Hillsboro Airport , also known as Portland–Hillsboro Airport, is a corporate,

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

and flight-training airport serving the city of Hillsboro, in Washington County,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is one of three airports in the

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, metropolitan area owned and operated by the Port of Portland. Established in 1928, it is Oregon's second busiest airport (in terms of total aircraft operations) at over 200,000 operations annually. Located in the north-central area of Hillsboro, and west of Portland, it hosts the annual

Oregon International Air Show The Oregon International Air Show - formerly the "Portland Rose Festival Air Show" - is an annual event held in Oregon, United States. The event began in 1988, and has an average annual attendance of 55,000. Profits from the show are distributed t ...

. The airport includes a

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

control tower, three paved runways, hangars, fueling facilities, and a small passenger terminal. Hillsboro Airport is also a

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internati ...

, with a single-person

U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

office.

History

Hillsboro airport goes back to 1928. Dr. Elmer H. Smith purchased of land near the town to use as an airport, as he owned the first airplane in town. In the early 1930s, after Smith died, the city purchased the airport for $7,500 and received a federal grant to improve the facilities. They built two runways, one long and the other . In July 1936,

Richard Evelyn Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

's "Stars And Stripes"

Fairchild FC-2 The Fairchild FC-1 and its derivatives were a family of light, single-engine, high-wing utility monoplanes produced in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. The aircraft was originally designed to provide a camera platform for Sherman Fairch ...

aircraft used to explore the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

was displayed at the airport. With the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

in 1941, the city received federal money again, and the city approved local financing to improve the airport again, with the costs of the improvements totaling around $600,000.McKinney, Walter. "Port of Portland acquired municipal airport in 1965; Local airport serves aviation; Hillsboro boasts air history;" ''

Hillsboro Argus ''The Hillsboro Argus'' was a twice-weekly newspaper in the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, from 1894 to 2017, known as the ''Washington County Argus'' for its final year. The ''Argus'' was distributed in Washington County, Oregon, United States. First ...

'', October 19, 1976. p. 9. During and after flooding along the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

in 1948, the Hillsboro facility was used by some commercial operators due to the closure of then Portland-Columbia Airport (now Portland International), which lies along the river. The three commercial carriers at Hillsboro were Coastal Airways, Columbia Air Cargo, and General Air Cargo. This was the flooding that wiped out the city of Vanport, and due to that disaster relief supplies were flown into the Portland area by the United States Air Force using the Hillsboro Airport. The field was also considered as a possible naval air station in 1946 and again in 1955, but was eventually rejected by the Navy. In early 1960 several companies were located at the airport, including Tektron Instruments and

Georgia Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...

. In 1964, the Hillsboro City Council made an official request to the Port of Portland to take over ownership of the airport. The facility had deteriorated due to inadequate funding, and the Port agreed to take over ownership after some legal wrangling in 1965 On August 28, 1966, an air traffic control tower was opened after construction costs of $400,000 with staffing by the FAA. In April 1975 the current main terminal that includes offices and a restaurant opened, followed by the opening of the new runway on September 1, 1976. The airport received scheduled regular airline service during the late 1970s, on Farwest Airlines to

Boeing Field Boeing Field, officially King County International Airport , is a public airport owned and operated by King County, five miles south of downtown Seattle, Washington. The airport is sometimes referred to as KCIA (King County International Airpo ...

in Seattle, Washington, as well as to Medford and North Bend/Coos Bay airports. In 1989, customs call out service was added to allow international business flights at the airport after lobbying by Congressman

Les AuCoin Walter Leslie AuCoin ( ; born October 21, 1942) is an American politician. In 1974 he became the first person from the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from , since it was forme ...

and business leaders. After advance notice, customs inspectors from Portland would be sent to the airport to process the passengers. Hillsboro Airport is often mentioned as a reliever airport for

Portland International Airport Portland International Airport is a joint civil–military airport and the largest airport in the U.S. state of Oregon, accounting for 90% of the state's passenger air travel and more than 95% of its air cargo. It is within Portland's city li ...

. In 1999, Portland City Council member

Dan Saltzman Dan Saltzman (born 1953/54) is a politician in the U.S. state of Oregon who served as a commissioner (city councilman) on the City Council of Portland in Portland, Oregon, from 1999 through the end of 2018. As of 2017, he had served longer on the ...

suggested expanding the Hillsboro Airport to relieve pressure on the busy Portland International Airport. This was during a time when the Port of Portland was discussing building a new larger airport or possibly adding a third runway to PDX to handle growing demand for air travel and air cargo. Saltzman suggested shifting some commercial flights to Hillsboro, while shifting some cargo flights there had previously been discussed. As of 2006, the Port of Portland planned to spend $134 million through 2025 to improve the Hillsboro facility. Plans call for a third runway, increased hangar space, and additional automobile parking on-site, among other items. Construction on the third runway was to begin as early as 2010, but legal challenges put the plan on hold. In 2007, a staffed customs office was added to the airport. Paid for by funds generated by a user-fee association, this allowed the airport to continue as a port of entry, and removed the need for a Customs officer to travel from Portland International Airport. The airport handled 259,263 flights in 2008, surpassing Portland International in this category. In 2009, the airport received a grant from the

U.S. Department of Transportation The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT or DOT) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is headed by the secretary of transportation, who reports directly to the President of the United States and ...

to expand

taxiway A taxiway is a path for aircraft at an airport connecting runways with aprons, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have a hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller general aviation airports sometimes use gravel ...

s as part of the airport's master plan. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

landed at the airport in

Marine One Marine One is the call sign of any United States Marine Corps aircraft carrying the president of the United States. It usually denotes a helicopter operated by Marine Helicopter Squadron One ( HMX-1) "Nighthawks", consisting of either the larg ...

in February 2011 as part of a visit to nearby Intel. The Port spent $9 million to repave the 2/20 runway and combined two taxiways into a single one in 2013. Construction started on the third runway in June 2014. Nike founder

Phil Knight Philip Hampson Knight (born February 24, 1938) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the co-founder and chairman ''emeritus'' of Nike, Inc., and was previously chairman and CEO of the company. As of October 3, 2022, Knight was ranke ...

built a personal hangar at the airport next to the Nike hangar in 2014, while Global Aviation added a new hangar that same year. The third runway was eventually built, opening in April 2015. On July 3, 2017 a man climbed a perimeter fence near Hillsboro Aero Academy and attempted to steal a Robinson R22 helicopter. After a brief chase with police he was fatally shot.

Operations

Located in Portland's western and Washington County suburbs, Hillsboro Airport is connected to the metropolitan area by

TriMet TriMet, formally known as the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, is a public agency that operates mass transit in a region that spans most of the Portland metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created in 1969 ...

buses and the

MAX Blue Line The MAX Blue Line is a light rail service in Portland, Oregon, United States, operated by TriMet as part of the MAX Light Rail system. It travels east–west for approximately —the longest in the network—between Hillsboro, Beaverton, Po ...

's Fair Complex/Hillsboro Airport station. The transit station is located to the south of the airport, across the Westside Commons (formerly the Washington County Fairgrounds). The primary public access point, including to the terminal building, is from

Cornell Road Cornell Road is an east–west street and traffic corridor in the Portland metropolitan area, in Multnomah and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. It crosses the Tualatin Mountains (West Hills) between the Willamette Valley and the ...

, on the south side of the airport. Facilities include a runway (Rwy 13R/31L), a runway (rwy 2/20), a runway (rwy 13L/31R), and an FAA control tower. Runway 13R/31L is ILS- and PAPI-equipped. The air traffic control tower is staffed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time. The tower receives a radar feed from the Falls City ARSR to supplement radio communication and binoculars to locate aircraft in its airspace. The small main terminal includes two rental car companies,

KUIK Kuik ( fa, كوئيك) may refer to: * Kuik, Kermanshah, village in Sarpol-e Zahab County, Kermanshah province * Kuik, Kurdistan * Kuik, West Azerbaijan * Kuik-e Azizi Amin, former village merged into Kuik, Kermanshah * Kuik-e Hasan, former vil ...

-AM radio station, airport offices, and a waiting area for the passengers flying on the daily Intel charter flights. There is also a single-officer-staffed

office to process international flights. The airport was originally Hillsboro's municipal airport, which the Port of Portland bought in 1966. It has been developed to support all forms of general aviation and is home to four

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction, ...

(FBOs). Many people, including celebrities, politicians and sports-stars choose to use Hillsboro for its ease and discreetness. The airport is also a hub for many major local corporations, including

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

, Teufel Nursery, and Intel. The predominant activity at the airport is flight training, accounting for more than half of the overall operations. It was formerly the base of operation for the Life Flight Network, the

medical evacuation Medical evacuation, often shortened to medevac or medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to wounded being evacuated from a battlefield, to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of a ...

provider for the region. Operated by

Oregon Health & Science University Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is a public research university focusing primarily on health sciences with a main campus, including two hospitals, in Portland, Oregon. The institution was founded in 1887 as the University of Oregon Medi ...

Legacy Health System Legacy Health is a non-profit hospital system located in Portland, Oregon, United States. It consists of six primary-care hospitals, a children's hospital, and allied clinics and outpatient facilities. The system employs about 14,000 staff me ...

, and

Providence Health System Providence Health & Services (since 2016: Providence St. Joseph Health) is a not-for-profit, Catholic health care system operating multiple hospitals across seven states, with headquarters in Renton, Washington. The health system includes 51 ho ...

, the non-profit service owns one helicopter and two fixed-wing aircraft. As of 2005, the airport handled 223,000 takeoffs and landings.Bermudez, Esmeralda. Two growth patterns, one worry. ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

'', July 19, 2006. It is Oregon's second-busiest airport overall after Portland International, and is the largest general aviation airport in the state. The annual

takes place at Hillsboro Airport.

Training

ATP Flight School ATP Flight School, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, is the largest flight training company in the United States. The privately held company was founded in 1984 in Atlanta, GA by its current management, a small group of airline pilots. ATP� ...

* Hillsboro Aero Academy

Incidents

* A

Horizon Air Horizon Air Industries, Inc., operating as Horizon Air, is an American regional airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. Horizon Air and its sister carrier Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and all Horizon-opera ...

plane was hijacked on May 2, 1986, en route from Eugene to Portland, with the pilot able to convince the hijacker to allow the plane to land at HIO where the hijacker was arrested. * On February 11, 2022, a

Cessna 205 The Cessna 205, 206, and 207, known primarily as the Stationair (and marketed variously as the Super Skywagon, Skywagon and Super Skylane) are a family of single-engined, general aviation aircraft with fixed landing gear, used in commercial air ...

landed safely after suffering a complete engine failure during a flight from Seattle to Sacramento. The emergency descent and air traffic control exchanges were captured on the pilot's cockpit-mounted

GoPro GoPro, Inc. (marketed as GoPro and sometimes stylized as GoPRO) is an American technology company founded in 2002 by Nick Woodman. It manufactures action cameras and develops its own mobile apps and video-editing software. Founded as Woodman La ...

camera.

References

External links