Goodspeed Airport

Last updated
Goodspeed Airport & Seaplane Base
Goodspeed Airport.png
Summary
Airport typePublic-use, privately-owned
OwnerNew England Airport Associates, LLC
Serves East Haddam
LocationFlag of Connecticut.svg  Connecticut
Elevation  AMSL 9 ft / 3 m
Coordinates 41°26′44″N72°27′20″W / 41.44556°N 72.45556°W / 41.44556; -72.45556
Website goodspeedairport.com
Map
Goodspeed Airport
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
ftm
14/322,120646Asphalt
16W/34W4,5001,372Water
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations6,188
Based aircraft33

Goodspeed Airport( FAA LID : 42B) is located in East Haddam, Connecticut, United States. [2] It has been under new ownership with the support of the Recreational Aviation Foundation since November 2020. The new owners plan to revitalize the airport and encourage a vibrant general aviation community.

Contents

Facilities and aircraft

Goodspeed Airport is situated 1 mile southeast of the central business district, and contains two runways. The longest runway, 16/34, is water measuring 4,500 x 1,000 ft (1372 x 305 m). A second runway, 14/32, paved with asphalt, measures 2,120 x 50 ft (646 x 15 m).

The airport's other facilities include docks for seaplanes, a boat ramp for launching straight floatplanes, a small terminal building that houses two businesses, and 36 hangars of a variety of sizes.

The airport has been featured in videos and articles by a number of prominent aviation figures and organizations, including Matt Guthmiller and AOPA, mainly centering on its somewhat unusual position and approaches, and its short paved runway, as well as the nearby Goodspeed Opera House and the town of East Haddam.

For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2010, the airport had 6,188 aircraft operations, an average of 119 per week: 80% local general aviation, and 19% transient general aviation. At that time there were 33 aircraft based at this airport: 87% single-engine and 4% multi-engine, and 9% ultra-light.

The largest aircraft to ever land at Goodspeed Airport is the Douglas C-47 "Placid Lassie," which has been brought in by the Tunison Foundation several times as a visiting exhibit.

Revitalization Plan

In the fall of 2020, Goodspeed Airport was acquired for $891,000 by New England Airport Associates, LLC, a partnership between Eric Zipkin and Bill McEnery, funded in part by the Recreational Aviation Foundation, from Timothy Mellon, who purchased the airport in 1999 for $2.33 million. Both Zipkin and McEnery are pilots and aircraft owners who had previously based aircraft at the airport; McEnery owns the Pedal Power line of bicycle shops, while Zipkin is the founder of Tradewind Aviation. Initial plans to revitalize the airport included making Avgas available again, as well as installing previously permitted seaplane docks. Zipkin and McEnery hope that the airport will see renewed aviation activity. Property development is limited by a conservation easement, so major structural changes to the airport will not occur.

As of October 2023, the airport has attracted renewed community interest, including hosting various local events, and now has both a seaplane flight school (Goodspeed Seaplane) and maintenance facility (Goodspeed Aero Craft) on-site. During the summer of 2023, seaplane docks were reinstalled for the first time in decades.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wausau Downtown Airport</span> Airport

Wausau Downtown Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located in Wausau, a city in Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The airport serves general aviation aircraft, charter flights and seaplane operations. 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 local general aviation facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Hood Seaplane Base</span> Seaplane base in Anchorage, Alaska, US

Lake Hood Seaplane Base is a state-owned seaplane base located 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) southwest of the central business district of Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. The Lake Hood Strip is a gravel runway located adjacent to the seaplane base. The gravel strip airport's previous code of has been decommissioned and combined with as another landing surface.

Lincoln Regional Airport is a public airport located 2 nmi (3.7 km) southwest of the central business district of Lincoln, a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It is owned by the Town of Lincoln.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Renton Municipal Airport</span> Airport in King County, Washington State

Renton Municipal Airport is a public use airport located in Renton, a city in King County, Washington, United States. The airport was renamed Clayton Scott Field in 2005 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Clayton Scott. The airport's northern boundary is Lake Washington and the Will Rogers–Wiley Post Memorial Seaplane Base. Renton Airport has a floating dock and a launching ramp for conversion from wheeled landings to water takeoffs and landings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iliamna Airport</span> Airport

Iliamna Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles (5.5 km) west of the central business district of Iliamna, in the Lake and Peninsula Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska.

Millinocket Municipal Airport is a town-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) southeast of the central business district of Millinocket, a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It once offered commercial airline service on Northeast Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meriden Markham Municipal Airport</span> Airport in Meriden, Connecticut

Meriden Markham Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located three miles (5 km) southwest of the central business district of Meriden, a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. This general aviation airport is owned by City of Meriden. 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 local general aviation facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orlando Apopka Airport</span> Privately owned public use airport in Orange County, Florida, US

Orlando Apopka Airport is a privately owned, uncontrolled, public-use airport located four nautical miles (7 km) northwest of the central business district of Apopka, in Orange County, Florida, United States. It was previously known as Orlando Country Airport and McDonald Airport prior to that, the latter due its proximity to the unincorporated community of McDonald, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simsbury Airport</span> Airport in Simsbury, Connecticut

Simsbury Airport is a public use airport located in Simsbury and East Granby, both towns in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is privately owned by the Airport Realty Association, LLC. The airport is operated by the Simsbury Flying Club, a not-for-profit group that operates an FBO at the airport. 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 general aviation facility.

Herlong Recreational Airport, also known as Herlong Field, then Herlong Airport, is a public airport located eight nautical miles (13 km) southwest of the central business district of Jacksonville, a city in Duval County, Florida, United States.

Sky Harbor Airport & Seaplane Base or Sky Harbor Airport is a public airport in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is located near the Wisconsin border, between Superior Bay and Lake Superior. The airport is six nautical miles (11 km) southeast of the central business district of Duluth, Minnesota, on Minnesota Point within its city limits.

Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, also known as Dewitt Field, is a public use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northwest of the central business district of Old Town, in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. It is owned by the City of Old Town. The seaplane base is located on Marsh Island on the Penobscot River.

Tower Municipal Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) northwest of the central business district of Tower, a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. It is located on Lake Vermilion and is also known as Tower Municipal Airport & Seaplane Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klawock Airport</span> Airport

Klawock Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) northeast of the central business district of Klawock, a city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska.

Shawano Municipal Airport is a city and county-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) northeast of the central business district of Shawano, a city in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. 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 local general aviation facility. The airport is located on Shawano Lake and has a landing area for seaplanes.

Hyder Seaplane Base is a state owned, public use seaplane base located one nautical mile southeast of the central business district of Hyder, a community in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility. It shares its airspace with the nearby Stewart Aerodrome and Stewart Water Aerodrome and its water runway in the Portland Canal exists on the Canada–United States border.

Trident Basin Seaplane Base is a city-owned, public-use seaplane base located in the City of Kodiak, in the Kodiak Island Borough of the U.S. state of United States. This seaplane base is located 4 nautical miles (7 km) northeast of the Kodiak Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salmon River Airfield</span> American airport in Massachusetts

Salmon River Airfield is an American airport located in Colchester, Connecticut, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Candlelight Farms Airport</span> Airport in Connecticut

Candlelight Farms Airport is a privately-owned, public use airfield located in New Milford, Connecticut, United States.

Polson Airport is a public use airport in Lake County, Montana, United States. It is located one nautical mile (2 km) west of the central business district of Polson, a city on the southern shore of Flathead Lake. The airport is owned by the City of Polson and Lake County. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.

References

  1. ↑ FAA Airport Form 5010 for 42B PDF , effective 2010-11-18
  2. ↑ "AirportIQ 5010". Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2010-12-12.


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.