Montgomery County Airpark is a U.S. public

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

located three miles (5 km) northeast of the city of

Gaithersburg Gaithersburg ( ), officially the City of Gaithersburg, is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Gaithersburg had a population of 69,657, making it the ninth-largest location in the state. Ga ...

, in Montgomery County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, United States.

History

1960s

The airport was built by Silver Spring developer William E. Richardson in 1960, in an area that was then rural. The original plan was to build an airport, a 9-hole golf course, and a hotel on the of land."Plans Unit Votes, 3 to 2, For Airport". ''The Washington Post''. September 3, 1959. p. C23. The Montgomery County Planning Board voted 3–2 in favor of rezoning the land to allow the airport to be built. Those in favor on the Board said that Montgomery County "desperately" needed an airport and that the additional industry would help bring in tax revenue, while those opposed said that the airport would destroy the rural aspect of the surrounding area. Richardson deeded title to the land to Montgomery County, which leased the land back to him to operate the airport. Richardson planned to operate charter flights and an air taxi to

National Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport , sometimes referred to colloquially as National Airport, Washington National, Reagan National Airport, DCA, Reagan, or simply National, is an international airport in Arlington County, Virginia, across ...

, Baltimore's

Friendship Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Internati ...

, and the soon-to-be-opened

Dulles Airport Washington Dulles International Airport , typically referred to as Dulles International Airport, Dulles Airport, Washington Dulles, or simply Dulles ( ), is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located in Loudoun County and Fai ...

. The airport was dedicated on October 22, 1960. The airport was initially managed by Richardson's son, James E. Richardson, and Richard T. Kreuzburg, a former Capital Airlines pilot. After having a simple hangar during its first four years of operation, a terminal building was built in 1964.

2000s

On July 20, 2001, one of the hijackers in the future

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

Hani Hanjour ) , birth_place = Taif, Saudi Arabia , death_date = , death_place = Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. , death_cause = Plane crash, suicide , known_for = Hijacker-pilot of American Airlines Flight 77 (a ...

, flew to the Montgomery County Airpark from Fairfield, New Jersey, on a practice flight with fellow hijacker Nawaf Alhazmi.

Facilities

Runways

Montgomery County Airpark covers and has one

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

. * Runway 14/32: 4,202 x 75 ft. (1,281 x 23 m), surface:

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...

(32 - right traffic)

Navigational aids

* WAAS/GPS/RNAV MDA 262 agl * VOR 155 degree from FDK 109.0 MDA 600 agl

On-field services

* DC Metro Aviation Services ** Full-service FBO - 100LL JetA ** Hangar-tiedown rental * Charter operators ** Open Air Charters - Part 135 * Flight schools ** Bravo Flight Training ** Positive Attitude Aviation ** Pilot in Training Flight Academy ** Washington International Flight Academy (WIFA) * Civil Air Patrol *
Montgomery Senior Squadron
* Food & beverage ** Airport Cafe

Flying clubs

*Congressional Flying Club * Octopus Flying Club * Inn Flying Club * TSS Flying Club **TSS Flying Club was formed in 1957 and remains one of the largest flying clubs in the Washington-Baltimore region today. TSS has 65 members and five well equipped aircraft including two Cessna 172 180hp, Cessna 182S, Cessna 182RG, and a Vans RV12 certified light sport aircraft with glass cockpit.

Accidents and incidents

At least 30 plane crashes have occurred at or near Montgomery County Airpark since 1983 On December 8, 2014, a plane crashed into houses while on approach to Runway 14 at Montgomery County Airpark. Six people died, the three occupants of the plane and three people in the house the plane hit. On November 27, 2022, a Mooney M20J-201 (N201RF) crashed into a powerline while on approach to Runway 14 at Montgomery County Airpark. Both occupants survived with some injuries but were trapped in the aircraft for several hours.

References

External links

*
Montgomery County Revenue Authority
Airports in Maryland Transportation buildings and structures in Montgomery County, Maryland Buildings and structures in Gaithersburg, Maryland Airports established in 1960 1960 establishments in Maryland {{Maryland-airport-stub