Leesburg Executive Airport
Encyclopedia
Leesburg Executive Airport at Godfrey Field is a town-owned public-use airport
located three nautical mile
s (6 km
) south of the central business district
of Leesburg
, a town in Loudoun County
, Virginia
, United States
.
It is a busy general aviation airport in the Washington, D.C.
area, and a reliever for nearby Washington Dulles International Airport
.
for his private DC-3 aircraft. Godfrey sold the field and shared a portion of the funds with the Town of Leesburg, which used the proceeds to help fund a new airport 2 miles south of town. The town used matching funds from the FAA. Originally named Godfrey Field, it is now known as Leesburg Executive Airport at Godfrey Field.
In 1986, the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) consolidated its 308 Flight Service Station
s into 61 'automated' stations (to be known as "AFSS"). The Flight Service Station at Leesburg was scheduled to close, but local lobbying convinced the FAA to rent space from the town and locate an AFSS at the airport. In 1993, when the airport operator went bankrupt, the Town of Leesburg assumed direct operation of the airport, lengthening the runway twice to an eventual length of 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) to support business jets and adding a localizer
approach and automated weather observation equipment to support all-weather operations.
The airport is currently a designated general aviation
reliever airport for Dulles International, 10 miles (17 km) to the southeast, and in 2008 hosted 231 aircraft based on the field and an average of 265 aircraft operations per day. The FAA funded an ILS installation that was completed in April 2011.
of 389 feet (119 m) above mean sea level. It has one asphalt
paved runway
designated 17/35 which measures 5,500 by 100 feet (1,676 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending August 12, 2006, the airport had 96,878 aircraft operations, an average of 265 per day: 99% general aviation
, 1% air taxi
and <1% military
. At that time there were 184 aircraft based at this airport: 85% single-engine
, 12% multi-engine, 1% jet
and 2% helicopter
.
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 (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...
) 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 Leesburg
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a historic town in, and county seat of, Loudoun County, Virginia, United States of America. Leesburg is located west-northwest of Washington, D.C. along the base of the Catoctin Mountain and adjacent to the Potomac River. Its population according the 2010 Census is 42,616...
, a town in Loudoun County
Loudoun County, Virginia
Loudoun County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county is estimated to be home to 312,311 people, an 84 percent increase over the 2000 figure of 169,599. That increase makes the county the fourth...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It is a busy general aviation airport in the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area, and a reliever for nearby Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...
.
History
Leesburg Executive Airport was built in 1963 to replace an earlier grass field on the eastern edge of the town, which was owned & used by radio personality Arthur GodfreyArthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
for his private DC-3 aircraft. Godfrey sold the field and shared a portion of the funds with the Town of Leesburg, which used the proceeds to help fund a new airport 2 miles south of town. The town used matching funds from the FAA. Originally named Godfrey Field, it is now known as Leesburg Executive Airport at Godfrey Field.
In 1986, the 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...
(FAA) consolidated its 308 Flight Service Station
Flight service station
A Flight Service Station is an air traffic facility that provides information and services to aircraft pilots before, during, and after flights, but unlike air traffic control , is not responsible for giving instructions or clearances or providing separation...
s into 61 'automated' stations (to be known as "AFSS"). The Flight Service Station at Leesburg was scheduled to close, but local lobbying convinced the FAA to rent space from the town and locate an AFSS at the airport. In 1993, when the airport operator went bankrupt, the Town of Leesburg assumed direct operation of the airport, lengthening the runway twice to an eventual length of 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) to support business jets and adding a localizer
Localizer
In aviation, a localizer is one of the components of an Instrument Landing System , and it provides runway centerline guidance to aircraft. In some cases, a course projected by localizer is at an angle to the runway . It is then called a Localizer Type Directional Aid...
approach and automated weather observation equipment to support all-weather operations.
The airport is currently a designated 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...
reliever airport for Dulles International, 10 miles (17 km) to the southeast, and in 2008 hosted 231 aircraft based on the field and an average of 265 aircraft operations per day. The FAA funded an ILS installation that was completed in April 2011.
Facilities and aircraft
Leesburg Executive Airport covers an area of 214 acres (86.6 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 389 feet (119 m) above mean sea level. It has one 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...
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...
designated 17/35 which measures 5,500 by 100 feet (1,676 x 30 m).
For the 12-month period ending August 12, 2006, the airport had 96,878 aircraft operations, an average of 265 per day: 99% 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...
, 1% 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...
and <1% 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 184 aircraft based at this airport: 85% 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...
, 12% multi-engine, 1% 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...
and 2% 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...
.
Special Flight Rules Area - Formerly the DC Air Defense Identification Zone
Leesburg Executive is located on the outer boundary of the 30 nautical mile (55.6 km) Special Flight Rules Area, formerly known as the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) instituted around Washington, D.C. prior to the commencement of the Iraq War in February of 2003. The ADIZ presents very little differences for IFR flights, but special procedures are still required for all VFR aircraft arriving at and departing from the airport. Due to a special triangular cut-out in the ADIZ circle, they are less onerous than procedures for other ADIZ airports.Management
The airport is owned by the Town of Leesburg, a corporate entity within the Commonwealth of Virginia. The airport is managed by an airport director who is also a Department Manager within the Town staff. An appointed commission provides oversight for policies and procedures to the Director, as well as advice and counsel to the Town Council.External links
- Leesburg Executive Airport, official site