Nashua Airport

Nashua Airport
Boire Field
IATA: ASH – ICAO: KASH – FAA LID: ASH
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Nashua Airport Authority
Serves Nashua, New Hampshire
Elevation AMSL 199 ft / 61 m
Coordinates 42°46′54″N 071°30′53″W / 42.78167°N 71.51472°W / 42.78167; -71.51472Coordinates: 42°46′54″N 071°30′53″W / 42.78167°N 71.51472°W / 42.78167; -71.51472
Website nashuaairport.com
Map
ASH
ASH

Location of airport in New Hampshire/United States

Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14/32 6,000 1,829 Asphalt
Statistics (2011)
Aircraft operations 65,965
Based aircraft 294
Sources: FAA[1] and airport website[2]

Nashua Airport[2] at Boire Field[1] (IATA: ASH[3], ICAO: KASH, FAA LID: ASH) is a public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district of Nashua, a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States.[1] Owned by the Nashua Airport Authority,[1] It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a national reliever airport facility.[4]

For years, Nashua Airport was one of the busiest airports in New England in terms of take-offs and landings due to its use for flight training by adjacent Daniel Webster College. However, the school ended its pilot-training program in 2010,[5] and traffic has fallen sharply since then.

History

The airport dates back to 1934, when the city of Nashua bought a small existing airport, which lacked a hangar and had a grass runway. Over the next several years Nashua, with federal help, paved the 2,000-foot (610 m) runway and put up some buildings. According to the history in the airport web site, the hangar was constructed from bricks reused from a Nashua factory that burned in 1930 in what was known here as the Crown Hill Fire.[6]

Sign at the entrance to the airport

In 1943 it was named Boire Field, after Ensign Paul Boire, who was Nashua's first casualty in World War II.

The Nashua Airport Authority was established to oversee the airport in 1961. The New England Aeronautical Institute was founded here in 1965. The NEAI's Daniel Webster Junior College division[7] was founded in 1967. The two schools merged in 1978 to form the current Daniel Webster College.

The airport's control tower was built in 1972.[8] The airport was one of the first to operate with a Non-Federal Control Tower in the early 1990s. This type of air traffic service, called a "contract tower", is common today.

In 2012, runway 14-32 was moved 300 feet (91 m) to the northeast and extended by 500 feet (150 m), to 6,000 feet (1,800 m) to accommodate larger corporate jets. The runway officially opened on August 31, 2012.[9] The original runway was removed. Many taxiways to the new runway were rebuilt during the construction.

Facilities and aircraft

Boire Field covers an area of 400 acres (160 ha) at an elevation of 199 feet (61 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 14/32 with an asphalt surface measuring 6,000 by 100 feet (1,829 by 30 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2011, the airport had 65,965 aircraft operations, an average of 180 per day: 99.7% general aviation, 0.3% air taxi, and <0.1% military. At that time there were 294 aircraft based at this airport: 81% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 6% jet, 3% helicopter, and 1% glider.[1]

There is space for 441 aircraft located on the field. Air Traffic Control is at the airport from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. It has no scheduled commercial service.

Airport services

The airport has private flight schools offering training and certification in fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters. On-demand air charter is offered by providers, including Air Direct Airways and Infinity Aviation, which operates a number of Hawker mid-sized business jet aircraft.

Infinity Aviation Services is a fixed-base operator (FBO) that provides aircraft servicing, fueling and maintenance and flight planning resources. GFW Aeroservices, a former FBO, ceased operationg in March 2011.

The second-floor Midfield Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., seven days a week.

The airport hosts the only dedicated pilot shop in the Northeast: Nashua Pilot Shop. The shop is open seven days a week.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 FAA Airport Master Record for ASH (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective June 27, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Nashua Airport - Boire Field". Official site. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  3. ↑ "IATA Airport Code Search (ASH: Nashua / Boire Field)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  4. ↑ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  5. ↑ DWC shutters flight program
  6. ↑ Shalhoup, Dean. "Aviation in Nashua has long, rich history". Nashua Telegraph. November 25, 2012.
  7. ↑ Shalhoup, Dean. "Vagge made mark in Nashua". Nashua Telegraph. July 1, 2007.
  8. ↑ "New Hampshire aviation history". New Hampshire Aviation Historical Society. Archived from the original on October 25, 2009.
  9. ↑ Brooks, David. "Longer Nashua Airport runway should be a lure to corporate-jet business". Nashua Telegraph. August 31, 2012.
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