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Tulsa International Airport

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Tulsa International Airport
2006 USGS Orthophoto
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Tulsa
OperatorTulsa Airport Authority
ServesTulsa, Oklahoma
Elevation AMSL677 ft / 206 m
Websitewww.TulsaAirports.com
Map
KTUL is located in Oklahoma
KTUL
KTUL
Location of Tulsa International Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18L/36R 9,999 3,048 Concrete
18R/36L 6,101 1,860 Asphalt
8/26 7,376 2,248 Concrete
Statistics (2009, 2011)
Aircraft operations (2009)116,580
Based aircraft (2009)167
Passengers (2011)2,794,469

Tulsa International Airport (IATA: TUL, ICAO: KTUL, FAA LID: TUL) is a city-owned civil-military airport five miles (8 km) northeast of downtown Tulsa, in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named Tulsa Municipal Airport when the city acquired it in 1929.[3] It got its present name in 1963.[4]

The 138th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard is based at the co-located Tulsa Air National Guard Base.[5]

The airport is the global maintenance headquarters for American Airlines.[6]

The Council Oak Senior Squadron and Starbase Composite Squadron of Civil Air Patrol meet on the field, with Council Oak at FBO Sparks Aviation and the Starbase squadron meeting at the Oklahoma Air National Guard Base on the Northeast side of the field. Additionally, two Civil Air Patrol aircraft are based at TUL, a Cessna 172 and Cessna 182 respectively.

During World War II Air Force Plant No. 3 was built on the southeast side of the airport, and Douglas Aircraft manufactured several types of aircraft there. After the war this facility was used by Douglas (later McDonnell Douglas) and Rockwell International (later Boeing) for aircraft manufacturing, modification, repair, and research.[7] IC Bus Corporation now assembles school buses in part of this building.[8]

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum is on the northwest side of the airport.

Richard Lloyd Jones Jr. Airport serves as a reliever airport.

History

Alt text
McIntyre Airport served as an unofficial city airport in the 1920s.

Duncan A. McIntyre, an early aviator and native of New Zealand, came to Tulsa in 1919. His first airport was located at Apache and Memorial and opened August 22, 1919.[9] He moved and established a private airport on an 80-acre tract at the corner of Admiral Place and Sheridan Avenue. McIntyre Field had three hangars to house 40 aircraft and a beacon for landings after sundown.[10]

McIntyre evidently closed his airport during the 1930s and merged it with R. F. Garland a Tulsa oil man and owner of the Garland Airport at 51st and Sheridan Road. He ran the airport and became the President of the new venture.[11] This airport would later become the Brown Airport (after a number of owners and names including the commervcial airport before it moved to 61st and Yale. In 1940, McIntyre accepted a position with Lockheed Corporation and moved to California.[12]

Charles Lindbergh landed at McIntyre Field on September 30, 1927. He had been persuaded to visit Tulsa by William G. Skelly, who was then president of the local Chamber of Commerce, as well as a booster of the young aviation industry. In addition to being a wealthy oilman and founder of Skelly Oil Company, Skelly also founded Spartan Aircraft Company. Lindbergh had already landed at Oklahoma City Municipal Airport, Bartlesville Municipal Airport and Muskogee's Hatbox Field. All of these were superior to the privately owned McIntyre Field. Lindbergh pointed this out at a banquet given that night in his honor.[13]

Alt text
Tulsa Municipal Airport in 1928, showing temporary terminal building. Apache Street in the foreground runs alongside two hangars. Sheridan Avenue in the background passed two more hangars.

The initial municipal airport facility was financed with a so-called "stud horse note." This was a promissory note similar to those used by groups of farmers or horse breeders who would collectively underwrite the purchase of a promising stud horse. The note would be retired with the stud fees paid for use of the horse. In the case of the Tulsa airport, the note would be paid from airport fees.[13] Using this vehicle, Skelly obtained signatures from several prominent Tulsa businessmen put up $172,000 to buy 390 acres (178 hectares) for a municipal airport.[13] It opened July 3, 1928. The city of Tulsa purchased the airport, then named Tulsa Municipal Airport, in 1929, and put its supervision under the Tulsa Park Board.[3] Charles W. Short was appointed Airport Director in 1929, and remained in this position until 1955.[14]

The first terminal building was a one-story wood and tar paper structure that looked like a warehouse. The landing strips and taxiways were simply mown grass. Still, it handled enough passengers in 1930 for Tulsa to claim that it had the busiest airport in the world. The Tulsa Municipal Airport handled 7,373 passengers in February 1930 and 9,264 in April. This outpaced Croydon Field (London), Tempelhof (Berlin), and LeBourget (Paris) for the same months.[15]

Alt text
A permanent Tulsa Municipal Airport terminal building opened in 1932 and was noted for its Art Deco style
Tulsa International Airport entrance

In 1932 the city opened a more elegant Art Deco terminal topped with a control tower. Charles Short decorated the inside walls with a notable collection of early aviation photographs. This building served until Tulsa broke ground on a new terminal, designed by the firm Murray Jones Murray, in November 1958 and opened on November 16, 1961;[4][16] on August 28, 1963, the facility was renamed Tulsa International Airport.[4][10]

In January 1928 Skelly bought the Mid-Continent Aircraft Company of Tulsa and renamed it the Spartan Aircraft Company. It first built a two-seat biplane, the Spartan C3 at its facility near the new airport. Later it would also build a low-wing cabin monoplane as a corporate aircraft, and the NP-1, a naval training plane used in World War II. In 1929 Spartan established the Spartan School of Aeronautics across Apache street from the new Tulsa airport to train fliers and support personnel. The Spartan School was activated by the U. S. Army Air Corps (USAAC) on August 1, 1939, as an advanced civilian pilot training school to supplement the Air Corps' few flying training schools. The Air Corps supplied students with training aircraft, flying clothes, textbooks, and equipment. The Air Corps also put a detachment at each school to supervise training. Spartan furnished instructors, training sites and facilities, aircraft maintenance, quarters, and mess halls.[17]

The 138th Fighter Wing of the Air National Guard is based here. It was organized at the Tulsa airport in 1940 as the 125th Observation Squadron, then renamed when it deployed overseas during World War II.[5]

In 1941 the Federal Government built Air Force Plant No. 3 on the east side of the airport. The plant was operated by Douglas Aircraft Corporation to manufacture, assemble and modify bombers for the USAAF from 1942 to 1945; production was suspended when World War II ended. The plant was reactivated in 1950 to produce the Boeing B-47 Stratojet and later the Douglas B-66 Destroyer. In 1960 McDonnell Douglas, the successor to Douglas Aircraft Corporation, continued to use the facility for aircraft maintenanace. Rockwell International leased part of the plant to manufacture aerospace products. McDonnell Douglas terminated its lease in 1996.[18] Boeing bought Rockwell International's aerospace business in 1996, and took over much of the facility for aerospace manufacturing.[10]

In June 1946 American Airlines built a maintenance and engineering base at Tulsa Municipal Airport. The company says it is one of the largest private employers in Oklahoma.[6]

The April 1957 OAG shows 20 departures each weekday on American, 18 Braniff, 6 Continental, 6 Central and 4 TWA. American had a DC-7 nonstop to New York, but westward nonstops didn't get past Oklahoma City, Wichita and Dallas. (In 1947, when transcon flights made at least one stop, American had nonstops from Tulsa to San Francisco and Los Angeles.)

The Tulsa Air and Space Museum (TASM) was established in 1998 on the northwest side of the airport.[19] The museum added the James E. Bertelsmeyer Tulsa planetarium in 2006.

Facilities and aircraft operations

Tulsa International Airport covers 4,360 acres (1,764 ha) which contains three paved runways:[1]

  • Runway 18L/36R: 9,999 x 200 ft (3,048 x 61 m), Concrete
  • Runway 18R/36L: 6,101 x 150 ft (1,860 x 46 m), Asphalt
  • Runway 8/26: 7,376 x 150 ft (2,248 x 46 m), Concrete

In 2010 the airport embarked on a major renovation of the 1960s era terminal buildings. These renovations were designed by Gensler and Benham Companies.[20] Concourse B (home to Southwest and United) underwent a $17.9 million renovation between September 7, 2010[21] and January 18, 2012,[22] including major HVAC replacement along with the more noticeable design changes. These design changes include sky lights and raising the somewhat low ceilings in the concourse area, improved passenger waiting areas and gate redesigns. Following completion of Concourse B, Concourse A will get an overhaul (home to American and Delta).[23]

In 2006 the airport had 129,014 aircraft operations, an average of 353 per day: 35% general aviation, 26% air taxi, 25% scheduled commercial and 13% military. There are 167 aircraft based at this airport: 32% single-engine, 22% multi-engine, 31% jet, 2% helicopter and 13% military.[1]

American Airlines Maintenance Facility

TUL is the headquarters for all Maintenance and Engineering activities at American Airlines worldwide, and is the maintenance base for the airline’s fleet of MD-80, Boeing 757, and Boeing 737 and some Boeing 767 and Boeing 777 aircraft – a combined total of nearly 600 airplanes. It employs over 6,400 people, including over 4,700 licensed aircraft and jet engine mechanics. According to the company, it is one of the largest private employers in Oklahoma.[6]

The Base occupies about 260 acres (1.1 km2) and 3,300,000 square feet (310,000 m2) of maintenance “plant” at the Tulsa Airport. Each year, the base performs major overhaul work on about 80% of American’s fleet. It also does aircraft maintenance for other carriers on a contract basis.[6]

Frequencies

Tower

  • Tulsa Tower 121.2 Runways (18L-36R, 8-26) 118.7 (18R-36L)
  • ATIS 124.9
  • Ground 121.9
  • Clearance Delivery 134.05

Runways

  • ILS
    • 36R 110.3
    • 18L 109.7
    • 18R 111.1
    • 26 114.4 (DME)
    • 8 114.4 (DME)[24]

Airlines and destinations

Tulsa International Airport has two passenger concourses (A and B). As of June 2013, TUL offers non-stop flights to 19 domestic airports in 16 domestic cities.

AirlinesDestinationsConcourse
Allegiant Air Orlando-Sanford (begins November 14, 2013)[25] TBA
American Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami A
American Eagle Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth A
Delta Air Lines Atlanta A
Delta Connection operated by Compass Airlines Seasonal: Atlanta, Detroit A
Delta Connection operated by ExpressJet Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis (ends August 30, 2013) A
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines Atlanta, Detroit, Memphis (ends August 30, 2013), Minneapolis/St. Paul A
Delta Connection operated by SkyWest Airlines Salt Lake City A
Southwest Airlines Chicago-Midway, Dallas-Love, Denver, Houston-Hobby, Las Vegas, Phoenix, St. Louis B
United Airlines Denver B
United Express operated by ExpressJet Chicago-O'Hare, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, Washington-Dulles B
United Express operated by GoJet Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, Denver , Washington-Dulles B
United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines Chicago-O'Hare, Denver, Houston-Intercontinental B

Cargo

In addition to cargo service provided by commercial air carriers, TUL is also served by:

Top airlines and destinations

Busiest Domestic Routes from TUL (May 2011 - April 2012)[26]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (DFW) 285,000 American
2 Denver, Colorado 165,000 Southwest, United
3 Dallas, Texas (DAL) 127,000 Southwest
4 Houston, Texas (IAH) 127,000 United
5 Chicago, Illinois 120,000 American, United
6 Houston, Texas (HOU) 98,000 Southwest
7 Atlanta, Georgia 98,000 Delta
8 Phoenix, Arizona 59,000 Southwest
9 St. Louis, Missouri 53,000 Southwest
10 Las Vegas, Nevada 42,000 Southwest

Airport management

  • Jeff Mulder, A.A.E. – Director of Airports
  • Alexis Higgins – Deputy Director of Marketing
  • Jeff Hough – Deputy Director of Engineering and Facilities
  • Ken Miller – Deputy Director of Operations
  • Carl Remus – Deputy Director of Administration and Finance

Industrial Land Development

Tulsa Airport Authority, in 2008, has begun a new Industrial Land Development project. Aerospace is one of the Oklahoma's largest industry clusters with 400 companies that directly or indirectly employ more than 143,000 people with a payroll of $4.7 billion and an industrial output of $11.7 billion. Tulsa is ranked 8th nationally for the size of its aerospace engines manufacturing cluster and 20th for its defense-related cluster.

TUL's central location in the south is easily accessible by a multi-modal transportation network. With a total of 4,000 acres (16 km2) and 14,000 on-airport employees, Tulsa is a large center of aviation activity. Six sites totaling over 700 acres (2.8 km2) of real estate will be developed. Each of the sites can be divided into smaller lots to meet any organization's individual needs.[27]

HP Enterprise Services Building

This is HP's Penguin at the Tulsa Airport
This is HP's Penguin at the Tulsa Airport

The HP Enterprise Services (formerly EDS) Building hosting some of Sabre's datacenter servers is located at the Tulsa Airport. The company applied a reflective material on the roof to reduce heat gain, thereby reducing the air conditioning power consumption.[28] In front of this building is a 6-foot sculptured penguin, which was a fund-raiser campaign for a penguin exhibit in the Tulsa Zoo.

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  • Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
  • 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
  1. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for TUL PDF, effective October 25, 2007
  2. ^ http://tulsaairports.com/about-taa/2011-business-plan/
  3. ^ a b Tulsa Preservation Commission "Transportation (1850-1945)." Retrieved January 14, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Cantrell, Charles (July 14, 2008). "City and Airport Long Time Partnership Continues". GTR Newspapers. Retrieved July 14, 2008.
  5. ^ a b 138th Fighter Wing, Oklahoma Air National Guard - History. Accessed January 27, 2011.[1]
  6. ^ a b c d AMR Corporation Website. November 2010. Accessed January 26, 2011
  7. ^ Air Force Plant No. 3 at globalsecurity.org
  8. ^ IC Bus Website
  9. ^ Thoburn, Joseph & Wright, Muriel. Oklahoma A History of The State and Its People Vol. 4 Page 461>
  10. ^ a b c Jones, Kim. Aviation in Tulsa and Northeastern Oklahoma. 2009. ISBN 978-0-7385-6163-9. Available through Google Books. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  11. ^ "Tulsa Airport Firms Merged". Tulsa World. October 31, 1931.
  12. ^ "Duncan McIntyre: Father of Tulsa Aviation". Tulsa Gal. March 23, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  13. ^ a b c Cantrell, Chuck (May 14, 2007). "Lucky Lindy Lands and Tulsa Airport Takes Off". GTR Newspapers. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  14. ^ "Davis-Monthan Aviation Field Register Tulsa, OK Municipal Airport". Davis-Monthan Aviation Field. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  15. ^ Stewart, D. R. (May 3, 2003). "Hangar One Hangs It Up". Tulsa World. Retrieved April 12, 2011.
  16. ^ Robert Lawton Jones, FAIA - Tulsa Foundation for Architecture
  17. ^ "Spartan Aircraft Company". Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Oklahoma State University. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  18. ^ "Military - Air Force Plant No. 3 - Tulsa, OK". Global Security Website.
  19. ^ "Tulsa Air and Space Museum". Yelp. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  20. ^ Stewart, D. R. (July 16, 2010). "Airport Renovation Bid OK'd". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  21. ^ Stewart, D. R. (June 22, 2011). "Renovated Airport Concourse Modern, Brighter". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 5, 2012. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 36 (help)
  22. ^ Stewart, D. R. (January 19, 2012). "Tulsa Airport West Concourse Opens After Construction". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  23. ^ "Tulsa International Airport to Begin Concourse B Renovation" (PDF). Tulsa Airport Authority (Press release). July 15, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  24. ^ KTUL Flight Aware
  25. ^ http://www.oklahoman.com/article/3873604?embargo=1
  26. ^ "Tulsa, OK: Tulsa International (TUL)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. May 2011.
  27. ^ "Industrial Land Development". Tulsa Airport Authority. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  28. ^ Burt, Jeffrey (October 14, 2009). "IT & Network Infrastructure: HP Green Data Center Vision Offers Eco-Friendly Power, Cooling Technology". eWeek.com. Retrieved August 29, 2011.

External links

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