Turners Falls Airport

Turners Falls Airport (FAA LID: 0B5), also referred to as Turners Falls Municipal Airport, is a town owned, public use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) north of the central business district of Montague, a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. It is owned by the Town of Montague.[1] It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.[2]

Turners Falls Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerTown of Montague
ServesMontague, Massachusetts
Elevation AMSL359 ft / 109 m
Coordinates42°35′30″N 072°31′23″W
Website
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
16/34 3,200 975 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Aircraft operations21,245
Based aircraft30

History

Although started by a private group, the airport was the site of a large Civilian Conservation Corps camp during the Great Depression. Workers lived in tents on the grounds and labored by day. Built in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration,[3] the airport was used by the U.S. Navy for basic aviation training in World War II; students, including famous Boston Red Sox players turned aviators Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky, trained there.[4] The field was expanded after the war and eventually gained the name Turners Falls Municipal Airport.

Turners Falls Airport was mentioned by name by President Joe Biden in a 2022 speech highlighting his $1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure bill.[5]

Airport

The airport complex is situated in a valley between a small mountain and the Barton's Cove oxbow of the Connecticut River. A dispute with Native Americans over alleged burial grounds once threatened to shut down the airport but an accord has been reached on the matter.

The Airport Industrial Park includes high-tech manufacturers and biotech companies. Private jet traffic has increased due to local corporations and students at the Five Colleges, Williams College, Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH), Deerfield Academy and Eaglebrook School.

The nearest airports to Turners Falls Airport are Orange Municipal Airport, 10 nm to the east; Northampton Airport, 16 nm to the south; and Dillant–Hopkins Airport in Keene, New Hampshire, 22 nm to the north.

Facilities and aircraft

Turners Falls Airport covers an area of 227 acres (92 ha) at an elevation of 359 feet (109 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 16/34 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,200 by 75 feet (975 x 23 m).[1] There is no control tower.[6]

For the 12-month period ending March 29, 2022, the airport had 21,245 aircraft operations, an average of 58 per day: all general aviation save for 150 military flights and 95 air taxi flights. At that time there were 30 aircraft based at this airport, 29 single-engine craft and a single helicopter.[1]

Turners Falls Airport was serviced from 1971 by Pioneer Aviation, the fixed-base operator until its operation was formally taken over by the town in 2021.[3] It provides repair services, inspections, flight training and fuel. The airport is also home of the Franklin County Flying Club, a non-profit organization providing plane rentals to local pilots.[7]

See also

References
  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for 0B5 PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective January 26, 2023.
  2. "Appendix A: List of NPIAS Airports with 5-Year Forecast Activity and Development Cost". National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) Reports. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original on 2012-10-27.
  3. Kinney, Jim (2021-05-20). "Montague Airport Authority Completes $1.4M Land Purchase to Upgrade Turners Falls Airport". Springfield Republican.
  4. "Remembering Johnny Pesky - Mr. Red Sox". 14 August 2012.
  5. Landis, Austin (2022-09-12). "At Boston terminal, Biden says national airport fixes underway". Spectrum News. You're not only doing this here in Boston. With this new law across the country, we're investing $25 billion —$25 billion — to modify our airports. From airports serving small towns like Turners Falls airport in western Massachusetts to major cities like Boston. It matters.
  6. "Turners Falls Airport". 2023-02-18.
  7. Castillo, Andy (2016-08-26). "Cruising at 115 mph: Local man says he doesn't think about anything but flying when he's piloting a plane". Greenfield Recorder.
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