West Branch Community Airport (
FAA LID
A lid, also known as a cover, is part of a container, and serves as the closure or seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as tubs as well as larger lids for open-head pails and drums. S ...
: Y31) is a public-use airport located 3 miles southeast of
West Branch, Michigan
West Branch is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,139. It is the county seat of Ogemaw County. West Branch is mostly surrounded by West Branch Township, but the two are administered autonomo ...
. The airport is publicly owned by the city. The airport covers 520 acres at an elevation of 882 feet above
sea level.
A chapter of the
Experimental Aircraft Association is based at the airport. It hosts a number of events such as Young Eagles rallies, fly-ins, building seminars, and other social and educational activities.
In 2022, accommodations were made to base a crew at the airport to transport West Branch residents to hospitals should critical care be needed.
Facilities and aircraft
The airport has one
runway. Runway 9/27 is 5000 x 100 ft (1524 x 30 m) and is paved with asphalt.
The airport has a fixed-base operator that sells both
avgas
Avgas (aviation gasoline, also known as aviation spirit in the UK) is an aviation fuel used in aircraft with spark-ignited internal combustion engines. ''Avgas'' is distinguished from conventional gasoline (petrol) used in motor vehicles, w ...
and
jet fuel
Jet fuel or aviation turbine fuel (ATF, also abbreviated avtur) is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is colorless to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial a ...
. Amenities such as a conference room a pilot lounge, snooze rooms, a
shower
A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers have temperature, spray pressure and adjustable showerhead nozzle. The simplest showers have a ...
, and courtesy transportation are also available.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 6,000 aircraft operations, an average of 115 per week. It was composed entirely of
general aviation. For the same time period, 17 aircraft were based at the airport, all single-engine
airplanes.
Accidents and incidents
* On January 12, 2006, a
Piper PA-28 Cherokee impacted a
deer during its landing roll at West Branch Community Airport. During the landing roll, the pilot felt the airplane "jerk" to the left. She reported she was able to maintain control of the airplane on the runway. A passenger in the airplane stated he saw the deer just prior to it contacting the airplane, but there was not enough time for the pilot to take evasive action.
See also
*
List of airports in Michigan
This is a list of airports in Michigan (a U.S. state), grouped by type and sorted by location. It contains all public-use and military airports in the state. Some private-use and former airports may be included where notable, such as airports that ...
References
{{coord, 44, 14, 41, N, 084, 10, 49, W, type:airport_region:US-MI, display=title
Airports in Michigan