Raleigh Exec: The Raleigh Executive Jetport[2] or Raleigh Exec Jetport at Sanford-Lee County[3] (ICAO: KTTA, FAA LID: TTA) is a public use airport located seven nautical miles (8 mi, 13 km) northeast of the central business district of Sanford, a city in Lee County, North Carolina, United States.[1] It is owned by the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport Authority[1] and was previously known as Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport.[4] This airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a reliever airport[5] for Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
Raleigh Exec | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport Authority | ||||||||||
| Serves | Research Triangle Region | ||||||||||
| Location | Sanford, North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 246 ft / 75 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 35°34′57″N 079°06′05″W / 35.58250°N 79.10139°W | ||||||||||
| Website | RaleighExec.com | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  TTA Location of airport in North Carolina | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2022) | |||||||||||
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The jetport specializes in corporate and recreational flights into the Research Triangle Region — an area that includes Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham and the Research Triangle Park. It also hosts community-oriented special events; some recent examples include free flights for children as part of the EAA Young Eagles[6] initiative, visits from the Memphis Belle[7] and air shows by World War II warbirds.[8] Raleigh Exec conducts tours of its facilities for guests and offers full services, including Jet A and 100LL aircraft fuel, complete aircraft maintenance, avionics repair, pilot weather services, flight schools, secure hangars with limited-access gates, car service, courtesy and rental automobiles, and catering.
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned TTA by the FAA[1] but has no designation from the IATA,[9] which has assigned TTA to Plage Blanche Airport in Tan-Tan, Morocco.[10] The airport's ICAO identifier is KTTA.[11]
Facilities and aircraft
editRaleigh Exec covers an area of 700 acres (283 ha) at an elevation of 246 feet (75 m) above mean sea level. It has one asphalt paved runway, designated 3/21, which is 6,500 by 100 feet (1,981 x 30 m)[1] with a weight capacity of 100,000 pounds, and a parallel taxiway, 50 feet wide also with a weight capacity of 100,000 pounds. The facility also has full lighting, signage and safety equipment, including an automated weather observation system (AWOS), instrument landing system (ILS), ground communicator outlet (GCO) and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast system (ADS-B).[12] Because the ADS-B is located on the airport grounds, pilots can monitor both ground and air traffic.
The O.A. "Buddy" Keller III Terminal opened in the fall of 2019 as the business and social center of the jetport. The two-story, 14,500-square-foot building includes a pilot lounge with "snooze rooms" and a live video feed of the ramp; one large conference room, a technology-enriched meeting space accommodating 30 people with 16 seated around the table; one small conference room, another technology-enriched meeting space with seating for eight around the table; and a second-floor observation deck with rocking chairs overlooking the runway.[13]
For the 12-month period ending August 17, 2022, the airport had 63,000 aircraft operations, an average of 172 per day: 95% general aviation, 3% air taxi, and 2% military. At that time there were 160 aircraft based at Raleigh Exec.[14]
Businesses at Raleigh Exec
editSeveral companies operate at Raleigh Exec. They include:
- AeroServices: avionics support to single engine piston, turbo-prop and jet business aircraft, including experimental, Warbird and light sport markets.
- Bandit Flight Team: aerial tributes in vintage military aircraft performed at major sporting events, military ceremonies, community gatherings and corporate activities.
- Elite Aircraft Services: aviation services, including consulting on aircraft acquisition, aircraft management and maintenance, and customized pilot training.
- Executive Flight Training: flight training using Piper Cherokee, Piper Warrior, and Cessna 172 aircraft. [15]
- MAG Aerospace: maintenance as well as avionics repair, installation and maintenance for single-piston through twin-turboprop aircraft.
- North Carolina Forest Service: which moved its regional aviation firefighting operations to Raleigh Exec in 2015. The facility serves as an operational base for five fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters used to fight forest fires as well as the centralized maintenance location for the entire state.[16]
- Odyssey Aero Club: checkout for members in FAA Technically Advanced Aircraft, including VFR and IFR checkouts, instrument training and commercial training.
- Wings of Carolina Flying Club: one of the oldest flying clubs in the nation.[17] Founded in 1961, the nonprofit has more than 400 members from the Research Triangle, Southern Pines and Fayetteville areas. It offers aeronautical training, low-cost aviation education, social opportunities and inexpensive hourly aircraft rental for members.[18]
Recent and future improvements
editSeveral significant expansions and improvements have recently concluded at Raleigh Exec. In addition to widening the taxiway to 50 feet and improving its weight capacity to 100,000 pounds in 2018, Raleigh Exec expanded its North Terminal area, adding sites for seven new corporate hangars 15,000 square feet or larger — each site with water and sewer service, fiber internet service, adjacent rail service, a public fire suppression system, a large apron and a new taxiway connector.[19] The O.A. "Buddy" Keller III Terminal, a two-story, 14,500-square-foot terminal, opened in October 2019.[20] Other upcoming projects include expansion of the airport's sewer capacity.[21]
Economic impact
editRaleigh Exec contributed about $61.16 million to the local economy, according to a 2019 report published by the North Carolina Division of Aviation.[22] Researchers estimated that the jetport generated $19.5 million per year in personal income and $2.376 million in state and local taxes. The airport was credited with creating about 470 jobs, including those located on the jetport grounds and other supported by activity taking place at the jetport.[23]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e FAA Airport Form 5010 for TTA PDF. Federal Aviation Administration.
- ^ "Raleigh Exec". Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport Authority. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "Raleigh Exec Jetport at Sanford-Lee County - TTA" (PDF). North Carolina Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
- ^ "KTTA – Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport – Sanford, North Carolina". FAA information effective June 3, 2010. AirNav. Archived from the original on June 6, 2010.
- ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF, 2.03 MB). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010.
- ^ "Free Young Eagles Flights | EAA". www.eaa.org. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Mennel, Phoebe Judge, Eric. "Memphis Belle Visits North Carolina". Retrieved 2018-07-09.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ WRAL. "WWII warbirds to take to Sanford skies this weekend :: WRAL.com". WRAL.com. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
- ^ "Raleigh Exec Jetport at Sanford-Lee County (ICAO: KTTA, FAA: TTA, IATA: none)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "Tan Tan Airport, Morocco (IATA: TTA, ICAO: GMAT)". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "Raleigh Exec Jetport at Sanford-Lee County – TTA (KTTA)". National Flight Data Center. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
- ^ "Raleigh Exec: About the Jetport". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
- ^ "Raleigh Exec Amenities".
- ^ "AirNav: KTTA - Raleigh Executive Jetport at Sanford-Lee County Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "EFTS". www.execft.com. Retrieved 2024-01-07.
- ^ "North Carolina Forest Service moves firefighting operations to Raleigh Exec". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013.
- ^ "Raleigh Exec: Business Opportunities". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011.
- ^ "About – Wings of Carolina Flying Club". Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ "Expansions and Events!". Retrieved 2018-07-10.
- ^ "RaleighExec Jetport Dedicated to CCC Managing Member Buddy Keller – Carolina Commercial Contractors".
- ^ "Golden LEAF Foundation Grants $1.5M to Sanford/Lee County Sewer Extension Project". City of Sanford, North Carolina. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ "NCDOT: Division of Aviation". NCDOT. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
- ^ Connect Ncdot. State airport aid [dead link]
External links
edit- FAA Airport Form 5010 for TTA PDF
- Raleigh Exec, official site
- Wings of Carolina Flying Club, official site
- Aerial image as of February 1999 from USGS The National Map
- FAA Terminal Procedures for TTA, effective October 31, 2024
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for TTA
- AirNav airport information for KTTA
- ASN accident history for TTA
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
- SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures