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Previously called the '''Wilmington Airport''' and the '''Greater Wilmington Airport''', the property was a military facility called '''New Castle Army Air Base''' during [[World War II]].<ref>
Previously called the '''Wilmington Airport''' and the '''Greater Wilmington Airport''', the property was a military facility called '''New Castle Army Air Base''' during [[World War II]].<ref>
{{cite web | url = http://www.airforcebase.net/aaf/wwiidata.html | title = WWII Army Air Fields - Database Summary | author = Scott D. Murdock}}</ref> Among the uses of the airport during the war was the historic [[Women Airforce Service Pilots]] (WASP). WASPs served as test and ferry pilots and towed targets for student gunners. There is a statue today at the airport that honors the women of WASP that served their country in the time of need.
{{cite web | url = http://www.airforcebase.net/aaf/wwiidata.html | title = WWII Army Air Fields - Database Summary | author = Scott D. Murdock}}</ref> Among the uses of the airport during the war was the historic [[Women Airforce Service Pilots]] (WASP). WASPs served as test and ferry pilots and towed targets for student gunners. There is a statue today at the airport that honors the women of WASP that served their country in the time of need.

Although civil operations there continued, military use of the airport resumed a few months after the start of the Korean War. It was one of many WWII bases reactivated then in part or in whole.

The military facilities at '''Newcastle County Airport''' were redesignated '''Newcastle Air Force Base''' on April 4, 1950, by Department of the Air Force (DAF) General Order (GO) 88, December 28, 1950. (DAF GO 12 on March 5, 1951, rescinded DAF GO 88, which in effect changed the base’s name back to that of the airport, '''Newcastle County Airport'''.) At the time '''Newscastle''' was rendered as one word by the community and the military.
The base was operated by the federalized 113th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, District of Columbia Air National Guard (DCANG), from February 16, 1951, until February 6, 1952, when the wing was released from active duty. These aircraft, and the active duty Air Force planes that replaced them in 1952, had the mission of defending Washington, D.C. from air attack.

The active duty units that replaced the DCANG when it was relieved from active duty were Air Defense Command's (ADC) 96th and 97th Fighter-interceptor Squadrons. Also assigned to the base were the 2237th Air Reserve Flying Training Center and the Air Force Reserve's 512th Troop Carrier Wing (TCW) (Delaware Valley).

ADC fighter-interceptor operations continued there until 1958. The Air Force announced on October 3, 1957, that the active duty base and its two fighter-interceptor squadrons would be inactivated by March 1958. At the time of the announcement, 1445 military people and 228 civilians were assigned there. With the closure of the base, the 512th TCW moved in 1958 to '''NAS Willow Grove''' (in 2006 it operated C-5s at '''Dover AFB''').

'''Newcastle County''' and the airport were renamed '''New Castle County''' after the closure announcement and the base was called '''New Castle County Airport''' when it was transferred from ADC to Air Materiel Command (AMC - for disposal) on December 1, 1959, by DAF GO 3, of January 12, 1960. A First Air Force publication showed it at that time as '''New Castle County Air Base'''. A yearbook for the active duty fighter base includes photos of signs reading '''New Castle County Air Base'''. That term was used at other small Air Defense Command fighter-interceptor bases, such as '''Sioux City Air Base''' and '''Duluth Air Base''', but it was never official. The formal military name for this type of base almost always was same as the name of the civil airport that hosted to military base.

The name for the remaining military facilities at the airport was changed, following the change of the name of the civil airport, from '''New Castle County Airport''' to '''Greater Wilmington Airport''' on November 7, 1962, by HQ Air Force Logistics Command Special Order G-85 of November 8, 1962. The order indicates that the Air Force facilities at the airport were then an off base installation of '''Olmsted AFB''' at Harrisburg.

In 2008 the airport name is '''Greater Wilmington Airport''' and the 166th Airlift Wing, Delaware Air National Guard, is based there.


After the war, the airport was turned over to the county, with the condition that the upstart Delaware Air National Guard received space at the airport. In the late 1990s, the county leased the debt-stricken airport to the bi-state [[Delaware River and Bay Authority]] (DRBA), operators of the [[Delaware Memorial Bridge]], on a thirty year lease with the provision that the DRBA may seek up to two additional thirty year leases.
After the war, the airport was turned over to the county, with the condition that the upstart Delaware Air National Guard received space at the airport. In the late 1990s, the county leased the debt-stricken airport to the bi-state [[Delaware River and Bay Authority]] (DRBA), operators of the [[Delaware Memorial Bridge]], on a thirty year lease with the provision that the DRBA may seek up to two additional thirty year leases.

Revision as of 04:00, 27 August 2008

New Castle Airport
USGS aerial photo as of 16 March 1992
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerDelaware River and Bay Authority
ServesWilmington, Delaware
Elevation AMSL79 ft / 24 m
Coordinates39°40′43″N 075°36′24″W / 39.67861°N 75.60667°W / 39.67861; -75.60667
WebsiteNewCastleAirportILG.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
1/19 7,012 2,137 Asphalt
9/27 7,181 2,189 Asphalt
14/32 4,603 1,403 Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft operations136,154
Based aircraft282

New Castle Airport (IATA: ILG, ICAO: KILG, FAA LID: ILG), also known as the New Castle County Airport, is a public airport located in unincorporated New Castle County, Delaware, United States and four miles (6 km) south of the central business district of the city of Wilmington.[1] The airport is home to both the Delaware Air National Guard 142nd Airlift Squadron's C-130's and the Delaware Army National Guard 150th Aviation Regiment's UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, and the 121st Air Ambulance's UH-1 Iroquois helicopters.

Previously called the Wilmington Airport and the Greater Wilmington Airport, the property was a military facility called New Castle Army Air Base during World War II.[2] Among the uses of the airport during the war was the historic Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). WASPs served as test and ferry pilots and towed targets for student gunners. There is a statue today at the airport that honors the women of WASP that served their country in the time of need.

After the war, the airport was turned over to the county, with the condition that the upstart Delaware Air National Guard received space at the airport. In the late 1990s, the county leased the debt-stricken airport to the bi-state Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA), operators of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, on a thirty year lease with the provision that the DRBA may seek up to two additional thirty year leases.

Since taking over operations of the airport, the DRBA has made the airport profitable, upgraded many aging buildings, and constructed numerous new buildings and facilities on the property.

From 1991 through 1998 and again from 2000 to 2006, the state of Delaware was the only state in the union without any scheduled commercial flights in or out of the state. This is largely due to the small size of the state and the close proximity of large airports in Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia. Shuttle America flew out of New Castle as an independent carrier from the airline's founding in November 1998 until February 2000. They offered service to Hartford, Buffalo, and Norfolk, using the 50-seat Dash 8-300 turboprop aircraft. Shuttle America would eventually discontinue its independent operations and become a commuter affiliate of United Express and Delta Connection. Prior to Shuttle America, the last scheduled service was provided to Parkersburg, West Virginia by USAir Express carrier Crown Airways in 1992-1993. United Airlines also served Wilmington, leaving in 1991.

The airport has one terminal, which served only car rental agencies during the time the airport did not have commercial air service. On June 29, 2006, Delta Air Lines began new services from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to New Castle Airport, making it the first commercial air service in six years. Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines operated the service using 50 seat CRJ regional jets, with two daily roundtrip flights. However, Delta Airlines ended the Wilmington flights on September 6, 2007, leaving Delaware without any commercial air service until March 8, 2008, when Skybus Airlines began new air service from Columbus, OH and Greensboro, NC to New Castle Airport. Skybus ceased all operations effective April 4, 2008[3], once again leaving New Castle Airport without any airline service.

Currently, the only businesses operating in the main terminal are Alamo Rent A Car, Avis Rent a Car System, National Car Rental, and Cafe Bama.

Facilities and aircraft

New Castle Airport covers an area of 1,250 acres (506 ha) which contains three asphalt paved runways: 1/19 measuring 7,012 x 150 ft (2,137 x 46 m), 9/27 measuring 7,181 x 150 ft (2,189 x 46 m), and 14/32 measuring 4,603 x 150 ft (1,403 x 46 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2006, the airport had 136,154 aircraft operations, an average of 373 per day: 83% general aviation, 12% military, 4% air taxi and 1% scheduled commercial. There are 282 aircraft based at this airport: 59% single engine, 23% jet, 9% multi-engine, 6% helicopter and 3% military.[1]

Rental car agencies

Restaurant/cafe

  • Cafe Bama

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for ILG PDF, effective 2007-07-05
  2. ^ Scott D. Murdock. "WWII Army Air Fields - Database Summary".
  3. ^ "Low-cost carrier Skybus calls it quits". MSNBC. 2008-04-04. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
  • Rick Mitchell, A History of the District of Columbia Air National Guard (Andrews AFB: DC ANG, n.d.)
  • “AF Will Drop Six Units by mid-1958”, Washington Post, October 4, 1957
  • “Air Force to Drop Seven Flying Units”, New York Times, October 4, 1957
  • HQ AFLC SO G-85 is reproduced in George W. Bradley III, From ‘Missile Base’ to ‘Gold Watch: An Illustrated History of the Aerospace Guidance and Metrology Center and Newark Air Force Station (Newark AFS: Office of History, Aerospace Guidance and Metrology Center, 1982)
  • This is the First Air Force (Mitchel AFB: Office of Information Services, Continental Air Command, n.d.)


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