Republic Airport is a regional airport in
East Farmingdale, New York
East Farmingdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The population of the CDP was 6,484 at the 2010 census. Located in the Town of Babylon, the residents are served by the Farmingdale ...
,
[
] located one mile east of
Farmingdale village limits.
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
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 ...
''
reliever airport
A relief airport or reliever airport is an airport that is built or designated to provide relief or additional capacity to an area when the primary commercial airport(s) requires additional capacity, on a long-term or temporary basis. Reliever 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 ...
records say the airport had 3,586 passenger boardings (enplanements) in
calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day, and thus consists of a whole number of days. A year can also be measured by starting on any o ...
2008, 2,866 in 2009, and 2,783 in 2010.
On behalf of NY State's Department of Transportation, the airport is currently managed by AvPORTS, a US-based and owned operator and manager of airports.
History
Republic Airport was developed by
Sherman Fairchild
Sherman Mills Fairchild (April 7, 1896 – March 28, 1971) was an American businessman and investor. He founded over 70 companies, including Fairchild Aircraft (Fairchild Aviation Corporation), Fairchild Industries, and Fairchild Camera and Inst ...
as the Fairchild Flying Field in East Farmingdale on Long Island, NY in late 1927 as his flying field and airplane factory on Motor Avenue in South Farmingdale was inadequate to support the mass production of his
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 Fairchil ...
and
Fairchild 71
The Fairchild 71 was an American high-wing monoplane passenger and cargo aircraft built by Fairchild Aircraft and later built in Canada by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) for both military and civilian use as a rugged bush plane.
Design and ...
airplanes. Fairchild purchased property on the south side of Route 24-Conklin Street and had the airport's original layout plan prepared on November 3, 1927.
The flying field was developed in the late winter and early spring of 1928 and was originally owned and operated by
Fairchild Engine & Airplane Manufacturing Company. The first flights from the Fairchild Flying Field took place in late spring of 1928 after the Fairchild Airplane and Airplane Engine factories and hangar were completed and aircraft were produced in the new factories. After Fairchild moved to Hagerstown, Maryland in 1931,
Grumman Aircraft Engineering
The Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation, later Grumman Aerospace Corporation, was a 20th century American producer of military and civilian aircraft. Founded on December 6, 1929, by Leroy Grumman and his business partners, it merged in 1994 ...
built planes at the airport from 1932 until the spring of 1937.
Seversky Aircraft moved there in January 1935 from College Point in Queens, and became
Republic Aviation
The Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island, New York, Long Island. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and produc ...
in 1939. Republic built more than 9,000
P-47 Thunderbolts
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomber ...
in Farmingdale during
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 ...
and expanded Republic Field, erected three hangars and a control tower and lengthened and hardened the runways. Republic built the straight-wing
F-84 Thunderjet
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...
and the swept-wing
F-84 Thunderstreak
The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...
during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
1952 airport diagram and extended runway 14–32 to the southeast over the objections of
Long Island State Parks Commissioner Robert Moses
Robert Moses (December 18, 1888 – July 29, 1981) was an American urban planner and public official who worked in the New York metropolitan area during the early to mid 20th century. Despite never being elected to any office, Moses is regarded ...
.
Republic Aviation produced over 800
F-105 Thunderchief
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an American supersonic fighter-bomber that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 to 1984. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Viet ...
fighter bombers
A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...
during the Vietnam Era. Republic Aviation was acquired by the Fairchild-Hiller Corp. in 1965 for $24.5 million and Fairchild stock. Flight Safety Inc. ran the Republic Airport as a general aviation airport beginning on December 7, 1966, for the Mailman brothers' Farmingdale Corporation, which had purchased the field from Fairchild Hiller for $8 million in 1965.
Republic Airport was acquired by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) on March 31, 1969. The MTA installed an instrument landing system (ILS) on runway 14–32, built the Republic Airport Terminal building, cooperated with the Federal Aviation Administration, which built the new 100' high control tower and got the US Government to transfer to the airport in 1971 and purchased the Lambert property on the north side of
Route 109 and the Breslau Gardens property between New Highway and Route 109 in 1972.
After complaints that the MTA was not contributing taxes to local governments and questions about the MTA spending at Republic, ownership of the airport was transferred to the
New York State Department of Transportation
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, railroads, mass transit systems, ports, waterways and aviation facilities in ...
(NYSDOT) by the New York State Legislature in April 1983, to promote economic development in the surrounding Long Island region. The Republic Airport Commission was created by the New York State Legislature in 1982 (Chap. 370, L.1982) "as an advisory council to the Commissioner of Transportation in the administration and management of the Republic Airport facilities and its surrounding areas with respect to projects to be undertaken at such airport." Fairchild went out of business in 1987, and much of its historic Fairchild-Republic factory complex was sold and developed as the Airport Plaza shopping mall.
The Long Island Republic Airport Historical Society, formed in 1984, and chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York in 1987, maintains sixteen photographic exhibits illustrating the history of aviation, and historical archives, on the first floor of the Republic Airport terminal building behind the FAA tower on the east side of
Route 110
Route 110 or Highway 110 can refer to multiple roads:
Australia
* Nepean Highway
* Bellarine Highway
Bangladesh
*
Brazil
* BR-110
Canada
* Manitoba Highway 110
* New Brunswick Route 110
* Prince Edward Island Route 110
China
* China Nati ...
.
The most recent exhibit illustrates: "The Origins of Airplane Manufacturing in Farmingdale, NY: The Foundation Years: 1917-1928," which documents airplanes built by Lawrence Sperry, Sydney Breese and Sherman Fairchild. The airport is also home to the
American Airpower Museum
The American Airpower Museum is an aviation museum located on the former site of Republic Aviation at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, New York. It maintains a collection of aviation artifacts and an array of aircraft spanning the many ye ...
which offers visitors the opportunity to see
World War II aircraft
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
in flight.
The airport has seen scheduled passenger airlines: on
Cosmopolitan Airlines in the 1980s,
Provincetown-Boston Airlines
Provincetown-Boston Airlines was an airline that operated between 1949 and 1989. The airline operated a route network in New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida, and at one time was the largest commuter airline in the United States be ...
(operating as
Continental Express
Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of the merger be ...
) in the 1980s and
Northwest Airlink
Northwest Airlink was the brand name of Northwest Airlines' regional airline service, which flew turboprop and regional jet aircraft from Northwest's domestic hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis. Service was primarily to small-to-medium-siz ...
in the 1990s.
Most
NHL
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
teams flying charter flights into Long Island to play the
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
use Republic Airport.
Facilities & Operations at KFRG
Republic Airport has a two-story
terminal
Terminal may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Terminal (electronics), a device for joining electrical circuits together
* Terminal (telecommunication), a device communicating over a line
* Computer terminal, a set of primary input and output devic ...
building serving passengers boarding
charter flights
Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline).
Regulation
Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flights r ...
to nearby cities such as
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497. . Three
Fixed-base operators
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, ...
serve corporate and light general aviation customers:
SheltAir, Republic Jet Center (affiliated with
Signature Aviation
Signature Aviation is a British multinational aviation services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
The company has been known by numerous names over the years, having been founded as ''W. Wilson Cobbett Ltd'' in 1879; it was ren ...
),
and
Atlantic Aviation
Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation (MIC) owns, operates and invests in a diversified group of infrastructure businesses. Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation's business consists of the largest network of fixed-base operations in the United St ...
.
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 ...
has an office at the terminal building; however, it is staffed by appointment only and pilots must request immigration services four hours prior to arrival. Next to the airport was the 56th Fighter Group restaurant, which closed in August 2012. Also, Troop L of the
New York State Police
The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police of the state of New York in the United States. It is part of the New York State Executive Department, and employs over 5,000 sworn state troopers and 711 civilian members.
History
The State ...
, which provides highway patrol for state parkways in Nassau and Suffolk Counties, is headquartered at the airport.
Fire rescue
![Republic Airport Fire Rescue Headquarters](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Republic_Airport_Fire_Rescue_Headquarters.jpg)
Republic Airport has a full-time Index A
ARFF
Aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) is a type of firefighting that involves the emergency response, mitigation, evacuation, and rescue of passengers and crew of aircraft involved in aviation accidents and incidents.
Airports with schedul ...
team located at the main headquarters and terminal building. The airport has two crash trucks (Rescue 3 and 4), and a support vehicle pickup truck (Rescue 1). The airport is also served by the East Farmingdale Volunteer Fire Company and Village of Farmingdale Fire Department when mutual aid is requested.
![Republic Airport Fire Rescue Plane Crash](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Republic_Airport_Fire_Rescue_Plane_Crash.jpg)
Republic Airport Fire Rescue also responds to aviation incidents in the general vicinity outside of the airport.
Runway & Helipad Information
All runways have been repaved & resurfaced since 2022
14/32
1/19
Helipad H1
Helipad H2
Aircraft Accidents at KFRG
1975
Lear Jet 25, N428JX, Incident occurred July 3, 1975
Takeoff was aborted but the Learjet continued off the runway with both engines at or near takeoff power. The airplane collided with trees.
1993
Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II, N220KC, Incident occurred August 17, 1993 (KFRG)
While approaching runway 02, the crew forgot to lower the landing gear. The circuit breaker for the gear warning horn had been pulled at some previous flights by other crew to prevent it from sounding during a high speed descent.
Propeller blades contacted the runway at a speed of 96 knots. When the crew tried to perform a go-around, the speed had dropped 10 knots. The aircraft cleared a stone wall, crashed into the water and sank into Connecticut River. Both crew members on board were pronounce deceased
2003
Lear Jet 35A, N135PT, Incident occurred August 4, 2003 (KFRG)
The flight departed Republic Airport about 06:10. About 5 miles west of Groton, the flightcrew advised the Providence Approach controller that they had made visual contact with the airport, and requested to cancel their IFR clearance. The controller acknowledged the request and terminated the clearance. The airplane entered the left downwind for runway 23 at Groton, at an altitude of 1,800 feet, and continued to descend. About 2.3 miles northeast of the runway, the airplane made a left turn onto base leg. About 1.5 miles from the runway, and south of the extended runway centerline, the airplane turned left, and back toward the right. When the airplane was about 1/8-mile south of the runway threshold, an approximate 60-degree right turn was made back toward the runway. The airplane crossed the runway at an altitude of 200 feet, and began a left turn towards the center of the airport. The turn continued, and the airplane re-entered a left downwind for the runway, about 1,100 feet south of the runway, at an altitude of 300 feet. According to eyewitnesses the airplane continued the left turn, increasing the bank angle to almost 90-degrees. As the airplane was turning final approach, it began to wobble from left to right, before contacting the rooftop of a single-story residential home about 1/4-mile northeast of the approach end of runway 23. The plane continued for about 800 feet through a small line of hardwood and evergreen trees, a second residential home, a second line of trees, a third residential home, down an embankment, and through a boardwalk, before coming to rest in the Poqonock River. The airplane was owned by JetPro and operated by Air East Management, according to NTSB and FAA data.
2007
Lear Jet 25, N125FT: Incident occurred August 12, 2007 (KFRG)
Sustained damage after encountering a hail storm. The airplane was withdrawn from use at Farmingdale and dismantled.
Cessna 650 Citation III N697MC: Incident occurred October 21, 2007 (KFRG)
The first officer was flying the Area Navigation, GPS, approach to runway 22 at Atlantic City International Airport, NJ (ACY). During the approach, the airplane was initially fast as the first officer had increased engine power to compensate for wind conditions. Descending below the minimum descent altitude (MDA), the first officer momentarily deployed the speed brakes, but stowed them about 200 feet agl, and reduced the engine power to flight idle. The airplane became low and slow, and developed an excessive sink rate. The airplane subsequently landed hard on runway 22, which drove the right main landing gear into the right wing, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing spar.
About the time of the accident, the recorded wind was from 190 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 24 knots; and the captain believed that the airplane had encountered windshear near the MDA, with the flaps fully extended. Review of air traffic control data revealed that no windshear advisories were contained in the automated terminal information system broadcasts. Although the local controller provided windshear advisories to prior landing aircraft, he did not provide one to the accident aircraft. Review of the airplane flight manual (AFM) revealed that deploying the speed brakes below 500 feet agl, with the flaps in any position other than the retracted position, was prohibited.
2009
Cessna Grand Caravan N336DN: Incident occurred September 15, 2009 (KFRG)
A Cessna 208, N336DN, operated by North American Flight Services Inc., experienced a loss of engine power while climbing and performed a forced landing in Sheffield, MA. The airplane was destroyed by a post crash fire and the commercial-rated pilot and 5 passengers were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Farmingdale-Republic Field, NY (FRG), destined for the Saratoga Springs-Saratoga County Airport, NY. The five passengers were employees of an industrial services company. The flight transported blasting caps and ammonium nitrate used for blasting operations, which were stored in a metal box inside the airplane.
The pilot reported that the airplane departed FRG at 1405, and he initiated a climb to 9,000 feet without any abnormalities. As the airplane was climbing, and at an altitude of about 8,500 feet, the pilot heard two "whooshing" sounds, about 5 seconds apart. The engine then began to experience torque fluctuations. Shortly thereafter, the engine torque dropped to idle, and the pilot heard a "loud bang" and felt a "burst vibration."
The pilot declared an emergency to air traffic control and was told that the closest airport was located about 10 miles north, in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The pilot informed air traffic control that the airplane would not be able to reach Great Barrington, and he subsequently performed a forced landing to a field.
During the landing, the airplane's right wing struck a tree and separated. All occupants exited the airplane without injury; however, the airplane became fully engulfed in fire, which consumed the majority of the airplane.
This Cessna 208 was the first production Caravan.
2021
Raytheon Hawker 800XP, N412JA: Accident occurred December 20, 2020 (KFRG)
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating after a Raytheon Hawker 800XP landing gear collapsed at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale and the plane slid off the runway, federal officials said Monday.
The 2001 Raytheon Hawker 800XP operated by Talon Air carried two crew members but no passengers at the time of the Sunday night mishap, Talon Air spokeswoman Lisa Hendrickson said. According to records, the jet can seat 15, but Talon Air said this particular plane seats just eight.
Records confirmed by the Federal Aviation Administration show the flight departed Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport at 6:16 p.m. Sunday and arrived at Republic at about 8:35 p.m. According to Suffolk County police, the landing gear on the jet had "failed to deploy," but the FAA said in a statement Monday that the jet "experienced nose and main gear collapse" upon landing at Republic.
It was not immediately clear if the crew had any indication of a gear problem before landing — or if they declared an emergency before the incident.
The names of the pilots have not been released.
The plane landed at 8:35 p.m. and someone aboard radioed: "Mayday, Mayday, Mayday Talon Air 941 crash-landing runway 1-4, we're still occupying, send vehicles out," according to the Aviation Safety Network's website.
Police said First Precinct officers responded to the airport shortly before 9 p.m. for a report that a small plane landed off the runway. The two occupants were transported to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow for treatment of minor injuries, authorities said.
East Farmingdale Fire Department Chief Duane Welliver said the plane "crashed on landing and slid across the runway. We don’t have any details on what caused the crash."
2022
Cessna 152, N64949: Incident occurred February 15, 2022 (KFRG)
Aircraft landed and veered off runway into the grass damaging a runway light.
See also
*
Transportation in New York City
The transportation system of New York City is a network of complex infrastructural systems. New York City, being the most populous city in the United States, has a transportation system which includes one of the largest subway systems in the wo ...
*
List of airports in New York
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
New York World War II Army airfields
References
External links
Republic Airport official site
Republic Airport Fire Rescue Facebook
American Airpower Museum*
ttps://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/operating/opdm/aviation/repository/air_dir/frg.pdf Republic Airport (FRG)at
NYSDOT
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) is the department of the Government of New York (state), New York state government responsible for the development and operation of highways, Rail transport, railroads, mass transit systems ...
Airport Directory
Aerial image as of April 1994from
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 prov ...
''
*
*
{{Authority control
Babylon (town), New York
Airports established in 1927
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in New York (state)
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces Technical Service Command
Airports in Suffolk County, New York
1927 establishments in New York (state)