The Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport (

IATA The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is a trade association of the world's airlines founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff ...

: SPA,

ICAO The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international a ...

: KSPA,

FAA 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 ...

LID: SPA) is a general aviation airport located in the city of

Spartanburg, South Carolina Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat, seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city of Spartanburg has a municipal population of 38,732 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the 11th-largest c ...

. The airport is from downtown Spartanburg, which makes it popular for private and corporate aircraft.

History

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

's first commercial airport was opened in 1927. Famed aviator

Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh (February 4, 1902 – August 26, 1974) was an American aviator, military officer, author, inventor, and activist. On May 20–21, 1927, Lindbergh made the first nonstop flight from New York City to Paris, a distance o ...

participated in the grand opening of the airport only months following his historic flight across the Atlantic. Passenger air service commenced that same year but ended in 1962 with the opening of the Greenville-Spartanburg Jetport, later renamed

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport The Upstate is the region in the westernmost part of South Carolina, United States, also known as the Upcountry, which is the historical term. Although loosely defined among locals, the general definition includes the 10 counties of the commerc ...

. In April 1957 Eastern scheduled six weekday departures, Southern had four and Delta had three. During World War II the airport was a training facility for the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

and a refueling stop for naval aviators. An

operated

air traffic control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...

was operational at the airport but closed in 1981 during the PATCO controllers strike.

Runways and other facilities

The

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 ...

once had three intersecting runways with a parallel taxiway system connecting them to the aircraft parking apron. Runway 4/22 was long by wide, Runway 17/35 was long by wide, and runway 11/29 was long by wide. Today only runway 4/22 remains but was redesignated as runway 5/23 several years ago. Prevailing winds in the area generally favor the use of this runway. Only remnants of the other runways are visible today. An instrument landing system (ILS) is available for use on runway 5. WAAS approaches are available to runway 5 and runway 23. Runway 5 also has high intensity runway edge lighting ( HIRL), visual approach slope indicator lights ( VASI), and a medium intensity approach lighting system ( MALSR). Other navigational aids nearby are the Spartanburg Vortac (

VOR VOR or vor may refer to: Organizations * Vale of Rheidol Railway in Wales * Voice of Russia, a radio broadcaster * Volvo Ocean Race, a yacht race Science, technology and medicine * VHF omnidirectional range, a radio navigation aid used in a ...

) (7.2 miles northeast) and the Fairmont

Non-directional beacon A non-directional beacon (NDB) or non-directional radio beacon is a radio beacon which does not include directional information. Radio beacons are radio transmitters at a known location, used as an aviation or marine navigational aid. NDB are ...

(NDB) (1.6 miles west). The airport's 1936 terminal building, extensively renovated and expanded in 2011, houses a fixed-base operator ( FBO) operated by the City of Spartanburg. The airport also houses two flight schools, Pivotal Aviation and Aero II. Adjacent to the terminal building are several aircraft hangars. The airport is home to the Spartanburg Composite Squadron of the

Civil Air Patrol Civil Air Patrol (CAP) is a congressionally chartered, federally supported non-profit corporation that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the United States Air Force (USAF). CAP is a volunteer organization with an aviation-minded mem ...

and the Spartanburg Pilot's Association.

Runway expansion and playground

A 25-million dollar extension of runway 5/23 began in late 2016 and was completed in 2018. The extension project lengthened the runway to 5,852 feet and added safety areas to both runway ends. The project also included resurfacing the runway and upgrading airport navigation and lighting systems. Also completed in 2018 was an aviation-themed playground with a viewing platform and a pavilion with restrooms.

Economic impact

The Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport contributes $15.4 million to the local economy. It is the third busiest general aviation airport in South Carolina, with almost 69,000 operations yearly. The airport creates 190 aviation-related jobs in the area, with a payroll of more than $5.2 million.

References

External links

Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport
{{Authority control Airports in South Carolina Buildings and structures in Spartanburg, South Carolina Transportation in Spartanburg County, South Carolina