are hubs for major airlines. However, Colorado Springs has seen sporadic service to several non-hub cities in recent years.

Facilities and aircraft

City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport covers an area of 7200 acres (2,913.7 ha) which contains three 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: 17L/35R measuring 13,501 x 150 ft (4,115 x 46 m), 17R/35L measuring 11,022 x 150 ft (3,360 x 46 m) and 12/30 measuring 8,269 x 150 ft (2,520 x 46 m).

The passenger terminal, centrally located on the airport grounds and accessible from Milton Proby Parkway, connects to two concourses. Of the two concourses, only the main portion (gates 1-12) is in use. The second concourse (called the Western Pacific Airlines
Western Pacific Airlines
Western Pacific Airlines, or WestPac, took up service on April 28, 1995 using eight Boeing 737-300 jets. The low-cost airline was formed in 1994 under the name Commercial Air but the name was changed to Western Pacific for marketing reasons. Edward Gaylord of Gaylord Entertainment Company was...

 concourse) is not in active use and provides gates 14-18 (there is no gate 13.) The second concourse is now primarily used for meetings. Access between the concourses requires leaving the secure area and traversing the main terminal, down a long hallway, and entering a pair of sliding glass doors.

Beginning in September, 2011, the main airport terminal is undergoing renovation. The project includes reconstruction of the TSA checkpoint to support full-body scanners, an expansion of the office space behind the ticket counters, and facilities for automated baggage screening in the baggage rooms.

Repairs to runway 17L/35R, originally scheduled for 2011 but delayed by the FAA shutdown, will begin in spring 2012.

For the 12-month period ending January 31, 2006, the airport had 153,244 aircraft operations, an average of 419 per day: 58% 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...

, 18% 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...

, 14% 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...

 and 11% 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 292 aircraft based at this airport: 50% 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...

, 22% multi-engine, 12% 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...

, 1% 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 16% 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:...

.

The single 16-gate passenger terminal opened on October 22, 1994. It currently serves over 2 million passengers annually.

Airlines and destinations

Accidents and incidents

  • On March 3, 1991, United Airlines Flight 585
    United Airlines Flight 585
    United Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled domestic passenger airline flight from the now-decommissioned Stapleton International Airport in Denver to Colorado Springs Municipal Airport in Colorado Springs, Colorado....

    , a Boeing 737-291
    Boeing 737
    The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...

     flying from Peoria, Illinois
    Peoria, Illinois
    Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...

    , to Colorado Springs via Moline, Illinois
    Moline, Illinois
    Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...

    , and Denver, Colorado
    Denver, Colorado
    The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...

    , crashed on final approach to Colorado Springs Runway 35 after a rudder malfunction caused the aircraft to roll over and dive, killing all 25 on board. The incident was officially closed as undetermined but after investigating a nearly identical crash involving USAir Flight 427
    USAir Flight 427
    US Air Flight 427 was a scheduled flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Pittsburgh, with a final destination of West Palm Beach, Florida...

     in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, as well as another nearly identical incident involving Eastwind Airlines Flight 517
    Eastwind Airlines Flight 517
    Eastwind Airlines Flight 517 was a scheduled flight from Trenton-Mercer Airport in Trenton, New Jersey to Richmond International Airport in Richmond, Virginia. The crew lost rudder control but successfully landed on June 9, 1996. No casualties occurred and one flight attendant suffered only minor...

     in 1996 in Richmond, Virginia
    Richmond, Virginia
    Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

    , the cause of the accident was finally determined. The reason was the effect of thermal shock on the rudder which blocked it entirely. The pilot tried to change the direction of the rudder but another effect of thermal shock was the reverse action of the pedals. The pilot flying pushed on the pedals but this contributed to the out-of-control diving of the aircraft since he was not aware of the reverse action of the pedals.
  • On January 8, 2010, a 47-year-old man from Virginia
    Virginia
    The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

     by the name of Muhammad Abu Tahir became intoxicated on AirTran Airways
    AirTran Airways
    AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of the Dallas, Texas-based Southwest Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in Orlando, Florida. AirTran operates over 650 daily flights , primarily in the eastern and midwestern United States...

     flight 39 bound for San Francisco
    San Francisco, California
    San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...

     after it left Atlanta
    Atlanta, Georgia
    Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

    , forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Colorado Springs
    Colorado Springs, Colorado
    Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...

    . The plane landed with no issues and Tahir was arrested and taken to an El Paso County
    El Paso County, Colorado
    El Paso County is the most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States, now more populous than Denver County. The United States Census Bureau concluded that the county population was 622,371 in 2010. In recent years, the population had come closer to that of Denver...

     jail and later charged. The plane took off again from Colorado Springs for San Francisco several hours later.
  • On December 30, 2010, a 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...

     Boeing 757-300 operating as Flight 1921 from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
    Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
    Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....

     to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
    Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
    Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located southeast of the central business district of the city of Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States...

     with 225 passengers and crew had to make an emergency landing at the airport due to engine problems. Two people were injured during evacuation.

External links

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