Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport

Crater Lake–Klamath Regional Airport (Klamath Falls Airport) (IATA: LMT[2], ICAO: KLMT, FAA LID: LMT) is a public use airport in Klamath County, Oregon five miles southeast of Klamath Falls, which owns it.[1] It is used by general aviation, military aviation and a few airline flights. In 2013 the Airport changed its name to Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport.

For the military use of this facility, see Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base.
Crater Lake Klamath Regional Airport

Kingsley Field
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Klamath Falls
ServesKlamath Falls, Oregon
Elevation AMSL4,095 ft / 1,248 m
Coordinates42°09′22″N 121°43′59″W
Maps

FAA diagram
LMT
LMT
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14/32 10,301 3,140 Asphalt/Concrete
7/25 5,258 1,603 Asphalt
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft operations39,004
Based aircraft170

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a primary commercial service airport since it has over 10,000 passenger boardings (enplanements) per year.[3] Federal Aviation Administration records say the airport had 15,856 enplanements in 2011, a decrease from 21,353 in 2010.[4]

As Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, the airport is the home of the Oregon Air National Guard's 173d Fighter Wing (173 FW) flying the F-15 Eagle. An Air Education and Training Command (AETC)-gained unit, the 173 FW specializes as an advanced air-to-air combat training center for Regular Air Force and Air National Guard F-15 pilots, as well as hosting joint and combined air combat exercises for all US military services and those of Canada. Kingsley Field is home to a USAF flight surgeon training school. The 173d Fighter Wing is currently under the command of Colonel Jeff Smith.

History

In 1928 the citizens of Klamath Falls approved the sale of $50,000 worth of bonds to build Klamath Falls Municipal Airport. It had gravel runways and one Fixed-Base Operator; in 1942 it was selected for a Naval Air Station later named NAS Klamath Falls. In 1945 the airport transferred back to civil use; the January 1952 C&GS diagram shows runway 7 (5258 ft long), 14 (7134 ft) and 18 (5164 ft).

In 1954 the airport was selected as a site for U.S. Air Force installation under a joint civil-military arrangement supporting Air Defense Command, later Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) aircraft and squadrons. In 1957 the airport was dedicated as Kingsley Field in honor of 2nd Lieutenant David R. Kingsley, USAAF, an Oregonian killed in action on June 23, 1944 after a B-17 bombing mission over the oil fields of Ploesti, Rumania. In 1976 ADC was inactivated and control of the military installation passed to Tactical Air Command (TAC). In 1978 the Department of Defense closed Kingsley Field as a regular Air Force installation, transferring all military facilities to the Air National Guard.[5]

Facilities

Crater Lake - Klamath Regional Airport covers 1,166 acres (472 ha) at an elevation of 4,095 feet (1,248 m). It has two runways: 14/32 is 10,301 by 150 feet (3,140 x 46 m) asphalt and concrete; 7/25 is 5,258 by 100 feet (1,603 x 30 m) asphalt.[1]

In 2011 the airport had 39,004 aircraft operations, average 106 per day: 43% general aviation, 41% military, 14% air taxi, and 2% airline. 170 aircraft were then based at the airport: 62% single-engine, 19% jet, 15% military, 3% multi-engine, and 1% helicopter.[1]

Airline history

Until 1959 United Airlines Douglas DC-3s and Convair 340s served Klamath Falls; later West Coast Airlines flew Fairchild F-27s to cities in Oregon and California. West Coast merged with Bonanza Air Lines and Pacific Air Lines to form Air West which changed its name to Hughes Airwest and merged into Republic Airlines. Air West and Hughes Airwest continued to serve the airport with F-27s. Hughes Airwest introduced the first jets, Douglas DC-9-10 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30s; successor Republic DC-9s continued to serve the airport until 1983.

In the late 1970s - early 1980s Air Oregon Fairchild Swearingen Metroliners flew direct to Portland, Seattle and other cities. In the mid 1980s Pacific Express BAC One-Elevens flew to San Francisco via Redding, California and to Portland via Redmond. Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, flew de Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8s to Portland and Seattle. WestAir (United Express) flew BAe Jetstream 31s to San Francisco while Reno Air Express (Mid Pacific Air for Reno Air) flew BAe Jetstream 31s to San Jose, California. United Express (SkyWest Airlines) pulled out of Klamath Falls in the late 1990s but resumed flights when Horizon Air quit the airport.

SkyWest (United Express) Embraer EMB-120 Brasilias were the last airliners at Klamath Falls. In late 2010 SkyWest dropped one flight to Portland. Passenger count dropped in 2011, but passengers per flight increased.[6] United Express, operated by SkyWest, terminated service to Portland and San Francisco on June 5, 2014.[7]

PenAir started Saab 340B flights from Klamath Falls to Portland on October 6, 2016. Initially, the proposed service by PenAir was on hold from 2015 due to federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) refusal to station security personnel at the terminal.[8] As of August 2017, this service has ended, following PenAir filing for bankruptcy.

Airlines and destinations

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
Ameriflight Medford, Portland (OR)
FedEx Feeder Portland (OR), Redmond/Bend

Funding

The Airport City Fund operates the airport's civilian and military interest. Revenue mainly is from city property taxes, transient room taxes and the rental activities in the airport itself. Because of the commercial flights at the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration contributes funds to keep the runways and taxiways in good conditions.[6]

See also

References
  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for LMT PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
  2. "IATA Airport Code Search (LMT: Klamath Falls)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  3. "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on September 27, 2012.
  4. "Enplanements for CY 2011" (PDF, 1.7 MB). faa.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 9, 2012.
  5. Kingsley Field (ANG)
  6. Cith of Klamath Falls Annual Report 2011, page 6.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-11-08. Retrieved 2015-11-07.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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