Ford Airport (Iron Mountain)

Ford Airport
IATA: IMT ICAO: KIMT FAA LID: IMT
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Dickinson County
Serves	Iron Mountain / Kingsford, Michigan
Opened	April 1940 (1940-04)
Hub for	CSA Air
Elevation  AMSL	1,182 ft / 360 m
Coordinates	45°49′06″N088°06′52″W / 45.81833°N 88.11444°W / 45.81833; -88.11444
Website	fordairport.org
Map
IMT Location of airport in Michigan Show map of Michigan IMT IMT (the United States) Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 1/19 6,502 1,982 Asphalt 13/31 3,810 1,161 Asphalt
Statistics (12 months ending December 2024 except where noted)
Passenger volume 38,940 Departing passengers 19,480 Scheduled flights 983 Cargo (lb.) 327k Aircraft operations (2022) 6,966 Based aircraft (2023) 36
Sources: Ford Airport, [1] FAA, [2] RITA [3]

Ford Airport( IATA : IMT, ICAO : KIMT, FAA LID : IMT) is a county-owned public-use airport in Dickinson County, Michigan, United States. It is located three miles west of the central business district of Iron Mountain, ^[2] in the central Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The airport offers scheduled passenger service by one commercial airline, SkyWest Airlines, an affiliate of Delta Connection, which is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. It is also a hub for FedEx Feeder operator CSA Air.

Ford Airport serves the greater Dickinson County area, which includes the cities of Iron Mountain, Kingsford and Norway in Michigan and the bordering Wisconsin communities of Aurora, Florence and Niagara. Its service area also includes portions of Iron and Menominee counties in Michigan and Florence and Marinette counties in Wisconsin.

It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, in which it is categorized as a non-hub primary commercial service facility. ^[4]

The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) hosts events for community members, most notably Ford Airport Days. They often feature restored warbirds like B-25 Mitchell bombers and A-26 Invaders. The event also gives people the opportunity to fly drones, hosts tributes to veterans, and develops interest in aviation among youth. ^{[5] [6]}

The airport received $1,000,000 from the US Department of Transportation in 2020 as part of the CARES Act to help it mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[7]

Facilities and aircraft

Ford Airport covers an area of 720 acres (291 ha) at an elevation of 1,182 feet (360 m). It has two asphalt paved runways: 1/19 is 6,502 by 150 feet and 13/31 is 3,810 by 75 feet. ^[2] Runway 1/19 has approved ILS, GPS and LOC/DME approaches. In addition, the Iron Mountain VOR/DME (IMT) navigational facility is located at the field. ^[8]

In 2022, Dickinson County started considering a renovation of the terminal at Ford in hopes to hosting larger aircraft. A consultant was hired to help the airport plan. ^[9]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2022, the airport had 6,966 aircraft operations, an average of 19 per day: 62% air taxi, 21% commercial service and 17% general aviation. In November 2023, there were 36 aircraft based at this airport: 22 single-engine, 8 multi-engine, 5 jet and 1 helicopter. ^[2]

Both based and transient general aviation aircraft are supported by the fixed-base operator (FBO) Kubick Aviation Services, which offers aviation fuel, aircraft parking and hangars, aircraft rental, courtesy cars, pilot lounges, snooze rooms, and more. ^[10]

Ford Airport enhances regional air travel safety by maintaining an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) 'Index A' trained team and related equipment.

Airline and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Delta Connection	Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Destinations map
Iron Mountain Detroit Minneapolis/St. Paul class=notpageimage| Destinations from Ford Airport Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination

Top destinations

Busiest routes out of IMT
(January 2024 - December 2024)

Rank	City	Passengers	Carrier
1	Detroit, Michigan	10,700	Delta Connection
2	Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota	8,780	Delta Connection

Cargo operations

A FedEx Feeder 208B Super Cargomaster flown by CSA Air

Airlines	Destinations
Ameriflight	Ironwood, Milwaukee
FedEx Feeder	Escanaba, Houghton, Milwaukee
PACC Air	Blaine, Green Bay
Suburban Air Freight	Lansing

Accidents and incidents

• On July 27, 1965, a Beechcraft 65 Queen Air crashed while attempting to land at Iron Mountain. The crew voluntarily shut down one engine to simulate a failure, but the aircraft had insufficient speed to maintain flight and crashed short of the runway. Both occupants received minor injuries. ^[11]
• On July 3, 1974, a Beechcraft Model 18 crashed on approach to Iron Mountain. The pilot encountered poor visibility on approach and descended to look for the runway when he struck a bank. Factors contributing to the crash were a failure to initiate a go-around, an incorrect altimeter setting, runway misalignment, and weather worse than forecasted. ^[12]
• On October 17, 1974, a Beechcraft Model 18 impacted terrain short of the runway while attempting to land. The pilot descended below the Minimum Descent Altitude on an instrument approach. The sole pilot on board was killed. The aircraft was operated by the same company as the Model 18 that crashed earlier in the year. ^[13]
• On January 6, 2000, a Beechcraft Travel Air en route to Ford crashed south of the airport. The airplane was reported on the airport's ILS when the pilot reported moderate rime icing to air traffic controllers. The pilot received fatal injuries. The accident's probable cause was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain proper glidepath and obstacle clearance. Contributing factors were found to be dark nighttime conditions, airframe icing, flight into adverse weather, and conditions conducive to pilot fatigue.
• On August 3, 2021, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk was substantially damaged by the jet blast of a Bombardier CRJ-200 parked nearby. The Skyhawk passed 200 feet behind the jet while mechanics increased engine power for a maintenance test. The blast from the jet lifted the 172's tail, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing and strut. ^[14]
• On December 25, 2021, a Lancair IV-P crashed after taking off from Ford. The pilot, who, along with one passenger, received minor injuries, said there was a starter generator failure annunciator on climbout. The pilot troubleshot the issue, but the engine eventually lost all power, and the pilot was forced to land off-airport. The accident is under investigation. ^[15]

See also

• List of airports in Michigan

References

1. Ford Airport, official website
2. FAA Airport Form 5010 for IMT PDF . Federal Aviation Administration. effective December 26, 2024.
3. Iron Mountain/Kingsfd, MI: Ford
4. "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
5. "Ford Airport Day: 'Silver Dragon,' B-25 among highlights". Iron Mountain Daily News. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
6. "World War II-era planes on display for veterans at Ford Airport". NBC TV 6 Upper Michigan's Source. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
7. "USDOT announces nearly $23M for Upper Michigan airports in response to COVID-19". Upper Michigan's Source. 14 April 2020. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
8. "AirNav: Airport Information". www.airnav.com. Retrieved 2024-12-30.
9. "Dickinson eyes Ford Airport renovation". Iron Mountain Daily News. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
10. "Kubick Aviation Services". AirNav.com. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
11. "CRASH OF A BEECHCRAFT QUEEN AIR 65 IN IRON MOUNTAIN". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
12. "CRASH OF A BEECHCRAFT H18 IN IRON MOUNTAIN: 1 KILLED". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
13. "CRASH OF A BEECHCRAFT H18 IN IRON MOUNTAIN: 1 KILLED". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
14. "Cessna 172, N6778A: Accident occurred August 03, 2021 at Ford Airport (IMT), Iron Mountain, Dickinson County, Michigan". Kathryn's Report. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
15. "Lancair IV-P, N994PT: Accident occurred December 25, 2021 at Ford Airport (KIMT), Iron Mountain, Michigan". Kathryn's Report. Retrieved 2022-11-11.

Other sources

• Essential Air Service documents (Docket Number OST-1999-5175) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
  • 2005-5-14 Order Selecting Carrier and Setting Final Subsidy Rate
  • Order 2007-3-21 Selecting Carrier and Setting Final Subsidy Rates
  • 2008-1-13 Order Selecting Carrier, Setting Final Subsidy Rates and Requesting Proposals
  • 2008-8-14 Order Reselecting Carrier and Setting Final Subsidy Rates
  • 2010-6-4 Order Re-Selecting Carrier, Setting Final Subsidy Rates and Requesting Proposals
  • 2011-11-30 Order Selecting Carrier

External links

• "Ford Airport" (PDF). (39.8  KiB) from Michigan Airport Directory
• "Ford Airport" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-02-21. Retrieved 2006-04-19. (135  KiB) from Wisconsin Airport Directory
• Superior Aviation
• FAA Airport Diagram  (PDF), effective February 20, 2025
• FAA Terminal Procedures for IMT , effective February 20, 2025
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for IMT
  • AirNav airport information for KIMT
  • ASN accident history for IMT
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures