| Tampa Executive Airport (formerly Vandenberg Airport) |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: none – ICAO: KVDF – FAA LID: VDF | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Hillsborough County Aviation Authority | ||
| Serves | Tampa, Florida | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 22 ft / 7 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 5/23 | 5,000 | 1,524 | Asphalt |
| 18/36 | 3,259 | 993 | Asphalt |
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
Tampa Executive Airport (ICAO: KVDF, FAA LID: VDF), formerly known as Vandenberg Airport, is located in unincorporated Hillsborough County, Florida, six nautical miles (11 km) east of the central business district of Tampa.[1]
The airport was renamed in January 2009 in order to better identify the facility with the Tampa Bay area, and to lessen confusion with Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.[2]
It is a general aviation airport servicing the downtown Tampa business traffic, as it is only 15 minutes from the heart of Tampa. Tampa Executive has two runways, one 3,264 feet and the other 5,000 feet. Tampa Executive is operated by Leading Edge Aviation Services. The airport is located near the intersection of I-4 and I-75. The airport is open 7:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. 7 days a week, and after-hours service is available upon request.
The airport's original name was Vandenberg Airport. Jules Vandenberghe immigrated to this country from Belgium, and started a vegetable farm at this location. His two sons, Julian and George, later learned to fly and decided to put in an airstrip on their father's farm. Son George took the airport development seriously, and grew the field into one of the most popular and busiest general aviation airports in Florida. Many, many pilots learned to fly there from Eddie Vandenberghe, George's son. Quite a few private aviation service businesses started and flurished there, including: Sun State Aviation, Gulf Coast Avionics, Jefferies Aviation, Baker Aircraft Service, Dodge Aviation, Hawk Aircraft Refinishing, and more. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department Aviation unit has been based there for over 40 years.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned VDF by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.[3]
On July 17, 2008, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza crashed shortly after takeoff after clipping an antenna tower.[4] One of the aircraft's wings was torn from the plane. As a result of the wing damage, the aircraft crash landed short of runway 23 in an open field area and burst into flames. All three passengers on board were killed. The pilot was a volunteer for Angel Flight which transports non-emergency medical patients to and from area medical centers for treatment. The passenger being transported had just finished treatment for cancer.