Pease International Airport
Encyclopedia
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease (formerly known as Pease International Airport) is a public-use joint civil-military airport
located one nautical mile
(2 km) west of the central business district
of Portsmouth
, a city in Rockingham County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. It is owned by the Pease Development Authority.
The airport is located within the Pease International Tradeport, a result of the ongoing redevelopment of the former Pease Air Force Base which was closed under Base Realignment and Closure
(BRAC) Commission action in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It shares the runway with the Pease Air National Guard Base
, which is actively utilized by the 157th Air Refueling Wing
(157 ARW) of the New Hampshire Air National Guard
, an Air Mobility Command
(AMC)-gained Air National Guard
unit operating the KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft.
Pease was one of 7 Launch Abort Sites and one of 18 Emergency Landing Sites for NASA
space shuttle
orbiters.
The airport does not currently offer scheduled commercial airline service. It served as a hub for Pan Am
from 1998 until 2005, when all mainline Pan Am flights at the airport were suspended. It was also one of a handful of airports serviced by the short-lived Skybus Airlines
which ceased operation in the spring of 2008.
of 100 feet (30 m) above mean sea level. It has one concrete
and asphalt
paved runway
designated 16/34 which measures 11,321 by 150 feet (3,451 x 46 m).
For the 12-month period ending October 1, 2007, the airport had 51,673 aircraft operations, an average of 141 per day: 68% general aviation
, 22% military
, 7% air taxi
and 3% scheduled commercial
. At that time there were 107 aircraft based at this airport: 52% single-engine
, 19% multi-engine, 12% jet
, 2% helicopter
and 15% military
.
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 one 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...
(2 km) west 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 Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, a city in Rockingham County
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, 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 Pease Development Authority.
The airport is located within the Pease International Tradeport, a result of the ongoing redevelopment of the former Pease Air Force Base which was closed under Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure
Base Realignment and Closure is a process of the United States federal government directed at the administration and operation of the Armed Forces, used by the United States Department of Defense and Congress to close excess military installations and realign the total asset inventory to reduce...
(BRAC) Commission action in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
It shares the runway with the Pease Air National Guard Base
Pease Air National Guard Base
Pease Air National Guard Base is a New Hampshire Air National Guard base located at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease. Formerly, the base was open as Pease Air Force Base until it was closed in 1991. Before it was closed, it was under the control of the United States Air Force's Strategic...
, which is actively utilized by the 157th Air Refueling Wing
157th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 157th Air Refueling Wing is an aerial refueling unit of the New Hampshire Air National Guard located at Pease ANGB, New Hampshire...
(157 ARW) of the New Hampshire Air National Guard
New Hampshire Air National Guard
The New Hampshire Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It is, along with the New Hampshire Army National Guard, an element of the New Hampshire National Guard...
, 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 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...
unit operating the KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft.
Pease was one of 7 Launch Abort Sites and one of 18 Emergency Landing Sites for NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
orbiters.
The airport does not currently offer scheduled commercial airline service. It served as a hub for Pan Am
Pan American Airways (1998-2004)
Pan American Airways was a United States airline that operated scheduled services in the eastern USA, as well as charters for tour operators and services to the Dominican Republic.- History :...
from 1998 until 2005, when all mainline Pan Am flights at the airport were suspended. It was also one of a handful of airports serviced by the short-lived Skybus Airlines
Skybus Airlines
Skybus Airlines Inc. was a privately held airline based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It operated as an ultra-low-cost carrier modeled after the European airline Ryanair, and aimed to be the least expensive airline in the United States...
which ceased operation in the spring of 2008.
Facilities and aircraft
Portsmouth International Airport at Pease covers an area of 3000 acres (1,214.1 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 100 feet (30 m) above mean sea level. It has one 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...
and 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 16/34 which measures 11,321 by 150 feet (3,451 x 46 m).
For the 12-month period ending October 1, 2007, the airport had 51,673 aircraft operations, an average of 141 per day: 68% 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...
, 22% 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...
, 7% 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 3% 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...
. At that time there were 107 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...
, 19% 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...
, 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...
and 15% 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:...
.