Tipton Airport
Tipton Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Tipton Airport Authority | ||||||||||
| Location | Fort Meade/Odenton, Maryland | ||||||||||
| ElevationAMSL | 150 ft / 46 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°05′07″N076°45′34″W/ 39.08528°N 76.75944°W | ||||||||||
| Website | TiptonAirport.org | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  FME Location of airport in Maryland / United States  FME FME(the United States) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||
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Tipton Airport(IATA:FME,ICAO:KFME,FAALID:FME) is a publicairportjust south ofFort George G. MeadeinOdenton,Anne Arundel County,Maryland.The facility is bordered by Fort Meade, theNational Security Agency,and thePatuxent Wildlife Research Center.The airport opened in 1999 on the site of a formerUnited States Army Airfieldthat was closed in 1995. It is operated by the Tipton Airport Authority.[2]
Facilities and aircraft
[edit]Tipton Airport covers an area of 366acres(148ha) and contains one pavedrunway(10/28) measuring 3,000 ft × 75 ft (914 m × 23 m).[1]
For The 12-month period ending March 24, 2023, the airport had 38,124 aircraft operations, an average of 104 per day: 100%general aviation,<1%air taxi,and <1% military. There are 97 aircraft/rotorcraft based at the airport: 76 single-engine, 7 multi-engine and 14helicopters.[1]
History
[edit]Tipton Airport was originally a military airfield. It was constructed in 1960 over a landfill on the outskirts of Fort Meade and was named Fort George G. Meade Army Airfield. The new airfield replaced a smaller airstrip that had been operating since at least 1935 at a site approximately two miles northeast of Tipton's location (what is now the Fort Meade post exchange and commissary complex).[3]In April 1962, the field was renamed Tipton Army Airfield in honor of ColonelWilliam Tipton,aMaryland National Guardofficer and decorated veteran of both world wars. Tipton was killed in an aircraft crash in Ohio at the end ofWorld War II.[4]
At 2 A.M. on February 17, 1974, Robert K. Prestonstole a Huey helicopterfrom Tipton Field, flew it toWashington, D.C.,and hovered for six minutes over theWhite Housebefore descending on the South Lawn, about 100 yards (91 m) from theWest Wing.[5]
Public Law 100–526, the Base Alignment and Closure (BRAC) Act of 1988,[6]designated Tipton Army Airfield for closure, and as a result the land on which Tipton is located was transferred to civilian control in 1995. Following a lengthyenvironmental remediation,which included the removal of unexploded ordnance and hazardous waste,[7]it was opened to civilian traffic. A formal dedication of Tipton Airport was held on October 27, 1999, and on November 1, 1999, the airport held a grand opening.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcFAA Airport Form 5010 for FMEPDF,retrieved 2023-08-18
- ^Tipton Airport(official site)
- ^(Original) Fort Meade Auxiliary Army AirfieldArchived2011-10-12 at theWayback Machine,retrieved 2011-01-14
- ^Minami, Wayde. Tipton Had Distinguished Career in War and Peace,retrieved 2011-01-14
- ^Freeze, Christopher."The Time a Stolen Helicopter Landed on the White House Lawn - Robert Preston's wild ride".Air & Space.Smithsonian.Retrieved22 March2017.
- ^Tipton Airport Homepage,retrieved 2011-01-14
- ^Davis, Clayton. A History of Tipton Army AirfieldArchived2012-07-09 atarchive.today,retrieved 2011-01-14
External links
[edit]
- Resources for this airport:
- FAAairport information for FME
- AirNavairport information for KFME
- ASNaccident history for FME
- FlightAwareairport informationandlive flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations:current,past three days
- SkyVectoraeronautical chart,Terminal Procedures