Merced Regional Airport

Merced Regional Airport
MacReady Field

IATA: MCE – ICAO: KMCE – FAA LID: MCE
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Merced
Serves Merced, California
Elevation AMSL 155 ft / 47 m
Coordinates 37°17′05″N 120°30′50″W / 37.28472°N 120.51389°W / 37.28472; -120.51389Coordinates: 37°17′05″N 120°30′50″W / 37.28472°N 120.51389°W / 37.28472; -120.51389
Website FlyMercedAirport.com
Maps

Runway diagram
MCE

Location in California

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
12/30 5,914 1,803 Asphalt
Statistics (2013)
Aircraft operations 62,800
Based aircraft 78

Merced Regional Airport (MacReady Field) (IATA: MCE, ICAO: KMCE, FAA LID: MCE) is two miles southwest of Merced, in Merced County, California.[1] The airport is used for general aviation and sees one airline, subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

The airport had 3,724 passenger boardings (enplanements) in 2012, an increase of 17% from 2011. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2013–2017 categorized it as a general aviation airport (the commercial service category requires 2,500 enplanements per year).[2]

History

On March 15, 1932 the Merced City Council accepted title to the site of an airport as a gift from the Twenty-Thirty Club and the Crocker-Huffman Company. The airport, an airstrip and 66 acres (0.27 km2) of land 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of the city near the intersection of U.S. Route 99 and California State Route 59, was dedicated on April 3, 1932. The airport site was leased to George Voight for a term of five years, and a subsidiary airline of the Stinson Aircraft Company started Merced's first scheduled airline service. In May 1936 the City of Merced assumed responsibility for the airport; constructing buildings, hangars, and other improvements; expanding the site to 123 acres (0.50 km2).[3][4]

In 1940 as the U.S. Army was trying to establish a 30,000 per year basic pilot training facility in the Merced area, Merced Municipal Airport was deemed unsuitable for a major training facility due to lack of room. The United States Department of War would ultimately select an area 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Atwater, now the site of Castle Airport, for its Air Corps Basic Flying School. That year, land the Merced Regional Airport now occupies in southwest Merced near Childs Avenue was acquired from delinquent tax rolls. The city council approved the first phase of construction of a new airport shortly after the acquisition. This new city owned airport would be known as "New Merced Municipal Airport".[3][4]

In 1941 construction delays at the Air Corps Basic Flying School site forced the Army to lease the original Merced Municipal Airport, resulting in the first aircraft assigned to the Air Corps Basic Flying School being stored at Merced Municipal Airport and giving the Basic Flying School its first usable axillary field. After the United States entered World War II, the Civil Aeronautics Authority assumed responsibility for the final phase of construction of the New Merced Municipal Airport. By 1942 the new airport and its two runways; 6/24 and 12/30 each 4000' by 150', was completed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers working under the CAA.[3][4]

In 1943 New Merced Municipal Airport was leased to the U.S. Army Air Force, becoming the sixth axillary field for Merced Army Airfield (present day Castle Airport). Under the lease, the airport's name was changed to "New Merced Municipal Airport Auxiliary Field". The lease was terminated immediately after the war, and the airport was returned to civil control. In the fall of 1945, the City of Merced sold the original Merced Municipal Airport site near Santa Fe Drive to the Chamber of Commerce for $7,500, leaving New Merced Municipal Airport (near Childs Ave) as the city's primary airport.[3][4]

In 1946 United Airlines built offices and a terminal building and began one Douglas DC-3 flight each way a day. That year damage incurred during the Army Air Force's use of the site was repaired, and more improvements were made using federal funds. In 1948 Merced Municipal Airport was annexed to the City of Merced.[3][4]

During the 1950s the airport was used to service United States Armed Forces aircraft, and a land acquisition in February 1955 allowed runway 12/30 to be extended. In 1967 runway 6/24 and its parallel taxiway were closed, and in 1975 a control tower was built.[3][4]

United's DC-3s were replaced by Convair 340s and Douglas DC-6s, and by Boeing 737-200s in 1968-69. United ended jet flights to Merced in 1979.

On March 6, 2009 the city council voted to change the name from Merced Municipal Airport to Merced Regional Airport.[5]

Fly-In

Between 1957 and 2007, Merced Regional Airport hosted the annual Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In. Each year the fly-in drew hundreds of pilots from across the Western United States to Merced to display their rare and antique aircraft. The fly-in also featured an air show and an antique car show. In 2007, the 50th annual fly-in drew nearly 400 planes as well as several stunt pilots.[6] Since 2008 the Merced West Coast Antique Fly-In has been canceled due to lack of sponsors and volunteers.[6]

Facilities

Merced Regional Airport covers 766 acres (310 ha) at an elevation of 155 feet (47 m). Its one asphalt runway, 12/30, is 5,914 by 150 feet (1,803 x 46 m).[1]

In the year ending April 30, 2013 the airport had 62,800 aircraft operations, average 172 per day: 85% general aviation, 14% airline and 1% military. 78 aircraft were then based at this airport: 94% single-engine, 6% multi-engine, and one helicopter.[1]

Merced Regional Airport is a base for Medi-Flight Northern California, an air ambulance service provided by Mercy Air, a subsidiary of Air Methods.[7] Medi-Flight shuttles patients between Mercy Medical Center Merced and nearby trauma centers, as well as responding directly to medical emergencies.

Bus connections to Yosemite National Park are available on the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS).

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Boutique Air Los Angeles,[8] Oakland[8]

On May 15, 2011 Great Lakes Airlines commenced daily service to Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, with a stop in Visalia, California.[9]

Boutique Air announced that it will begin flights to Los Angeles International Airport and Oakland International Airport on October 5, 2015; followed by flights to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas beginning on November 1, 2015.[8]

The Department of Transportation reselected Great Lakes Airlines to provide Essential Air Service at Merced Regional Airport for the two-year period from October 1, 2012, through September 30, 2014. The annual subsidy rate for this service during the aforementioned time period is set at $1,698,878.[10]

The airport was formerly served by Air Pacific, American Eagle, Golden Gate Airlines, United Airlines, United Express and US Airways Express. United Airlines had Boeing 737-200s direct to Los Angeles and San Francisco, the airport's only scheduled passenger jets.

Statistics

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from MCE (2013)[11]
Rank Destination Airport Passengers
2013 2012
1 Los Angeles, California Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) 2,370 1,460
2 Las Vegas, Nevada McCarran International Airport (LAS) 190 1,750
Enplanements by calendar year[12]
Year Passengers Change from
previous year
2000 5,157
--
2001 3,456 Decrease32.9%
2002 7,626 Increase129.3%
2003 7,522 Decrease1.36%
2004 8,004 Increase6.41%
2005 8,616 Increase7.65%
2006 7,885 Decrease8.48%
2007 6,126 Decrease21.4%
2008 2,173 Decrease64.9%
2009 1,052 Decrease51.6%
2010 2,051 Increase94.7%
2011 3,181 Increase55.1%
2012 3,724 Increase17.1%

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for MCE (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective February 6, 2014.
  2. ↑ "2013–2017 NPIAS Report, Appendix B (Part 1)" (PDF, 2.7 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. September 27, 2012. External link in |work= (help)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "History". Merced Regional Airport.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "New Merced Municipal Airport Auxiliary Field". California State Military Museum.
  5. ↑ "Merced Regional Airport Quarterly Newsletter". CityOfMerced.org. March 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Lack of sponsors grounds fly-in". Merced Sun-Star.
  7. ↑ "Air Methods Corporation Expands Its Subsidiary, Mercy Air Service, Into Central California" (Press release). Air Methods Corporation. February 25, 2005. Archived from the original on October 25, 2010.
  8. 1 2 3 "Air carrier to begin flights from Merced". Merced Sun Star. September 29, 2015. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Travel". Merced Regional Airport.
  10. ↑ "Order 2012-9-9" (PDF). Selecting Carrier And Setting Final Subsidy Rates. Department of Transportation. September 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Merced, CA: Merced Regional/Macready Field (MCE)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), U.S. Department of Transportation. December 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  12. ↑ "FAA Passenger Boarding Data for Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved February 6, 2014.

Other sources

  •  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket DOT-OST-1998-3521) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2004-3-6 (March 9, 2004): re-selecting Eagle Canyon Airlines, Inc., d/b/a Scenic Airlines, to provide essential air service at Merced, California, at an annual subsidy rate of $645,751, for the two-year April 1, 2004, through March 31, 2006.
    • Order 2006-3-28 (March 28, 2006): selecting Scenic Airlines to provide essential air service (EAS) with 19-passenger Beechcraft 1900 aircraft at Merced, California, for two years beginning April 1, 2006. The annual subsidy rate will be set at $696,788.
    • Order 2006-8-29 (August 30, 2006): selecting Mesa Air Group Inc. d/b/a Air Midwest to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Merced and Visalia, California, and Ely, Nevada, for two years, beginning when the carrier inaugurates service. Merced and Visalia will receive 23 weekly round trips to Las Vegas, operated on a Las Vegas - Merced - Visalia - Las Vegas or Las Vegas - Visalia - Merced - Las Vegas routing at an annual subsidy rate of $1,599,207. Ely will receive 6 nonstop round trips each week to Salt Lake City at an annual subsidy rate of $647,709. Air Midwest will operate as America West Express/US Airways Express and serve each community with 19-passenger Beech 1900-D aircraft.
    • Order 2008-6-26 (June 19, 2008): selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Merced and Visalia, California, and Ely, Nevada, for the two-year period beginning when the carrier inaugurates full EAS pursuant to this Order, at an annual subsidy of $4,900,401 with 19-seat Beech 1900D turboprop aircraft.
    • Order 2010-9-13 (September 9, 2010): re-selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) with 19-passenger Beechcraft-B-1900D aircraft at Merced and Visalia, California, and Ely, Nevada, for the two-year period from October 1, 2010, through September 31, 2012. The annual subsidy rates will be set at $1,961,174, $1,746,507, and $1,752,067 for Merced, Visalia and Ely, respectively, for a combined total of $5,459,748.
    • Order 2012-9-9 (September 10, 2012): re-selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) with 19-passenger Beechcraft B-1900D aircraft at Merced and Visalia, California, for the two-year period from October 1, 2012, through September 31, 2014. The annual subsidy rates will be set at $1,698,878 and $1,697,929, for Merced and Visalia, respectively, for a combined total of $3,396,807.
    • Order 2014-4-26 (April 24, 2014): directing interested persons to show cause as to why the Department should not terminate the eligibility ... under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program based on criteria passed by Congress in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Public Law No. 112-95). We find that Merced is within 175 miles of a large or medium hub, Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), a medium hub, and, thus, is subject to the 10-enplanement statutory criterion. We also find that during fiscal year 2013, Merced generated a total of 4,810 passengers (inbound plus outbound). Consistent with the methodology described above, that results in an average of 7.7 enplanements per day, below the 10-enplanement statutory criterion necessary to remain eligible in the EAS program.

External links

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