Aviation in Pennsylvania

Last updated May 01, 2021

Aviation in Pennsylvania dates back over 100 years. Pennsylvania ranks 11th in the country in the number of public-use aviation facilities with 130 airports, heliports, and seaplane bases. The 130 public-use facilities provide an annual economic impact of $23.6 billion to the state. The aviation industry also supports more than 300,000 jobs making it one of the largest employment sectors in the state.^[1]

History

Aviation in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania dates back over 100 years. The state has been at the forefront of aviation development and growth. In the early 1900s, the state was home to substantial growth.

Industry beginnings

After the Wright brothers' first flight in 1903, the opportunity of flight raced across the nation. Inventors began working on designs for their own flying machines and held public air shows to show them off. Many of the state's airports were founded in the 1910s and 1920s, and the aviation industry was brought forward.

Piper Aviation

The Piper Aircraft Corporation was formed in the 1930s when William T. Piper purchased the Taylor Aircraft Company, rebranded, and relocated operations to Lock Haven. Piper Aircraft became world-renowned for its production of the J-3 Cub and as the leading producer of general aviation aircraft at the time.^[2]

WWII

During World War II, Pennsylvania was designated by the United States Army and United States Air Force as training skies for bomber and fighter pilots before deployment to Europe or Asia. These bases include Fort Indiantown Gap, Pittsburgh Air Reserve Station and Harrisburg International Airport.^[3] The Air Force also built bombers throughout the state.

Modern commercial aviation

As jet travel became more popular, airline choices expanded as well. The state's airports saw record numbers during the 1960s and 1970s, especially at Philadelphia International Airport, the largest and the gateway to Europe, and Pittsburgh International Airport, a then-hub for US Airways and a primarily domestic airport with some flights to Canada and Latin America. All airports saw a dramatic rise in flights and passengers in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s; however, after the September 11th attacks, Pennsylvania's airports, much like the rest of the country, saw huge declines in passenger numbers. This caused airlines to withdraw, such as British Airways in Pittsburgh and KLM at Philadelphia's airport.^[4]

Continued growth and industry expansion

Many airports in the commonwealth have seen recent growth. In turn, facilities and infrastructure is being updated or constructed. Since 2011 the FAA along with local, state, and Federal governments allotted almost $1 billion to aviation infrastructure at the state's airports, most predominantly at Philadelphia International Airport, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport and Williamsport Regional Airport.

Major airports

Major airports in Pennsylvania with over 25,000 reported passengers.^[5]

Airport	City	Passengers	Aircraft movements
Philadelphia International Airport	Philadelphia	31,444,403	411,368
Pittsburgh International Airport	Pittsburgh	8,309,754	144,563
Harrisburg International Airport	Harrisburg	1,173,938	47,289
Lehigh Valley International Airport	Allentown	638,000	77,978
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport	Wilkes-Barre / Scranton	469,000	49,863
University Park Airport	State College	379,100	33,660
Arnold Palmer Regional Airport	Latrobe	287,000	28,816
Erie International Airport	Erie	88,953	N/A
Williamsport Regional Airport	Williamsport	25,119	33,019
		42,436,167	792,896

Notable aviation companies

The following are notable aviation manufacturers, suppliers, and airlines based in Pennsylvania.

Air East — commuter airline
Altair Airlines — now defunct airline
Boeing Rotorcraft Systems — headquarters and main factory near Philadelphia
Fly Advanced — charter airline
Lycoming Engines — aircraft engine manufacturer
Piper Aircraft Corporation — aircraft manufacturer since relocated to Florida
Sawdust Airlines — airline
USA3000 Airlines — now defunct airline

Airliner accidents within Pennsylvania

Click on the flight number for the accident page.

Date	Flight Number	Airline	Fatalities	Survivors	Location	Summary
April 7, 1936	1	TWA	12	2	Wharton Township, Pennsylvania	Pilot error
March 25, 1937	15A	TWA	13	0	Upper St. Clair Township, Pennsylvania	Icing causing loss of control
April 1, 1956	400	TWA	22	14	Moon Township, Pennsylvania	Mechanical failure followed by pilot error
June 23, 1967	40	Mohawk Airlines	34	0	Blossburg, Pennsylvania	Mechanical failure causing; structural fire then loss of control
December 24, 1968	736	Allegheny Airlines	20	27	Bradford, Pennsylvania	Pilot error; a controlled flight into terrain
January 6, 1969	737	Allegheny Airlines	11	17	Lafayette Township, Pennsylvania	Pilot error; a controlled flight into terrain
January 6, 1974	317	Air East	12	5	Richland Township, Pennsylvania	Failure to maintain flying speed; Improper IFR operation; Premature descent below safe approach slope
September 8, 1994	427	USAir	132	0	Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania	Rudder hardover
September 11, 2001	93	United Airlines	44	0	Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania	Terrorist hijacking
April 17, 2018	1380	Southwest Airlines	1	148	Over Pennsylvania; landed at Philadelphia International Airport	Engine failure followed by decompression

Related Research Articles

MBS International Airport, located in Freeland, Michigan, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the nearby cities of Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility.

Pittsburgh International Airport, formerly Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, is a civil–military international airport in Findlay Township and Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Located about 10 miles west of downtown Pittsburgh, it is the primary international airport serving the Greater Pittsburgh Region as well as adjacent areas in West Virginia and Ohio. The airport is owned and operated by the Allegheny County Airport Authority and sees numerous flights a day to destinations throughout North America. PIT has four runways and covers 10,000 acres (4,000 ha).

Philadelphia International Airport is the primary airport serving Philadelphia. The airport serves 31.7 million passengers annually, making it the 20th busiest airport in the United States. In 2019, PHL served 33,018,886 passengers, the most in the airport's history. The airport is located 7 mi (11 km) from the city's downtown area and has 25 airlines that offer nearly 500 daily departures to more than 130 destinations worldwide.

Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline operating for American Eagle, formerly US Airways Express. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group, headquartered in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. It conducts flight operations using Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft. Piedmont Airlines, Inc. also provides ground handling and customer service for airports in the northeastern and western United States. Its main base is Philadelphia International Airport with an additional hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

PSA Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered at Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio, that flies under the American Eagle brand for American Airlines. PSA is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group.

Hanscom Field is a public use airport operated by the Massachusetts Port Authority, located 14 mi outside Boston in Bedford, Massachusetts, United States.

Allegheny Airlines was a U.S. airline that operated out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1952 to 1979 with routes primarily located in the eastern U.S. It was the forerunner of USAir which was subsequently renamed US Airways, now merged into American Airlines. Its headquarters were at Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport is mostly in Pittston Township, Pennsylvania, and spans the border between Luzerne County and Lackawanna County. It is owned and operated by the two counties; it is about 7 miles from Scranton and 8 miles from Wilkes-Barre. It is the fifth largest airport in Pennsylvania by passenger count and calls itself "your gateway to Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Pocono Mountains".

Erie International Airport Tom Ridge Field is a public airport five miles (8 km) southwest of Erie, in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Airline service at Erie faces stiff competition from the Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Toronto airports, all within three hours of Erie by car. In 2004, Erie was the third-fastest-growing airport in the United States, and the fastest-growing airport in Pennsylvania. It is 128 miles (206 km) from Pittsburgh, 111 miles (179 km) from the Canada–US border, 95 miles (153 km) from Cleveland, Ohio and 105 miles (169 km) from Buffalo, New York.

Williamsport Regional Airport serves Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding area with a population of about 200,000. The airport serves about 40,000 passengers annually.

University Park Airport is a public airport in Benner Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, serving State College and Bellefonte. UNV covers 1,091 acres and has one active runway.

John Murtha Johnstown–Cambria County Airport is a civil-military airport three miles (5 km) northeast of Johnstown, in Cambria County, Pennsylvania. It is owned by Johnstown–Cambria County Airport Authority and is named after the late Congressman John Murtha. It sees one airline, subsidized by the Essential Air Service.

Cheddi Jagan International Airport, formerly Timehri International Airport, is the national airport of Guyana. The airport is located on the right bank of the Demerara River in the city of Timehri, 41 kilometres (25 mi) south of Guyana's capital, Georgetown. It is the larger of the two international airports serving Georgetown with the other airport being the Eugene F. Correira International Airport.

Manchester–Boston Regional Airport, commonly referred to as Manchester Airport, is a public airport 3 miles (5 km) south of the central business district of Manchester, New Hampshire, United States, on the border of Hillsborough and Rockingham counties. The airport lies in two communities, Manchester and Londonderry.

Empire Airlines was a regional airline serving the Northeastern United States beginning in 1976. In 1985, the airline was purchased by Piedmont Airlines, which itself was later purchased by USAir, and whose name then lived on in the US Airways Express network before US Airways was merged into American Airlines in 2015.

Brockway Air was a regional airline in the United States, which was formerly known as Air North and originally as Northern Airways.

Air Pennsylvania was a commuter airline active from 1976 to 1982 and based in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was owned by Eugene F. Plum II, whose family also operated a flight school and other airlines as Perkiomen Airways based in Reading, Pennsylvania and Sun International Airways in Puerto Rico.

Kerikeri Airport, also known as Bay of Islands Airport, is an airport at Kerikeri, New Zealand. It is about a three-hour drive from Auckland and a 45-minute flight from Auckland Airport.

Jinnah International Airport, formerly Drigh Road Airport, is Pakistan's busiest international and domestic airport, and handled 7,267,582 passengers in 2017-2018. Located in Karachi, the largest city and commercial capital of Pakistan and capital of the province of Sindh, it is named after Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

Southern Airways Express is a commuter airline operating in the United States, headquartered in Pompano Beach, Florida. Southern Airways Express acts as a local service airline for several cities in the Southern United States, and it provides scheduled passenger service in the Mid-Atlantic Region subsidized by the Federal government of the United States under the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.

References

↑ "Aviation - PENNDOT.gov". PennDOT.gov. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
↑ "Piper Aviation and Piper Aviation Museum History". Piper Museum. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
↑ "Air Force bases Pennsylvania". Military Bases. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
↑ "aviation history in Pennsylvania". AAz. 9 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2017.
↑ "Bureau of Transportation Statistics". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 February 2021.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Aviation - PENNDOT.gov". PennDOT.gov. Retrieved 5 August 2017.

[2] "Piper Aviation and Piper Aviation Museum History". Piper Museum. Retrieved 4 February 2021.

[3] "Air Force bases Pennsylvania". Military Bases. Retrieved 6 August 2017.

[4] "aviation history in Pennsylvania". AAz. 9 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2017.

[5] "Bureau of Transportation Statistics". United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved 7 February 2021.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]