Newport State Airport (Rhode Island)

For similarly named airports, see Newport State Airport (disambiguation).
Newport State Airport
USGS 2006 orthophoto
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerState of Rhode Island
OperatorRhode Island Airport Corp.
ServesNewport, Rhode Island
LocationMiddletown, Rhode Island
Elevation AMSL172 ft / 52 m
Coordinates41°31′57″N 071°16′54″W / 41.53250°N 71.28167°W / 41.53250; -71.28167
Websiteflynewportairport.com
Map
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
4/22 2,999 914 Asphalt
16/34 2,623 799 Asphalt
Statistics (2021)
Aircraft operations20,885
Based aircraft10

Newport State Airport (IATA: NPT[2], ICAO: KUUU, FAA LID: UUU) (officially known as the Colonel Robert F. Wood Air Park)[3] is a state-owned public-use airport in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States.[1] It serves the city of Newport and is located 2 nmi (2.3 mi; 3.7 km) northeast of its central business district.[1] It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027, in which it is categorized as a basic general aviation facility.[4] There is no scheduled airline service available, but it once was served by Air New England.

Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned UUU by the FAA[1] and NPT by the IATA[5] (which assigned UUU to Manumu, Papua New Guinea).[6][7]

Newport State Airport is one of six active airports operated by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, the other five being T.F. Green State Airport, North Central State Airport, Westerly State Airport, Quonset State Airport, and Block Island State Airport.

History

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The airport site was known as Southwick's Grove in the mid-to-late 1800s. At the turn of the twentieth century the site was home to Aquidneck Park, a horse racing track. Wealthy summer residents such as Willie K Vanderbilt, John Jacob Astor and I. Townsend Burden would occasionally race automobiles of various types there. The property was renamed Bethshan-in-the-Woods by Mrs. Theodore K. Gibbs, who had purchased it to preserve the property as a picnic ground for children.[8]

Army Air Force Captain Robert F. Wood established the Newport Air Park on the site in 1946.[9] It appears on topographical maps of the area by 1958 with two airstrips—one along the current 4/22 orientation, and a nearly perpendicular one. They were paved by 1953, when the airport received an Air Force contract to maintain planes for keeping local Air Force pilots current.[10]

The airport site was acquired by the state in July 1960, and new construction of the runways and taxiways was completed by September 1967.[11] In July 1964, the first aircraft accident at the Newport airport (a gear-up landing) was documented by the National Transportation Safety Board.[12] The first fatal accident at Newport State Airport was a mid-air collision between two general aviation aircraft on April 23, 1969. In 2011 part of the film Moonrise Kingdom was filmed at the airport.[13]

Facilities and aircraft

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Newport State Airport covers an area of 221 acres (89 ha; 0.89 km2) at an elevation of 172 ft (52 m) above mean sea level.

It has two runways with asphalt surfaces:

  • Runway 4/22 is 2,999 by 75 ft (914 by 23 m).[1]
  • Runway 16/34 is 2,623 by 75 ft (799 by 23 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending March 31, 2021, the airport had 20,885 aircraft operations, an average of 57 per day: 96% general aviation, 3% air taxi, and <1% military. At that time there were 10 aircraft based at this airport: all single-engine.[1]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Tradewind Aviation Charter: White Plains
Tailwind Air Seasonal: New York–Skyport[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g FAA Airport Form 5010 for UUU PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective August 10, 2023.
  2. ^ "IATA Airport Code Search (NPT: Newport State)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  3. ^ "The Colonel Robert F. Wood Air Park". State of Rhode Island General Laws. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
  4. ^ "NPIAS Report 2023-2027 Appendix A" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. October 6, 2022. p. 106. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  5. ^ "Newport State Airport (IATA: NPT, ICAO: KUUU, FAA: UUU)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  6. ^ "IATA Airport Code Search (UUU: Manumu)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  7. ^ "Manumu Airport, Papua New Guinea (IATA: UUU)". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
  8. ^ "Airport Being Built on Middletown Site". Newport Mercury and Weekly News. 1946-04-19. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Newport Air Park Control By State Being Pressed". Newport Daily News. 1955-10-13. p. 1.
  10. ^ "Air Force Planes to Use Air Park". Newport Daily News. 1953-03-30. p. 1.
  11. ^ "Rhode Island State Airports". Providence Journal. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011.
  12. ^ "NTSB database entry for first reported aircraft accident in Newport, on 7/05/1964". National Transportation Safety Board. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007.
  13. ^ "Upcoming filming locations for 'Moonrise Kingdom' in Rhode Island". OnLocationVacations.com. May 1, 2011.
  14. ^ Winthrop, Christian (April 28, 2023). "You Can Now Take A Seaplane From NYC to Newport". Newport Buzz. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
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