Memorial Field Airport

Memorial Field Airport
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Hot Springs
Serves Hot Springs, Arkansas
Elevation AMSL 540 ft / 165 m
Coordinates 34°28′41″N 093°05′46″W / 34.47806°N 93.09611°W / 34.47806; -93.09611Coordinates: 34°28′41″N 093°05′46″W / 34.47806°N 93.09611°W / 34.47806; -93.09611
Website HotSpringsAirport.net
Map
HOT
HOT

Location of airport in Arkansas / United States

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
5/23 6,595 2,010 Asphalt
13/31 4,099 1,249 Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations 28,170
Based aircraft 122
Source: FAA[1] and airport web site[2]

Memorial Field Airport[1][2] (IATA: HOT, ICAO: KHOT, FAA LID: HOT) is three miles southwest of the City of Hot Springs, in Garland County, Arkansas. It serves nearby Hot Springs National Park. The airport is used for general aviation; airline flights are subsidized by the federal government's Essential Air Service program at a cost of $1,637,012(per year).[3] Fifteen retired Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA, which now operates as ExpressJet) Embraer 120 "Brasilia" twin turboprop aircraft are stored here.

Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 1,382 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[4] 165 in 2009 and 799 in 2010.[5] The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation airport (the commercial service category requires at least 2,500 enplanements per year).[6]

Facilities

Aerial view

Memorial Field covers 844 acres (342 ha) at an elevation of 540 feet (165 m). It has two asphalt runways: 5/23 is 6,595 by 150 feet (2,010 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 4,099 by 100 feet (1,249 x 30 m).[1] The airport is non-towered (the existing tower is no longer staffed).

In the year ending August 31, 2010 the airport had 28,170 aircraft operations, average 77 per day: 95% general aviation, 4% air taxi, and 1% military. 122 aircraft were then based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 26% multi-engine, 3% jet, 1% helicopter, and 1% ultralight.[1]

Airline and destinations

Airline Destination
Southern Airways Express Dallas/Fort Worth[7]

Past airline service

Memorial Field had scheduled jet service operated by Trans-Texas Airways (TTa) and successor Texas International Airlines (TI). In 1968, TTa was operating Douglas DC-9-10 jetliners into the airport with a daily nonstop flight to Dallas and was also flying direct, one stop DC-9 service to Memphis via Little Rock.[8] Trans-Texas then changed its name to Texas International Airlines. Texas International (TI) continued to serve Hot Springs with DC-9 jetliners on a daily basis and in 1970 was flying nonstop to Memphis and Texarkana with continuing, direct service to Dallas and Houston.[9] By 1972, TI was operating daily DC-9 jet service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Hot Springs via intermediate stops in Albuquerque and Dallas (Love Field).[10] These TTa and TI flights were the only scheduled passenger jet services ever operated into Hot Springs. TTa and Texas International Convair 600 turboprops served Hot Springs as well during the 1960s and 1970s with TTa also operating Convair 240 aircraft into the airport.[11][12] Trans-Texas had previously served Hot Springs with Douglas DC-3 aircraft during the late 1950s with a daily round trip "milk run" flight routing of Memphis - West Helena, AR - Stuttgart, AR - Pine Bluff, AR - Little Rock - Hot Springs - Texarkana - Tyler, TX - Dallas - Fort Worth.[13]

The original Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) served Hot Springs with Convair 580 and Convair 600 turboprops nonstop to Fayetteville, Ft. Smith, Little Rock and Memphis at different times over the years. In 1967, Frontier was flying nonstop to Fort Smith and Little Rock with direct service being operated to Kansas City, Omaha and Denver.[14] Frontier acquired Central Airlines which had served Hot Springs with Convair 600 turboprops as well as Douglas DC-3s. Frontier continued and also expanded Central's service.

Delta Air Lines served the airport until 1969 with Convair 440 propliners[15] with nonstop flights to Little Rock and Shreveport and direct, no change of plane service to Chicago (Midway Airport), Houston (Hobby Airport), New Orleans, St. Louis and other destinations.[16] Delta began serving Hot Springs when it acquired Chicago and Southern Air Lines (C&S) in 1953. In 1950 C&S was operating daily round trip Douglas DC-3 service on a routing of Detroit - Toledo, OH - Fort Wayne, IN - Indianapolis - Evansville, IN - Paducah, KY - Memphis - Hot Springs - Shreveport - Houston (Hobby Airport).[17]

In later years from the late 1970s to the mid 1990s, several commuter airlines served Hot Springs with nonstop propjet flights to Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW).[18] Rio Airways, Scheduled Skyways and Lone Star Airlines all flew Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners nonstop to DFW. Rio previously flew Beechcraft 99 turboprops nonstop to Dallas/Fort Worth and Memphis. Lone Star operated Dornier 328 propjets on the DFW route as well. In addition, Executive Express operated Piper Navajo twin prop aircraft to DFW.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for HOT (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 25 August 2011.
  2. 1 2 Memorial Field Airport, official web site
  3. ↑ "Essential Air Service Reports". U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2008" (PDF, 1.0 MB). CY 2008 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. 18 December 2009. External link in |work= (help)
  5. ↑ "Enplanements for CY 2010" (PDF, 189 KB). CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. 4 October 2011. External link in |work= (help)
  6. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. 4 October 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on 27 September 2012. External link in |work= (help)
  7. ↑ "https://iflysouthern.com/routes/". iflysouthern.com. Retrieved 2017-02-24. External link in |title= (help)
  8. ↑ http://www.timetablemages.com%5B%5D, August-Sept. Trans-Texas Airways system timetable
  9. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1970 Texas International system timetable
  10. ↑ http://www.60sairlineantiques.net/main-pages/timetable.net
  11. ↑ http://www.timetable images.com, Oct. 30, 1966 Trans-Texas Airways system timetable
  12. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, Mar. 15, 1978 Texas International Airlines system timetable
  13. ↑ http://www.timetableimages.com, Jan. 2, 1958 Trans-Texas Airways system timetable
  14. ↑ http://www.timetableimages.com, Oct. 29, 1967 Frontier Airlines system timetable
  15. ↑ http://www.timetableimages.com, Delta Air Lines 10/30/60 system timetable, page 16 & 8/1/66 system timetable, pages 42,49
  16. ↑ http://www.timetableimages.com, Delta Air Lines 10/30/60 system timetable
  17. ↑ http:www.timetableimages.com, Oct. 1, 1950 Chicago & Southern Air Lines system timetable
  18. ↑ http://www.departedflights.com, Official Airline Guide (OAG) Nov. 15, 1979, Feb. 15, 1985, Dec. 15, 1989, April 2, 1995 editions, Dallas/Ft. Worth-Hot Springs schedules

Other sources

  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1997-2935) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2005-1-14: selecting Air Midwest, Inc., to provide essential air service at El Dorado/Camden, Jonesboro, Harrison and Hot Springs, Arkansas, at a subsidy rate of $4,155,550 annually for a two-year rate term.
    • Order 2007-1-7: selecting Air Midwest, Inc. to provide essential air service at El Dorado/Camden, Jonesboro, Harrison and Hot Springs, Arkansas, at a subsidy rate of $4,296,348 annually for the two-year rate term beginning April 1, 2007.
    • Order 2009-6-25: tentatively selecting Alaska Juneau Aeronautics, Inc. d/b/a SeaPort Airlines (SeaPort) to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at El Dorado/Camden, Harrison, Hot Springs, and Jonesboro, Arkansas, for two years.
    • Order 2009-7-8: making final the tentative selection of Alaska Juneau Aeronautics, Inc. d/b/a SeaPort Airlines, to provide essential air service at El Dorado/Camden, Harrison, Hot Springs, and Jonesboro, Arkansas.
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