 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Ohio State University Airport" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
40°04′47″N083°04′23″W / 40.07972°N 83.07306°W /40.07972; -83.07306
Ohio State University Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Summary | |||||||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||||||
| Owner/Operator | Ohio State University | ||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Columbus, Ohio | ||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1943 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (-5) | ||||||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (-4) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 905 ft / 276 m | ||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||||||
 Interactive map of Ohio State University Airport | |||||||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Helipads | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Statistics (2021) | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Sources:FAA,[1] airport website[2] | |||||||||||||||||||
Ohio State University Airport (IATA:OSU,ICAO:KOSU,FAALID:OSU) is a publicairport six miles (10 km) northwest of downtownColumbus, inFranklin County,Ohio, United States.[1] It is owned and operated byOhio State University in Columbus. It is also known as theOSU Don Scott Airport, named afterDonald E. Scott, an OSUalumnus who died during his training as apilot in theUnited Kingdom duringWorld War II. The airport's main entrance is located on Case Road, and is easily accessible fromOH-315 andInterstate 270.
The Ohio State University Airport serves the university while offering general aviation services for the public. It is one of 30 airports owned by universities across the country, but it is one of only three owned by aTier One research institution.[3] The airport is largely exempt from paying property taxes.[4]
The Ohio State University opened its first airport in 1917 to train cadets to build and fly aircraft forWorld War 1. That airport was shut down in 1920 whenOhio Stadium was built on the site.[3][5]
The university built a second airport soon after its first shut down, and it was among a number of universities that took part in theCivilian Pilot Training Program, sponsored by theCivil Aeronautics Administration, for the purpose of fostering private flying.[5]
The current OSU Airport began in 1943 as a flight training facility for military and civilian pilots, operated by the OSU School of Aviation.[6] The airport was used as a research location forcrop dusting aircraft in the 1940s. APiper J-3 Cub was used for testing until it crashed in 1957 and the project was halted.[5]
It became a public-use airport in 1959 upon receipt of federal funding for runway improvements. The firstjets were based at the airport in 1962.[5]
The university started a partnership with theNational Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) in the 1960s. The Association's Safety in Flight Evaluation Conference has been held at The Ohio State University Airport ten times. The Ohio State University Airport has been home to NIFA's headquarters since 2015.[5]
In the 1970s, the University usedDouglas DC-3s at the airport to transport university sports teams, faculty, and administration to and from Columbus.[5]
Discussions to sell the airport have been on and off since 1986.[5]
The OSU Airport is now a self-supporting entity of the Ohio State University through the Department of Aerospace Engineering & Aviation.
The Department oversees all aspects of the Airport from Airport Management, to Fixed-Base Operations, to Airport Maintenance.
The Airport is also home to the OSU Department of Aerospace Engineering & Aviation Gas Turbine Laboratory, several facilities operated by the OSU College of Agriculture, theOhio Department of Transportation's Office of Aviation, fourteen corporate flight departments, and fourflying clubs. Per a partnership withNetJets, whose headquarters are in Columbus, the University's department of aviation also founded the Ohio State University Center for Aviation Studies, which provides funding for research projects and student scholarships and fellowships as well as conducting economic and public policy studies in technical projects.[3]
The OSU Airport is a Part 139 Certificated Airport, serving as a general aviation reliever for the nearbyJohn Glenn Columbus International Airport.[7] It is the base for the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Aviation Section and the Ohio Department of Transportation's Office of Aviation.[3]
In August 1975, the USCivil Aeronautics Board, the now-defunct Federal agency that, at the time, regulated almost all airline service, approvedWright Air Lines to fly from ClevelandBurke Lakefront Airport to Columbus via Don Scott Airport.[8] At the time, Wright flew 44-passenger piston-poweredConvair 440 aircraft. The new service was not well received by Ohio State or the airport's neighbors and they were able to force Wright out, the service lasting only from September 29[9] to December 15. Wright moved toPort Columbus International Airport – today’s John Glenn International Airport.[10]
The airport has threerunways. Runway 9R/27L is the airport's main runway. It measures 5,004 x 100 ft (1525 x 30 m) and is paved withasphalt. Runway 9L/27R runs parallel to it; it measures 2994 x 100 ft (913 x 30 m) and is paved with asphalt. The third runway, designated as runway 5/23, measures 3562 x 100 ft (1086 x 30 m) and is also paved with asphalt.[11][12]
The airport also has a helipad for helicopter operations. Designated as helipad H1, it measures 40 x 40 ft (12 x 12 m) and is paved with asphalt.[11][12]
In 2020, the airport's main runway received rehabilitations to continue offering safe operations.[13] The airport's master plan includes a plan to expand runway 9R/27L to 6,000 feet to help corporate aviation departments fly further non-stop from the airport.[3]
The airport has afixed-base operator that offers bothavgas andJet Afuel as well as amenities such asgeneral maintenance,catering, a crew lounge, snooze rooms,showers, a courtesy car, and more.[7][14] The FBO unveiled a new $15 millionterminal building in 2018, which received funding in large part from a $10 million donation. It also added dozens of new hangars to house more airplanes, and it is developing a 50-acre corporate airpark.[3][6]
Based on the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport has 77,745 annual aircraft operations, an average of 213 per day. This includes 79%general aviation, 21%air taxi, and <1%military. The airport generally ranks in the top five airports in Ohio in terms of the number of take-offs and landings, along withCleveland Hopkins,John Glenn Columbus,Dayton, andCincinnati Lunken. For the same time period, there were 143 aircraft based at the airport: 118 single-engine and 10 multi-engineairplanes as well as 11jets and 4helicopters.[11][12]
Main campus located in:Columbus, Ohio | |||||
| Schools | |||||
| Campuses | |||||
| Athletics |
| ||||
| Facilities | |||||
| Media | |||||
| Research |
| ||||
| Traditions | |||||
| People | |||||
| Student life | |||||
| Related | |||||
Established: 1870 –Endowment: $7 billion (2022) –Students: 60,540 (Columbus) 65,795 (all campuses) *  Category | |||||
