Cecil Airport

Last updated

Cecil Airport
Cecil-airport-logo.PNG
Summary
Airport typePublic
Owner Jacksonville Aviation Authority
OperatorJacksonville Aviation Authority
Location Jacksonville, Florida
Elevation  AMSL 80 ft / 24 m
Coordinates 30°13′07″N081°52′36″W / 30.21861°N 81.87667°W / 30.21861; -81.87667
Website https://cecilspaceport.com/
Cecil Airport
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
ftm
18L/36R12,5033,811 Asphalt/concrete
18R/36L8,0022,439Asphalt/concrete
9R/27L8,0032,439Asphalt/concrete
9L/27R4,4391,353Asphalt/concrete
Helipads
NumberLengthSurface
ftm
H17021Concrete
H27021Concrete
Statistics (2018)
Aircraft operations (year ending 2/5/2018)104,361
Based aircraft84
Source: Federal Aviation Administration [1]

Cecil Airport( IATA : VQQ, ICAO : KVQQ, FAA LID : VQQ) is a public airport and commercial spaceport located in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. [1] It is owned by the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and services military aircraft, corporate aircraft, general aviation, and air cargo. The Florida Army National Guard's primary Army Aviation Support Facility and the U.S. Coast Guard's Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON) are also located here, the former operating CH-47 Chinook, UH-60 Blackhawk, UH-72 Lakota and C-12 Huron aircraft, and the latter operating the MH-65C Dolphin helicopter.

Contents

The airport has ARFF and structural fire protection provided by Jacksonville Fire/Rescue Station 56. Fire Station 73 (under construction) will be located on the airfield as well and will include ARFF, structural and rescue (ambulance) protection. A back-up, citywide 911 call/training center will also be located at Station 73.

In 2010, Cecil Airport became the United States' eighth licensed commercial spaceport and the first in Florida authorized to fly space vehicles that take off and land horizontally. [2] As of 2025, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority has applied to certify the airport to allow space vehicles to land there as well. [3]

The NZC identifier was the airport's previous FAA identifier when it was Naval Air Station Cecil Field, its former name until its closure as a naval air station in 1999. The NZC IATA code is now allocated to Maria Reiche Neuman Airport serving Nazca, Peru ( IATA : NZC, ICAO : SPZA).

History

The airport is located on the site of the former Naval Air Station Cecil Field, which opened in 1941 and closed in 1999 following the 1993 Base Realignment and Closure Commission decision. Covering a total area of 22,939 acres (92.83 km2), it was the largest military base in the Jacksonville area and supported all Atlantic Fleet F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter squadrons and S-3 Viking sea control squadrons. [4]

Facilities and aircraft

Facilities

Runways

Cecil Airport covers an area of 6,082 acres (24.61 km2) and contains four runways and two helipads: [1]

  • Runway 18L/36R: 12,503 ft × 200 ft (3,811 m × 61 m), surface: asphalt/concrete
  • Runway 18R/36L: 8,002 ft × 200 ft (2,439 m × 61 m), surface: asphalt/concrete
  • Runway 9R/27L: 8,003 ft × 200 ft (2,439 m × 61 m), surface: asphalt/concrete
  • Runway 9L/27R: 4,439 ft × 200 ft (1,353 m × 61 m), surface: asphalt/concrete
  • H1: 70 ft × 70 ft (21 m × 21 m), surface: concrete
  • H2: 70 ft × 70 ft (21 m × 21 m), surface: concrete

FBOs

The airport has a fixed-base operator that sells fuel. It offers services such as catering, hangars, courtesy cars, and rental cars; there are also amenities such as internet, conference rooms, vending machines, a crew lounge, and showers. [5]

Private Entities

Cecil Airport houses the FSCJ (Florida State College Jacksonville) aviation course hangar and associated training aircraft. Sunrise Aviation, a flight training school and pilot supplies vendor is the flight training provider for FSCJ's aviation program. Facilities operated by major aerospace firms such as Logistic Services International (LSI), Boeing and Flightstar Aircraft Services are also located at Cecil, providing major training, maintenance and overhaul services for a variety of U.S. military aircraft. [6]

In September 2024, ground broke on a new testing facility for hypersonic aircraft. The company running the facility aims to develop an aircraft that could travel from New York to London in 90 minutes. [7]

As of May 2025, Texas-based Otto Aviation is considering using Cecil as the location to build its new jet, aimed at being more efficient. Research and development could start at Cecil as early as 2027. [8] Jacksonville is offering Otto an incentives package to move to the airport. [9]

Aircraft

For the 12-month period ending February 5, 2018, the airport had 104,361 aircraft operations, an average of 286 per day: 52% military, 47% general aviation, <1% air carrier, and <1% air taxi. There were 84 aircraft based at this airport: 69 military, 12 single-engine, 1 multi-engine, 1 jet, and 1 helicopter. [1]

Accident & incident

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Form 5010 for VQQ PDF , effective 2024-7-11
  2. ↑ "Florida airport gets commercial spaceport license". Reuters. January 11, 2010.
  3. ↑ Will, Chris; Terry, J. Brooks; Smith, Christopher (August 8, 2025). "JAA backs reentry license at Cecil Spaceport to support Jacksonville's Mayo Clinic medical research". WJXT. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  4. ↑ GlobalSecurity.org: NAS Cecil Field
  5. ↑ "Million Air Jacksonville - Cecil FBO Info & Fuel Prices at Cecil (KVQQ)". FlightAware. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Jacksonville Airport Authority: Cecil Field". Archived from the original on May 17, 2007. Retrieved May 5, 2007.
  7. ↑ Will, Chris (September 9, 2024). "Company breaking ground in Jacksonville wants to build an airplane that can go from NYC to London in 90 minutes". WJXT. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  8. ↑ Ahmad, Aydian; Farrar, Aaron (May 20, 2025). "A private jet with no passenger windows?: Look inside the unique futuristic aircraft that could be built in Jacksonville". WJXT. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  9. ↑ Ahmad, Aydian (May 19, 2025). "Company seeking to invest over $400 million at Jacksonville's Cecil Airport revealed as Texas-based aviation startup". WJXT. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  10. ↑ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Piper PA-22-20 N1693A, Monday 1 July 2002". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Plane lands without front landing gear at Cecil Airport". Action News Jax. July 31, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  12. ↑ Willis, Andrew; Perkins, Tobie (June 9, 2025). "Delta flight makes emergency landing in Jacksonville after 'smoky conditions' in cabin". First Coast News. Retrieved November 5, 2025.


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