La Crosse Municipal Airport
| La Crosse Municipal Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| FAA airport diagram | |||
IATA: LSE – ICAO: KLSE – FAA LID: LSE
 LSE
|
|||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | City of La Crosse | ||
| Serves | La Crosse, Wisconsin | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 655 ft / 200 m | ||
| Coordinates | 43°52′45″N 091°15′24″W / 43.87917°N 91.25667°W | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 3/21 | 5,199 | 1,585 | Asphalt |
| 13/31 | 6,050 | 1,844 | Concrete |
| 18/36 | 8,742 | 2,665 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2006) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 45,646 | ||
| Based aircraft | 91 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
La Crosse Municipal Airport (IATA: LSE, ICAO: KLSE, FAA LID: LSE) is a city-owned, public-use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) northwest of the central business district of La Crosse, a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States.[1]
It occupies the northern area of French Island, next to the Mississippi River. The airport serves the La Crosse Metropolitan Area, including the surrounding three-state area of west-central Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota and northeastern Iowa. La Crosse's airport is the closest scheduled passenger service airport to the U.S. Army Fort McCoy military base near Sparta, Wisconsin.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Two major airlines, Delta Air Lines (now merged with Northwest Airlines) served by Delta Connection airlines; and American Airlines served by American Eagle Airlines, provide 11 daily departures and arrivals with direct service to three connecting cities: Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit. Sun Country Airlines and Xtra Airways provide periodic Boeing 737 jet charter services to Laughlin and Elko, Nevada, often referred to as "the casino express". In 2004, the airport served about 500,000 passengers and recorded 44,000 aircraft operations.
There are 88 aircraft based at the airport, 11 corporate hangars and eight multi-aircraft T-hangars on the airport property. There is a cellphone use free parking area for those awaiting passenger arrivals at the main passenger terminal.
[edit] Facilities and operations
La Crosse Municipal Airport covers an area of 1,380 acres (560 ha) at an elevation of 655 feet (200 m) above mean sea level. It has three runways: 3/21 is 5,199 by 150 feet (1,585 x 46 m) with an asphalt surface; 13/31 is 6,050 by 150 feet (1,844 x 46 m) with a concrete surface; and 18/36 is 8,742 by 150 feet (2,665 x 46 m) with a concrete surface.[1]
The original runway layout is still in use, but over time many improvements have taken place. Two of the runways were extended to 6,050 feet (1,840 m) and 8,742 feet (2,665 m). The 8,742-foot paved runway is the fourth longest in Wisconsin.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 45,646 aircraft operations, an average of 125 per day: 71% general aviation, 21% air taxi, 4% scheduled commercial and 4% military. At that time there were 91 aircraft based at this airport: 80% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 10% jet and 1% helicopter.[1]
The airport has a modern two-story passenger terminal with three passenger gates. The following services are provided in the terminal:
- Delta Air Lines passenger counter and kiosk
- American Eagle Airlines passenger counter
- Avis car rental
- Hertz car rental
- National Alamo car rental
- Enterprise Car Rental (shuttle to downtown)
- LSE Airport Gift Shop
- Vinney's Runway Restaurant
- Meeting rooms
[edit] Scheduled Airlines, aircraft and destinations
The La Crosse airport is served by Delta Connection's 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 and the newer 76-seat Bombardier CRJ900 and Embraer 175 regional jets (both with regional jet uncommon 1st class seats). American Eagle also flies 50-seat Embraer 145 and larger CRJ700 regional passenger planes from Chicago.
Scheduled airlines serving the La Crosse Airport include:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| American Eagle | Chicago-O'Hare |
| AmericanConnection operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare |
| Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines | Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul |
| Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines | Minneapolis/St. Paul |
[edit] Top Destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Minneapolis, MN |
48,000 | Delta |
| 2 |  Chicago O’Hare, IL |
42,000 | American |
| 3 |  Detroit, MI |
13,000 | Delta |
| 4 |  Laughlin, NV |
1,000 | - |
[edit] Unusual History
The La Crosse Airport can accommodate the world's largest aircraft in service today. One of the world's largest passenger jumbo jets, the Boeing 747 Air Force One (AF1), has made overnight trips to this airport with every U.S. President for the last 20 years.
In 1998, President Bill Clinton flew to La Crosse in another AF1 Boeing 707 (VC-137C SAM 26000) older large jet, which was the same plane that carried the deceased body of late President John F. Kennedy from Dallas to Washington and the only plane on which a U.S. president was sworn into office. This was the last time a U.S. President flew on this plane, as it was then retired to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. One of the world's largest cargo jets, a Russian Antonov An-124, has flown to the La Crosse airport when heavy transport was needed for the international flight of local businesses. The large U.S. military C-5A cargo and KC-10 Extender cargo/refueling jumbo jets have been at the annual summer Deke Slayton Airshow (area astronaut), Airfest at the airport, along with vintage and modern military and private planes of all kinds. The show has also featured performances by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. In the past, Sun Country airline has flown the large DC-10 (380 passenger seats) on charter flights from La Crosse to other cities. The New Orleans Saints NFL football team flew the 250-seat Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 planes each week to La Crosse for summer camp and to and from NFL cities for pre-season games.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for LSE (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2009-08-27.
- ^ http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=LSE&Airport_Name=La%20Crosse,%20WI:%20La%20Crosse%20Municipal&carrier=FACTS
[edit] External links
- La Crosse Municipal Airport at City of La Crosse website
- La Crosse Municipal AirportPDF page from the Wisconsin DOT Airport Directory
- Aerial video of La Crosse Municipal Airport Flash video at YouTube.com
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 9 Feb 2012
- FAA Terminal Procedures for LSE, effective 9 Feb 2012
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KLSE
- ASN accident history for LSE
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KLSE
- FAA current LSE delay information
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
