Portland-Hillsboro Airport

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Portland-Hillsboro Airport
IATA: HIO - ICAO: KHIO
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator The Port of Portland
Serves Hillsboro, Oregon
Elevation AMSL 204 ft (62.2 m)
Coordinates 45°32′25.418″N, 122°56′59.373″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 6,600 2,012 Asphalt
2/20 4,049 1,234 Asphalt

Hillsboro Airport (IATA: HIO, ICAO: KHIO), also known as Portland-Hillsboro Airport, is the name of a corporate, general aviation and flight-training airport serving the city of Hillsboro, in Washington County, Oregon, USA. It is one of four airports in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area owned and operated by the Port of Portland. It is Oregon's second busiest airport at over 200,000 operations annually.

Contents

[edit] Operations

Located in Portland's western and Washington County suburbs, Hillsboro Airport is connected to the metropolitan area by TriMet buses and the MAX Blue Line's Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport station. The transit station is located to the south of the airport, across the Washington County Fairgrounds.

Facilities include a 6600 ft (2012 m) runway (Rwy 12/30), a 4049 ft (1234 m) runway (rwy 2/20), and an FAA control tower.[citation needed] Runway 12/30 is ILS and PAPI equipped. The air traffic control tower is staffed from 6 a.m. to 10p.m. local time.[citation needed] The tower recently received terminal radar capability enabling controllers to supplement radio communication and binoculars to locate aircraft in its airspace.[citation needed] The small main terminal includes a rental car company, KUIK AM radio station, airport offices, and a waiting area for the passengers flying on the daily Intel charter flights.[citation needed]

The airport was originally Hillsboro's municipal airport, which the Port of Portland bought in 1966. It has been developed to support all forms of general aviation and is home to four fixed base operator (FBOs).[citation needed] Many people, including celebrities, politicians and sports-stars choose to use Hillsboro for its ease and discreetness.[citation needed] The airport is also a hub for many major local corporations, including Nike and Intel.[citation needed] The predominant activity at the airport is flight training, accounting for more than half the overall operations.[citation needed] Additionally, it is the base of operation for the Life Flight Network, the medical evacuation provider for the region. Operated by Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health System, and Providence Health System, the non-profit service owns one helicopter and two fixed-wing aircraft.[1]

As of 2005 the airport handled 223,000 takeoffs and landings.[2] It is Oregon’s second busiest airport overall after Portland International, and is the largest general aviation airport in the state.[2] The annual Oregon International Airshow takes place at Hillsboro Airport.[2]

[edit] History

Hillsboro airport goes back to as early as 1928.[3] Dr. Elmer H. Smith purchased 100 acres (40 ha) of land near the town to use as an airport, as he owned the first airplane in town. In the early 1930s after Smith died the city purchased the airport for $7,500 and received a federal grant to improve the facilities.[3] They then built two runways, one 3,000 feet (910 m) long and the other at 2,800 feet (850 m). Then with the outbreak of World War II in 1941 the city received federal money again and approved local financing to improve the airport again, with total coast around $600,000.[3]

During the Vanport flooding that affected then Portland-Columbia Airport (now Portland International) the Hillsboro facility was used by three commercial carriers including Coastal Airways, Columbia Air Cargo, and General Air Cargo.[3] The field was also considered as a possible Naval air station in 1946 and again in 1955, but was eventually rejected by the Navy. In early 1960 several companies were located at the airport including Tektron Instruments and Georgia Pacific.[3]

Planes and the control tower.
Planes and the control tower.

In 1964 the Hillsboro City Council made an official request to the Port of Portland to take over ownership of the airport.[3] The facility had been deteriorated due to inadequate funding, and the Port agreed to take over ownership after some legal wrangling in 1965. Then on August 28, 1966, an air traffic control tower was opened after construction costs of $400,000 with staffing by the FAA. Next in April of 1975 the current main terminal that includes offices and a restaurant opened, followed by the opening of the new 6,300-foot (1,900 m) runway on September 1, 1976.[3]

Hillsboro airport is often mentioned as a reliever airport for Portland International Airport.[4] In 1999, Portland City Council member Dan Saltzman suggested expanding the Hillsboro Airport to relieve pressure on the busy Portland International Airport.[4] This was during a time when the Port of Portland was discussing building a new larger airport or possibly adding a third runway to PDX to handle growing demand for air travel and air cargo. Saltzman suggested shifting some commercial flights to Hillsboro, while shifting some cargo flights there had previously been discussed.[4] As of 2006 the Port of Portland planned to spend $134 million through 2025 to improve the facility.[2] Plans call for a third runway, increased hangar space, additional automobile parking on site among other items.[2]

[edit] See also

Refueling center at the airport.
Refueling center at the airport.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ O'Neill, Patrick. Life Flight Network upgrades helicopter. The Oregonian, June 6, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e Bermudez, Esmeralda. Two growth patterns, one worry. The Oregonian, July 19, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Port of Portland acquired municipal airport in 1965; Local airport serves aviation; Hillsboro boasts air history; Hillsboro Argus, October 19, 1976.
  4. ^ a b c "Quest for airport expansion alights in Hillsboro" (October 4, 1999). The Oregonian: A01. Oregonian Publishing Co.. 
Hillsboro Civic Center
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City of Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
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