Lake County Airport (Colorado)

Lake County Airport (IATA: LXV, ICAO: KLXV, FAA LID: LXV), also known as Leadville Airport, is a county-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of the central business district of Leadville, a city in Lake County, Colorado, United States.[1]

High-altitude tests performed for Bell 429 helicopter
Lake County Airport

Leadville Airport
USGS aerial image, 12 October 1999
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCounty Commissioner of Lake County
ServesLeadville, Colorado
Elevation AMSL9,934 ft / 3,026 m
Coordinates39°13′13″N 106°19′00″W
Websitewww.klxvairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 6,400 1,951 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 150 46 Concrete
Statistics (2008)
Aircraft operations10,000
Based aircraft11

According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, it is categorized as a general aviation airport.[2]

At an elevation of 9,934 ft (3,026 m) above mean sea level the airport claims the distinction of being North America's highest. Pilots receive a free certificate commemorating their landing upon a successful landing.[3] Aircraft performance deteriorates rapidly with altitude, so many organizations use the Leadville Airport as a base for high-altitude performance testing.

Facilities and aircraft
Short approach to runway 34 at Lake County Airport

Lake County Airport covers an area of 605 acres (245 ha). It has one asphalt paved runway designated 16/34 which measures 6,400 by 75 feet (1,951 x 23 m). It also has one helipad designated H1 with a concrete surface measuring 150 by 100 feet (46 x 30 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2008, the airport had 10,000 aircraft operations, an average of 27 per day: 78% general aviation, 20% military, and 2% air taxi. At that time there were 11 aircraft based at this airport, all single-engine.[1]

At one point, the airport had scheduled passenger airline service. Rocky Mountain Airways operated flights with de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprop aircraft to Denver, thus earning Lake County Airport the distinction of being the highest airfield in the U.S. ever to receive airline service.

The highest helicopter flight training school in the world, RAVCO,[4] operates out of the Lake County Airport. Their Mountain/High Altitude Test and Training Site (M/HATTS) is acknowledged as having the highest landing zone for training in the Continental United States of America (CONUS).[5]

References
  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for LXV PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 8 April 2010.
  2. National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013: Appendix A: Part 2 (PDF, 1.04 MB) Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine. Federal Aviation Administration. Updated 15 October 2008.
  3. "Airport Services". Lake County Government. Retrieved 6 October 2017. Free pilot certificate on arrival to the "Highest Airport in North America"
  4. RAVCO Website
  5. "M/HATTS Program". Archived from the original on 2013-09-14. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
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Aerial view of Lake County Airport and Leadville, December 2006
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