Goodspeed Airport

Goodspeed Airport (FAA LID: 42B), is located in East Haddam, Connecticut, United States.[2] It has been under new ownership with the support of the Recreational Aviation Foundation since November 2020. The new owners, Eric Zipkin and Bill McEnery, plan to revitalize the airport and bring back the vibrant aviation community that once existed there, initially through reintroducing fuel availability and seaplane docks.

Goodspeed Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic-Use, Privately-Owned
OwnerNew England Airport Associates, LLC
ServesEast Haddam
Location Connecticut
Elevation AMSL9 ft / 3 m
Coordinates41°26′44″N 72°27′20″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14/32 2,120 646 Asphalt
16W/34W 4,500 1,372 Water
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations6,188
Based aircraft33

Facilities and Aircraft

Goodspeed Airport is situated 1 mile southeast of the central business district, and contains two runways. The longest runway, 16/34, is water measuring 4,500 x 1,000 ft (1372 x 305 m). A second runway, 14/32, paved with asphalt, measures 2,120 x 50 ft (646 x 15 m). The airport has been featured in videos and articles by a number of prominent aviation figures and organizations, including Matt Guthmiller and AOPA, mainly centering on its somewhat unusual position and approaches, and its short paved runway, as well as the nearby Goodspeed Opera House and the town of East Haddam.

For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2010, the airport had 6,188 aircraft operations, an average of 119 per week: 80% local general aviation, and 19% transient general aviation. At that time there were 33 aircraft based at this airport: 87% single-engine and 4% multi-engine, and 9% ultra-light. It is believed that the largest aircraft to ever land at Goodspeed Airport is the Douglas DC-3, mainly as a curiosity, which occurred in November 2020 with the onset of new ownership.

One of the buildings that comprise the Goodspeed Airport.

Revitalization Plan

In the fall of 2020, Goodspeed Airport was acquired by New England Airport Associates, LLC, a partnership between Eric Zipkin, Bill McEnery, and the Recreational Aviation Foundation, from Timothy Mellon, who purchased the airport in 1999 for $2.33 million. Both Zipkin and McEnery are pilots and aircraft owners that had previously stored aircraft at the airport; McEnery owns the Pedal Power line of bicycle shops, while Zipkin is the founder of Tradewind Aviation. Initial plans to revitalize the airport include making Avgas available again, as well as installing previously permitted seaplane docks. Zipkin and McEnery hope that the airport will see renewed aviation activity, including a potential maintenance facility and flight school, as a result of the developments. The new owners will keep the airport open to the public, and plan to also open the airport during the winter, which Mellon had not done during his ownership. Property development is limited by a conservation easement, so major structural changes to the airport will not occur.

References
  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for 42B PDF, effective 2010-11-18
  2. http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=42B


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