Shelby County Airport (Alabama)
Encyclopedia
Shelby County Airport is a public use airport
located four nautical miles (7 km) southeast of the central business district
of Alabaster
, a city in Shelby County
, Alabama
, United States
. It is owned by the Shelby County Commission. The airport is situated in the city of Calera, Alabama
.
This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2011–2015 and 2009–2013, both of which categorized
it as a general aviation
facility. This was a change from the 2007–2011 NPIAS Report, when it was categorized as a reliever airport.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier
for the FAA
and IATA
, this airport is assigned EET by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
s (51 ha
) at an elevation
of 586 feet (179 m) above mean sea level. It has one asphalt
paved runway
designated 16/34 which measures 5,000 by 75 feet (1,524 x 23 m).
The runway runs parallel to adjacent Interstate 65
. The airport has its own interchange on that highway.
For the 12-month period ending January 15, 2010, the airport had 20,848 aircraft operations, an average of 57 per day: 99% general aviation
and 1% military
. At that time there were 83 aircraft based at this airport: 92% single-engine
, 7% multi-engine and 1% jet
.
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 four nautical miles (7 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 Alabaster
Alabaster, Alabama
Alabaster is a city and southern suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 22,619. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 27,517. At the 2010 census the population was 30,352. Alabaster is still a growing...
, a city in Shelby County
Shelby County, Alabama
Shelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, 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 Shelby County Commission. The airport is situated in the city of Calera, Alabama
Calera, Alabama
Calera is a city in Chilton and Shelby counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is the location of Birmingham's Shelby County Airport. Its population was 3,158 at the 2000 census, but as of 2010 the population had nearly quadrupled to 11,620 making it the fastest growing city in...
.
This airport is included in 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 2011–2015 and 2009–2013, both of which categorized
FAA airport categories
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has a system for categorizing public-use airports that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's Airport...
it 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...
facility. This was a change from the 2007–2011 NPIAS Report, when it was categorized as a reliever airport.
Although most 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 EET by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
Facilities and aircraft
Shelby County Airport covers an area of 125 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (51 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
) at an elevation
Elevation
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 586 feet (179 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 16/34 which measures 5,000 by 75 feet (1,524 x 23 m).
The runway runs parallel to adjacent Interstate 65
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
. The airport has its own interchange on that highway.
For the 12-month period ending January 15, 2010, the airport had 20,848 aircraft operations, an average of 57 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...
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 83 aircraft based at this airport: 92% 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...
, 7% multi-engine and 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...
.
External links
- Shelby County Aviation Association - Organization of pilots and aircraft owners that support the Shelby County Airport
- Aerial image as of 6 March 1997 from USGS The National Map