DuPage Airport

DuPage Airport
FAA airport diagram
IATA: DPA – ICAO: KDPA – FAA LID: DPA
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner/Operator		DuPage Airport Authority
Location		West Chicago, Illinois
Elevation AMSL		759 ft / 231.3 m
Coordinates		41°54′25″N 88°14′54″W / 41.90694°N 88.24833°W / 41.90694; -88.24833Coordinates: 41°54′25″N 88°14′54″W / 41.90694°N 88.24833°W / 41.90694; -88.24833
Website		www.DuPageAirport.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
2L/20R	7,570	2,307	Concrete
2R/20L	5,100	1,554	Concrete
10/28	4,751	1,448	Asphalt
15/33	3,401	1,037	Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Aircraft operations			99,802
Based aircraft			365
Source: FAA[1]

DuPage Airport (IATA: DPA, ICAO: KDPA, FAA LID: DPA) is a general aviation airport located 29 miles (47 km) west of downtown Chicago in West Chicago, DuPage County, Illinois. It is owned and operated by the DuPage Airport Authority, which is an independent government body established by law by the State of Illinois. It also serves as a reliever airport for O'Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport.

History

DuPage Airport is located on what used to be sheep-grazing land, but in 1927, two Chicago entrepreneurs purchased the land and began barnstorming, using the field as a grass strip. In 1941, the U.S. Navy requisitioned DuPage Airport, built brick hangars, paved two runways in an “X” pattern and began training pilots for the war effort. The airport was officially activated in March 1943.^[1] Both the hangars and the original runway configuration still exist, though one runway is closed and is now taxiway C.

A year after the Navy began operations, Howard Aircraft Corporation opened a factory east of the airport across the road. The company built more than 500 trainer, transport and air ambulance aircraft for the military, and Howard employees were regularly seen pushing aircraft across the road to the little airport to test fly them.

In 1946, with the war over, the Navy sold the airport to DuPage County for $1. The post-war boom saw a lot of regional growth and the airport reflected it by adding an east/west runway and a five-story control tower and making plans for further expansion.

In the late 1970s, DuPage Airport was designated a reliever airport for general aviation aircraft, and in the early 1980s, the airport authority began an expansion project to accommodate the increased traffic.

However, planners learned a lesson from the plight of the beleaguered, land-locked Midway Airport. Surrounded by houses, restaurants and other small businesses, Midway found itself unable to expand and neighbors filed an endless succession of noise complaints. DuPage County would not make the same mistake.

The airport grew from 900 acres (360 ha) in 1985 to 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) by 1992, with the goal of maintaining control of all the property surrounding the runway complex. Much of the land was acquired to provide a large buffer zone around the airport.

Facilities and aircraft

The DuPage Airport Authority owns 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) and operates four separate business units. This multifaceted business portfolio includes the DuPage Airport, one of the busiest airports in Illinois, its associated fixed base operator, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed golf course, and the largest corporate research and development park in DuPage County.

DuPage Airport sits on 1,200 acres (490 ha) and is the only general aviation airport in Illinois with four active runways, two ILS approaches, a 24-hour FAA air control tower, and over 40 aviation and non-aviation support businesses. DPA also has an on-site U.S. Customs Office.

For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2008, the airport had 99,802 aircraft operations, an average of 273 per day: 95% general aviation, 4% air taxi, <1% military, and <1% scheduled commercial. There are 365 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 14% multi-engine, 16% jet, and 1% helicopter.^[1]

DuPage Airport also serves at he Wing Headquarters for Illinois wing civil air patrol.

Reception

The airport has faced severe political criticism in the 1980s and 1990s. A 1995 Chicago magazine exposé called it "A Monument to Lavish Spending of Taxpayers' Money, a Haven of GOP Patronage, and the Target of a Federal Probe."

According to an article by John K. Wilson:

Philip, the patron of DuPage airport, helped push forward a disastrously expensive enterprise which included land purchases making it four times the size of Midway Airport, a $10 million terminal, a $14 million golf course, and a charter airline run by the airport. The DuPage Airport budget grew from $1.6 million in 1984 to $46 million in 1993 at a time when airport use was declining. In 1992, DuPage Airport handled only 177,000 takeoffs and landings, while Aurora Municipal Airport took care of 134,000 takeoffs and landings at a cost of only $2 million.^[2]

According to a May 2006 article in Aviation International News:

Before 2003, the airport had been on a trend of worsening annual operating losses. That trend was reversed in 2003 and the airport has continued to show improved operating results each quarter since. Last year the airport experienced a record-breaking year, with revenue up and expenditures down. The cornerstone of the airport’s financial turnaround is the mission statement developed by the airport’s Board of Commissioners in 2003. It establishes the framework for moving the airport toward operating as a self-sustaining facility while contributing to the economic impact of the county. The aggressive philosophy has resulted in two leases that will bring 60,000 sq ft (6,000 m²) of new hangar space to the airport. The airport is also developing another 48,000 sq ft (4,500 m²) of hangar space.^[3]

In June of 2010, the board of the DuPage National Technology Park, an 800-acre (3.2 km²) technology park that secured a $34 million state grant called for the dissolution of their organization.^[4]

See also

	Chicago portal
	Illinois portal
	Aviation portal

• List of airports in Illinois
• List of airports in the Chicago area

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} FAA Airport Master Record for DPA (Form 5010 PDF), effective 31 July 2008
2. ^ http://ink.uchicago.edu/page_olga_made/archives/pate897.html
3. ^ http://www.dupageairport.com/ainarticle1.htm
4. ^ [1] Dave McKinney, "7 of 10 on board say end tech park: Sun-Times article 'absolutely' spurred call to dissolve" June 22, 2010 Chicago Sun-Times

News

• DuPage Airport - Happy Flyer - Corporate Xpansion Magazine 1st Quarter 2006
• DuPage Airport - West Chicago airport prospers while positioning for the future - Phillips 66 Featured FBOs April 2006
• DuPage Airport Authority Chairman Details Airport’s Dramatic Financial Turnaround to County Board - April 2005
• DuPage Airport Makes Case To County
• DuPage Airport Authority Loses Tax Appeal
• DuPage Airport Authority And County Board Send Out Trial Balloon
• DuPage Democrats Blast County Technology Park
• U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals CITIZEN ADVOCACY CENTER, ET AL. v DUPAGE AIRPORT AUTHORITY, ET AL.

External links

• DuPage Airport, official web site
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 20 October 2011
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KDPA
  • ASN accident history for DPA
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures for KDPA