Waterbury–Oxford Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerConnecticut Airport Authority
LocationOxford, Connecticut
Elevation AMSL726 ft / 221 m
Coordinates41°28′43″N 073°08′07″W / 41.47861°N 73.13528°W / 41.47861; -73.13528
WebsiteOXC website
Maps
FAA airport diagram
FAA airport diagram
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
18/36 5,800 1,768 Asphalt
Statistics (2015)
Aircraft operations45,396
Based aircraft257
Gulfstream IV departing Oxford

Waterbury–Oxford Airport (IATA: OXC, ICAO: KOXC, FAA LID: OXC), also known as Oxford Airport,[2] is a public airport located three miles (5 km) north of the central business district of Oxford, a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States.

The land on which the airport now exists was farmland until the mid-1960s. The first purchase of land by the State of Connecticut for the new airport occurred on August 22, 1966 from Adrian V. and Emeline (Miller) Lillis, who owned Trails End Farm, comprising 50 acres; the second purchase was from Michol and Agnes Ploch, containing three parcels totaling 133.75 acres. The groundbreaking ceremony for the airport was held on May 17, 1968, and the airport was officially opened with limited service on December 15, 1969. Uniroyal, Inc., did not own the airport land or the airport itself, but did own a few parcels near it, and in 1972 it contributed the land on which Airport Road was to be built, connecting the airport to Route 188, to the State of Connecticut. Uniroyal, Inc., was the first fixed-base operator of the airport.[3]

It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a national general aviation facility.[4]

Airport upgrades

In 2009, taxiway Echo was extended to connect to taxiway Alpha. This, and other improvements (such as an earlier project in which runway 18/36 was lengthened), have allowed for some larger aircraft to land at Oxford, although Gulfstream V and Global Express jets are the largest to currently operate at the airport on a regular basis.[5]

Facilities and aircraft

Waterbury–Oxford Airport covers an area of 424 acres (172 ha) which contains one asphalt paved runway (18/36) measuring 5,800 x 100 ft (1,768 x 30 m).[1]

For 12-month period ending 31 October 2010 the airport had:

Aircraft based on the field Around 250
Single-engine airplanes Around 150
Multi-engine airplanes Around 10
Jet airplanes Around 90
Helicopters Around 5

On a typical day, Oxford experiences anywhere between 150 and 600 total aircraft operations. Average aircraft operations ending the 31 October 2010 were 137 per day. 2010 showed a significant drop in aircraft operations from 2009.

In January 2008, the restaurant and bar called 121 Restaurant @ OXC opened in a building constructed adjacent to the airport's runway.[6] The 121 Restaurant provides gourmet catering for private aircraft that operate in and out of Oxford, and also provides a place for observing airport operations while enjoying a meal.

The airport authority has confirmed that they will continue to renovate the airport according to the Airport Master Plan (AMP).[7][1] Key Air New York Metro, also known as Key Air, plans to build these hangars on the southeast side of the state-owned field. Phase 1 of construction, which includes the largest new hangar, hangar H, is set to be completed winter 2012. The hangar will be built over a total of 89,000 square feet (8,300 m2), along with an additional 48,450 square feet (4,501 m2) of office space. The second phase of construction which includes 59,332 square feet (5,512.1 m2) of hangar space and 16,150 square feet (1,500 m2) of office space as part of hangar I is set to be completed in 2013.[1] Due to a recent veto of proposed money by Connecticut governor Dan Malloy, the funds for building new office facilities around Oxford airport may be delayed.[8]

On March 13, 2012, Key Air, the leading FBO service provider and aircraft management and charter provider at Oxford officially announced that they would be signing a memorandum of understanding with Pentastar Aviation. This agreement has allowed Pentastar to offer their charter, maintenance and avionics services[9] on the east coast of the United States to complement their bases in Oakland County International Airport and Van Nuys Airport and to offer competitive rates to locally based aircraft. The facilities were officially opened on June 13, 2012.[10]

The Connecticut Wing Civil Air Patrol 101st Western Group Squadron (NER-CT-101) operates out of the airport.[11]

Pentastar is based in Waterford Michigan.. Key Air came close to default and was bailed out by Rizvi Traverse who paid off the note to Merrill Lynch... The Pentastar agreement never came to fruition... Clay Lacy of Van Nuys and Oakland took their place... However not much has happened since. Clay Lacy says they will be opening in Winter 2003...But physical inspection of the property does not show much progress... Key Air CEO and President was named as one of CTs top tax delinquents to the tune of 300k. Buddy Blackburn (a long time airport service company employee) has been hired by Clay Lacy as the manager to oversee operations.

Airlines and destinations

Waterbury–Oxford Airport is not currently served by scheduled air carriers, however, there are multiple international charter companies that are based at Oxford including Clay Lacy Aviation[12] and Tradewind Aviation. Clay Lacy Aviation offers aircraft management and maintenance as well as executive or private charter in one of their many privately operated aircraft.[13] Tradewind offers seasonal scheduled service from the New York Metro area to destinations like Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, as well as shuttles between San Juan, PR and St. Barth. Tradewind also operates executive charter flights with its Pilatus PC-12 and Cessna Citation CJ3 fleet.[14]

Since it is not certified as a Part 139 airport, operations at Waterbury–Oxford Airport are restricted to corporate and general aviation services.

Incidents and accidents

13 January 2010

A small experimental aircraft crashed while landing. The one pilot on board died.[2]

13 January 2011

Exactly one year after the previous incident, a small light sport aircraft reported it was experiencing an engine failure. It was reported that the aircraft had landed in a front yard in Cheshire, Connecticut. Due to the depth of snow on the ground, the aircraft flipped front over after the nose was lowered. The pilot and passenger aboard walked away safely.[15]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Form 5010 for OXC PDF, effective 2007-07-05
  2. 1 2 Ramunni, Kate (14 January 2010). "Pilot killed in Oxford crash". Connecticut Post. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  3. ↑ Personal research of Dr. Robert L. Rafford, Middlebury Municipal Historian, April, 2021
  4. ↑ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "Master Plan – FAQs". Connecticut Department of Transportation. 3 December 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  6. ↑ Leda Quirke (January 2, 2008). "121 Restaurant @ OXC Restaurant Opens at Airport". VoicesNews.com. Retrieved 2009-03-08.
  7. ↑ Airport Master Plan (AMP)
  8. ↑ "CapitolWatch Connecticut Politics". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  9. ↑ Private Charter Services | http://www.pentastaraviation.com/private-jet-service.html
  10. ↑ "Key Air Welcomes the Opening of Pentastar Aviation's East Coast Maintenance Base to its Waterbury–Oxford Airport (OXC) Facilities". PRWeb. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  11. ↑ http://www.ctwg.cap.gov/western-ct-group.html Civil Air Patrol 101st
  12. ↑ "Jet Charter at Waterbury-Oxford Airport".
  13. ↑ "Clay Lacy Metro OXC". Clay Lacy Aviation. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  14. ↑ "Tradewind Aviation – Facilities". Tradewind Aviation. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
  15. ↑ "No injuries in small plane crash in Cheshire". Connecticut Post. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
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