Ponca City Regional Airport
Encyclopedia
Ponca City Regional Airport is a city-owned, public-use airport
located two nautical miles (3.7 km) northwest of the central business district
of Ponca City
, in Kay County
, Oklahoma
, United States
. It is mostly used for general aviation
. Enrique's is a well known Mexican restaurant located in the terminal.
Scheduled passenger flights on Great Lakes Airlines
to Denver
and Dodge City
were discontinued in August, 2006. The service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service
program.
act where Royal Air Force
(RAF) flying cadets were provided a 20-week basic flying course taught by civil contractors. Flight training was provided by the Darr School of Aeronautics, Fairchild PT-19
s were the primary trainer at the airfield. Also had several PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks assigned.
In November 1942, RAF training ended at Miami and the airfield became a primary (stage 1) pilot training airfield assigned to AAF Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command). The civil instructors were retained under USAAF control by the 323d Flying Training Detachment.
Pilot training at the airfield apparently ended on 30 May 1944, with the reduced demand for new pilots. The airfield was then returned to the local government at the end of the war.
of 1,008 feet (307 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 17/35 with a concrete surface measuring 7,201 by 150 feet (2,195 x 46 m).
For the 12-month period ending August 26, 2008, the airport had 61,500 aircraft operations, an average of 168 per day: 93% general aviation
and 7% military
. At that time there were 64 aircraft based at this airport: 91% single-engine
, 5% multi-engine, 3% jet
and 2% 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 nautical miles (3.7 km) northwest 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 Ponca City
Ponca City, Oklahoma
Ponca City is a small city in Kay and Osage counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, which was named after the Ponca Tribe. Located in north central Oklahoma, it lies approximately south of the Kansas border, and approximately east of Interstate 35. 25,919 people called Ponca City home at the...
, in Kay County
Kay County, Oklahoma
Kay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of 2000, the population was 48,080. Its county seat is Newkirk. The largest city in Kay County is Ponca City.-19th century:...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is mostly used for 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...
. Enrique's is a well known Mexican restaurant located in the terminal.
Scheduled passenger flights on Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines
Great Lakes Airlines , is an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters are located in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with hubs at Denver International Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, McCarran...
to Denver
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...
and Dodge City
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
were discontinued in August, 2006. The service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service
Essential Air Service is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which, prior to deregulation, were served by certificated airlines, maintained commercial service. Its aim is to maintain a minimal level of scheduled air service to these...
program.
History
The airport was opened during November 1938 with a single 3,600' concrete runway. In the summer of 1941, the facility was taken over by the United States Army Air Force and was used initially as part of the British Flying Training School program. This training was performed as part of the Lend-LeaseLend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
act where Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF) flying cadets were provided a 20-week basic flying course taught by civil contractors. Flight training was provided by the Darr School of Aeronautics, Fairchild PT-19
Fairchild PT-19
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II . London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4....
s were the primary trainer at the airfield. Also had several PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawks assigned.
In November 1942, RAF training ended at Miami and the airfield became a primary (stage 1) pilot training airfield assigned to AAF Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command). The civil instructors were retained under USAAF control by the 323d Flying Training Detachment.
Pilot training at the airfield apparently ended on 30 May 1944, with the reduced demand for new pilots. The airfield was then returned to the local government at the end of the war.
Facilities and aircraft
Ponca City Regional Airport covers an area of 500 acres (202.3 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 1,008 feet (307 m) above mean sea level. It has one 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 with a concrete surface measuring 7,201 by 150 feet (2,195 x 46 m).
For the 12-month period ending August 26, 2008, the airport had 61,500 aircraft operations, an average of 168 per day: 93% 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 7% 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 64 aircraft based at this airport: 91% 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...
, 5% multi-engine, 3% 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% ultralight.
Other sources
- Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
- Essential Air Service documents (Docket Number 2401) from the U.S. Department of Transportation: