39°48′50″N 082°55′40″W / 39.81389°N 82.92778°W
Rickenbacker International Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| File:Rickenbacker-65th-logo.jpg | |||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | Columbus Regional Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Columbus, Ohio | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 744 ft / 227 m | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www.rickenbacker.org | ||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2005) | |||||||||||||||
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Rickenbacker International Airport (IATA: LCK, ICAO: KLCK, FAA LID: LCK) is a public airport located 10 miles (16 km) south of the central business district of Columbus, a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also operates Port Columbus International Airport and Bolton Field.[1] Rickenbacker International is used primarily as a cargo airport for the city of Columbus and a growing number of passenger charter carriers are using the airport as well.
The United States Air Force maintains a presence in the form of the Ohio Air National Guard 121st Air Refueling Wing, the first Air National Guard unit to fly KC-135 tankers. Rickenbacker International is also the headquarters for the Ohio Military Reserve, the state defense force of Ohio.
Rickenbacker International is humorously known by those in the local general aviation community (especially those involved with Ohio State University's aviation program) as "Rickenchicken," though most of the region's general aviation traffic is limited to the city-owned Bolton Field airport and OSU's Don Scott Field.
Rickenbacker used to be run by the Rickenbacker Port Authority, until merging in 2003 with Port Columbus and Bolton field creating the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. As of July 2006, Rickenbacker is the world's 126th busiest cargo airport according to Air Cargo World.[2] Rickenbacker ranks as one of the worlds top 20 fastest growing cargo airports in July 2006 with 112,888 tons, a 15.3% increase from the previous year. This is mainly due to the transfer of AirNet Systems operations from Port Columbus International Airport to Rickenbacker. This number is expected to increase with the introduction of the new intermodal facility that is under construction. As of now it has scheduled service from FedEx along with contractors Mountain Air Cargo and CSA Air and UPS along with contractors Air Cargo Carriers. Multi-weekly 747 freighter service is operated by Evergreen International Airlines, Atlas Air, and Kalitta Air. Other airlines based at Rickenbacker are Snow Aviation and Air Tahoma. Rickenbacker International Airport was also the site for filming all aircraft exterior shots in the movie Air Force One starring Harrison Ford. Rickenbacker was recently chosen as the host airport for the 2007 Gathering of Mustangs and Legends air show.
Rickenbacker International Airport covers an area of 4,342 acres (1,757 ha) which contains two runways:[1]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 56,998 aircraft operations, an average of 156 per day: 41% air taxi, 28% military, 23% general aviation and 9% scheduled commercial. There are 72 aircraft based at this airport: 14% single engine, 6% multi-engine, 6% jet aircraft, 44% helicopters and 31% military aircraft.[1]
In December, 2006 PlanetSpace entered negotiations with the Ohio government to build a spaceport at Rickenbacker.[3]
The facility was originally opened in June 1942 as Lockbourne Army Airfield (named after the nearby village of Lockbourne). It was then named the Northeastern Training Center of the Army Air Corps, and provided basic pilot training and military support.
Benjamin Davis was one of the most famous of the Afro-American Tuskegee Airmen on World War II. He returned to the US in April 1945, and was given command of the 477th Composite Group at Godman Field, Kentucky. The group moved to Lockbourne in 1946. In addition to commanding the flying unit, Davis also served as base commander. He was the first Afro-American to obtain the rank of general.
It was renamed Lockbourne Air Force Base on January 13, 1948, by Dept. of the Air Force General Order No. 2.
On Sept. 11, 1951, the Strategic Air Command 91st Bomb Wing moved to Lockbourne. It was to become one of SAC's longest-lasting and most versatile wings. It began as a reconnaissance wing, evolved into a bomb wing and ended up a missile wing. The 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was activated in 1948 at McGuire, AFB, New Jersey and continued it's worldwide reconnaissance mission until inactivated at Lockbourne on November 8, 1957.
The 70th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Medium was established at the base on March 23, 1953 and activated January 24, 1955. It was Initially deployed at Lockbourne AFB, Ohio, while it's permanent base underwent construction. During this time, few wing components were actually manned. In 1955, it moved to it's new home, Little Rock, AFB, Arkansas and began flying strategic reconnaissance missions using RB-47 Stratojets.
The 301st Bomb wing converted to the sleek new B-47 Stratojet in 1953 and traded in its KB-29 tankers for KC-97s. It moved from Barksdale AFB to Lockbourne on April 15, 1958. Added electronic countermeasures activities to other missions in 1958 and soon devoted most of its activity to ECM work. Phased out the B-47 in 1964. Became an air refueling wing in 1964 and received KC-135s.
Lockbourne AFB was redesignated Rickenbacker Air Force Base on May 18, 1974, by Dept. of the Air Force Special Order GA-11 of March 6, 1974, to honor Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker, the leading American fighter pilot of World War I.
The base was transferred from the Strategic Air Command to the Air National Guard and redesignated Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base on April 1, 1980, by Dept. of the Air Force Special Order GA-34 of May 20, 1980.
The base was recommended for closure by the 1991 Commission, but as a result of a proposal by the State of Ohio, the 1993 Commission recommended that Rickenbacker ANGB be realigned rather than closed. The Commission decided to retain the 121st Air Refueling Wing and the 160th Air Refueling Group in a cantonment area at Rickenbacker ANGB instead of realigning to Wright-Patterson AFB and operate as tenants of the Rickenbacker Port Authority (RPA) on the RPAs airport. It was realigned as Rickenbacker Air National Guard Station on September 30, 1994 by the 1991 Congressional Base Closure and Realignment Commission.
In August 2001 a Groundbreaking ceremony was held to mark the start of construction for a new, consolidated Navy and Marine Corps Air Reserve Center at Rickenbacker International Airport. The $10 million center, scheduled for completion in early 2003, will be located at the intersection of 2nd Avenue and Club Street adjacent to the Air National Guard facility at Rickenbacker. Being developed by the Naval Reserve, the project will consolidate the Naval Air Reserve Center at Rickenbacker with the Navy and Marine Corps Reserve Center currently located on Yearling Road in Columbus. When completed, the nearly 1,000 Navy and Marine Reservists currently located at the two existing Reserve Centers will shift their activities to this new facility. Once the new center opens, the site of the existing Naval Air Reserve Center at Rickenbacker will be redeveloped by the Rickenbacker Port Authority, which operates the 5,000-acre Airport.