Craig Field (Alabama)

For the U.S. Air Force use of this facility prior to 1977, see Craig Air Force Base.

Craig Field
NAIP aerial image, 2006
IATA: SEM – ICAO: KSEM – FAA LID: SEM
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Craig Field Airport & Industrial Authority
Serves		Selma, Alabama
Elevation AMSL		166 ft / 51 m
Coordinates		32°20′38″N 086°59′16″W / 32.34389°N 86.98778°W / 32.34389; -86.98778
Website		www.CraigComplex.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
15/33	8,002	2,439	Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft operations			38,550
Based aircraft			8
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Craig Field (IATA: SEM, ICAO: KSEM, FAA LID: SEM) is a public-use airport located four nautical miles (4.6 mi, 7.4 km) southeast of the central business district of Selma, a city in Dallas County, Alabama, United States. The airport is owned by Craig Field Airport & Industrial Authority.^[1] It is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.^[2]

DayJet provides an on-demand jet air taxi service from this airport to Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Gainesville, Macon, Savannah, Pensacola, Lakeland/Tampa, Opa-Locka/Miami Dade, Boca Raton, Naples, Sarasota/Bradenton.

Facilities and aircraft

Craig Field covers an area of 1,790 acres (720 ha) at an elevation of 166 feet (51 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 15/33 with an asphalt and concrete surface measuring 8,002 by 150 feet (2,439 x 46 m). For the 12-month period ending November 2, 2009, the airport had 38,550 aircraft operations, an average of 105 per day: 89% general aviation, 10% military, and 1% air taxi. At that time there were 8 single-engine aircraft based at this airport.^[1]

Although the former USAF air traffic control tower at Craig Field remains standing, as of 2007 it was unmanned and non-operational, with UNICOM being used as a common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF). Both parallel 8,000-foot (2,400 m) runways still exist, but only one runway is currently operational while the other remains closed. The Craig VORTAC and the Instrument Landing System (ILS) for the current Runway 33 remain operational on the field. The airport's military traffic is primarily Navy and USAF aircraft inbound to the L3 Communications/Vertex Aerospace facility.

The former military family housing was sold to individual owners shortly after base closure and has seen significant decay as compared to its previous military occupants.^{[citation needed]}

Multiple civilian government and corporate tenants have taken up residency, to include L3 Communications/Vertex Aerospace (formerly Raytheon Aerospace), which operates an aircraft repair facility at Craig Field primarily focused on supporting Navy T-34C, T-44A, TC-12F and Navy and USAF T-6A aircraft. The former on base elementary school continues to operate as the civilian-run Craig Elementary and the former base golf course continues to operate commercially as the Craig Golf Course and Driving Range. The Alabama Highway Patrol (AHP) also operates both its training academy and its headquarters for AHP's F Troop at Craig.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} FAA Airport Master Record for SEM (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 30 June 2011.
2. ^ National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015: Appendix A (PDF, 2.03 MB). Federal Aviation Administration. Updated 4 October 2010.

External links

• FAA Terminal Procedures for SEM, effective 20 October 2011
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for SEM
  • ASN accident history for SEM
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for SEM