North Platte Regional Airport

North Platte Regional Airport
Lee Bird Field
North Platte Regional Airport; Lee Bird Field
IATA: LBF – ICAO: KLBF
Summary
Airport type	Public
Operator	North Platte Airport Authority
Location	North Platte, Nebraska
Elevation AMSL	2,776 ft / 846.1 m
Coordinates	41°07′34″N 100°41′01″W / 41.12611°N 100.68361°WCoordinates: 41°07′34″N 100°41′01″W / 41.12611°N 100.68361°W
Runways

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North Platte Regional Airport (IATA: LBF, ICAO: KLBF), also known as Lee Bird Field, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district (CBD) of North Platte, a city in Lincoln County, Nebraska, USA. The airport covers 1,544 acres (625 ha) and has two runways. It is served by one commercial airline, with service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

[edit] History

The North Platte Regional airport was originally called the North Platte Field and was built in 1921 using private funds. The original location was on the east side of the North Platte River near the river bridge south of U.S. Highway 30. The first hangar and terminal buildings were constructed there. The airport was the site of the first night airmail flight which occurred on February 22, 1921. The field was lit using fuel burning barrels and the plane landed at 7:48 p.m. and then piloted onward toward Omaha at 10:44 p.m. after repairs were made to the DeHaviland 4 aircraft.

In 1929, the City of North Platte purchased the airfield and leased it to the Boeing Transport Company, an original part of United Airlines. More construction was done in 1941 and the site became the site of a B-17 training command. The same year the airport was renamed Lee Bird Field after the son of a North Platte family who was killed training as a pilot for WWI in 1918. The Airport Authority began operating the airport in July 1963 and the airport was officially renamed the North Platte Regional Airport Lee Bird Field in June, 1992.