Fitch H. Beach Airport
Encyclopedia
Fitch H. Beach Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport
located two nautical miles (3.7 km) northeast of the central business district
of Charlotte
, a city in Eaton County
, Michigan
, United States
. According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2009–2013, it is categorized as a general aviation
airport.
Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, this airport is assigned FPK by the FAA and no designation from the IATA.
of 891 feet (272 m) above mean sea level. It has two runway
s: 2/20 is 3,500 by 75 feet (1,067 x 23 m) with a concrete
surface; 14/32 is 2,318 by 100 feet (707 x 30 m) with a turf
surface. Runway 14/32 is closed from December through March, and also when snow-covered. The airport is staffed daily from 8AM until dusk.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2008, the airport had 5,600 general aviation
aircraft operations, an average of 15 per day. At that time there were 24 aircraft based at this airport: 79% single-engine
, 17% multi-engine and 4% ultralight.
, and M-79
.
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 nautical miles (3.7 km) northeast 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 Charlotte
Charlotte, Michigan
Charlotte is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County....
, a city in Eaton County
Eaton County, Michigan
Eaton County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 107,759. The county seat is Charlotte. Eaton County was named for John Eaton, who was Secretary of War under U.S. President Andrew Jackson, making it one of Michigan's Cabinet counties...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, 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'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 2009–2013, it is categorized as 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.
Although many 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 FPK by the FAA and no designation from the IATA.
Facilities and aircraft
Fitch H. Beach Airport covers an area of 190 acres (76.9 ha) at an elevationElevation
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 891 feet (272 m) above mean sea level. It 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: 2/20 is 3,500 by 75 feet (1,067 x 23 m) with a concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surface; 14/32 is 2,318 by 100 feet (707 x 30 m) with a turf
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
surface. Runway 14/32 is closed from December through March, and also when snow-covered. The airport is staffed daily from 8AM until dusk.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2008, the airport had 5,600 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...
aircraft operations, an average of 15 per day. At that time there were 24 aircraft based at this airport: 79% 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...
, 17% multi-engine and 4% ultralight.
Transit
The airport is accessible by road from Island Hwy, and is located near I-69 (Exits 60 and 61), M-50M-50 (Michigan highway)
M-50 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. Although designated as an east–west highway, it is nearly a diagonal northwest-southeast route...
, and M-79
M-79 (Michigan highway)
M-79 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the central portion of Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The western terminus is about three miles southeast of Hastings at the junction with M-37 and the eastern terminus is in downtown Charlotte at the junction with M-50 and...
.
External links
- Charlotte Air Services, the fixed base operatorFixed base operatorA Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
(FBO) at Michigan DOT Airport Directory - Aerial image as of 13 April 1999 from USGS The National Map