Chennault International Airport

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Chennault International Airport
USGS aerial photo as of 23 January 1994
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerChennault International Airport Authority
ServesLake Charles, Louisiana
Elevation AMSL16 ft / 5 m
Coordinates30°12′38″N 093°08′35″W / 30.21056°N 93.14306°W / 30.21056; -93.14306
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15/33 10,701 3,262 Concrete
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft operations52,976
Based aircraft42
Sources: airport website[1] and FAA[2]

Chennault International Airport (IATA: CWF, ICAO: KCWF, FAA LID: CWF) is a public aerospace/industrial complex located four nautical miles (7 km) east of the central business district of Lake Charles, in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is governed by the Chennault International Airport Authority.[2] The main runway is, at 10,701 feet (3,262 meters), among the longest along the Gulf Coast.[3]

Tenant businesses on the Chennault complex perform aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services.

The airport is also home to non-aerospace manufacturing and service businesses.

Chennault is the host site of the biennial Chennault International Airshow.

About

Chennault is a fully operational airport and industrial center with a fixed-base operator. It does not provide commercial air services; those needs are served by Lake Charles Regional Airport.

Its mission statement reads as follows:

"The Authority created pursuant hereto shall be established for the primary object and purpose of stimulating and encouraging the development of an industrial park for economic development through commerce, industry and research and for the utilization and development of natural and human resources of the area and provide job opportunities."[4]

Northrop Grumman Corporation is Chennault's major aircraft manufacturing and modification tenant. Million Air is Chennault's fixed-base operator (FBO) for business and general aviation as well as charter operations.

History

In 1940, Lake Charles Army Air Field was established. It became an Air Force base in 1947. It was home to the now inactivated 44th Bombardment Wing in the 1950s and 1960s. The U.S. Air Force initially operated B-29 Superfortress bombers as well as Boeing KC-97 air-to-air refueling tankers and later flew B-47E Stratojet bombers from the airfield.

Chennault Air Force Base closed in 1963.

The facility is named for Major General Claire Chennault, USAAF, the aviator famous for commanding the Flying Tigers fighter group during World War II.[5]

Other features

Sowela Technical Community College, located on the former Chennault Air Force Base, offers a variety of academic and technical programs with terminating certificates, diplomas, and/or associate degrees. The college's Workforce Development unit tailors training programs to meet local business, industry and community training needs.

NASA continues to use the airfield for cross country training missions conducted with T-38 Talon supersonic trainers with these jet aircraft being based at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center in the Houston area. Five of the six (no Space Force) U.S. armed forces use this as a rest stop on cross-country flights as well as other federal and state agencies.

The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury's Mosquito Control Department operates from a facility adjacent to the airport. A connecting taxiway allows access for aerial pesticiding operations conducted with a Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander and a Beechcraft BE-90A King Air.

The airfield is home to the Chennault International Airshow.[6][7]

Facilities and aircraft

Chennault International Airport covers an area of 1,310 acres (530 ha) at an elevation of 17 feet (5 m) above mean sea level. It has one concrete paved runway designated 15/33 which measures 10,701 by 200 feet (3,262 by 61 m).[2]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 52,976 aircraft operations, an average of 145 per day: 58% general aviation, 38% military, 3% air taxi and 1% scheduled commercial. At that time there were 42 aircraft based at this airport: 38% single-engine, 10% multi-engine, 29% jet, 12% helicopter and 12% military.[2]

References

  1. ^ Chennault International Airport Authority Archived January 30, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for CWF PDF, effective 2008-06-05
  3. ^ "Chennault runway ready for landings". American Press. American Press. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Chennault". www.chennault.org. Archived from the original on 30 January 2006. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Chennault". www.chennault.org. Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  6. ^ Thompson, Lindsey. "Chennault to host tailgate-style airshow this summer". www.kplctv.com. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  7. ^ Smith, Mike. "Big plans with a big runway: Historic Louisiana airport seeks to transform itself". The Advocate. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  • Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office 1961 (republished 1983, Office of Air Force History, ISBN 0-912799-02-1).
  • Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History 1984. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.

General references

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chennault_International_Airport&oldid=1106048979"