Rickenbacker International Airport

For the USAF use of the facility prior to September 30, 1994, see Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base.
Rickenbacker International Airport
IATA: LCK – ICAO: KLCK – FAA LID: LCK
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Columbus Regional Airport Authority
Serves Columbus, OH
Location Franklin / Pickaway counties, near Columbus, Ohio
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 744 ft / 227 m
Coordinates 39°48′50″N 082°55′40″W / 39.81389°N 82.92778°W / 39.81389; -82.92778
Website www.rickenbacker.org
Map
LCK
LCK

Location of airport in Ohio/United States

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
5R/23L 12,102 3,689 Asphalt/Concrete
5L/23R 11,937 3,638 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Aircraft operations 39,436
Based aircraft 28

Rickenbacker International Airport (IATA: LCK, ICAO: KLCK, FAA LID: LCK) is a civil-military public airport 10 miles (16 km) south of downtown Columbus, near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The south end of the airport extends into Pickaway County. The base was named for flying ace and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker. It is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also operates Port Columbus International Airport and Bolton Field.[1] Rickenbacker International is primarily a cargo airport for the city of Columbus, although since 2012 it has served an increasing number of passenger flights as well as charter carriers.[2]

The United States Air Force maintains a presence in the form of the Ohio Air National Guard's 121st Air Refueling Wing, Rickenbacker International is also home of the Ohio Army National Guard's Army Aviation Support Facility No. 2 and the headquarters for the Ohio Military Reserve, one of the state defense forces of Ohio.

History

The facility opened in June 1942 as Lockbourne Army Airfield (named after the nearby village of Lockbourne). It was then named the Northeastern Training Center of the Army Air Corps, and provided basic pilot training and military support. In addition, the training center provided B-17 flight training to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), and training for glider pilots in the CG-4A Waco glider. After the war, flight-training activities were halted and the airfield was used as a development and testing facility for all-weather military flight operations. The primary unit at the base was the all-Black 447th Composite Group, also known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

During the Cold War the facility was Lockbourne Air Force Base and was assigned to the USAF Strategic Air Command. Lockbourne AFB was redesignated Rickenbacker Air Force Base on May 18, 1974, by Department of the Air Force Special Order GA-11 of March 6, 1974, to honor Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker, the leading American fighter pilot of World War I.

The base was transferred from the Strategic Air Command (SAC) to the Air National Guard and redesignated Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base on April 1, 1980.

Rickenbacker Tower

The base was recommended for closure by the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission, but as a result of a proposal by the State of Ohio, the 1993 Commission recommended that Rickenbacker ANGB be realigned rather than closed. The Commission decided to retain the 121st Air Refueling Wing and the 160th Air Refueling Group of the Ohio Air National Guard in a military cantonment area at Rickenbacker ANGB instead of realigning to Wright-Patterson AFB. The Air National Guard would continue to operate as tenants of the Rickenbacker Port Authority (RPA) on the RPA's airport and the military facilities were realigned as Rickenbacker Air National Guard Station on September 30, 1994 by the 1991 Congressional Base Realignment and Closure Commission.

In August 2001 construction started on a new, consolidated Navy and Marine Corps Air Reserve Center at Rickenbacker International Airport. The $10 million center, scheduled for completion in early 2003, will be located at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Club Street adjacent to the Air National Guard facility at Rickenbacker. Being developed by the Navy Reserve, the project will consolidate the Naval Air Reserve Center at Rickenbacker with the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center currently located on Yearling Road in Columbus. When completed, the nearly 1,000 Navy and Marine Corps reservists currently located at the two existing reserve centers will shift their activities to this new facility. Once the new center opens, the site of the existing Naval Air Reserve Center at Rickenbacker will be redeveloped by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which operates the 5,000-acre (2,023 ha) airport.

In March 2012 Direct Air suspended operations from the airport.[3] The charter carrier was subject to Chapter 7 liquidation on April 12, 2012.[4]

Operations

Rickenbacker used to be run by the Rickenbacker Port Authority, until merging in 2003 with Port Columbus and Bolton field creating the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. As of July 2006, Rickenbacker is the world's 126th busiest cargo airport according to Air Cargo World.[5] Rickenbacker ranks as one of the worlds top 20 fastest growing cargo airports in July 2006 with 112,888 tons, a 15.3% increase from the previous year. This is mainly due to the transfer of AirNet Systems operations from Port Columbus International Airport to Rickenbacker. This number is expected to increase with the introduction of the new intermodal facility that is under construction. As of now it has scheduled service from FedEx Express along with FedEx Feeder contractors, Mountain Air Cargo and CSA Air and UPS Airlines along with contractors Air Cargo Carriers. Multi-weekly 747 freighter service is operated by Atlas Air and Kalitta Air. Another airline based at Rickenbacker is Snow Aviation. Rickenbacker International Airport was also the site for filming all aircraft exterior shots in the movie Air Force One starring Harrison Ford. In 2007, Rickenbacker hosted the Gathering of Mustangs and Legends air show, one of the largest-ever gatherings of operable classic warbirds, especially the P-51 Mustang.

Facilities and aircraft

Rickenbacker Terminal
Rickenbacker Diagram

Rickenbacker International Airport covers 4,342 acres (1,757 ha) and has two runways:[1]

In 2005 the airport had 56,998 aircraft operations, average 156 per day: 41% air taxi, 28% military, 23% general aviation and 9% scheduled commercial. 72 aircraft are based at the airport: 14% single engine, 6% multi-engine, 6% jet aircraft, 44% helicopters and 31% military aircraft.[1]

In December 2006 PlanetSpace entered negotiations with the Ohio government to build a spaceport at Rickenbacker.[6]

Also in 2006, the Columbus Regional Airport Authority completed a Noise Compatibility Study for the airport. This program helps to guide suggested flight paths and targets soundproofing of buildings exposed to high levels of aircraft noise.[7]

AirNet Express headquarters is on the airport.[8]

In 2008, Norfolk Southern opened the Rickenbacker Intermodal Terminal adjacent to the airport.[9] This facility allows the handling of approximately 250,000 Intermodal containers annually and anchors Norfolk Southern's Heartland Corridor. The project allows easy access to and from the deep water port at Norfolk, Virginia via the use of double stack containers as well as improved access to rail hubs in the Chicago area.

Airlines and destinations

Since the completion of the current passenger terminal in 2003, the airport has seen a number of carriers come and go.[10] This includes Southeast Airlines, Boston-Maine Airways, Hooters Air, Direct Air, USA3000 Airlines, Fly Mission Air and Vision Airlines.[4][11] Beginning in 2012, low-cost carrier Allegiant Air has been successful in expanding service to leisure destinations in the southern United States.

Passenger

AirlinesDestinations
Allegiant Air Fort Lauderdale, Orlando/Sanford, Punta Gorda/Fort Myers, St. Petersburg/Clearwater
Seasonal: Jacksonville, Myrtle Beach, New Orleans, Savannah

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
AirNet Express Baltimore, Bedford, Buffalo, Burbank, Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Chicago-DuPage, Cincinnati, Cincinnati-Lunken, Cleveland, Cleveland-Lakefront, Columbus-Don Scott, Dallas-Addison, Denver, Denver-Centennial, Detroit-Willow Run, Fort Wayne, Houston-Hobby, Kansas City-Wheeler, Lawrence, Louisville, Milwaukee, Omaha, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, Rochester (MN), South Bend, St. Louis, St. Paul-Downtown, Teterboro, Washington-Dulles, Pittsburgh
Cargolux Anchorage, Chicago-O'Hare, Hong Kong, Luxembourg
Castle Aviation Akron, Hamilton (ON)
Cathay Pacific Cargo Anchorage, Chicago-O'Hare, Hong Kong
DHL Express
operated by Castle Aviation 		Cincinnati
Emirates SkyCargo Chicago-O'Hare, Copenhagen, Dubai-Al Maktoum
Ethiopian Cargo New York-JFK[12]
Etihad Cargo Milan, East Midlands, UK[13]
FedEx Express Cleveland, Detroit, Flint, Hartford, Indianapolis, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Newark, Newburgh, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, Winnipeg
FedEx Feeder
operated by Mountain Air Cargo 		Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Denver, Parkersburg/Marietta
Kalitta Air Anchorage, Hong Kong
NASA Hampton (VA), Iowa County
UPS Airlines Buffalo, Chicago-O'Hare, Lansing, Louisville, Miami, Pittsburgh

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for LCK (Form 5010 PDF), effective July 5, 2007
  2. ↑ http://columbusairports.com/files/publications/file/20160427_2015_quarter_4_air_traffic_summary_and_analysis.pdf
  3. ↑ SC-Based Charter Airline Cancels Flights, Associated Press, March 13, 2012
  4. 1 2 Heath, Dan (April 12, 2012). "Direct Air bankruptcy goes to Chapter 7". Plattsburgh Press-Republican. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  5. ↑ Air Cargo World: "Top Cargo Airports of the World" with focus on Africa and Asia. Retrieved July 8, 2007.
  6. ↑ "Spaceport Ohio?". Personal Spaceflight. December 2, 2006.
  7. ↑ "Rickenbacker International Airport - Noise Program - Columbus Regional Airport Authority".
  8. ↑ "Contact." AirNet Express. Retrieved on February 12, 2011. "Corporate Office: AirNet Systems, Inc. 7250 Star Check Drive Columbus, OH 43217."
  9. ↑ http://www.nscorp.com/content/dam/nscorp/bizns/archive/newsbreak_2008_03.pdf
  10. ↑ http://docs.newsbank.com.webproxy3.columbuslibrary.org/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:CLDB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=10DC8A8F06F0F270&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB5DC08821100
  11. ↑ http://docs.newsbank.com.webproxy3.columbuslibrary.org/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:CLDB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=10E3717839DDB498&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=0D0CB5DC08821100
  12. ↑ http://www.ethiopianairlines.com/corporate/group/cargo/network-and-schedule/schedule
  13. ↑ http://www.etihadcargo.com/documents/etihad%20cargo%20schedule.pdf
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