Daniel Field
Daniel Field | |||||||||||||||
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AMSL 423 ft / 129 m | | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 33°27′59″N 082°02′22″W / 33.46639°N 82.03944°W | ||||||||||||||
Website | www.augustaga.gov/... | ||||||||||||||
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Daniel Field (IATA: DNL, ICAO: KDNL, FAA LID: DNL) is a public use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) west of the central business district of Augusta, a city in Richmond County, Georgia, United States.[1] It is owned by the City of Augusta and operated by the General Aviation Commission.[2] This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.[3]
History
Origins
The origins of Daniel Field begin in 1924, when the City of Augusta leased 302 acres (1.22 km2) for an airport and a municipal golf course. About 35,000 people attended the airport's dedication on October 29, 1927. Against the mayor's wishes, the city council named the airport Daniel Field, for mayor Raleigh Daniel, who was a major proponent of the city leasing the land in the early 1920s.[2]
On December 1, 1931, Eastern Air Transport began passenger service, but discontinued it five months later due to unprofitability. Eastern resumed service in November 1932 after obtaining a mail contract. The same year, Delta Air Lines began serving Atlanta and Charleston, South Carolina from Augusta. In 1938, the Works Progress Administration began a project that added paved runways, drainage, and other improvements.
World War II
Alarmed by the
Although the Army initially planned on using Daniel for fighter aircraft, it was utilized instead mostly by transport and observation squadrons. This was due to the fact that Daniel's longest runway was a relatively short 4,200 ft (1,300 m). The geographical restrictions of ravines to the west and the city of Augusta to the east made the extension of the runways impractical.
Initially assigned to the Army Air Corps
During the week of October 20, Daniel Field hosted the
With the United States at war in 1942, activity at the airfield expanded dramatically. In early February. Five transport squadrons of the Air Force Combat Command
Also during February, three observation squadrons, the
On March 2, 1942, the
In 1942, newly built Army Airfields were becoming available in the southeast and the Air Force no longer had the need for Daniel Field and its short runways. No other operational units were stationed at Daniel after August 1942. In February 1943, Daniel was reassigned to the
Daniel also activated and trained 32 chemical warfare companies. Chemical companies were equipped and taught to use smoke pots, tear gas, chemical trailers, trucks, blasting caps, and how to fill aircraft spray tanks. During the last part of the war, Daniel was used to prepare vehicles for use in the planned
By war's end, the Army's air operations at Daniel were discontinued, with the airfield being returned to full civil control on October 31, 1945.
Postwar use
Throughout the war, Delta Air Lines served the airport with commercial airline service. With the closure of the Air Force's facilities, Daniel Field continued as Augusta's municipal airport. Eastern Air Lines resumed service to Augusta in 1948, later joined by Piedmont Airlines. On July 1, 1950, the airlines shifted their operations to Bush Field and Daniel became a general aviation airport.
In 1955, the City moved the two hangars to the eastern side of the airfield. A shopping center was then built on the former ramp area. Today, the only evidence of the Air Force's presence are two hangars. The former cantonment area is now a housing development.
Facilities and aircraft
Daniel Field covers an area of 146
Notably, Daniel Field is some 279 feet (85 m) higher in elevation than the commercial Augusta airport,
Daniel Field has two large, fully enclosed hangars and a smaller open shelter. Augusta Aviation is the fixed-base operator (FBO) on the field, offering fuel, parking, hangars, flight instruction, charters, and aircraft repair.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2019, the airport had 30,000 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 82 per day. In September 2021, there were 52 aircraft based at this airport: 44 single-engine, 7 multi-engine and 1 jet.[1]
Airlines
Daniel Field does not have regularly scheduled Part 121 Air Carrier service. Augusta Aviation, an on-field FBO, offers charter services as do other local and regional providers.
Incidents
Daniel Field is located 6.9 nautical miles (12.8 km) northwest of Augusta’s commercial airport,
See also
- Air Technical Service Command
- Boshears Skyfest
- Georgia World War II Army Airfields
- List of airports in Georgia (U.S. state)
References
- ^ PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective September 9, 2021.
- ^ a b "Daniel Field Airport". City of Augusta. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
- ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on 2012-09-27.
- ^ "A landing place in time - Daniel Field celebrates rich history". Augusta Chronicle. October 15, 1997.
Other sources
- This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Shettle, M. L. (2005), Georgia's Army Airfields of World War II. ISBN 0-9643388-3-1
- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Maurer, Maurer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5
External links
- Daniel Field Airport at City of Augusta website
- DNL - Daniel Field (Augusta) at Georgia DOTAviation website
- Augusta Aviation, the fixed-base operator (FBO)
- Aerial image as of February 1999 from USGS The National Map
- FAA Terminal Procedures for DNL, effective April 18, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for DNL
- AirNav airport information for KDNL
- ASN accident history for DNL
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures