We usually cover specific events at airports, often relating to aircraft or airline events, but sometimes about milestones at the airport itself.
We’re going to try something new – profiling airports you may not know about, ones that have an interesting history or attribute.
First up will be Virginia Tech/Montgomery Executive Airport in Blacksburg, Virginia (BCB).
Why choose an airport that most avgeeks haven’t heard of, that’s well off the beaten path, and that doesn’t even have commercial service? Because of all those things. We love to learn, and places like these are often filled with fascinating tidbits of info and history.
Last month we had the opportunity to visit and tour BCB with the airport’s Executive Director, Keith Holt.
The airport currently boasts a jet-capable 5,501-foot runway, but that wasn’t always the case.
Virginia Tech has been around since 1872. The airport was founded in 1929 on land that was owned by the university, located about 1.5 miles from campus. Before that, aviators made use of either a nearby farmer’s field and an athletic field on campus (those old biplanes didn’t need a very long runway).
The airport officially opened in 1931. As World War II approached, the airport was designated a Civilian Pilot Training Program facility and an aircraft mechanic training facility, all to help the war effort.
The heavy use from training aircraft was ruining the grass runway, so in 1941 a 2,850-foot paved runway was installed, designated 08-26. Over time, it became apparent that the runway was not optimally aligned with prevailing winds, so in 1966 what was then the 4,200-foot runway 12-30 was constructed; runway lighting was installed the following year. The original runway (08-26) was closed in 1985 and converted to aircraft parking.
Since then, the airport has expanded even further, lengthening the runway, adding a localizer, DME, and GPS instrument approach and landing equipment, an automated AWOS weather system, and updated lighting.
We asked the airport’s Executive Director Keith Holt to describe what makes the airport unique and useful for the region: “BCB is an in-town destination. We are incorporated inside town limits and our property line directly borders the campus of Virginia Tech. Our location is central and convenient not just for visitors to the University, but also businesses and corporations doing business in Blacksburg, Christiansburg and the greater Montgomery County.”
Holt said the airport has 42 aircraft based on site and 21,900 operations a year. “The most common aircraft are corporate jets, charters and light general aviation,” he said. “As an airport so close to a major university – sporting events and college graduations become a large event for the airport. For a recent football game, we had 59 arrivals just for the game,” he said.
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