Brownwood Regional Airport

Brownwood Regional Airport is a city owned, public use airport located five nautical miles (6 mi, 9 km) north of the central business district of Brownwood, a city in Brown County, Texas, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility. The 21st Cavalry Brigade of the III Corps, U.S. Army also utilize the airport as part of their flight training area for the Apache and Blackhawk helicopters.

The airport has been served by commercial airlines in the past. Service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program until March 13, 2005, when it was terminated due to federal law not allowing a subsidy over $200 per passenger for communities located within 210 miles of the nearest large or medium hub airport (Brownwood is 145 miles from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, a medium hub serving Austin, Texas). As per Federal Aviation Administration records, Brownwood Regional Airport had 1,764 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2003, 1,417 enplanments in 2004, and 232 in 2005.

History
The airport was opened during World War II as Brownwood Army Airfield and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base.

The 68th and 77th Reconnaissance Groups trained at Brownwood during 1942 with a variety of aircraft, including B-17 Flying Fortresse, B-24 Liberators, P-40 Warhawks and A-20 Havocs. In addition to the training performed at the airfield, patrols were flown over the Gulf of Mexico and along the Mexican border. The role of the Brownwood Army Airfield from November, 1943, to September, 1944 was to operate as a refresher school and replacement training unit for liaison pilots within the Third Air Force. One of the primary aircraft used in this role was the Stinson L-5. In October, 1944, the airfield became the new combat crew training center. From January, 1945, until the end of World War II, the primary mission of the Brownwood Army Airfield was the training and preparation of combat crews for overseas replacement.

The U.S. Government deeded the airport to the City of Brownwood after World War II. There are static displays of an F-4 Phantom and an F-111 jets on the airport grounds.

Facilities and aircraft
Brownwood Regional Airport covers an area of 1,497 acres (606 ha) at an elevation of 1,387 feet (423 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 17/35 is 5,599 by 150 feet (1,707 x 46 m) and 13/31 is 4,608 by 101 feet (1,405 x 31 m).

For the 12-month period ending February 6, 2012, the airport had 6,000 aircraft operations, an average of 16 per day: 83% general aviation, 12% air taxi, and 5% military. At that time there were 44 aircraft based at this airport: 82% single-engine, 16% multi-engine, and 2% helicopter.

Other sources

 * Essential Air Service documents (Docket OST-1997-2402) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
 * Order 97-4-29 (April 28, 1997): tentatively reselecting Lone Star Airlines to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Brownwood, Texas, for the two-year period beginning March l, 1997.
 * Order 99-12-28 (December 29, 1999): reselects Big Sky Transportation, d/b/a Big Sky Airlines (Big Sky), to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at El Dorado/Camden, Jonesboro, Harrison, and Hot Springs, Arkansas, Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Brownwood, Texas, for a new two-year term at a combined subsidy rate of $6,712,448 annually effective December 1, 1999, through November 30, 2001.
 * Order 2001-11-14 (November 28, 2011): extending the final subsidy rates of Mesa Airlines at Oil City/Franklin, Pennsylvania and Gallup, New Mexico; Great Lakes Aviation at North Platte, Nebraska; and Big Sky Airlines at Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma, Brownwood, Texas, and Hot Springs, Harrison, Eldorado/Camden and Jonesboro, Arkansas.
 * Order 2002-7-2 (July 1, 2002): selecting Air Midwest, Inc., to provide essential air service at seven communities (El Dorado/Camden, AR; Jonesboro, AR; Harrison, AR; Hot Springs, AR; Enid, OK; Ponca City, OK; Brownwood, TX) for a two-year period at subsidy rates totaling $6,693,881 annually.
 * Order 2004-6-12 (June 14, 2004): requests interested persons to show cause why it should not terminate the essential air service subsidy eligibility of Jonesboro, Arkansas, Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma, and Brownwood, Texas, and allow Air Midwest to suspend its subsidized services at those communities as of October 1, 2004, when the current rate term expires.
 * Order 2005-1-14 (January 19, 2005): selecting Air Midwest, Inc., to provide essential air service at El Dorado/Camden, Jonesboro, Harrison and Hot Springs, Arkansas, at a subsidy rate of $4,155,550 annually for a two-year rate term; selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide essential air service at Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma, at a subsidy rate of $1,272,557 annually for a two-year rate term; terminating the subsidy eligibility of Brownwood, Texas, and allowing Air Midwest to discontinue its service there, if it chooses to do so.
 * Order 2005-1-14 (January 19, 2005): selecting Air Midwest, Inc., to provide essential air service at El Dorado/Camden, Jonesboro, Harrison and Hot Springs, Arkansas, at a subsidy rate of $4,155,550 annually for a two-year rate term; selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide essential air service at Enid and Ponca City, Oklahoma, at a subsidy rate of $1,272,557 annually for a two-year rate term; terminating the subsidy eligibility of Brownwood, Texas, and allowing Air Midwest to discontinue its service there, if it chooses to do so.