Wittman Regional Airport

Wittman Regional Airport

Airport terminal, December 2006
IATA: OSH – ICAO: KOSH – FAA LID: OSH
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner/Operator Winnebago County
Serves Oshkosh, Wisconsin
Elevation AMSL 808 ft / 246 m
Coordinates 43°59′04″N 088°33′25″W / 43.98444°N 88.55694°WCoordinates: 43°59′04″N 088°33′25″W / 43.98444°N 88.55694°W
Website www.WittmanAirport.com
Maps

FAA airport diagram, June 2008
OSH

Location of airport in Wisconsin

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 8,002 2,439 Concrete
9/27 6,179 1,883 Concrete
5/23 3,697 1,127 Asphalt
13/31 3,061 933 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations 90,971
Based aircraft 164
Sources: airport web site[1] and FAA[2]

Wittman Regional Airport (IATA: OSH, ICAO: KOSH, FAA LID: OSH) is a county owned, public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) south of the central business district of Oshkosh, a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, United States.[2] The airport was named after pioneer air racer and aircraft designer and builder Steve Wittman in 1972.[3] Originally named Winnebago County Airport, it is also known as Wittman Field. This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility,[4] but has serviced aircraft as large as the Boeing 747, Airbus A380, and Concorde.

The airport has been served by commercial airlines in the past. Service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program until March 2003,[5][6] when it was terminated due to federal law not allowing a subsidy over $200 per passenger for communities located within 210 miles of the nearest large or medium hub airport (General Mitchell International Airport, a medium hub serving Milwaukee, Wisconsin).[7] As per Federal Aviation Administration records, Oshkosh had 2,606 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2001, 1,797 enplanments in 2002,[8] and 548 in 2003.[9]

Facilities and aircraft

Wittman Regional Airport covers an area of 1,392 acres (563 ha) at an elevation of 808 feet (246 m) above mean sea level. It has four runways: 18/36 is 8,002 by 150 feet (2,439 x 46 m); 9/27 is 6,179 by 150 feet (1,883 x 46 m); 5/23 is 3,697 by 75 feet (1,127 x 23 m); 13/31 is 3,061 by 75 feet (933 x 23 m).[2]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 90,971 aircraft operations, an average of 249 per day: 99% general aviation, <1% air taxi, and <1% military. At that time there were 164 aircraft based at this airport: 74% single-engine, 23% multi-engine, 3% jet, and 1% helicopter.[2]

As with many larger airports, Wittman Field's expansion over the years has necessitated the closure of nearby roadways and acquisition of nearby parcels of land. In particular, Knapp Street (running parallel to the runways) has been permanently closed near the airport to facilitate the expansion of the grounds in that area (for the annual EAA Airventure.)

Control Tower

The original tower at Wittman Field opened in 1963. In 2007, a new tower was built that is over twice the height of the old building.[10][11] The original tower was demolished in April 2009.[12]

Airshow

The airport is the site of the annual Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture Oshkosh, an experimental aircraft and sport aviation airshow. Across Knapp St. to the west lies the campus of the EAA AirVenture Museum. For the week of AirVenture Oshkosh (known locally as "The Airshow" or "The Fly-in"), Wittman Regional is the world's busiest airport by traffic movements.[13]

Images

References

  1. ↑ Wittman Regional Airport, official web site
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 FAA Airport Master Record for OSH (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective April 5, 2012.
  3. ↑ "The Wittman Airport Story". Wittman Regional Airport. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  4. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Essential Air Service Communities Eliminated from Subsidy-Eligibility". Office of Aviation Analysis, U.S. Department of Transportation. July 2010. Oshkosh, WI, by Order 2003-2-20, effective March 1, 2003
  6. ↑ "Order 2003-2-20". U.S. Department of Transportation. February 25, 2003.
  7. ↑ "Order 2002-12-24". U.S. Department of Transportation. December 31, 2002.
  8. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2002" (PDF). CY 2002 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. November 6, 2003.
  9. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2003" (PDF). CY 2003 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. 2004.
  10. ↑ "New Air Traffic Control Tower at Oshkosh's Wittman Regional Airport Begins Operating this Summer". FAA news. July 31, 2008.
  11. ↑ Schmitz, Barbara A. (July 27, 2008). "Farewell to ‘The (Original) World’s Busiest Control Tower’".
  12. ↑ "Featured Projects: Wittman Regional Airport, Oshkosh, Wisconsin". OMNNI Associates. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
  13. ↑ "EAA AirVenture takes flight for the future". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. July 24, 2004. Archived from the original on March 21, 2007.

Other sources

  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1999-5712) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Ninety Day Notice (August 17, 1999) of Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. of intent to terminate unsubsidized air service at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
    • Order 99-8-11 (August 13, 1999): prohibits Great Lakes Aviation Ltd., d/b/a United Express, from suspending its essential air service at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at the end of its 90-day notice period, and requires it to maintain air service through September 16, 1999; and requests proposals from interested carriers to provide replacement service at the community, with or without subsidy.
    • Order 99-10-6 (October 6, 1999):setting a final subsidy rate of $460,391 for Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., d/b/a United Express, for its provision of subsidized essential air service at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, from August 18, 1999, until further Department action.
    • Order 2002-10-26 (October 22, 2002: re-solicits proposals from carriers interested in providing replacement service at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
    • Order 2002-12-24 (December 31, 2002): tentatively terminating the subsidy eligibility of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, under the Essential Air Service program because the subsidy per passenger exceeds the $200 per passenger statutory ceiling and the community is less than 210 highway miles from the medium hub airport at Milwaukee, also setting past-period subsidy rates retroactive to October 1, 2001, for service provided by Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd.
    • Order 2003-2-20 (February 25, 2003): finalizing its earlier, tentative decision in Order 2002-12-24 to terminate the subsidy eligibility of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, under the essential air service (EAS) program because the subsidy exceeds the $200 per passenger statutory ceiling.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wittman Regional Airport.