- Dothan Regional Airport
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Dothan Regional Airport
Napier Field
NAIP aerial image, 24 June 2006 IATA: DHN – ICAO: KDHN – FAA LID: DHN Summary Airport type Public Owner Dothan - Houston County Airport Authority Serves Dothan, Alabama Location Dale County, Alabama Elevation AMSL 401 ft / 122 m Coordinates 31°19′16″N 085°26′58″W / 31.32111°N 85.44944°W Website Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 14/32 8,498 2,590 Asphalt 18/36 5,000 1,524 Asphalt Statistics (2009) Aircraft operations 86,319 Based aircraft 91 Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] 
Dothan Regional AirportLocation of Dothan Regional Airport, Alabama
FAA diagram of Dothan Regional Airport
Dothan Regional Airport (IATA: DHN, ICAO: KDHN, FAA LID: DHN) is a public use airport in the Dale County portion of Dothan, Alabama, located five nautical miles (9 km) northwest of the central business district of Dothan, a city primarily in Houston County, Alabama, United States.[1] It is mostly used for military aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline.
Contents
History
In 1941 the United States Army Air Corps constructed Napier Field, named in honor of Major Edward L. Napier of Union Springs, Alabama. One of the Army's first flight surgeons, he was killed in the crash of of a Fokker D.VII, AS-5382, [2] at McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio, on 15 September 1923. He had been a Medical Corps Officer in the Great War and had transferred to the Army Air Corps. He was receiving training as a flight surgeon at the time of his death. The official report states that he was piloting the plane himself and there was a structural failure of a wing. [3]
Napier was assiged to the Southeast Training Center of the Army Air Force Training Command. It was commanded by the 73d Army Air Force Base Unit.
The 29th Flying Training Wing was activated at Napier on 26 December 42. The 2116th (Pilot School, Advanced, Single-Engine) was main operational group at Napier Field. The group flew mostly AT-6 Texans as well as providing advanced & specialized training in single engine aircraft, including P-40 fighters. The first aircraft began operating on the field on October 1, 1941.
On 20 December 1941, the first group of British cadets arrived for training. The first American cadets graduated on July 3, 1942 (42-F). In late May 1945, officers from the Mexican Army began P-40 training at Napier Field.
The field was deactivated on 31 October 1945, and the airfield and its improvements were subsequently made available to the City of Dothan and Houston County under an Agreement in 1946 which was jointly accepted at that time. The airport lands lay dormant for about 20 years and Houston County later turned its share of Napier Field to the City.
In the early 1960s, a complete overhaul of the facility commenced with the old AAF airfield layout being largely dug up and turned into hardcore for new jet runways, buildings and other facilities built for a civilian airport. Dothan Regional Airport opened to commercial activity on February 15, 1965.[4] [5] [6] [7]
Facilities and aircraft
Dothan Regional Airport covers an area of 1,150 acres (470 ha) at an elevation of 401 feet (122 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 14/32 is 8,498 by 150 feet (2,590 x 46 m) and 18/36 is 5,500 by 100 feet (1,676 x 30 m).[1]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2009, the airport had 86,319 aircraft operations, an average of 236 per day: 58% military, 38% general aviation, 3% scheduled commercial, and 1% air taxi. At that time there were 91 aircraft based at this airport: 53% single-engine, 38% multi-engine, 8% jet and 1% helicopter.[1]
Airlines and destinations
Scheduled passenger service
Airlines Destinations Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines Atlanta Mesa Airlines Austin [8] Accidents and Incidents
31 August 1991 - A Boeing 707 operated by Lloyd Aereo Boliviana was damaged beyond repair in a hangar fire.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for DHN (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 3 June 2010.
- ^ http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/1940sB4/1923.htm
- ^ http://genforum.genealogy.com/napier/messages/1690.html
- ^ It is the 2nd Commercial primary airport. About Dothan Regional Airport, retrieved 2007-06-25
- ^
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency. - ^ Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
- ^ Manning, Thomas A. (2005), History of Air Education and Training Command, 1942–2002. Office of History and Research, Headquarters, AETC, Randolph AFB, Texas ASIN: B000NYX3PC
- ^ http://www.flightstats.com/go/FlightStatus/flightStatusByAirport.do;jsessionid=4CACD48E3B1D96DA7C06D5AB1351F6A3.web1:8009?airport=%28DHN%29+Dothan+Airport%2C+AL%2C+US&airportQueryDate=2011-11-05&airportQueryTime=-1&airlineToFilter=&airportQueryType=0&x=19&y=3
External links
- Dothan Regional Airport, official site
- Airfield photos for DHN from Civil Air Patrol
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 20 October 2011
- FAA Terminal Procedures for DHN, effective 20 October 2011
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KDHN
- ASN accident history for DHN
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KDHN
- FAA current DHN delay information
Army Air Forces Training CommandFlying Training Flying Schools Eastern Flying Training Command · Central Flying Training Command · Western Flying Training CommandSpecialized Schools Bombardier · Contract Flying · Glider Training · Gunnery · Navigator
Technical Training Eastern Technical Training Command · Central Technical Training Command · Western Technical Training CommandCategories:- Airports established in 1941
- Airports in Alabama
- Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Alabama
- Buildings and structures in Dale County, Alabama
- USAAF Southeast Training Center
- Transportation in Dale County, Alabama
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