Wings Field Explained

40.1375°N -75.265°W

Wings Field
Iata:BBX
Icao:KLOM
Faa:LOM
Type:Public
Owner:Wings Field Preservation Assoc.
Operator:flyADVANCED/flyGATEWAY
City-Served:Philadelphia
Location:Blue Bell, Pennsylvania
Elevation-F:302
Elevation-M:92
Website:www.flyadvanced.com
Pushpin Map:USA Pennsylvania#USA
Pushpin Relief:yes
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of airport in Pennsylvania
Pushpin Label:LOM
Pushpin Label Position:left
R1-Number:6/24
R1-Length-F:3,700
R1-Length-M:1,127
R1-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2014
Stat1-Header:Aircraft operations
Stat1-Data:36,500
Stat2-Header:Based aircraft
Stat2-Data:111
Footnotes:Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Wings Field is a general aviation airport in Blue Bell, in Whitpain Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, and serves the western and northern Philadelphia suburbs. The airport was founded in 1928. It is located about three miles (5 km) northwest of the Philadelphia city limits.

History

In May 1930, John Story Smith and Jack Bartow Founded "Wings Port". On 24 April 1932, The Philadelphia Aviation Country Club was founded at the field. The country club was the location of meetings of members that eventually founded the worldwide Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in 1939.[2]

In 2011, investor and aviation business owner Regis de Ramel was awarded the contract to manage all operations of Wings Field through his company flyADVANCED. The field currently provides flight lessons, flight charters, fuel, hangar space and aircraft management for light jet and prop aircraft.[3] [4]

Facilities

Wings Field covers 217acres and has one asphalt runway, 6/24, 3700x. In the year ending December 31, 2014, the airport had approximately 36,500 aircraft operations, an average of 100 per day: 83% general aviation, 17% air taxi and <1% military. 111 aircraft are based at this airport: 90% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, <1% jet and <1% helicopter.

The Fixed-Base Operator (FBO) on site is FlyAdvanced[5] which was founded in 2011.

Ground Transportation

Road

Wings Field has road access from the Norristown interchange of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) in Plymouth Meeting.

Bus

SEPTA's Route 95 bus provides service to Willow Grove, Plymouth Meeting, and Gulph Mills, from a stop at the intersection of Norristown Road, Narcissa Road, and Stenton Avenue.

Rental cars

Rental cars are available via reservation through Enterprise. Additionally, a Chrysler Pacifica crew car is also available for transient pilots on a first-come, first-served basis for short-term use within the 10-mile area.

Past airlines

Wings Airways was a commuter airline based at Wings Field. Its main route was the short hop to Philadelphia International Airport, a flight of less than 15 minutes. From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, Wings Airways operated a shuttle between Wings Field and PHL with up to 22 round trip flights on weekdays[6] and flew nonstop to New York City JFK Airport at one point.[7] The airline used Britten-Norman Islanders, Britten-Norman Trislanders and de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters.

Aircraft Boneyard

Wings Field has an on-site boneyard for derelict aircraft behind the upper hangars. This area is reserved for use as a storage location for damaged aircraft. Aircraft deemed a total loss by insurance companies awaiting transport are stored at this site. Additionally, this location serves as a storage location for abandoned aircraft.

See also

References

  1. , effective for 12 month period ending Mar 21, 2014
  2. AOPA Pilot. Where it all began. Julie Summers. May 2014. 30.
  3. News: Powell. David. Under New Management, Wings Field Is Changing Course. Patch. 2014-04-08. 2014-03-07.
  4. News: Riley. Emily. Advanced Aircraft Services offers Main Liners a Quicker Route to the Shore. Main Line Today. 2015-04-10. July 2012.
  5. Web site: Home . flyadvanced.com.
  6. departedflights.com, Nov. 15, 1979 & Dec. 15, 1989 Official Airline Guide (OAG)
  7. Web site: Wings Airways.

External links

Further reading

Spense, Charles, Wings Field Autobiography, Pavilion Press, 2005, .