Robertson Field

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For the airport in North Dakota, see Robertson Field (North Dakota).
Robertson Field
IATA: none – ICAO: none – FAA: 4B8
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Tomasso Brothers, Inc.
Operator Interstate Aviation, Inc.
Location Plainville, Connecticut
Elevation AMSL 200 ft / 61 m
Coordinates 41°41′25″N 072°51′53″W / 41.69028, -72.86472
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
2/20 3,612 1,101 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
ft m
H1 30 9 Asphalt
Statistics (2006)
Aircraft operations 59,200
Based aircraft 110
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Robertson Field (FAA LID: 4B8), also known as Robertson Airport, is a public use airport located two miles (3 km) north of the central business district of Plainville, a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is privately owned by Tomasso Brothers, Inc.[1]

The Town of Plainville has been exploring a purchase of the airport since 2005. It was appraised by Tomasso at $6.5 million, double its tax assessment by the town. The cost of purchase would probably be paid by the state and the FAA. The earliest that Plainville could complete the purchase would be in the summer of 2008.[2] In July 2007, the town received a $116,850 federal grant to further study buying the airport.[3]

Robertson Airport is primarily used for charter flights and flight training. [4]

Contents

[edit] History

Opened in 1911, Robertson Field is the oldest airport in Connecticut.[5]

John H. Trumbull, a Plainville native and Connecticut's Governor from 1925 to 1931, is known to have used the airfield. He was dubbed "The Flying Governor".[6]

In 1990 the Tomasso family completed renovation and expansion of the 3,600-foot (1,100 m) runway.[7]

[edit] Facilities and aircraft

Robertson Field covers an area of 39 acres (16 ha) which contains one runway and one helipad:[1]

  • Runway 2/20: 3,612 x 75 ft. (1,101 x 23 m), Surface: Asphalt
  • Helipad H1: 30 x 30 ft. (9 x 9 m), Surface: Asphalt

For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2006, the airport had 59,200 aircraft operations, an average of 162 per day: 97% general aviation, 3% air taxi and <1% military. There are 110 aircraft based at this airport: 94% single engine and 6% multi-engine.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for 4B8 (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-07-05
  2. ^ Ken Byron (February 6, 2007). Study: Airport Could Bring In Funds To Town; Buying Robertson, The State's Oldest Airport, Has Been Considered Since 2005. The Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on February 2007.
  3. ^ Ken Byron (July 17, 2007). U.S. Will Fund Airport Study; Robertson Purchase is 'Moving Forward'. The Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on July 2007.
  4. ^ Robin Stansbury (May 2007). Connecticut's Smaller Airports Falling Victim to Development. The Hartford Courant.
  5. ^ Ken Byron (September 19, 2006). Consultant To See If Airport Plan Will Fly. The Hartford Courant.
  6. ^ Died: John H. Trumbull. TIME Magazine (June 2, 1961).
  7. ^ TBI Construction Company, LLC: Projects - Robertson Airport

[edit] External links