Chicago Executive Airport Explained

Chicago Executive Airport
Iata:PWK
Icao:KPWK
Faa:PWK
Type:Public
Owner:City of Prospect Heights and Village of Wheeling
City-Served:Chicago
Location:Wheeling, Illinois
Elevation-F:647
Elevation-M:197
Coordinates:42.1142°N -87.9017°W
Website:www.chiexec.com
Pushpin Map:USA Illinois#USA
Pushpin Relief:yes
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of airport in Illinois
Pushpin Label:PWK
Pushpin Label Position:left
R1-Number:16/34
R1-Length-F:5,001
R1-Length-M:1,524
R1-Surface:Asphalt
R2-Number:12/30
R2-Length-F:4,415
R2-Length-M:1,346
R2-Surface:Asphalt
R3-Number:6/24
R3-Length-F:3,677
R3-Length-M:1,121
R3-Surface:Asphalt
Stat-Year:2022
Stat1-Header:Aircraft operations (year ending March 31, 2022)
Stat1-Data:108,203
Stat2-Header:Based aircraft
Stat2-Data:259
Footnotes:Source: FAA,[1] airport website[2]

Chicago Executive Airport, formerly Palwaukee Municipal Airport, is a public airport 18 miles (33 km) northwest of Chicago, in the village of Wheeling in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is owned by the City of Prospect Heights and the Village of Wheeling.

The airport logs over 77,000 take-offs and landings each year and is the fourth busiest airport in Illinois.[3]

History

The airport opened in 1925 as Gauthier's Flying Field. It was named Pal-Waukee in November 1928 because of its location near the intersection of Palatine Road and Milwaukee Avenue. In 1953, the airport was purchased by George J. Priester, who developed the airport over the next 33 years, installing paved runways, lighting, hangars, and an air traffic control tower. In 1986, George's son Charlie negotiated the sale of the airport to the cities of Wheeling and Prospect Heights, and it was renamed Palwaukee Municipal Airport.[4] [5]

Charlie Priester kept an FBO at the airport, along with a charter company called Priester Aviation. Priester sold the FBO to Signature Flight Support in 2001, and he turned over operational control of Priester Charter to his son Andy in 2004.

Sally Strempel, a female pioneer in aviation, bought a flight school in 1950 at Palwukee Airport. She renamed it Sally's Flying School and retained it until 1966. Strempel was a member of the Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame [6] and was the first woman in Illinois and one of the first five nationally to be designated by the Federal Aviation Administration as a flight instructor who could give private and commercial exams to student pilots.

In August 2006, trustees from the village of Wheeling and alderman from the City Council of Prospect Heights voted to approve a name change. On October 17, 2006, Palwaukee Municipal Airport was renamed Chicago Executive Airport.

In October 2015, Cincinnati-based Ultimate Air Shuttle announced plans to begin service from the airport to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in January or February 2016.[7]

In late 2021, the airport received $1.1 million to make facility upgrades.[8]

The airport's Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility was named the 2022 General Aviation Airport Architectural Project of the Year by the American Association of Airport Executives. The facility opened in October 2021.[9]

Facilities and aircraft

Facilities

The airport covers 411acres at an elevation of 647 feet (197 m). It has three asphalt paved runways:6/24 is 3,677 by 50 feet (1,121 x 15 m); 12/30 is 4,415 by 75 feet (1,346 x 23 m); 16/34 is 5,001 by 150 feet (1,524 x 46 m).

Plans have been brought up to close Runway 6/24 in order to reconcile multiple "hot spots," which are areas with a history of potential risk of collision or runway incursion. Airport leaders argue that closing the runway will make it more difficult for small planes to land in strong east/west winds, as 6/24 is the airport's only east/west runway.[10]

Tenants of the airport include three national fixed-base operators: Atlantic Aviation, Signature Flight Support, Chicago Private Jet Charters and Hawthorne Global Aviation Services, who provide fueling and handling for transient aircraft and a significant portion of the locally based aircraft. Priester Air Charter, Palwaukee Flyers, and several smaller firms and aircraft operators are also present

In 2007, Chicago Executive's management created a public viewing area east of the south end of Runway 16-34 along Palatine Frontage Road, with lighted parking, a picnic table, and bleacher seating. A bulletin board has a copy of the current FAA chart, posters for events and educational information. The area is open 24/7.

Aircraft

For the year ending March 31, 2022 the airport had an average of 296 aircraft movements per day, or 108,203 per year: 80% general aviation, 20% air taxi and less than 1% military and commercial. For the same time frame, there were 259 aircraft based at this airport: 149 single-engine airplanes, 81 jet aircraft, 20 multi-engine airplanes, and 4 helicopters.[11]

The airport can handle executive jets in the 20-seat range, such as the Grumman Gulfstream and the Bombardier Challenger, and larger aircraft sometimes visit. Occasional military transport aircraft, such as the Lockheed C-130, use the airport when carrying service members to local facilities such as Great Lakes Naval Training Center or the North Chicago V.A. Hospital.

Accidents and incidents

Ground transportation

While no public transit service is provided directly to the airport, Pace provides bus service nearby.

See also

Other sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. . Federal Aviation Administration. effective September 7, 2023.
  2. http://www.palwaukee.org/ Chicago Executive Airport
  3. http://www.palwaukee.org/nav/airport.html Chicago Executive Airport Information
  4. News: Municipal airport experiences whirlwind on changes . https://web.archive.org/web/20110608232505/http://www.dailyherald.com/news/cookstory.asp?id=307605&cc=c&tc=whe&t=wheeling . dead . 2011-06-08 . Daily Herald . 2007-04-30 . 2007-05-04.
  5. Web site: Priester Aviation Making History by Looking Ahead. dead. Aviation Business Journal. 2007-05-04. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928074606/http://www.priesterav.com/HTML/pop_press_9.htm. 2007-09-28.
  6. Illinois Aviation Hall of Fame
  7. Web site: Engel. Liz. Cleveland's ready, but where is Ultimate Air headed next?. WCPO. 8 October 2015. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151009065239/http://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/clevelands-ready-but-where-is-ultimate-air-headed-next. 9 October 2015.
  8. Web site: Morrison announces $1.1 million coming to Chicago Executive Airport. 2023-01-23. Illinois State Democrats. 9 December 2021 .
  9. Web site: Chicago Executive Airport recognized by American Association of Airport Executives. 2023-01-23. Business Airport International. 23 September 2022 .
  10. Web site: Chicago Executive Runway 6/24 Inches Closer To Extinction. 2023-01-23. Journal & Topics. 22 January 2020 .
  11. Web site: AirNav: KPWK - Chicago Executive Airport . 2022-07-02 . AirNav.com.
  12. Web site: Official NTSB accident report . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20060223072049/https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief2.asp?ev_id=20001208X06863&ntsbno=CHI97MA017&akey=1 . 2006-02-23 .
  13. Web site: Official NTSB accident report. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210716212801/https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20060203X00158&ntsbno=CHI06FA076&akey=1 . 2021-07-16 .
  14. News: Bodies of pilot, co-pilot recovered from river. Simmons, Dan. Wronski, Richard. Wang, Andrew L.. January 6, 2010. Chicago Tribune. January 8, 2010.
  15. Web site: Preliminary NTSB accident report. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20210716212801/https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20100105X11839&key=1 . 2021-07-16 .
  16. Web site: 3 killed in small plane crash in Riverwoods . 2019-06-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131019071316/http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news%2Flocal&id=8447831 . 2013-10-19 . live .
  17. https://www.ntsb.gov/AviationQuery/brief.aspx?ev_id=20111129X93953&key=1 NTSB Final report
  18. Web site: Report: Pilot flying plane that killed South Palm Beach couple in 2011 had marijuna in system . . September 25, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131019110159/https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/report-pilot-flying-plane-that-killed-south-palm-b/nbQ5z/ . October 19, 2013.
  19. Web site: Garcia . John . Helicopter crashes near Chicago Executive Airport in Prospect Heights . August 11, 2021 . . September 25, 2021.
  20. Web site: Helicopter Crashes on Street Near Chicago Executive Airport . August 11, 2021 . . September 25, 2021.
  21. Web site: Placko . Dane . Helicopter crashes onto street near Chicago Executive Airport . August 11, 2021 . . September 25, 2021.
  22. Web site: Wessell . Tom . Helicopter Crashes In Prospect Heights After Takeoff From CEA . August 11, 2021 . Journal & Topics . September 25, 2021.
  23. Web site: No injuries after plane veered off runway at Chicago Executive Airport . 21 November 2021 .
  24. Web site: Plane crashes at Chicago Executive Airport during hard landing near Wheeling, IL, Prospect Heights: battalion chief - ABC7 Chicago. 21 November 2021.
  25. Web site: Plane Skids off Runway While Landing at Wheeling's Chicago Executive Airport . 21 November 2021 .
  26. Web site: Small Plane Takes a Nosedive at Chicago Executive Airport; No Injuries . 21 November 2021 .
  27. Web site: Cessna Citation Sovereign 680, N685VM: Incidents occurred June 30, 2022 and May 09, 2022 . 2022-07-02 . Kathryn's Report.
  28. Web site: Parsing A Runway Excursion At Chicago Executive. 2023-01-23 . Aviation Week.

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