Ponca City Regional Airport is a city-owned airport two miles northwest of

Ponca City Ponca City ( iow, Chína Uhánⁿdhe) is a city in Kay County in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The city was named after the Ponca tribe. Ponca City had a population of 25,387 at the time of the 2010 census- and a population of 24,424 in the 2020 ...

, in

Kay County, Oklahoma Kay County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, its population was 43,700. Its county seat is Newkirk, and the largest city is Ponca City. Kay County comprises the Ponca City micropolitan statistical ar ...

, United States. Scheduled passenger flights on

Great Lakes Airlines Great Lakes Airlines was an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a hub at Denver International Airport. As of November 2013, Great Lakes Airlines ...

to Denver and

Dodge City Dodge City is the county seat of Ford County, Kansas, United States, named after nearby Fort Dodge. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 27,788. The city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town ...

ended in August, 2006. The service was subsidized by the

Essential Air Service Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978, maintained commercial service. Its aim is t ...

program.

History

The January 1938 directory says Ponca City's airport was sod, a half-mile square; in November 1938 a concrete runway opened. The

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

took over the facility in the summer of 1941 and used it as part of the

British Flying Training School Program At the beginning of the Second World War the United Kingdom recognised that it would need to train a large number of pilots. A number of flying and aircrew training schools were set up across the British Empire where pilots could be trained without ...

. This training was part of the Lend-Lease act where

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

flying cadets received a 20-week basic flying course taught by civil contractors. The Darr School of Aeronautics provided flight training. Ponca City was designated No6 British Flying Training School. PT17a Boeing Stearmans were the primary basic trainer, with the North American AT6A "Harvard" the Advanced Trainer used at the airfield between 1941 and 1944. An intermediate trainer, the Vultee BT13A, was also employed between 1941 and 1943 before being phased out. On average RAF cadet pilots completed 70 hours primary flying hours followed by 130 hours advanced training on the Harvard. Most courses lasted six months, and consisted of 80 RAF cadet pilots and 20 USAAF cadet pilots. In November 1942 Royal Air Force training ended at Miami and the airfield became a primary (stage 1) pilot training airfield assigned to AAF Flying Training Command, Gulf Coast Training Center (later Central Flying Training Command). The civil instructors were retained under USAAF control by the 323d Flying Training Detachment. Pilot training at the airfield apparently ended on May 30, 1944, with the reduced demand for new pilots. The airfield was returned to the local government at the end of the war.

Historical airline service

Airline service to Ponca City began in the late 1920s when

National Air Transport National Air Transport was a large United States airline; in 1930 it was bought by Boeing. The Air Mail Act of 1934 prohibited airlines and manufacturers from being under the same corporate umbrella, so Boeing split into three smaller companies, ...

, d/b/a as

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

flew from Chicago to Dallas via Burlington, IA, Kansas City, Wichita, Ponca City, Oklahoma City, and Fort Worth. Braniff Airways, later known as Braniff International Airways, took this route over in 1934. Braniff resumed flights to Ponca City in 1946.

Central Airlines Central Airlines was a passenger airline (the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) called it a "local service" air carrier) in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas from 1949 to 1967. It was founded by Keith Kahle in 1944 to opera ...

replaced Braniff in 1953–54, using Douglas DC-3s and, in the 1960s, 40-seat

Convair 600 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

s. In 1967 Central merged with

Frontier Airlines (1950-1986) Frontier Airlines is a major ultra-low-cost U.S. airline headquartered in Denver, Colorado. It operates flights to over 100 destinations throughout the United States and 31 international destinations, and employs more than 3,000 staff. The ca ...

and Frontier continued to serve Ponca City with the 50-seat

Convair 580 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

. Frontier ended their service in 1979 after the passing of the

Airline Deregulation Act The Airline Deregulation Act is a 1978 United States federal law that deregulated the airline industry in the United States, removing federal control over such areas as fares, routes, and market entry of new airlines. The Civil Aeronautics Boa ...

and Ponca City then only saw service by small commuter airlines. Air Midwest served Ponca City from 1979 until 1981 with nonstop

Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (previously the Swearingen Metro and later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurized, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild Aircraft at a plant in San ...

II's to Wichita and one-stops to Oklahoma City.

Metro Airlines Metro Airlines, originally Houston Metro Airlines, was a commuter airline that was originally headquartered in Houston, Texas, United States,. Metro subsequently moved its headquarters to north Texas. The airline had an operational base located ...

served from 1981 to 1986 with one-stop de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters to Oklahoma City. Exec Express began service in 1986 with Piper PA-31 Navajos to Tulsa. Exec Express changed names three times over the next ten years, first to Exec Express II in 1988, then

Lone Star Airlines Lone Star Airlines was an American regional airline that operated both domestic and international flights. For much of the airline's life its headquarters were located in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas. The airline's largest hub w ...

in 1991, and finally

Aspen Mountain Air Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, ...

in 1996. Service switched from Tulsa to Dallas/Fort Worth by the late 1980s and

s replaced the Navajos. The airline went out of business in late 1998. Big Sky Airlines took over serving Ponca City in 1999 with flights to Dallas/Fort Worth and to Denver with one stop at Enid, Oklahoma. Big Sky also used Metroliners but ended service in 2002.

Mesa Airlines Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an FAA Part 121–certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air ...

followed from 2002 to 2005 with Beechcraft 1900Ds to Dallas/Fort Worth and Denver.

was the final carrier at Ponca City, in 2005–2006 with one stop Beechcraft 1900Ds to Denver.American Express Skyguide editions from 2005 through 2006 Passengers now prefer to drive to larger cities for air travel; Ponca City has not seen airline service since August, 2006.

Facilities

The airport covers 500 acres (202 ha) at an elevation of 1,008 feet (307 m). Its single runway, 17/35, is 7,201 by 150 feet (2,195 x 46 m) concrete. In the year ending August 26, 2008 the airport had 61,500 aircraft operations, average 168 per day: 93%

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 7% military. 64 aircraft were then based at this airport: 91% single-engine, 5% multi-engine, 3% jet, and 2%

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...

. There are multiple hangars on the grounds, and the Northern Oklahoma Flight Academy is based there. Enrique's is a Mexican restaurant in the terminal.

References

Other sources

* * 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. * Essential Air Service documents
Docket OST-1997-2401
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 ...

: *
Order 2002-7-2 (July 5, 2002)
selecting Air Midwest, Inc., to provide essential air service at seven communities (El Dorado/Camden, AR; Jonesboro, AR; Harrison, AR; Hot Springs, AR; Enid, OK; Ponca City, OK; Brownwood, TX) for a two-year period at subsidy rates totaling $6,693,881 annually. *
Order 2004-6-12 (June 17, 2004)
requests interested persons to show cause why it should not terminate the essential air service subsidy eligibility of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Brownwood, Texas, and allow Air Midwest to suspend its subsidized services at those communities as of October 1, 2004, when the current rate term expires. *
Order 2005-1-14 (January 25, 2004)
selecting Air Midwest, Inc., to provide essential air service at El Dorado/Camden, Jonesboro, Harrison and Hot Springs, Arkansas, at a subsidy rate of $4,155,550 annually for a two-year rate term, selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide essential air service at Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma at a subsidy rate of $1,272,557 annually for allowing Air Midwest to discontinue its service there, if it chooses to do so. *
Order 2006-7-25 (August 1, 2006)
terminating the essential air service subsidy eligibility of Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma, and allowing Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to suspend service at the two communities as of September 1, 2006, if it chooses.

External links

*
Aerial image as of February 1995
from

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

The National Map ''The National Map'' is a collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the effort is to pro ...