Airport in Massachusetts, United States of America
Laurence G. Hanscom Field
(
IATA
:
BED
,
ICAO
:
KBED
,
FAA
LID
:
BED
), commonly known as
Hanscom Field
, is a public use
airport
operated by the
Massachusetts Port Authority
, located 14 mi (12 nmi; 23 km) outside
Boston
in
Bedford
,
Massachusetts
,
United States
.
[1]
Hanscom is mainly a
general aviation
airport, the largest in New England. Both runways can accommodate jets, and are used by
Hanscom Air Force Base
, a defense-research facility next to Hanscom Field. It is a popular training airport, with more than 40 rental aircraft on the field. The Civil Air Terminal building hosts two flight schools. Transient general aviation planes are served by three
FBOs
:
Jet Aviation
,
Rectrix Aviation
, and
Signature Flight Support
.
It is also used sometimes by the
Boston Bruins
,
Boston Celtics
and
Boston Red Sox
, instead of
Logan International Airport
, for their charter flights to and from away contests.
Federal Aviation Administration
records say the airport had 10,956 passenger boardings (enplanements) in
calendar year
2017.
[2]
It is in the
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
for 2021?2025, in which the FAA categories it as a
non-primary commercial service
airport (between 2,500 and 10,000 enplanements per year).
[3]
The field serves aircraft from
Piper Cubs
to
Gulfstream V
jets. The events of
September 11
caused a number of changes to general aviation in the US (see
Airport security repercussions due to the September 11 attacks
). Hanscom Field saw changes implemented by Massport that included security fees, identification cards, and a requirement for propeller locks.
Facilities and aircraft
[
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]
2015 aerial view of Hanscom Field
Hanscom Field covers 1,125 acres (455 ha; 4.55 km
2
) at an
elevation
of 132 ft (40 m) above
mean sea level
.
It has two
asphalt
runways
:
- Runway 11/29 is 7,011 ft × 150 ft (2,137 m × 46 m)
[1]
- Runway 5/23 is 5,107 ft × 150 ft (1,557 m × 46 m)
[1]
In the year ending September 30, 2021 the airport had 99,961 aircraft operations, an average of 274 per day: 81%
general aviation
, 18%
air taxi
, less than 1%
military
and less than 1%
scheduled commercial
. In April 2022, there were 252 aircraft based at this airport: 146 single-engine, 20 multi-engine, 75
jet
and 11
helicopter
.
[1]
In 2008, and many years prior, Hanscom had handled the second most aircraft movements of any airport in New England after
Boston-Logan
. On a nice weekend day the traffic pattern gets so busy the tower is known to close the traffic pattern and only allow full stop landings.
Hanscom Field's traffic is primarily business jets and general aviation aircraft. The airport is served by a FAA control tower which operates between the hours of 7:00 am (-05:00) to 11:00 pm (-05:00). Massport assesses a nighttime field use fee for takeoffs or landings conducted outside of the tower operating hours.
Airlines and destinations
[
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]
Under Massport regulations adopted in 1980 (Part F of the General Rules and Regulations for Laurence G. Hanscom Field), scheduled commercial operations are limited to aircraft with up to 60 seats.
[4]
Shuttle America
, a
Connecticut
-based
regional airline
, operated scheduled service from the airfield from 1999 until 2004, carrying more than 10,000 passengers each month to Buffalo, New York; Hartford, Connecticut; New York LaGuardia; Trenton, New Jersey; and Greensboro, North Carolina, using
De Havilland Dash 8-300
aircraft. In 2001 Shuttle America became a
US Airways Express
feeder carrier on behalf of
US Airways
providing service to Philadelphia and Trenton until service ended in 2004.
De Havilland Dash 8
and
Saab 340
aircraft were used in the latter years.
Boston-Maine Airways
, dba
Pan Am Clipper Connection
began servicing the airport in 2002 using
Jetstream 31
aircraft. Clipper flights connected Hanscom Field with
Pease Airport
in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
, and
Trenton?Mercer Airport
in New Jersey. In its final years, Clipper added flights from Hanscom to
Ithaca-Tompkins Regional Airport
in
Central New York
. Even with this new route, Clipper could never draw the numbers it needed to remain profitable. The airline was forced to cease operation in 2008 by the FAA for lack of funding and management. That left Hanscom Field without scheduled airline service for the first time in a decade.
In 2011,
Trenton
-based airline
Streamline Air
began its first public charter route to Hanscom using 30-seat
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
aircraft, beginning with two daily round trips on weekdays. Streamline ceased operations on September 15, 2012.
[5]
In the spring of 2021,
Southern Airways Express
announced that they were replacing their
Hyannis
-
Nantucket
route with a Bedford/Hanscom Field-
Nantucket
route beginning May 26, 2021. This was the first scheduled passenger service out of Hanscom Field in almost a decade.
Cargo
[
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]
Notable events at Hanscom Field
[
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]
On 8 August 1962, a
U.S. Air Force
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker
, a modified former tanker, crashed on approach to Hanscom Field's runway 11, destroying the aircraft and killing all three members of the flight crew.
[7]
In September 1964,
The Beatles
arrived at Hanscom Field aboard a chartered aircraft during one of their American concert tours. They were making an appearance at
Boston Garden
the following day. It was felt that the immense popularity of the British singing group would cause congestion at Boston-Logan International Airport, so this alternative airport was selected.
[8]
On 24 November 1988,
George Koskotas
, who fled
Greece
after being indicted on five counts of forgery and embezzlement, was apprehended by the
FBI
at Hanscom Field after landing in a private jet with his family.
[9]
On 31 May 2014, a private
Gulfstream IV
business jet
crashed and caught fire
beyond the end of runway 11 following an aborted take off from Hanscom Field, killing all seven people on board. A preliminary
NTSB
report suggests that the
flight controls were locked
, preventing the aircraft from rotating to take off.
[10]
Lewis Katz
, co-owner of the
Philadelphia Inquirer
, the
Philadelphia Daily News
, and
Philly.com
, was among the dead.
[11]
[12]
On June 2, 2017, actor
Harrison Ford
landed at Hanscom prior to spending the weekend in Boston.
[13]
Movies/scenes filmed at Hanscom Field
[
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]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
FAA Airport Form 5010 for BED
PDF
. Federal Aviation Administration. effective April 21, 2022.
- ^
"Enplanements for CY 2017"
(PDF, 1.0 MB)
.
CY 2017 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data
. Federal Aviation Administration. November 7, 2018.
- ^
"2011?2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A"
(PDF, 2.03 MB)
.
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
- ^
"The State of Hanscom, March 2017"
(PDF)
. Retrieved
May 13,
2018
.
- ^
"Streamline"
. Archived from
the original
on March 22, 2012
. Retrieved
March 22,
2012
.
- ^
"Ameriflight Routes"
. Retrieved
December 5,
2017
.
- ^
"From the Archives: Westover KC-135 crash remembered 57 years ago"
?
Mass Live
, April 15, 2015
- ^
"Beatlemania Arrived In Boston 50 Years Ago"
? WBZ-4, September 12, 2014
- ^
Fulham, Dana (November 25, 1988). "US Detains Man Sought by Greece in Scandal".
The Boston Globe
.
- ^
NTSB data published
- ^
Cavaliere, Victoria, Chris Michaud, Jon Herskovitz, and Dave Warner, "Philadelphia Inquirer co-owner among seven dead in Massachusetts plane crash," Reuters, June 1, 2014, 2:33pm EDT.
- ^
"Saturday 31 May 2014 Accident"
. Aviation Safety Network. June 1, 2014.
- ^
"Harrison Ford Presents Teen with High School Diploma at Aviation Event Honoring Actor's Dedication to Flying"
?
People.com
, June 5, 2017
- ^
Tracked Down: - BostonHerald.com
Archived
2011-06-13 at the
Wayback Machine
External links
[
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]
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