French Frigate Shoals Airport
French Frigate Shoals Airport | |||||||||||
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Coordinates | 23°52′11″N 166°17′05″W / 23.86972°N 166.28472°W | ||||||||||
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French Frigate Shoals Airport (
Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned HFS by the FAA[1] but has no designation from the IATA (which assigned HFS to Hagfors Airport in Hagfors, Sweden[2]).
The airfield was completed in 1943 by the
Previously, only seaplanes landed at the French Frigate shoals lagoons or it had to be visited by boat.
Facilities
French Frigate Shoals Airport has one
During World War 2, the facilities included a barracks, radar tower, and fuel tanks as well as others buildings to support operations there.[3] The station had parking spaces for 18-22 small aircraft at that time, and was a refueling stop between Midway and Hawaii.[3]
History
The
During WW2 reconnaissance flights were flown from the base each day.[3]
In 1944, a
In 1952, the United States Coast Guard built a Long Range Navigation (LORAN) beacon tower on the island alongside a 20-man supporting facility. The Coast Guard used the airfield for a weekly mail-and-supply flight. The Coast Guard installation continued in operation until 1979.[6]
After WW2 until the 1960s it was also used for flights for commercial fishing.[3]
In 2009 the islands were evacuated during the approach of
In 2010 there were 11 flights to the French Frigate Shoals airstrip.[8]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b6/Hawaiianislandchain_USGS.png/310px-Hawaiianislandchain_USGS.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9e/Starr_010520-0014_Scaevola_taccada.jpg/220px-Starr_010520-0014_Scaevola_taccada.jpg)
List of aircraft that utilized Tern (WW2)
Many aircraft had to land at the airstrip during WW2 such a need for fuel, mechanical issues, or bad weather.[4] Types of aircraft that landed at the base during the war include:[4]
- SBD
- F4F
- F6F
- PBY-5A
- R5O
- R4C
- R4D
- PV-1
- B-25
References
- ^ PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 29 July 2010.
- ^ "HFS / ESOH - Hagfors Airport, Hagfors, Sweden". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
- ^ a b c d https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-12/documents/ternisland-tsd.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b c https://georgehbalazs.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2012-Part-2-of-3-The-Coral-Carrier-French-Frigate-Shoals-A-History.-A.-Binion-Amerson-Jr.-Author-and-Publisher..pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Page 105 on The Coral Carrier by Binion
- ^ "French Frigate Shoals Naval Air Facility". Archived from the original on 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
- ^ "U.S. Coast Guard aircrew rescues 10 from French Frigate Shoals". CoastGuardNews.com. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ https://www.oha.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/2013_Permit-Annual-Report_web.pdf [bare URL PDF]