Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 39°07′23″N 094°35′34″W / 39.12306°N 94.59278°W / 39.12306; -94.59278
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{{Short description|Airport located in downtown Kansas City}}
{{Short description|Airport located in downtown Kansas City}}
{{Infobox airport
{{Infobox airport
| name = Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport
| name = Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport
| image = FlyMKC airport logo.png
| image = FlyMKC airport logo.png
| image-width = 189<!--full size-->
| image-width = 189<!--full size-->
| IATA = MKC
| IATA = MKC
| ICAO = KMKC
| ICAO = KMKC
| FAA = MKC
| FAA = MKC
| type = Public
| type = Public
| owner-oper = Kansas City Aviation Department
| owner-oper = Kansas City Aviation Department
| city-served = [[Kansas City, Missouri]]
| city-served = [[Kansas City, Missouri]]
| location = <!--if different than above-->
| location = <!--if different than above-->
| elevation-f = 757
| elevation-f = 757
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20070622111715/http://www.flymkc.com/ www.FlyMKC.com]
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20070622111715/http://www.flymkc.com/ www.FlyMKC.com]
| coordinates = {{coord|39|07|23|N|094|35|34|W|region:US-MO|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|39|07|23|N|094|35|34|W|region:US-MO|display=inline,title}}
| pushpin_map = USA Missouri#USA
| pushpin_map = USA Missouri#USA
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_map_caption = Location
| pushpin_map_caption = Location
| pushpin_label = '''MKC'''
| pushpin_label = '''MKC'''
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_label_position = right
| r1-number = 1/19
| r1-number = 1/19
| r1-length-f = 6,827
| r1-length-f = 6,827
| r1-surface = Concrete
| r1-surface = Concrete
| r2-number = 3/21
| r2-number = 3/21
| r2-length-f = 5,050
| r2-length-f = 5,050
| r2-surface = Asphalt
| r2-surface = Asphalt
| stat-year = 2011
| stat-year = 2022
| stat1-header = Aircraft operations
| stat1-header = Aircraft operations
| stat1-data = 67,793
| stat1-data = 114,975
| stat2-header = Based aircraft
| stat2-header = Based aircraft
| stat2-data = 189
| stat2-data = 176
| footnotes = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=MKC|use=PU|own=PU|site=11816.*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.</ref>
| footnotes = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=MKC|use=PU|own=PU|site=11816.*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.</ref>
}}
}}


'''Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport''' {{airport codes|MKC<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.iata.org/publications/Pages/code-search.aspx | title = Airline and Airport Code Search (MKC: Kansas City / Downtown) | publisher = [[International Air Transport Association]] (IATA) | accessdate = March 14, 2014}}</ref>|KMKC|MKC}} is a city-owned, public-use airport serving [[Kansas City, Missouri]].<ref name="FAA" /> Located in [[Clay County, Missouri|Clay County]],<ref name="FAA" /> this facility is included in the [[National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems]], which [[FAA airport categories|categorized]] it as a [[general aviation]] [[reliever airport]].<ref>
'''Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport''' {{airport codes|MKC<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.iata.org/publications/Pages/code-search.aspx | title = Airline and Airport Code Search (MKC: Kansas City / Downtown) | publisher = [[International Air Transport Association]] (IATA) | accessdate = March 14, 2014}}</ref>|KMKC|MKC}} is a city-owned, public-use airport serving [[Kansas City, Missouri]], United States.<ref name="FAA" /> Located in [[Clay County, Missouri|Clay County]],<ref name="FAA" /> this facility is included in the [[National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems]], which [[FAA airport categories|categorized]] it as a [[general aviation]] [[reliever airport]].<ref>
{{cite web
{{cite web
|url=http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias/reports/media/2011/npias_2011_appA.pdf
|url=http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias/reports/media/2011/npias_2011_appA.pdf
Line 48: Line 48:


==History==
==History==
[[Image:Kaw-point-aerial.jpg|thumb|The city considered calling the airport "Peninsula Field" because of the sharp bend in the Missouri River around the airport.]]
{{Unreferenced section|date=February 2022}}
[[Image:Kaw-point-aerial.jpg|thumb|The city considered calling the airport "Peninsula Field" because of the sharp bend in the Missouri River around the airport]]
[[Image:Wheeler-airport.jpg|thumb|The airport from [[Quality Hill, Kansas City|Quality Hill]]. The [[Buck O'Neil Bridge]] is on the right. The [[Fairfax Assembly]] plant (the former [[Fairfax Airport]]) is the big building across the [[Missouri River]] on the left.]]
[[Image:Wheeler-airport.jpg|thumb|The airport from [[Quality Hill, Kansas City|Quality Hill]]. The [[Buck O'Neil Bridge]] is on the right. The [[Fairfax Assembly]] plant (the former [[Fairfax Airport]]) is the big building across the [[Missouri River]] on the left.]]


This airport replaced [[Richards Field]] as Kansas City's main airport. It was dedicated as ''New Richards Field'' in 1927 by [[Charles Lindbergh]] and was soon renamed '''Kansas City Municipal Airport'''. Its prominent tenant was [[Trans World Airlines]] ([[TWA]]), which was headquartered in Kansas City. The airport was built in the Missouri River bottoms next to the rail tracks at the [[Hannibal Bridge]]. At the time air travel was considered to be handled in conjunction with rail traffic.
This airport replaced the old [[Richards Field]], located near [[Raytown, Missouri]], as Kansas City's main airport. It was dedicated as ''New Richards Field'' in 1927 by [[Charles Lindbergh]] and was soon renamed '''Kansas City Municipal Airport'''. Its prominent tenant was [[Trans World Airlines]] (TWA), which was headquartered in Kansas City. The airport was built in the Missouri River bottoms next to the rail tracks at the [[Hannibal Bridge]]. At the time, air travel was considered to be handled in conjunction with rail traffic.


The airport had limited area for expansion ([[Fairfax Airport]] across the Missouri River in [[Kansas City, Kansas]] covered a larger area). Airplanes had to avoid the {{convert|200|ft|m|-1|adj=on}} Quality Hill and the [[Downtown Kansas City]] skyline south of the south end of the main runway. In the early 1960s, an FAA memo called it "the most dangerous major airport in the country" and urged that no further federal funds be spent on it. A new airport was then constructed to serve Kansas City, being the [[Kansas City International Airport]] (MCI) which was opened in 1972 with all scheduled passenger airline flights being moved from MKC to MCI at that time.
The airport had limited area for expansion ([[Fairfax Airport]] across the Missouri River in [[Kansas City, Kansas]], covered a larger area). Airplanes had to avoid the {{convert|200|ft|m|-1|adj=on}} Quality Hill and the [[Downtown Kansas City]] skyline south of the south end of the main runway. In the early 1960s, an FAA memo called it "the most dangerous major airport in the country" and urged that no further federal funds be spent on it. A new airport was then constructed to serve Kansas City, being the [[Kansas City International Airport]] (MCI) which was opened in 1972 with all scheduled passenger airline flights being moved from MKC to MCI at that time.


The April 1957 [[Official Airline Guide]] (OAG) listed the following weekday departures from MKC:
The April 1957 [[Official Airline Guide]] (OAG) listed the following weekday departures from MKC:
Line 65: Line 64:
* [[Central Airlines]] - 2
* [[Central Airlines]] - 2


The downtown airport has been renamed for [[Charles Wheeler (politician)|Charles Wheeler]] who was mayor when Kansas City International opened. Richards Road, which serves the airport, is named for [[John Francisco Richards II]], a Kansas City airman killed in [[World War I]] (and whose name was also applied to Richards Field and [[Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base]]).
The downtown airport has been renamed for [[Charles Wheeler (politician)|Charles Wheeler]] who was mayor when Kansas City International opened. Richards Road, which serves the airport, is named for [[John Francisco Richards II]], a Kansas City airman killed in [[World War I]] (and whose name was also applied to Richards Field and [[Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base]]).


⚫
Today the airport is used for corporate and recreational aviation. The terminal building today houses VML, a global advertising and marketing agency headquartered in Kansas City. Its location near downtown has excellent highway access.
Despite concerns about the airport being unsafe, [[Air Force One]] frequently uses it during Presidential visits.


⚫
It is home to the [[National Airline History Museum]]. Though this museum primarily contains artifacts from TWA (due to the fact that most of its volunteers are local retired TWA employees), it is dedicated to airline history in general. A second museum, The TWA Museum, is housed in the original terminal that it was founded in at 10 Richards Road and is dedicated to the history of TWA. The airport also hosts the Aviation Expo (Air Show), most years, usually in August.
⚫
Today the airport is used for corporate and recreational aviation. The terminal building today houses VML, a global advertising and marketing agency headquartered in Kansas City. Its location near downtown has excellent highway access.


⚫
==Facilities and aircraft==
⚫
It is home to the [[National Airline History Museum]]. Though the museum primarily contains artifacts from TWA (due to the fact that most of its volunteers are local retired TWA employees), the museum is dedicated to airline history in general. The TWA Museum is housed in the original terminal that it was founded in at 10 Richards Road and is dedicated to the history of TWA. The airport also hosts the Aviation Expo (Air Show), most years, usually in August.


⚫
The airport covers 700 [[acre]]s (283 [[hectare|ha]]) at an [[elevation]] of 757 feet (231 m).<ref name="FAA" /> It has two [[runway]]s. Runway 1/19 is 6,827 by 150 feet (2,081 x 46 m) concrete<ref name="FAA" /> with an [[engineered materials arrestor system|EMAS]] at both ends.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1554028.html | title = Downtown airport boasts a new runway safety system | publisher = KansasCity.com | date = November 6, 2009}}</ref> Runway 3/21 is 5,050 by 100 feet (1,539 x 30 m) asphalt.<ref name="FAA" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=AirNav: KMKC - Charles B Wheeler Downtown Airport |url=https://www.airnav.com/airport/KMKC |access-date=2023-02-01 |website=www.airnav.com}}</ref>
⚫
==Facilities==

⚫
The airport covers 700 [[acre]]s (283 [[hectare|ha]]) at an [[elevation]] of 757 feet (231 m).<ref name="FAA" /> It has two [[runway]]s: 1/19 is 6,827 by 150 feet (2,081 x 46 m) concrete<ref name="FAA" /> with an [[engineered materials arrestor system|EMAS]] at both ends.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kansascity.com/115/story/1554028.html | title = Downtown airport boasts a new runway safety system | publisher = KansasCity.com | date = November 6, 2009}}</ref> 3/21 is 5,050 by 100 feet (1,539 x 30 m) asphalt.<ref name="FAA" />


Construction on runway 1-19 is complete and both runways are in use to their full length.
Construction on runway 1-19 is complete and both runways are in use to their full length.
Line 81: Line 78:
Taxiway H was at one time part of runway 17/35, which was closed after an FAA decision on the required separation between terminal buildings and the runway.
Taxiway H was at one time part of runway 17/35, which was closed after an FAA decision on the required separation between terminal buildings and the runway.


The airport is on the north side of the confluence of the [[Kansas River]] and [[Missouri River]]. Levees protected the airport relatively well during the [[Great Flood of 1951]] and the [[Great Flood of 1993]] although there was standing water. The 1951 flood devastated the Fairfax airport and caused Kansas City to build what would become [[Kansas City International Airport]] away from the river to keep the TWA overhaul base in the area after it had been destroyed in the flood at Fairfax.
The airport is on the north side of the confluence of the [[Kansas River]] and [[Missouri River]]. Levees protected the airport relatively well during the [[Great Flood of 1951]] and the [[Great Flood of 1993]] although there was standing water. The 1951 flood devastated the Fairfax airport and caused Kansas City to build what would become [[Kansas City International Airport]] away from the river to keep the TWA overhaul base in the area after it had been destroyed in the flood at Fairfax.


Kansas City, MO Aviation Department announced plans on October 17, 2006 to build a $20 million aircraft [[hangar]] complex at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport including: 122 T-hangars, 13 box hangars, a {{convert|40000|sqft|m2|-3|adj=on}} terminal building with offices, a pilots' lounge, meeting rooms and a destination restaurant.
On October 17, 2006, the Kansas City, Missouri, Aviation Department announced plans to build a $20 million aircraft [[hangar]] complex at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport including: 122 T-hangars, 13 box hangars, a {{convert|40000|sqft|m2|-3|adj=on}} terminal building with offices, a pilots' lounge, meeting rooms and a destination restaurant.


In the year ending September 30, 2011 the airport had 67,793 aircraft operations, average 185 per day: 71.5% [[general aviation]], 26% [[air taxi]], 2.2% military, and 0.3% airline. 189 aircraft were then based at the airport: 47.6% single-engine, 28.6% multi-engine, 22.2% jet, and 1.6% [[helicopter]].<ref name="FAA" />
In the year ending September 30, 2022, the airport had 114,975 aircraft operations, average 315 per day: 77% [[general aviation]], 21% [[air taxi]], 2.2% [[Military aviation|military]], and <1% [[Commercial aviation|commercial]]. 176 aircraft were then based at the airport: 76 single-engine and 23 multi-engine [[airplane]]s, 66 [[Jet aircraft|jet airplanes]], and 11 [[helicopter]]s.<ref name="FAA" /><ref name=":0" />


==Cargo==
==Cargo==
Line 92: Line 89:


==Accidents and incidents==
==Accidents and incidents==
* On March 31, 1931, [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] Coach [[Knute Rockne]] was killed on a [[TWA|Transcontinental & Western Air]] flight from Kansas City to Los Angeles when the [[Fokker F-10]] [[1931 Transcontinental & Western Air Fokker F-10 crash|trimotor broke up in a storm]] over [[Bazaar, Kansas]]. The crash resulted in the grounding of all of the wooden wing Fokker airliners nationwide due to wood rot. It also nearly bankrupted TWA and forced them (and others) to replace their fleet with newer all-metal aircraft.
* On March 31, 1931, [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish football|Notre Dame]] Coach [[Knute Rockne]] was killed on a [[TWA|Transcontinental & Western Air]] (later TWA) flight from Kansas City to Los Angeles when the [[Fokker F-10]] [[1931 Transcontinental & Western Air Fokker F-10 crash|trimotor broke up in a storm]] over [[Bazaar, Kansas]]. The crash resulted in the grounding of all of the wooden wing Fokker airliners nationwide due to wood rot. It also nearly bankrupted TWA and forced them (and others) to replace their fleet with newer all-metal aircraft.
* On June 30, 1956, [[Trans World Airlines]] flight 2, a [[Lockheed Constellation|Lockheed Super Constellation]], was bound for Kansas City Downtown Airport when it [[1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision|collided with a United Airlines Douglas DC-7]] over the [[Grand Canyon]]. All 128 aboard both aircraft were killed.
* On June 30, 1956, [[Trans World Airlines]] flight 2, a [[Lockheed Constellation|Lockheed Super Constellation]], was bound for Kansas City Downtown Airport when it [[1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision|collided with a United Airlines Douglas DC-7]] over the [[Grand Canyon]]. All 128 aboard both aircraft were killed.
* On May 22, 1962, [[Continental Airlines Flight 11]] [[Boeing 707]] en route from [[Chicago]] [[O'Hare International Airport]] to Kansas City Downtown Airport exploded over [[Unionville, Missouri]]. All 45 on board were killed.
* On May 22, 1962, [[Continental Airlines Flight 11]], a [[Boeing 707]] en route from [[Chicago]] [[O'Hare International Airport]] to Kansas City Downtown Airport exploded over [[Unionville, Missouri]]. All 45 on board were killed.
* On January 29, 1963, [[Continental Airlines]] Flight 290, a [[Vickers Viscount]], crashed on approach at the end of runway 18 because of accretion of ice on the horizontal stabilizer causing a loss of pitch control. All 3 crew and 5 passengers were killed.<ref>{{ASN accident|id=19630129-0|title=N242V|accessdate= July 31, 2023}}</ref>
* On July 1, 1965, [[Continental Airlines Flight 12]] [[Boeing 707]] from [[Los Angeles International Airport]] landed in heavy rain and was unable to stop due to hydroplaning. It impacted a blast mound and broke into 3 pieces, but all 66 on board survived.
* On July 1, 1965, [[Continental Airlines Flight 12]] [[Boeing 707]] from [[Los Angeles International Airport]] landed in heavy rain and was unable to stop due to hydroplaning. It impacted a blast mound and broke into 3 pieces, but all 66 on board survived.
* On August 6, 1966, [[Braniff Airways Flight 250]] [[BAC One-Eleven]] left Kansas City Downtown Airport headed for Omaha and crashed near [[Falls City, Nebraska]], killing all 42 on board.
* On August 6, 1966, [[Braniff Airways Flight 250]] [[BAC One-Eleven]] left Kansas City Downtown Airport headed for Omaha and crashed near [[Falls City, Nebraska]], killing all 42 on board.
* On January 12, 1970, the [[Kansas City Chiefs]]' charter flight returning from [[New Orleans International Airport]] following their [[Super Bowl IV]] victory over the [[Minnesota Vikings]] was diverted to the then-unfinished Kansas City International Airport (MCI) due to a runway incursion by fans hoping to greet the Chiefs upon landing at the Downtown airport.
* On January 12, 1970, the [[Kansas City Chiefs]]' charter flight returning from [[New Orleans International Airport]] following their [[Super Bowl IV]] victory over the [[Minnesota Vikings]] was diverted to the then-unfinished Kansas City International Airport (MCI) due to a runway incursion by fans hoping to greet the Chiefs upon landing at the Downtown airport.
* On August 20, 2011, pilot Bryan Jensen was killed when his [[Pitts Model 12|Vertical Unlimited 12 (a modified Pitts 12)]] crashed during the Kansas City Air Expo.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.kmbc.com/news/28926313/detail.html | title = Pilot Dies In KC Air Show | publisher = [[KMBC-TV|KMBC]] | date = August 20, 2011 | accessdate = August 20, 2011 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120322003008/http://www.kmbc.com/news/28926313/detail.html | archivedate = March 22, 2012 }}</ref>
* On August 20, 2011, pilot Bryan Jensen was killed when his [[Pitts Model 12|Vertical Unlimited 12 (a modified Pitts 12)]] crashed during the Kansas City Air Expo.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.kmbc.com/news/28926313/detail.html | title = Pilot Dies In KC Air Show | publisher = [[KMBC-TV|KMBC]] | date = August 20, 2011 | accessdate = August 20, 2011 | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120322003008/http://www.kmbc.com/news/28926313/detail.html | archivedate = March 22, 2012 }}</ref>
* On August 5, 2013, a construction contractor working on a taxiway near runway 1 discovered human remains buried in the ground.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kctv5.com/story/23052325/human-remains-found-at-downtown-airport | title = Human remains found at KC downtown airport | publisher = [[KCTV]] | date = August 5, 2013}}</ref>
* On August 5, 2013, a construction contractor working on a taxiway near runway 1 discovered human remains buried in the ground.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.kctv5.com/story/23052325/human-remains-found-at-downtown-airport | title = Human remains found at KC downtown airport | publisher = [[KCTV]] | date = August 5, 2013 | access-date = August 6, 2013 | archive-date = August 8, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130808145501/http://www.kctv5.com/story/23052325/human-remains-found-at-downtown-airport | url-status = dead }}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
Line 110: Line 108:
==External links==
==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070622111715/http://www.flymkc.com/ Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport], official site
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070622111715/http://www.flymkc.com/ Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport], official site
* [http://msrmaps.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=12&lat=39.1229&lon=-94.5928&w=600&h=800&lp=---+None+--- Aerial image as of February 2002] from [[USGS]] ''[[The National Map]]''
* [http://msrmaps.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=12&lat=39.1229&lon=-94.5928&w=600&h=800&lp=---+None+--- Aerial image as of February 2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315051700/http://msrmaps.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=12&lat=39.1229&lon=-94.5928&w=600&h=800&lp=---+None+--- |date=2014-03-15 }} from [[USGS]] ''[[The National Map]]''
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/12530375@N08/8041819927/sizes/h Airport diagram as of 1956]
* [https://www.flickr.com/photos/12530375@N08/8041819927/sizes/h Airport diagram as of 1956]
* {{FAA-diagram|00213}}
* {{FAA-diagram|00213}}

Latest revision as of 19:57, 1 May 2024

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner/OperatorKansas City Aviation Department
ServesKansas City, Missouri
Elevation AMSL757 ft / 231 m
Coordinates39°07′23″N 094°35′34″W / 39.12306°N 94.59278°W / 39.12306; -94.59278
Websitewww.FlyMKC.com
Map
MKC is located in Missouri
MKC
MKC
Location
MKC is located in the United States
MKC
MKC
MKC (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
1/19 6,827 2,081 Concrete
3/21 5,050 1,539 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Aircraft operations114,975
Based aircraft176

Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport (IATA: MKC[2], ICAO: KMKC, FAA LID: MKC) is a city-owned, public-use airport serving Kansas City, Missouri, United States.[1] Located in Clay County,[1] this facility is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which categorized it as a general aviation reliever airport.[3]

History[edit]

The city considered calling the airport "Peninsula Field" because of the sharp bend in the Missouri River around the airport.
The airport from Quality Hill. The Buck O'Neil Bridge is on the right. The Fairfax Assembly plant (the former Fairfax Airport) is the big building across the Missouri River on the left.

This airport replaced the old Richards Field, located near Raytown, Missouri, as Kansas City's main airport. It was dedicated as New Richards Field in 1927 by Charles Lindbergh and was soon renamed Kansas City Municipal Airport. Its prominent tenant was Trans World Airlines (TWA), which was headquartered in Kansas City. The airport was built in the Missouri River bottoms next to the rail tracks at the Hannibal Bridge. At the time, air travel was considered to be handled in conjunction with rail traffic.

The airport had limited area for expansion (Fairfax Airport across the Missouri River in Kansas City, Kansas, covered a larger area). Airplanes had to avoid the 200-foot (60 m) Quality Hill and the Downtown Kansas City skyline south of the south end of the main runway. In the early 1960s, an FAA memo called it "the most dangerous major airport in the country" and urged that no further federal funds be spent on it. A new airport was then constructed to serve Kansas City, being the Kansas City International Airport (MCI) which was opened in 1972 with all scheduled passenger airline flights being moved from MKC to MCI at that time.

The April 1957 Official Airline Guide (OAG) listed the following weekday departures from MKC:

The downtown airport has been renamed for Charles Wheeler who was mayor when Kansas City International opened. Richards Road, which serves the airport, is named for John Francisco Richards II, a Kansas City airman killed in World War I (and whose name was also applied to Richards Field and Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base).

Today the airport is used for corporate and recreational aviation. The terminal building today houses VML, a global advertising and marketing agency headquartered in Kansas City. Its location near downtown has excellent highway access.

It is home to the National Airline History Museum. Though this museum primarily contains artifacts from TWA (due to the fact that most of its volunteers are local retired TWA employees), it is dedicated to airline history in general. A second museum, The TWA Museum, is housed in the original terminal that it was founded in at 10 Richards Road and is dedicated to the history of TWA. The airport also hosts the Aviation Expo (Air Show), most years, usually in August.

Facilities and aircraft[edit]

The airport covers 700 acres (283 ha) at an elevation of 757 feet (231 m).[1] It has two runways. Runway 1/19 is 6,827 by 150 feet (2,081 x 46 m) concrete[1] with an EMAS at both ends.[4] Runway 3/21 is 5,050 by 100 feet (1,539 x 30 m) asphalt.[1][5]

Construction on runway 1-19 is complete and both runways are in use to their full length.

Taxiway H was at one time part of runway 17/35, which was closed after an FAA decision on the required separation between terminal buildings and the runway.

The airport is on the north side of the confluence of the Kansas River and Missouri River. Levees protected the airport relatively well during the Great Flood of 1951 and the Great Flood of 1993 although there was standing water. The 1951 flood devastated the Fairfax airport and caused Kansas City to build what would become Kansas City International Airport away from the river to keep the TWA overhaul base in the area after it had been destroyed in the flood at Fairfax.

On October 17, 2006, the Kansas City, Missouri, Aviation Department announced plans to build a $20 million aircraft hangar complex at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport including: 122 T-hangars, 13 box hangars, a 40,000-square-foot (4,000 m2) terminal building with offices, a pilots' lounge, meeting rooms and a destination restaurant.

In the year ending September 30, 2022, the airport had 114,975 aircraft operations, average 315 per day: 77% general aviation, 21% air taxi, 2.2% military, and <1% commercial. 176 aircraft were then based at the airport: 76 single-engine and 23 multi-engine airplanes, 66 jet airplanes, and 11 helicopters.[1][5]

Cargo[edit]

AirlinesDestinations
AirNet Express Columbus-Rickenbacker

Accidents and incidents[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g FAA Airport Form 5010 for MKC PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
  2. ^ "Airline and Airport Code Search (MKC: Kansas City / Downtown)". International Air Transport Association (IATA). Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  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 2012-09-27.
  4. ^ "Downtown airport boasts a new runway safety system". KansasCity.com. November 6, 2009.
  5. ^ a b "AirNav: KMKC - Charles B Wheeler Downtown Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved 2023-02-01.
  6. ^ Accident description for N242V at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on July 31, 2023.
  7. ^ "Pilot Dies In KC Air Show". KMBC. August 20, 2011. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2011.
  8. ^ "Human remains found at KC downtown airport". KCTV. August 5, 2013. Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2013.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charles_B._Wheeler_Downtown_Airport&oldid=1221753538"