| Ellington International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: EFD – ICAO: KEFD – FAA LID: EFD | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public / Military | ||
| Owner | Houston Airport System | ||
| Location | Houston, Texas, United States | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 32 ft / 10 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 4/22 | 8,001 | 2,439 | Concrete |
| 17L/35R | 4,609 | 1,405 | Concrete |
| 17R/35L | 9,001 | 2,744 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2005) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 121,270 | ||
| Based aircraft | 269 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] |
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Ellington International Airport (IATA: EFD, ICAO: KEFD, FAA LID: EFD) is a joint civil-military airport located in the U.S. state of Texas within the city of Houston—15 miles (24 km) southeast of Downtown.[1] Established by the Army Air Service on 21 May 1917, Ellington Field was one of the initial World War I Army Air Service installations when aviation was in its infancy.[2] Originally created as a training facility, Ellington Airport is currently used by military, commercial, NASA aircraft and general aviation sectors. Ellington Airport is one of the few airfields built for World War I training purposes still in operation today.
In August 2011 the city announced that the airport would be renamed "Ellington International Airport".[3]
Ellington Airport consists of three active runways (a 9,001 - foot ILS CAT I runway, an 8,001-foot (2,439 m) runway, and a 4,609-foot (1,405 m) runway).[4] The airport supports the operations of the United States military, NASA and a variety of general aviation tenants.[5] The field is a base for NASA's administrative, cargo transport and high-altitude aircraft, which also includes NASA's fleet of T-38 Talon jets bailed to the agency from USAF, Gulfstream Shuttle Training Aircraft, and a former USN C-9 "Weightless Wonder VI" replaced the USAF NKC-135 aircraft known as the Vomit Comet, a zero-g trainer.[6] The only two WB-57F aircraft used for atmospheric research and reconnaissance still flying in the world today are housed at Ellington.[7] The Texas Air National Guard, Texas Army National Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard also maintain a presence at the base. The Coast Guard facility known as Coast Guard Air Station Houston operates 3 Eurocopter MH-65C "Dolphin" Short-Range Recovery (SRR) helicopters for search and rescue (SAR) and port security rolls. Ellington Field is also home to the largest flying club in Texas and the annual "Wings Over Houston" airshow.[4] Ellington Field once had scheduled commercial air service: Continental Express flights between Ellington Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in north Houston ended in 2004. Prior to the cessation of commercial air service, the route flown between Bush Intercontinental and Ellington Field was the shortest fixed-wing route flown in the United States at only 25 nmi (46 km). Flight times were as short as six minutes, depending on direction of departure. To this day, Ellington Field serves as a reliever airport for both Bush Intercontinental and the William P. Hobby Airport, and handles diverted aircraft from those two airports during bad weather events and peak traffic times.[8]
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