Boise Airport

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Boise Airport
( Boise Air Terminal / Gowen Field )
IATA: BOI - ICAO: KBOI
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator City of Boise
Serves Boise, Idaho
Elevation AMSL 2,871 ft (875.1 m)
Coordinates 43°33′51.7″N, 116°13′22.3″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
10L/28R 10,000 3,048 Asphalt
10R/28L 9,763 2,976 Asphalt

Boise Airport (IATA: BOI, ICAO: KBOI), also known as Boise Air Terminal[1] or Gowen Field[1], is a commercial[2] and general aviation[3] airport located three miles (five km) south of downtown Boise in Ada County, Idaho, USA. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation and Public Transportation and is overseen by an Airport Commission.[4]

Boise is a landing rights airfield requiring international general aviation flights to receive permission from a Customs and Border Protection officer before landing on the field.[3]

In addition to being a commercial and general aviation airport, Boise also sees usage by the Idaho Air National Guard on the Gowen Field portion of the airport. The National Interagency Fire Center is based in the city of Boise and the Boise Airport is used for logistical support. The United States Forest Service also uses Boise Airport as a base for aerial firefighting air tankers during the wildfire season.[5]

Contents

[edit] History

In 1926, the first municipal airport in Boise was built on a gravel bed where the Boise State University campus now stands. The first commercial airmail flight in the United States passed through this airfield on April 26, 1926, carried by Varney Airlines. Varney Airlines began operating out of Boise in 1933, later merging with National Air Transport to become United Airlines. With United Airlines able to trace its roots to Varney, United is recognized as the airline that has operated the longest out of Boise, 80 years as of 2006. This airfield also played host to Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis on September 4, 1927.[4]

The current airport has its origins in 1936 when Boise began buying and leasing land for the airport. By 1938, Boise had the longest runway in the United States at that time, 8,800 feet (2,680 m). The steel hangar for Varney Airlines was moved to the present field in 1939. As the size of aircraft grew, the hangar was no longer able to hold aircraft and was converted into a passenger terminal. It was part of the modern terminal facility until the completion of a new terminal in 2004.

During World War II, the Army Air Corps leased the field for use a training base for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bomber crews. More than 6,000 men were stationed there during the War.[4]

The field was named Gowen Field on July 23, 1941 after Lt. Paul R. Gowen (1909-1938), who was born and raised in Caldwell, attended the University of Idaho, and graduated ninth in his class at West Point in 1933. Gowen was killed instantly in a crash in Panama in July 1938 while piloting a twin-engine B-10 bomber for the Army Air Corps. The right engine failed shortly after take-off from Albrook Field, near Panama City. The other two crew members, navigator and radio operator, survived and crawled from the wreckage with burns. [6]

After the war, the portion of the field used by the Air Corps was returned to the city.[4] The Idaho Air National Guard began leasing the airfield after the war and continues to lease it currently.[4]

The Boise Airport was ranked fourth in passenger satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index Study.[7] However, the same study in 2006 ranked the airport last in its category.

[edit] Facilities

Boise Airport covers 5,000 acres (20 km²) and has two runways:

  • Runway 10L/28R: 10,000 x 150 feet (3,048 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt, Weight capacity: 75,000 pounds (34,000 kg)/single wheel; VASI system[8]
  • Runway 10R/28L: 9,763 x 150 feet (2,976 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt, Weight capacity: 75,000 pounds (34,000 kg)/single wheel; VASI, ILS/DME[8]

Boise Airport is home base to 257 aircraft of which 19 are jets, 21 are helicopters and 47 are military aircraft. It averages 474 flights a day with 23% being commercial flights and 9% being military flights.[8] In 2005, over 3 million passengers passed through the Boise airport.[4]

The airport can handle minor maintenance and repairs through fixed base operators Jackson Jet Center, Turbo Air and Western Aircraft.[3]

Law enforcement at the airport is handled by the 25 member Boise Airport Police Department who are assisted by part-time officers from other departments and 5 K-9 units trained in explosive detection.[4]

C-130s parked on the ramp at Gowen Field.
C-130s parked on the ramp at Gowen Field.

[edit] Gowen Field

Gowen Field primarily refers to the military facilities on the south side of the runways, which includes Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and reserve units of the Army, Navy, and Marines. The field is home to the 124th Wing, Idaho Air National Guard which is made up of two flying squadrons and 12 support units. The aircraft based at Gowen are the A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support attack aircraft (190th Fighter Squadron) and the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.[5]

[edit] Airlines and destinations

A number of scheduled airline flights pass through Boise. In addition to airlines, there are several charter companies that operate out of Boise.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b FAQs. Boise Airport. City of Boise (2005). Retrieved on August 31, 2006.
  2. ^ a b Airlines. Boise Airport. City of Boise (2005). Retrieved on August 31, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c General Aviation. Boise Airport. City of Boise (2005). Retrieved on August 31, 2006.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Airport Administration. Boise Airport. City of Boise (2005). Retrieved on August 31, 2006.
  5. ^ a b Gowen Field Air National Guard Base. GlobalSecurity.org (January 21, 2006). Retrieved on August 31, 2006.
  6. ^ (July 30 1998) "Whence Came the Name . . . ?". Gowen Research Foundation Electronic Newsletter 1 (7). Retrieved on 2006-08-31. 
  7. ^ 2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index Study (PDF). J.D. Power and Associates (December 6, 2004). Retrieved on August 31, 2006.
  8. ^ a b c KBOI Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field. AirNav.com (3 August 2006). Retrieved on August 30, 2006.

[edit] External links

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