Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letterlocation identifier for theFAA andIATA, this facility is assignedIKW by the FAA[1] but has no designation from the IATA.[5]
A local chapter of theExperimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is located at Barstow Airport. Through the EAA's Young Eagles program, annual aviation camps are held at the airport to educate youth.[3]
The airport is named after local pilot John "Jack" Barstow, who lived in Midland and became adept at flyinggliders inSan Diego, California. On April 29, 1930, Barstow established an unofficial world record endurance for gliders by soaring a Bowlus sailplane at Point Loma near San Diego for over 15 hours.[6][7] As an instructor at the Bowlus Glider School, Barstow helped train Charles and Anne Lindbergh in gliding in 1930. The formerMidland Airport was renamedJack Barstow Municipal Airport shortly following Barstow's death in 1935, at the age of 29.
The airport covers an area of 512acres (207ha) at anelevation of 635 feet (194 m) abovemean sea level. It has twoasphalt pavedrunways: 6/24 is 3,801 by 75 feet (1,159 x 23 m) and 18/36 is 3,001 by 75 feet (915 x 23 m).[1][8][9]
The aircraft has a fixed-base operator that sellsavgas and offers amenities such asgeneral maintenance,catering, courtesy transportation, rental cars, a conference room, a crew lounge, snooze rooms, and more.[10]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2020, the airport had 16,000 aircraft operations, an average of 44 per day. They were allgeneral aviation. At that time there were 46 aircraft based at this airport: 30 single-engine and 3 multi-engineairplanes, 2helicopters, and 1jet.[1][8][9]
On May 27, 2003, aCessna 172 Skyhawk sustained substantial damage during a hard landing at the Jack Barstow Airport. The pilot reported that upon returning from the local flight he entered the pattern for runway 36 . The pilot stated that he was too high during the landing and the airplane bounced. He then applied power in an attempt to regain control of the aircraft, but the aircraft bounced a second time. The pilot reported that he felt he was too far down the runway to attempt a go around, so he turned the airplane off into the grass. The nose strut collapsed and the propeller struck the ground. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's misjudgment of the flare and his improper recovery from a bounced landing.[11]
One June 1, 2004, aCessna 150 collided with the terrain during a go-around at the Jack Barstow Airport. The student pilot reported he maintained an airspeed of 70 miles per hour with 20 degrees of flaps until he began the landing flare. He stated the airplane ballooned and drifted "slightly right" during the flare. He applied left aileron in an attempt to realign the airplane, but it veered to the left. He stated he then added full power at which time the airplane banked to the left. The left wing contacted the ground and the airplane cart wheeled, slid across a taxiway, and came to rest alongside a ditch. The probable cause was found to be the student pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane during the go-around.
On July 16, 2014, aCessna 120 experienced a hard landing at Jack Barstow Airport. The pilot was flying an approach to landing at minimum airspeed because he intended to perform a short field landing, but after clearing trees on the approach end of the runway, a "significant sink rate" developed. The pilot applied power, but it was insufficient to arrest the descent rate. The airplane landed hard on the main wheels and the propeller impacted the grass runway. The airplane nosed over during the landing roll which resulted in substantial damage to the firewall and empennage. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed and his delayed application of engine power while on short final which resulted in a hard landing.[12]
On August 3, 2018, aBrantly B-2A sustained an in-flight tail rotor blade separation and impacted terrain during an emergency landing at the Jack Barstow Airport. While operating 2,000 feet above the ground 1/4 mile from the airport, the pilot felt a "flutter" emit from the helicopter and heard a subsequent "bang" noise emit from the rear of the helicopter. The helicopter immediately turned 180 degrees to the right, the pilot reduced collective, and he was able to maintain control of the helicopter. The pilot increased the airspeed and maneuvered the helicopter for an emergency landing at the airport.
