Orlando Sanford International Airport

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Orlando Sanford International Airport
IATA: SFB – ICAO: KSFB – FAA: SFB
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Sanford Airport Authority
Serves		Orlando, Florida
Location		Sanford, Florida
Elevation AMSL		55 ft / 17 m
Coordinates		28°46′40″N 081°14′15″W / 28.77778, -81.2375
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
9C/27C	3,578	1,091	Asphalt
9L/27R	9,600	2,926	Asphalt
9R/27L	3,500	1,067	Asphalt
18/36	6,002	1,829	Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2007)
Aircraft operations			320,884
Based aircraft			309
Source: Federal Aviation Administration^[1]

Orlando Sanford International Airport (IATA: SFB, ICAO: KSFB) is a public commercial air service airport in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. It was originally constructed as a military installation known as Naval Air Station Sanford.

Due to heavy flight training operations at the airport, it is consistently in the top 30 busiest airports in the world in terms of total flight operations (takeoff and landings). It functions as the Orlando area's secondary commercial airport, but is located farther away from downtown Orlando and the attraction areas of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Florida and SeaWorld Orlando than the larger, primary airport, Orlando International Airport (MCO/KMCO).

The airport is owned by the Sanford Airport Authority and managed by TBI plc, one of the world's leading airport operators, which owns London Luton Airport, Cardiff International Airport, and Belfast International Airport in the United Kingdom, as well as Stockholm-Skavsta Airport in Sweden, and operates airports in South America. Because of that affiliation, Orlando Sanford International Airport is served primarily by British carriers. TBI is also the provider of ground handling services for airlines. Although it is primarily a landing point for European travel, Sanford is also a focus city for Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air.

1 History
2 Facilities
3 Incidents and accidents
4 Terminals, airlines and destinations
- 4.1 Terminal A (International)
- 4.2 Terminal B (Domestic)
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

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Orlando Sanford International Airport started life as Naval Air Station Sanford with the airport codes NRJ and KNRJ. Commissioned on November 3, 1942, the base initially operated PV-1 Venturas, PBO Hudsons and SNB-2 Kansans. Peak wartime complement reached approximately 360 officers and 1400 enlisted men with 150 officer and enlisted WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) during 1943-1945. In 1944, fighter pilot training began using the F4F and FM-1 Wildcat and F6F Hellcat carrier-based aircraft.

Decommissioned in 1946 and placed in a caretaker status, the base was recommissioned as Naval Auxiliary Air Station Sanford (NAAS Sanford) in 1950 in response to the Korean War and the Cold War. Subsequently redesignated as a full naval air station and renamed NAS Sanford, substantial upgrades followed in order to turn the air station into a Master Jet Base for the carrier-based Douglas A-3 Skywarrior (at the time, designated A3D) nuclear attack aircraft of Heavy Attack Wing ONE. In addition to the Skywarrior, other associated land-based training aircraft supporting A3D training, such as the P2V-3W Neptune, were also assigned. ^[2]

The upgrades to the former NAAS to achieve status as a full-fledged NAS included construction of additional new hangars, support buildings for the base, wing and squadrons, precision approach radar/ground controlled approach (PAR/GCA), non-directional beacon (NDB) and tactical air navigation (TACAN) navigational aids, a robust storage and distrubution system for JP-5 jet fuel (which relied on resupply via a railroad spur into the base), a Navy Dispensary, Navy Exchange complex, base theater, two swimming pools, recreational facilities and separate clubs for officers, chief petty officers and enlisted personnel. Like McCoy AFB to the south, commissary and Naval Hospital facilities were not considered necessary at NAS Sanford due to the relatively close proximity of a commissary and USAF Hospital at Central Florida's other major military installation at the time, the nearby Orlando AFB (later Naval Training Center Orlando).

Due to the Skywarrior's nuclear strike mission and the presence of an associated special weapons storage area at NAS Sanford, Marine Corps personnel provided both base and weapons storage area security, leading to the establishment of Marine Corps Barracks Sanford.^[3]

On February 6, 1959, NAS Sanford was dedicated as Ramey Field in honor of Lieutenant Commander Robert W. Ramey, USN, who lost his life by electing to guide his crippled plane away from a residential area.^[4]

In the early 1960s, the A-3 aircraft began to be replaced by the Mach 2+ North American A-5A Vigilante aircraft. But by 1964, the strategic nuclear strike mission for carrier-based aircraft was eliminated and the Navy's nuclear strike mission under the SIOP was transferred to the Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) nuclear submarine force. As a result, all Vigilante squadrons were converted to a carrier-based tactical reconnaissance mission. Existing A-5A and A-5B aircraft were modified to the RA-5C Vigilante configuration and the North American production line shifted to producing all subsequent aircraft as RA-5Cs. Heavy Attack Wing ONE was renamed Reconnaissance Attack Wing ONE and NAS Sanford-based squadrons routinely deployed aboard both Atlantic and Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers of the FORRESTAL, KITTY HAWK and ENTERPRISE classes, seeing extensive action during the Vietnam War. Numerous RA-5C flight crews and aircraft were lost to enemy action, with several Sanford-based Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers becoming prisoners of war in Vietnam until repatriation in 1973. In addition to RA-5C aircraft, NAS Sanford also continued to operate the TA-3B variant of the Skywarrior, several examples of which were attached to the RA-5C Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS), Reconnaissance Attack Squadron THREE (RVAH-3) for training Naval Flight Officers as Reconnaissance Attack Navigators (RAN) in the RA-5C. NAS Sanford also operated the R4D-8/C-117 Skytrain as an operational support aircraft assigned to the air station proper.^[5]

Congress closed NAS Sanford in 1968, transferring the wing and squadrons to the former Turner AFB, renamed as NAS Albany, Georgia. The wing and squadrons subsequently relocated to NAS Key West, Florida during 1974-75 and continued to deploy to both the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Pacific aboard FORRESTAL, KITTY HAWK, ENTERPRISE and NIMITZ class aircraft carriers. RA-5C units remained operational at NAS Key West until the RA-5C's retirement from active service in 1980. A commemorative NAS Sanford Memorial Park, along with plaques and a retired RA-5C Vigilante aircraft on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation were dedicated in May 2003 and are positioned on the main entrance road within the Orlando Sanford International Airport perimeter in memory to NAS Sanford personnel who served their country during World War II, Vietnam and the Cold War. A PV-1 Ventura, also on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation, is in the process of being restored at the airport and will join the RA-5C on display. An A-3 Skywarrior has also been requested from the Navy for future restoration and display.

The City of Sanford assumed control of the former NAS Sanford in 1969 and renamed the facility Sanford Airport, hiring the air station's recently retired Executive Officer, Commander J. S. "Red" Cleveland, USN Ret, as the first Airport Manager. The city concurrently established the Sanford Airport Authority as its policy and oversight body. For the next twenty-five years, the airport was a general aviation facility, supporting numerous locally-based and transient private and corporate aircraft and periodically hosting combined civilian/military air shows and associated static displays. Initially functioning as an uncontrolled airfield, the former Navy control tower was reactivated in the early 1970s as a non-FAA facility, employing a number of retired enlisted Navy air traffic controllers who had previously served at NAS Sanford.

Additional name changes followed, to include Sanford Regional Airport, Central Florida Regional Airport, Orlando Sanford Regional Airport and the current Orlando Sanford International Airport. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, many of the former Navy buildings that had been constructed during World War II had reached the end of their useful service life and were demolished, while those constructed by the Navy in the 1950s and 1960s were renovated and improved for civilian use. Additional construction of new buildings and hangars also took place.

In 1992, major portions of the action film Passenger 57 starring Wesley Snipes, Tom Sizemore, Bruce Payne and Elizabeth Hurley were filmed at the airport, where it represented a small airport in Louisiana. Shortly after filming, a new control tower was constructed and air traffic control operations assumed by the FAA. The former Navy control tower and the large former Navy hangar to which it had been attached were then demolished.

In the mid-1990s, a new passenger terminal capable of accommodating commercial jet airline service, was constructed and charter airlines catering to the heavy British tourist demographic that had previously been utilizing Orlando International Airport were offered greatly reduced landing fees if they would use Orlando Sanford International Airport and many of these carriers subsequently relocated their operations. Scheduled international and domestic air service soon followed, as reflected by current operations by Icelandair and Allegiant Air.

The airport is also home to Delta Connection Academy, a subsidairy of Delta Air Lines, which provides ab initio flight training for prospective regional airline pilots. The Seminole County Sheriff's Office also maintains a hangar and support facility at the airport for aviation elements of the agency's Special Operations Division.

[edit] Facilities

Orlando Sanford International Airport covers 2,010 acres (813 ha) and has four runways:

Runway 9L/27R: 9,600 x 150 ft. (2,926 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
Runway 9C/27C: 3,578 x 75 ft. (1,091 x 23 m), Surface: Asphalt
Runway 9R/27L: 3,500 x 75 ft. (1,067 x 23 m), Surface: Asphalt
Runway 18/36: 6,002 x 150 ft. (1,829 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt/Concrete

The dominant runway is 9L/27R. This was constructed from the naval air station's original Runway 9/27, which was an 8,000 x 200 ft landing area with overruns of 2,145 ft and 1,985 ft, respectively. Parallel Runways 9C/27C and 9R/27L were later constructed, the former on a previous taxiway and the latter as new construction, to support light general aviation aircraft. The airport also has available Runway 18/36 for rare northerly fronts that occur in the winter, although at 6,002 feet in length, this runway is not used for normal commercial traffic.

[edit] Incidents and accidents

In October 1961, A3D-2 (A-3B) Bureau Number (BuNo) 142663, assigned to Heavy Attack Squadron FIVE (VAH-5), crashed near NAS Sanford following a mid-air collision with another A3D-2 (A-3B) assigned to Heavy Attack Squadron ELEVEN (VAH-11). All four crewmen in the VAH-5 aircraft were killed.
In January 1962, A3D-2 (A-3B) BuNo 142243, assigned to Heavy Attack Squadron ELEVEN (VAH-11), crashed near NAS Sanford following an in-flight emergency. All crewmen bailed out safely.
On November 27, 1962, A-5A BuNo 148927 was stricken at NAS Sanford following a ground mishap. No flight crew were aboard during the mishap.
On September 5, 1963, A-5A BuNo 148930, assigned to Heavy Attack Squadron THREE (VAH-3), crashed at NAS Sanford. Both crewmen ejected.
On September 3, 1964, RA-5C BuNo 151616, assigned to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron ONE (RVAH-1), crashed at NAS Sanford. Both crewmen ejected.
On September 8, 1964, RA-5C BuNo 149292, assigned to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron THREE (RVAH-3), crashed at NAS Sanford. Both crewmen ejected.
On November 14, 1964, RA-5C BuNo 149308, assigned to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron NINE (RVAH-9), crashed at NAS Sanford. Both crewmen ejected.
On December 23, 1964, RA-5C BuNo 151821, assigned to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron THIRTEEN (RVAH-13), crashed at NAS Sanford. Both crewmen ejected.
On December 15, 1965, RA-5C BuNo 150827, assigned to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron THREE (RVAH-3), crashed at NAS Sanford. Both crewmen ejected.
On June 14, 1967, RA-5C BuNo 149314, assigned to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron THREE (RVAH-3), crashed at NAS Sanford during Field Carrier Landing Practice. During a touch-and-go landing, aircraft sustained in-flight ingestion of a loose clamp into the starboard engine with subsequent foreign object damage (FOD) and fire. Both crewmen ejected. Pilot, LCDR Butler, was killed; the Naval Flight Officer/Reconnaissance Attack Navigator (NFO/RAN), ENS Smith, survived.
On October 3, 1967, RA-5C BuNo 149315, assigned to Reconnaissance Attack Squadron THREE (RVAH-3), crashed at NAS Sanford. The pilot ejected; there was no NFO/RAN aboard.

Wikinews has related news:

Plane crash in Florida kills five

On March 29, 2007, Allegiant Air Flight 758, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 aircraft which took off from Pease International Airport in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, experienced a hydraulic failure which prevented the nose landing gear from deploying. The plane made a safe landing at Orlando Sanford, with only one minor injury sustained in the aircraft evacuation.^[6]^[7]

On July 10, 2007, five people were killed and several others injured when a Cessna 310 on a flight from Daytona Beach to Lakeland crashed into two houses 3.8 miles (6.1 km) from the airport while attempting to make an emergency landing.

[edit] Terminals, airlines and destinations

[edit] Terminal A (International)

First Choice Airways (Bristol, East Midlands, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK), Newcastle (UK))
Flyglobespan (Belfast-International, Glasgow-International)
Icelandair (Reykjavik-Keflavik)
Jetairfly (Brussels)
Monarch Airlines (Belfast-International, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK), Newcastle (UK), Shannon)
terraAmerica (Lisbon)
Thomas Cook Airlines (Belfast-International, Cardiff, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))
Thomsonfly (Birmingham (UK), London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK), Newcastle (UK))
Travel City Direct operated by XL Airways (Cardiff, Glasgow-International, London-Gatwick, Manchester (UK))

[edit] Terminal B (Domestic)

Allegiant Air (Allentown, Bangor, Belleville/St. Louis, Blountville/Tri-Cities, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Chattanooga, Chicago/Rockford, Des Moines, Fort Wayne, Greensboro, Greenville (SC), Gulfport/Biloxi, Huntington, Knoxville, Lansing, McAllen [seasonal], Peoria, Plattsburgh, Roanoke, Shreveport, Sioux Falls, South Bend, Springfield/Branson, Toledo, Wichita [ends July 7], Wilmington (NC), Youngstown-Warren)
DayJet (Pensacola, Lakeland/Tampa, Opa-Locka/Miami Dade, Savannah, Macon, Jacksonville, Sarasota/Bradenton, Naples, Tallahassee, Boca Raton, Gainesville, & Montgomery AL)