Courtland Airport[1][2] (FAA LID: 9A4) is a public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Courtland, a town in Lawrence County, Alabama, United States. It is owned by the Lawrence County Commission[1] and was formerly known as Lawrence County Airport.[3][4]
Courtland Airport Lawrence County Airport | |||||||||||||||
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 NAIP aerial image, 29 June 2006 | |||||||||||||||
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| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Lawrence County Commission | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Courtland, Alabama | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 588 ft / 179 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°39′34″N 087°20′56″W / 34.65944°N 87.34889°W | ||||||||||||||
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  9A4 Location of airport in Alabama  9A4 9A4 (the United States) | |||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2017) | |||||||||||||||
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This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015[5] and 2009–2013,[6] both of which categorized it as a general aviation facility.
History
edit- see Courtland Army Airfield for the World War II history of the facility
Following the onset of World War II, the United States faced a challenging goal to train upwards of 75,000 to 100,000 pilots per year. It was recognized that to achieve this, many new training fields would have to be constructed - hundreds across the country. Due to the climate allowing year-round flight instruction, as well as the low airways congestion, North Alabama was considered to be a good location for one of the new Army Air Force training fields. Following a review by a site selection board, Courtland was chosen to receive this facility. It was considered the best overall site of three evaluated within the North Alabama region.
As training needs decreased toward the end of the war, training air fields were deactivated across the country. Courtland Army Airfield was one of these, it being deactivated in June 1945. At the end of the war the airfield was determined to be excess by the War Department in 1946 and was excessed. The site was returned to the State of Alabama by quitclaim deed in 1948.
With regard to the original structures, most everything but the runways, and several concrete slabs with three or four wide concrete steps are gone now. A steel-framed aircraft hangar that was once used at Courtland still exists and is still in use, but is no longer located at the Courtland site. This structure was disassembled and moved to the Birmingham Municipal Airport (now Birmingham International Airport) during the early 1950s.
Lockheed Martin[7] and other light industries call the Lawrence County Industrial Airpark site home today.
A golf course also hugs the northeast to west perimeter.
Facilities and aircraft
editCourtland Airport covers an area of 350 acres (142 ha) at an elevation of 588 feet (179 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways, 13/31 and 17/35, each with a concrete surface measuring 4,994 by 150 feet (1,522 x 46 m).[1]
For the 12-month period ending April 14, 2010, the airport had 11,900 aircraft operations, an average of 32 per day: 92% general aviation and 8% military. At that time there were 32 aircraft based at this airport: 81% single-engine and 19% multi-engine.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e FAA Airport Form 5010 for 9A4 PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 25 August 2011.
- ^ "Air Show set for next week in Courtland". The Moulton Advertiser. 15 September 2011.
- ^ "Businessman seeks to lead airport". The Decatur Daily. 11 January 2007. Archived from the original on 3 December 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ^ "Airport Information Reference Page (9A4)". FlyingDatabase.com. 16 August 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A (PDF, 2.03 MB)" (PDF). 2011–2015 National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. 4 October 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-27.
- ^ "2009–2013 NPIAS Report, Appendix A: Part 1 (PDF, 1.33 MB)" (PDF). 2009–2013 National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. 15 October 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-08-06.
- ^ "Lockheed Martin Opens Intelligent, Advanced Hypersonic Strike Production Facility".
External links
edit- Tennessee Valley Air Center, the fixed-base operator (FBO)
- Aerial image as of 16 January 1999 from USGS The National Map
- FAA Terminal Procedures for 9A4, effective October 31, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for 9A4
- AirNav airport information for 9A4
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for 9A4