Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport

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Preston Smith Lubbock International Airport
Lubbock-15dec1995.jpg
IATA: LBB – ICAO: KLBB
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator City of Lubbock
Location Lubbock, Texas
Elevation AMSL 3,282 ft / 1,000 m
Coordinates 33°39′49″N 101°49′22″W / 33.66361°N 101.82278°W / 33.66361; -101.82278
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
8/26 8,001 2,439 Concrete
17R/35L 11,500 3,502 Concrete
17L/35R 2,891 881 Asphalt

Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (IATA: LBB, ICAO: KLBB) is an airport located just north of Lubbock, Texas. Originally known as Lubbock International Airport, it was renamed in 2004 to honor former Texas governor Preston E. Smith. The airport has three runways.

Contents

[edit] Airlines and destinations

Airlines Destinations
American Eagle Dallas/Fort Worth
Continental Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines Houston-Intercontinental
Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines Houston-Intercontinental
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines Memphis
Southwest Airlines Albuquerque, Austin, Dallas-Love, Las Vegas

[edit] Cargo carriers

[edit] Information

Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport

Free Wi-Fi access is provided by the city of Lubbock throughout the airport. There are concessions located on the property including a Starbucks coffee unit. All concessions are operated by HMS Host Int. General manager is Burt Ising. The airport just finished completion on its major re-construction and re-configuration of its parking facilities. Wait times at this airport are extremely minimal usually taking about ten minutes from entering the airport, to ticket-counters, to gate. Lubbock Preston Smith international Airport is one of only 42 airports around the world with CNN Airport Network. Scheduled passenger service utilizes 737s from Southwest, ERJ-145s from Continental Express, CRJ-200s from Chautauqua and Delta, and ERJ-135/140/145s/CRJ-700s from American Eagle. Airborne Express sends a Douglas DC-9 on its route through Lubbock while Fedex sends a daily Airbus A310. The Airport also plays host as a major hub to Fedex's feeder planes that serve cities around Lubbock. There is occasional Allegiant Airlines charter service (MD82/83 JET) although not widely publicized. Also, Xtra Airways has monthly charter service to Wendover, Nevada on Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

Historically, Braniff International Airways had regularly scheduled service to Amarillo and Dallas. Continental Airlines had service to Dallas, Midland/Odessa, El Paso and Los Angeles. Trans-Texas Airways had service to Amarillo and Abilene. Texas International had service to DFW. America West had service to Midland/Odessa, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. United had service to the Denver. Some of these previously scheduled flights were from the old facility before Preston Smith International operations commenced. Delta also used to offer service to its hub at DFW. This service along with the hub at DFW was discontinued after 9/11, then commenced again through Northwest Airlines, now a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta. Delta operations commenced on April 6, 2009.

[edit] History

The airport was opened in November 1937 as South Plains Airport. In 1942, the United States Army Air Forces indicated a need for the airport as a training airfield. After its requisition by the Air Force, it was assigned to the World War II Army Air Forces Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command). The airport was renmed South Plains Army Airfield and a rapid period of construction was begun to convert the civil airport into a military training airfield.

Construction involved improving runways and airplane hangars, with three concrete runways, several taxiways and a large parking apron and a control tower. Several large hangars were also constructed. Buildings were ultimately utilitarian and quickly assembled. Most base buildings, not meant for long-term use, were constructed of temporary or semi-permanent materials. Although some hangars had steel frames and the occasional brick or tile brick building could be seen, most support buildings sat on concrete foundations but were of frame construction clad in little more than plywood and tarpaper.

The base was activated on 11 September 1942 as the South Plains Flying School. The mission was ground and flying training of glider pilots. Glider training was performed by the 848th School Squadron (Special), with overall training being under the 64th Two-Engine Flying Training Group. Aircraft assigned were Douglas C-47 Skytrains and Waco CG-4A gliders. The CG-4A was the USAAF's primary glider, consisting of little more than a wooden and fabric shell, equipped with radio, wheels, and brakes. Glider pilots trained at South Plains flew these craft in combat during the Normandy Invasion, Operation Market-Garden, and also Operation Varsity, the airborne invasion of Germany.

By late 1944 Flying Training Command ended all glider instruction, and control of South Plains AAF was transferred to Air Service Command at Tinker Field, Oklahoma. Under Air Service Command, South Plains became a maintenance and supply depot for excess aircraft that could not be accommodated at Tinker. After the war ended, in 1946 and 1947, South Plains was used as a storage facility for excess aircraft prior to their reclamation.

The military use of South Plains ended on 1 December 1947 and the facility was returned to the local government for civil use.

[edit] Accidents and incidents

  • On 8 July 1962, Vickers Viscount N243V of Continental Airlines was damaged beyond economic repair when the propellers struck the runway shortly after take-off. A wheels-up landing was made in a wheat field.[1]
  • On 27 January 2009, an Empire Airlines ATR-42 cargo plane under contract from FedEx Express crashed on landing at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport at 04:37 CT. The plane, which had been traveling from Fort Worth Alliance Airport, landed short of the touchdown zone and skidded off the runway amid light freezing rain. There was a small fire on the plane and two crew members were taken to hospital with minor injuries.[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

  • Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942-2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas ASIN: B000NYX3PC
  • Thole, Lou (1999), Forgotten Fields of America : World War II Bases and Training, Then and Now - Vol. 2. Publisher: Pictorial Histories Pub, ISBN 1575100517
  1. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19620708-0. Retrieved 2 October 2009. 
  2. ^ CNN: FedEx plane crashes in Texas 27 January 2009

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lubbock_Preston_Smith_International_Airport"
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