Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport is a joint civil-military airport in

Hampden County, Massachusetts Hampden County is a non-governmental county located in the Pioneer Valley of the state of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Hampden County's population was 465,825. Its traditional county seat is Springfield, the ...

, three miles (6 km) north of Westfield and northwest of Springfield. It was formerly Barnes Municipal Airport; the

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. NPIAS was developed and now maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It identifies existing and proposed airports tha ...

for 2011–2015 categorized it as a '' general aviation'' facility. Westfield-Barnes is one of Massachusetts' largest airports with a strong flight training, general aviation, and military presence. It is also known as Barnes Air National Guard Base.Barnes ANGB at GoANG.com
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History

Camp Bartlett was a summer training facility of the

Massachusetts Army National Guard The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded as the Massachusetts Bay Colonial Militia on December 13, 1636, it contains the oldest units in the United States Army. What is tod ...

in Westfield, Massachusetts from 1905 to around 1918. It later became a mobilization camp for the 26th Division for World War I. July 13, 1914 can be the date upon which

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

came to Westfield. Jack McGee of Pawtucket, Rhode Island flew a Wright biplane over Westfield and the flight originated on a strip of land near Southampton Road and the Holyoke Rail Bridge. McGee was hired by local merchants to drop tickets from his airplane which could have been claimed for prizes. After the United States entered World War I the expansive plain was heavily used by the federal government in August–September 1917 as Camp Bartlett, a mobilization and training camp for the 103rd and 104th Infantry Regiments of the 26th "Yankee" Division, prior to deployment in France. In 1923 citizens of Westfield, and nearby Holyoke set out to build an airport. A group of influential local businessmen was charged to convince the owner of the land where the airport is now, Vincent E. Barnes, to sell his land to the City of Westfield for an airport. Barnes agreed to give up his land and he didn't ask for any money from the city or the businessmen. The plot was named Westfield Aviation Field and was dedicated on October 12, 1923. As the field gained in popularity, Vincent Barnes leased the city another plot, with a fee of $1 per year starting in 1927. In 1936 Mrs. Barnes and her daughter Saddie Knox donated an additional 297 acres (1.2 km²) to the city of Westfield; shortly thereafter, the City Council voted to name the airport after the family that made it possible. In 1939-40 the administration building, hangar, and the beacon light were built with grant money totaling near $90,000. Soon a passenger service started: on October 28, 1937, a 10-passenger tri-motor Stinson began weekly flights between Westfield and Newark, New Jersey.

American Airlines American Airlines is a major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the largest airline in the world when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and revenue passeng ...

DC-3s operated out of Westfield 1938 to 1950 and Mohawk DC-3s 1953 to 1959. The January 1951 chart shows 4970-ft runway 2, 3970-ft runway 9, and 5000-ft runway 15; same nine years later except runway 2 was 7000 ft. In the last 50 years the airport has expanded to 1,200 acres and added a

VORTAC Very high frequency omnirange station (VOR) is a type of short-range radio navigation system for aircraft, enabling aircraft with a receiving unit to determine its position and stay on course by receiving radio signals transmitted by a network ...

and an ILS. In 1974 the Air Traffic Control Tower opened. A $7.6 million construction project started in April 2020 to rebuild runway 15–33. The last reconstruction of this runway was completed in 1970's. As of 2020 the Massachusetts Air National Guard base is the home of the

104th Fighter Wing The 104th Fighter Wing (104 FW) is a unit of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, stationed at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (Barnes Air National Guard Base), Westfield, Massachusetts. When activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by ...

Facilities

The airport covers 1,200 acres (5 km²) at an elevation of 270 feet (82 m). It has two asphalt runways: 2/20 is 9,000 by 150 feet (2,743 × 46 m) and 15/33 is 5,000 by 100 feet (1,524 × 30 m). The airport recently opened a new administration and terminal, replacing a terminal that housed the original control tower. It is also the site of a major Massachusetts Air National Guard fighter jet wing and support installation.

Aircraft

In the year ending May 31, 2010 the airport had 57,031 aircraft operations, average 156 per day: 89% general aviation, 10% military, and 1%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) ...

. 155 aircraft were then based at the airport: 72.9% single-engine, 3.9% multi-engine, 11.6% jet, and 11.6% military. Occasionally the airport will service charter flights for the University of Massachusetts Amherst sports teams such as by

Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines is an American Low-cost carrier, ultra-low-cost passenger airline, passenger and cargo airline, and the List of largest airlines in North America, eleventh largest in the US by passengers carried. Based at Minneapolis–Sai ...

using

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boeing ...

aircraft.

Fixed-base operator and Maintenance Facilities

Barnes Regional Airport has one fixed-base operator (FBOs) and one G A Maintenance Facility.

Rectrix Aviation Rectrix Aviation was a jet charter and commuter airline service that primarily served New England, Florida and the east coast of the United States. Its commercial operations were primarily based at Nantucket Memorial Airport and Barnstable Muni ...

is the newest FBO, operating in the new terminal building which includes a conference room, weather facilities, and comprehensive pilot services. They sell Shell fuel and provide typical FBO services. In late 2015, Rectrix bought out Five Star Jet Center, a former competitor and previously longest standing FBO on the field. Rectrix is now the sole FBO at Barnes. Aero Design Concepts / Aero Design Aircraft Services is a maintenance facility offering maintenance and repair services, including interiors and upholstery to all G A aircraft. Established in 1984, Aero Design is the sole G A maintenance facility on the airport. Aero Design also offers daily and extended tie downs on its ramp. Aero Design is located at the intersections of taxiways Alfa and Bravo, right below the Tower.

Flight schools

Barnes Regional Airport has three FAA-approved flight schools. The largest program is an official part 141 flight school named Westfield Flight Academy. The flight school offers instruction in four

Cessna 172 The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.

s, a Cessna 172 Cutlass RG, two Piper Cherokees, and a

Piper Seneca The Piper PA-34 Seneca is a twin-engined light aircraft, produced in the United States by Piper Aircraft. It has been in non-continuous production since 1971. The Seneca is primarily used for personal and business flying. Development The Sene ...

. It is run by a current JetBlue Airways pilot and a Springfield attorney. In addition, AD-UP Aviation operates a part 61 flight school out of the new terminal building. The school is run by a Master Certified Flight instructor, one of fewer than a dozen in Massachusetts. Instruction is given in high-wing, tail-dragger, and spin training.

Restaurant and bar

The former Flight Deck restaurant was replaced with The Runway Restaurant and Lounge when the new terminal opened. The Runway was operated by the owner of the now-closed B'Sharas Restaurant of West Springfield. It featured a full menu and bar. The Runway, like most of the terminal, was open to the public. The Runway restaurant closed in early 2015 and became occupied by Papps Bar. Papp’s closed after approximately 2 years in operation and became Sok’s which offered high end cocktails and Asian Fusion type fair. Sok’s closed after another 18-24 months. Since early 2020, the restaurant portion has been taken over by a pair of partners, one being the head chef, and is called Tobiko, which translates to “Flying Fish”. They offer an extensive sushi and sashimi menu, as well as true ramen, and many other house made Asian fare. They have also utilities deck and open bar space for a first hand view of the tarmac and the surrounding scenery, the boisterous dual Pratt and Whitney afterburners of the F-15 are almost part of the allure if the 104th scrambles or is involved in training.