Boise Airport (IATA: BOI, ICAO: KBOI, FAA LID: BOI) (Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field) is a joint civil-military airport three miles south of Boise in Ada County, Idaho. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation and is overseen by an Airport Commission.
Boise is a landing rights airfield requiring international general aviation flights to receive permission from a Customs and Border Protection officer before landing.
In addition to being a commercial and general aviation airport, Boise is used by the Idaho Air National Guard on the Gowen Field Air National Guard Base portion of the airport. The National Interagency Fire Center is based in the city of Boise and the Boise Airport is used for logistical support. The United States Forest Service also uses Boise Airport as a base for aerial firefighting air tankers during the wildfire season.
Boise Airport had 1,307,505 enplaned passengers in 2012, a reduction from 1,395,554 passengers in 2011. BOI ranked 78th in the nation in enplanements for 2012.
§History
In 1926 the first municipal airport in Boise named Booth Field was built on a gravel bed where the Boise State University campus now stands. The first commercial airmail flight in the United States passed through this airfield on April 26, 1926, carried by Varney Airlines. Varney Airlines began operating out of Boise in 1933, later merging with National Air Transport to become United Airlines. With United Airlines able to trace its roots to Varney, United is recognized as the airline that has operated the longest out of Boise, 83 years as of 2009. This airfield also played host to Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis on September 4, 1927.
The current airport has its origins in 1936 when Boise began buying and leasing land for the airport. By 1938 Boise had the longest runway in the United States, 8,800 feet (2,682 m). The steel hangar for Varney Airlines was moved to the present field in 1939. As aircraft grew the hangar was no longer big enough and was converted into a passenger terminal. It was part of the modern terminal facility until the completion of a new terminal in 2004.
During World War II the Army Air Corps, later Army Air Forces, leased the field for use a training base for B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator bomber crews. More than 6,000 men were stationed there during the war.
The field was named Gowen Field in 1941 on July 23, after 1st Lt. Paul R. Gowen (1909-1938). Born and raised in Caldwell, he attended the University of Idaho for two years, then obtained an appointment to West Point in 1929, and graduated ninth in his class in 1933. While piloting a twin-engine B-10 bomber in the Army Air Corps, Gowen was killed instantly in a crash in Panama in July 1938. The right engine failed shortly after take-off from Albrook Field, near Panama City. The other two crew members, navigator and radio operator, survived and crawled from the wreckage with burns.
After the war the part of the field used by the Army Air Forces was returned to the city. The Idaho Air National Guard began leasing the airfield after the war, and still does.
Between 2001 and 2005 Boise Airport was remodeled. The airport now has a new terminal and an elevated roadway for departures. There were two phases in building the new terminal. Phase 1 considered amenities such as baggage claim, lobby, and food and beverage concession, which were completed in 2003. Phase 2 dealt with security checkpoints and a new concourse (Concourse C) and the remodeling of Concourse B, which were completed in 2005.
The Boise Airport Passenger Terminal designed by CSHQA is a three-story, steel-framed 378,000-square-foot (35,100 m2) state-of-the-art aviation facility. Curvilinear, steel trusses create the undulating ceiling plane of the ticket lobby and define the signature profile of the building. The terminal has garnered national attention for the beauty of its design and is considered a prototypical post 9/11 facility.
The Boise Airport was fourth in passenger satisfaction in the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Global Airport Satisfaction Index Study.
The Boise Airport was a hub for Horizon Air from the late 1980s to the early 2000s with over 50 flights to 15 destinations at its peak, but was scaled down post 9/11. It currently is a minor focus city.
§Facilities
Boise Airport covers 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) at an elevation of 2,871 feet (875 m). It has three runways:
- 10L/28R: 10,000 x 150 feet (3,048 x 46 m) Asphalt, Weight capacity: 75,000 pounds (34,000 kg)/single wheel; VASI system
- 10R/28L: 9,763 x 150 feet (2,976 x 46 m) Asphalt, Weight capacity: 75,000 pounds (34,000 kg)/single wheel; VASI, ILS/DME
- 09/27: 5,000 x 90 feet (1,524 x 27 m) Asphalt, Weight capacity: unspecified; Restrictions: Military only
In the year ending April 30, 2007 the airport had 184,023 aircraft operations, average 504 per day: 52% general aviation, 23% airline, 18% air taxi, 7% military. 286 aircraft were then based at this airport: 58% single-engine, 10% multi-engine, 7% jet, 9% helicopter and 16% military.
In 2005 over 3 million passengers passed through the airport.
The airport can handle minor maintenance and repairs through fixed base operators Jackson Jet Center, Turbo Air and Western Aircraft.
Law enforcement is handled by the Boise Police Department. The Airport Division has an authorized strength of 1 lieutenant, 2 sergeants, and 28 officers. There are currently 5 TSA certified K-9 units trained in explosive detection.
§New ATC tower
In 2008, city officials broke ground for Boise Air Terminal's latest improvement on January 4, a new air traffic control tower. The tower's height at 295 feet (90 m) made it the tallest building in the state of Idaho until it was surpassed by the Zions Bank Idaho Headquarters Building in 2013 (at 323 ft), and the Pacific Northwest's tallest control tower. It was relocated to the south side of the airport in order to control an existing Guard assault strip, runway 09/27, south of Gowen Field. The tower was planned and constructed when it was believed that the radar functions would be moved to Salt Lake City in Utah. After it was decided to leave the radar positions in Boise, the facility at the base of the tower was redesigned and partially remodeled to house the Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON).
The tower and TRACON opened on September 16, 2013 with updated electronics and equipment, including the STARS radar system; improving services and safety for pilots and the flying public. With the expanded facilities and new equipment, the TRACON operates the approach control for Boise Airport, and also remotely operates the approach control for the Bozeman Airport in Montana. The TRACON was then renamed Big Sky Approach to reflect the broader geographical coverage. The consolidation of Boise and Bozeman approach control facilities into Big Sky Approach is part of the FAA's continuing plan to consolidate approach control services across the nation. Boise's TRACON was designed with the option of adding additional radar scopes, and may offer approach control services to other airports in the future.
§Gowen Field Air National Guard Base
Gowen Field Air National Guard Base primarily refers to the military facilities on the south side of the runways, which includes Air National Guard, Army National Guard, and reserve units of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The field is home to the 124th Fighter Wing (124 FW), Idaho Air National Guard, which consists of one flying squadron operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC) and 12 additional support units. The aircraft based at Gowen Field ANGB is the A-10 Thunderbolt II close air support attack aircraft of the 190th Fighter Squadron (190 FS). The 124 FW was previously designated as the 124th Wing (124 WG) until 2009 and as a composite unit also operated C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in the 189th Airlift Squadron (189 AS), which was operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command (AMC). BRAC 2005 directed that the Idaho Air National Guard divest itself of the C-130 mission by 2009, transferring its C-130s to the Wyoming Air National Guard, while retaining its A-10 fighter mission. The 124 FW is composed of over 1000 military personnel, ranging from full-time Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) and Air Reserve Technicians (ART) to traditional part-time air national guardsmen.
§Airlines and destinations
In addition to scheduled airlines, several charter companies stop at Boise.
In 2014, Boise was given a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help them start up non-stop service to Atlanta with Delta Airlines. According to Boise Airport Director Rebecca Hupp, Summer 2015 is the earliest that Delta would begin offering the Atlanta service.
§Air Cargo
§Top destinations
§Accidents and incidents
- On December 9, 1996, Douglas C-47A N75142 of Emery Worldwide crashed on approach to Boise Airport killing both crew. The aircraft was on a cargo flight to Salt Lake City International Airport when the starboard engine caught fire shortly after take-off and the decision was made to return to Boise.
- On February 3, 2012, a Lancair IV-PT turboprop (N321LC) flown by Steve Appleton, CEO of Micron Technology, crashed shortly after take-off from runway 10R, killing the pilot. Appleton was attempting an emergency landing, and had aborted an earlier take-off attempt for unknown reasons.
§See also
- Idaho World War II Army Airfields
§References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
§External links
- Official website
- Gowen Field history Idaho National Guard human resources office
- Idaho Air National Guard history official site
- Gowen Field ANGB at GlobalSecurity.org
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective March 5, 2015
- FAA Terminal Procedures for BOI, effective March 5, 2015
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KBOI
- ASN accident history for BOI
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBOI
- FAA current BOI delay information
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