David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 30°03′43″N 095°33′10″W / 30.06194, -95.55278

David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport
IATA: DWH – ICAO: KDWH – FAA: DWH
Summary
Airport type		Public-use, privately-owned
Owner		Jag Gill
Serves		Houston, Texas
Location		Tomball, Texas
Elevation AMSL		152 ft / 46 m
Website		www.hooksairport.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
17R/35L	7,009	2,136	Asphalt
17L/35R	3,987	1,215	Asphalt
17W/35W	2,530	771	Water
Statistics (2002)
Aircraft operations			223,585
Based aircraft			300
Source: Federal Aviation Administration^[1]

David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport (IATA: DWH, ICAO: KDWH, FAA LID: DWH) is a public-use airport located near the city of Tomball in unincorporated Harris County, Texas. It is 17 miles (27 km) northwest of the central business district of Houston. The airport is privately-owned by Jag Gill.^[1]

The airport is notable because it is one of only a few privately owned airports with a Federal Aviation Administration control tower.

On June 27, 2007, The Texas State Legislature approved Tomball's request to annex Hooks Airport even though the airport does not border the Tomball city limits. Since the airport is in the city of Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction, the city of Tomball must get permission from Houston to annex the airport.^[2]

1 Facilities and aircraft
2 History
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Facilities and aircraft

David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport covers an area of 480 acres (194 ha) which contains two asphalt paved runways: 17R/35L measuring 7,009 x 100 ft. and 17L/35R measuring 3,987 x 35 ft. (1,215 x 11 m). It also has a seaplane landing area designated as runway 17W/35W which is 2,530 x 100 ft. (771 x 30 m).^[1]

For the 12-month period ending August 5, 2002, the airport had 223,585 aircraft operations, an average of 612 per day: 98% general aviation, 1% air taxi and 1% military. There are 300 aircraft based at this airport: 83% single-engine, 10% multi-engine, 3% jet and 4% helicopter.^[1]

[edit] History

The Airport started when Charles G. Hooks built a runway for his own personal use. His hobby eventually became a business, and he subsequently built a runway and a main terminal building. It was first opened for public use in the 1960s. Shortly after its opening, Hooks' son, David, was killed in the crash of a small plane that he was piloting under the supervision of a flight instructor. All four people on the plane were killed. David was about 16 years old at the time of his death. The airport's name was changed from Houston Northwest Airport to David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport in his memory.

Until the 1980s, the airport was run and maintained by Hooks, and his wife Irma. Upon the tragic death of Mrs Hooks, her daughter stepped in and helped with its operation.

In 1989, Charles Hooks retired and sold the airport to the Gill Family.