Greater Binghamton Airport

Greater Binghamton Airport Edwin A. Link Field
IATA: BGM – ICAO: KBGM BGM Location of the Binghamton Regional Airport
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Broome County
Serves		Binghamton, New York
Location		Maine, New York
Elevation AMSL		1,636 ft / 498.7 m
Coordinates		42°12′31″N 75°58′47″W
Website		http://www.flybgm.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
16/34	7,100	2,164	Asphalt
10/28	5,002	1,525	Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Based Aircraft (2010)			29
Operations (2010)			19,158
Passengers (2010)			108,988
Source: Federal Aviation Administration,

FAA diagram of Greater Binghamton Airport (BGM)

Greater Binghamton Airport (IATA: BGM, ICAO: KBGM) is a medium-sized regional airport located in Maine, New York that serves the Southern Tier of New York, primarily Broome and Tioga counties.

The airport was originally named Broome County Airport and that name remained through the 1970s. It was later renamed to honor the inventor of the aircraft instrument simulator, the Link Trainer, as Edwin A. Link Field-Broome County Airport, a name it kept until the 1990s when it was again renamed to the Binghamton Regional Airport. The name Greater Binghamton Airport was chosen in 2003 to match the area's new marketing campaign under a unified name. The field on which the airport lies is still named in Link's honor.

History

Up until World War II, Tri-Cities Airport in Endicott, New York had served as the primary airport of the Binghamton, New York region. Plane size increases and the demand for night-time flying caused this airport to become inadequate for the area's needs. Construction of a new airport on Mount Ettrick in Maine, New York began in 1945, and concluded in 1951 when the airport was opened.

The main runway which is oriented north northwest-south southeast was 5,600 feet in length initially, but was later extended by about 700 feet to the south to 6,298 feet in 1969. Starting in about 1988 the main runway was extended again, this time on the north end, to 7,500 feet (2,286 m) and was commissioned for use in late October 1990. The crosswind east-west runway is 5002 feet long.

During the 1980s, the airport was a hub for the commuter airline Brockway Air, which operated a fleet of Fokker F-27 and Beechcraft 1900 tuboprop aircraft. The airline ran flights to regional destinations like Rochester and Buffalo, and to business centers such as New York and Boston. Brockway Air later became a Piedmont Airlines affiliate carrier, and later a TWA affiliate carrier.

In recent years, the main runway was shortened to 7,100 feet to add engineered materials arrestor beds to both ends of the runway. The arrestor beds - better known as Engineered Material Arresting Systems, or EMAS - are a crushable concrete surface that slows an aircraft in the event of an overrun. Given that the airport was built on a mountaintop, the terrain drops off abruptly shortly after the runway ends, prompting the need for the EMAS beds. Fifty years after its opening, the airport finally received a major renovation in 2001. In July 2004 the airport opened four new jet bridges that can accommodate regional and mainline jets. The airport finished extending Taxiway Alpha for the full length of Runway 16-34 in 2010.

Before the regional jets took over the commuter market, US Airways (previously USAir) frequently operated DC-9's, Boeing 737's, and Fokker Jets out of BGM servicing Pittsburgh International Airport and the surrounding regional airports.

In September 2011, the airport secured a federal grant for $12.3M to extend Runway 34 by 200 feet and replace the aging EMAS system originally installed in 2002. In order to complete the runway extension, Commercial Drive will be relocated so large amounts of fill can be added to the end of the current threshold. At completion, Runway 16-34 will measure 7,300 feet.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines	Detroit
United Express operated by Colgan Air	Washington-Dulles
US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin	Philadelphia
US Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines	Philadelphia

Incidents

• In June 1952, a SNJ U.S. Navy trainer crashed 250 yards east of the airport. The pilot suffered minor injuries.

• On July 23rd 1955, a TBM Avenger U.S. Naval Reserve aircraft crashed short of the runway. The pilot suffered minor injuries.

• On September 4th 1957, a U.S. Air Force C-124A Globemaster II (51-5173) enroute from Larson AFB, Washington crashed while attempting a landing. The plane was delivering 20 tons of equipment for Link Aviation. The Crew of 9 survived.

• On Wednesday, November 24, 2010, United Airlines Flight 7823, a United Express Saab 340 turboprop operated by Colgan Air made an emergency landing after the crew received a fire indication in the left hand engine while passing through 10,000 feet. The flight was bound for Washington Dulles International Airport. Upon landing in Binghamton, 16 minutes after takeoff, all 33 passengers evacuated via the over-wing emergency exits. None of the passengers required medical attention. Maintenance determined the cause of the fire indication was a faulty sensor. Passengers continued on to Washington after an approximately five hour delay.

References

• Greater Binghamton Airport (official site)
• FAA Airport Master Record for BGM (Form 5010 PDF)

• Web Archive for BGM Website

External links

• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 9 Feb 2012
• New York State DOT Airport DiagramPDF
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KBGM
  • ASN accident history for BGM
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBGM
  • FAA current BGM delay information