Waterbury-Oxford Airport

Waterbury-Oxford Airport
IATA: OXC – ICAO: KOXC – FAA LID: OXC
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT)
Operator		State of Connecticut, DOT
Location		Oxford, Connecticut
Elevation AMSL		726 ft / 221 m
Coordinates		41°28′43″N 073°08′07″W
Website		http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?q=260076
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
18/36	5,800	1,768	Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations			137/day
Based aircraft			175
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Gulfstream IV departing Oxford

FAA Airport Diagram

Waterbury-Oxford Airport (IATA: OXC, ICAO: KOXC, FAA LID: OXC), also known as just Oxford Airport, is a public airport located three miles (5 km) north of the central business district of Oxford, a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT).. The airport opened in December 1969.

Airport Upgrades

In 2008, a $61 million upgrade took place. Runway 18/36 was extended, taxiways were widened and new taxiways were paved. The upgrade also included the building of new hangars, and the installation of a state-of-the-art noise abatement program. New hangars and taxiways are still under construction. These improvements have allowed for many large aircraft to land at Oxford, although Gulfstream V and Global Express jets are the largest to currently operate at the airport on a regular basis.

Facilities and aircraft

Waterbury-Oxford Airport covers an area of 424 acres (172 ha) which contains one asphalt paved runway (18/36) measuring 5,800 x 100 ft (1,768 x 30 m).

For 12-month period ending 31 October 2010 the airport had:

Aircraft based on the field	175
Single-engine airplanes	129
Multi-engine airplanes	9
Jet airplanes	36
Helicopters	1

On a typical day, Oxford experiences anywhere between 150 and 600 total aircraft operations. Average aircraft operations ending the 31 October 2010 were 137 per day. 2010 showed a significant drop in aircraft operations from 2009.

In January 2008, the restaurant and bar called 121 Restaurant @ OXC opened in a building constructed adjacent to the airport's runway. The 121 Restaurant provides gourmet catering for private aircraft that operate in and out of Oxford, and also provides a place for observing airport operations while enjoying a meal.

The airport authority has confirmed that they will continue to renovate the airport according to the Airport Master Plan (AMP). New hangar facilities and possibly executive passenger terminal areas are under construction that will add an exceptional amount of space to airport parking facilities. Key Air New York Metro, also known as Key Air, plans to build these hangars on the southeast side of the state-owned field. Phase 1 of construction, which includes the largest new hangar, hangar H, is set to be completed winter 2012. The hangar will be built over a total of 89,000 square feet (8,300 m²), along with an additional 48,450 square feet (4,501 m²) of office space. The second phase of construction which includes 59,332 square feet (5,512.1 m²) of hangar space and 16,150 square feet (1,500 m²) of office space as part of hangar I is set to be completed in 2013.Due to a recent veto of proposed money by Connecticut governor Dan Malloy, the funds for building new office facilities around Oxford airport may be delayed.

Airlines and Destinations

Waterbury-Oxford is not currently served by scheduled air carriers, however there are multiple international charter companies that are based at Oxford including Key Air and Tradewind Aviation. Key Air offers aircraft management and maintenance as well as executive or private charter in one of their many privately operated aircraft. Tradwind offers some occasional scheduled service from the New York Metro area as well as executive charter.

The state of Connecticut refuses to allow scheduled air carriers to operate out of Oxford.

Incidents and Accidents

13 January 2010

A small experimental aircraft listed as a Glasair III under the registration N540WF crashed while landing at Oxford. The Oxford air traffic controllers are in agreement that the aircraft approached at an abnormally slow speed, causing the aircraft to stall 1/2 mile from the runway. The aircraft nose-dived into a power substation. The one pilot on board died.

13 January 2011

Exactly one year to date of the previous incident, a small light sport aircraft under the registration of N858CT operated by Image Aviation Services reported to Oxford Tower that it had experienced an engine failure. After failed attempts to maintain contact with the aircraft, it was reported that the aircraft had landed in a front yard in Cheshire, Connecticut. Due to the depth of snow on the ground, the aircraft flipped front over after the nose was lowered. The pilot and passenger aboard walked away safely.

External links

• Waterbury-Oxford Airport at Connecticut DOT website
• Image Aviation Flight Training
• Key Air Charter and Maintenance Service Provider
• Tradewind Aviation Charter and Scheduled Flight Service

• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 9 Feb 2012
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KOXC
  • ASN accident history for OXC
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures