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 surfa ...
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is owned by the City of Big Rapids. It is included in the
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 ...
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 ...
facility.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter
location identifier
A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for staffed air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programm ...
for the
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 ...
and IATA, Roben–Hood Airport is assigned RQB by the FAA and WBR by the IATA.
The airport hosts a regular airshow featuring antique aircraft and activities.
Facilities and aircraft
Roben–Hood Airport covers an area of which contains two
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 ...
paved
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, concre ...
s: 9/27 measuring 4,300 x 75 ft (1,311 x 23 m) and 14/32 measuring 2,700 x 75 ft (823 x 23 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2020, the airport had 4,000
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 ...
aircraft operations, an average of 77 per day. For the same time period, there are 22 aircraft based on the field: 19 single-engine and 2 multi-engine
airplanes
An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectr ...
as well as 1
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
.
The airport has a fixed-base operator that sells fuel and offers general maintenance, hangars, courtesy transportation, conference rooms, and more.
Airport leadership has been pushing for a runway extension by 2015 but have been unable since they can't definitively prove the airport has the minimum necessary annual operations. However, the airport has been focusing on securing federal funding for the project. While the airport has secured that federal grant, they still need to finalize the necessary local funds to get the project.
The airport is staffed Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and is accessible by road from 18 Mile Rd, and is close to Business US-131.
Accidents & Incidents
*On April 4, 2004, a Beech C35 Bonanza experienced a forced landing near Roben Hood after a loss of engine power. The engine had just been overhauled and reinstalled, and ground runs and test flights were completed. The aircraft was reportedly flying normally except for a slightly higher fuel pressure. The failure occurred while descending into the airport. The probable cause was found to be the total loss of engine power due to the pilot's improper fuel management which led to fuel starvation.
*On August 23, 2006, a Frick Questair Q20 crashed while diverting to Roben Hood following a loss of engine power in flight. The aircraft reported an emergency in-flight and requested a diversion but crashed 4 miles short of the airport. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's failure to ensure an adequate fuel supply, which resulted in the exhaustion of the fuel supply and the subsequent loss of engine power.
*On March 14, 2007, a
Cessna 172
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is an American four-seat, single-engine, high wing, fixed-wing aircraft made by the Cessna Aircraft Company.Cessna A185 crashed during its landing roll after encountering a wind gust from the left. The aircraft slightly climbed and weathervaned and descended back into the ground, at which point it spun about the nose to the left, substantially damaging the aircraft. The probable cause was found to be the pilot’s failure to obtain updated weather information while practicing takeoffs and landings and his subsequent failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll in gusting crosswind conditions.