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103-718: Newport News-Williamsburg Airport ( IATA : PHF , ICAO : KPHF , FAA LID : PHF ) is in Newport News, Virginia , United States, and serves the Hampton Roads area along with Norfolk International Airport in Norfolk . The airport is owned and operated by the Peninsula Airport Commission, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. PHF covers 1,800 acres (728 ha). In 2019,

206-420: A "727-00" pattern. Aircraft were delivered for United Airlines as 727-22, for American Airlines as 727-23, and so on (not -122, -123, etc.) and these designations were retained even after the advent of the 727-200. Convertible passenger cargo version, additional freight door and strengthened floor and floor beams, three alternative fits: QC stands for Quick Change. This is similar to the convertible version with

309-493: A few hundred combinations; a three-letter system of airport codes was implemented. This system allowed for 17,576 permutations, assuming all letters can be used in conjunction with each other. Since the U.S. Navy reserved "N" codes, and to prevent confusion with Federal Communications Commission broadcast call signs , which begin with "W" or "K", the airports of certain U.S. cities whose name begins with one of these letters had to adopt "irregular" airport codes: This practice

412-410: A few large airlines. Faced with higher fuel costs, lower passenger volumes due to the post- 9/11 economic climate, increasing restrictions on airport noise, and the extra expenses of maintaining older planes and paying flight engineers ' salaries, most major airlines phased out their 727s; they were replaced by twin-engined aircraft , which are quieter and more fuel-efficient. Modern airliners also have

515-519: A few months, the concept was developed into the Boeing 7N7 design, which eventually became the Boeing 757 . Faw-727 This Boeing 727 was reportedly modified by Iraq in early 1988 to serve as an ELINT platform. It was used during the invasion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Shield. As of October 2024 , 9 Boeing 727s were in commercial service, operated by the following companies: In addition,

618-443: A former American Airlines 727-100 with a dining room, a bedroom, and shower facilities known as Trump Force One before upgrading to a larger Boeing 757 in 2009; Peter Nygård acquired a 727-100 for private use in 2005. American financier Jeffrey Epstein owned a private 727 nicknamed the "Lolita Express". The Gettys bought N311AG from Revlon in 1986, and Gordon Getty acquired the aircraft in 2001. As of March 2024 ,

721-638: A four-engine aircraft for its flights to high-altitude airports, especially its hub at Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado . American Airlines, which was operating the four-engined Boeing 707 and Boeing 720 , requested a twin-engined aircraft for efficiency. Eastern Airlines wanted a third engine for its overwater flights to the Caribbean, since at that time twin-engine commercial flights were limited by regulations to routes with 60-minute maximum flying time to an airport (see ETOPS ). Eventually,

824-473: A hush kit for $ 8.6 million (but loses the thrust reverser) (2000): fuel consumption is reduced by 10-12%, range and restricted airfield performance are improved. A single 727-212 aircraft was operated by the USAF. A proposed 169-seat version was developed in consultation with United Airlines in 1972, which initially expressed an interest in ordering 50 aircraft. Also, interest was shown from Indian Airlines for

927-512: A hush kit) are banned from some Australian airports because they are too loud. In addition to domestic flights of medium range, the 727 was popular with international passenger airlines. The range of flights it could cover (and the additional safety added by the third engine) meant that the 727 proved efficient for short- to medium-range international flights in areas around the world. The 727 also proved popular with cargo and charter airlines. FedEx Express introduced 727s in 1978. The 727s were

1030-567: A new airport is built, replacing the old one, leaving the city's new "major" airport (or the only remaining airport) code to no longer correspond with the city's name. The original airport in Nashville, Tennessee, was built in 1936 as part of the Works Progress Administration and called Berry Field with the designation, BNA. A new facility known as Nashville International Airport was built in 1987 but still uses BNA. This

1133-404: A new world headquarters 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m) facility which will employ 100 people; they are already planning an additional 70,000-square-foot (6,500 m) expansion. Additionally, in 2011 Tidewater Flight Center opened a second location at the airport, providing flight instruction from the original terminal building. Also sharing the original terminal building is a local squadron of

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1236-474: A one-class version with 180 seats. The fuselage would have been lengthened by 18 feet (5.5 m) and the undercarriage strengthened. The three engines would have been replaced by two more powerful JT8D-217 engines under the T tail. Many cockpit components would have been in common with the 737-200 and improved engine management systems would have eliminated the need for the flight engineer . United did not proceed with its order and Indian Airlines instead ordered

1339-696: A prototype, it was later sold to United Airlines, which donated it to the Museum of Flight in Seattle in 1991. The jet was restored over 25 years by the museum and was ferried from Paine Field in Everett, Washington to Boeing Field in Seattle, where it was put on permanent display at the Aviation Pavilion. The Federal Aviation Administration granted the museum a special permit for the 15-minute flight. The museum's previous 727-223, tail number N874AA,

1442-427: A retractable tailskid that is designed to protect the aircraft in the event of an over- rotation on takeoff. The 727's fuselage has an outer diameter of 148 inches (3.8 m). This allows six-abreast seating (three per side) and a single aisle when 18-inch (46 cm) wide coach-class seats are installed. An unusual feature of the fuselage is the 10-inch (25 cm) difference between the lower lobe forward and aft of

1545-406: A roller-bearing floor for palletised galley and seating and/or cargo to allow much faster changeover time (30 minutes). QF stands for Quiet Freighter. A cargo conversion for United Parcel Service , these were re-engined with Stage 3 -compliant Rolls-Royce Tay turbofans. A stretched version of the 727-100, the -200 is 20 feet (6.1 m) longer (153 feet 2 inches;46.69 m) than

1648-404: A series of higher gross weights and more powerful engines were introduced along with other improvements, and from line number 881, 727-200s are dubbed -200 Advanced. The aircraft gross weight eventually increased from 169,000 to 209,500 pounds (76,700 to 95,000 kg) for the latest versions. The dorsal intake of the number-two engine was also redesigned to be round in shape, rather than oval as it

1751-626: A single class. Launched in 1965, the stretched 727-200 flew in July 1967 and entered service with Northeast Airlines that December. The 20 ft (6.1 m) longer variant typically carries 134 passengers in two classes over 2,550 nmi (4,720 km; 2,930 mi), or 155 in a single class. A freighter and a "Quick Change" convertible version were also offered. The 727 was used for domestic flights and on international flights within its range. Airport noise regulations have led to hush kit installations. Its last commercial passenger flight

1854-561: A smaller flight deck crew of two pilots, while the 727 required two pilots and a flight engineer. Delta Air Lines , the last major U.S. carrier to do so, retired its last 727 from scheduled service in April 2003. Northwest Airlines retired its last 727 from charter service in June 2003. Many airlines replaced their 727s with either the 737-800 or the Airbus A320 ; both are close in size to

1957-638: A strategic plan of developing a business park named Patrick Henry Commerce Center and a marketing campaign to attract air carriers. By 1985 the airport had the distinction of being America's fastest-growing airport. That success was repeated in 1986. On December 19, 1980, the Daily Press reported a committee authorized by the PAC recommended that the airport change its name to "Newport News/Williamsburg International" to then-Executive Director Michael White. This change would not take place until ten years later. At

2060-469: A windowless cabin. Fifteen of these aircraft were built, all for Federal Express. This was the last production variant of the 727 to be developed by Boeing; the last 727 aircraft completed by Boeing was a 727-200F Advanced. Certificated by Valsan Partners in December 1988 and marketed by Goodrich from 1997, the side engines are replaced by more efficient, quieter JT8D-217C/219, and the center engine gains

2163-509: Is GSN and its IATA code is SPN, and some coincide with IATA codes of non-U.S. airports. Canada's unusual codes—which bear little to no similarity with any conventional abbreviation to the city's name—such as YUL in Montréal , and YYZ in Toronto , originated from the two-letter codes used to identify weather reporting stations in the 1930s. The letters preceding the two-letter code follow

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2266-586: Is different from the name in English, yet the airport code represents only the English name. Examples include: Due to scarcity of codes, some airports are given codes with letters not found in their names: The use of 'X' as a filler letter is a practice to create three-letter identifiers when more straightforward options were unavailable: Some airports in the United States retained their NWS ( National Weather Service ) codes and simply appended an X at

2369-513: Is in conjunction to rules aimed to avoid confusion that seem to apply in the United States, which state that "the first and second letters or second and third letters of an identifier may not be duplicated with less than 200 nautical miles separation." Thus, Washington, D.C. area's three airports all have radically different codes: IAD for Washington–Dulles , DCA for Washington–Reagan (District of Columbia Airport), and BWI for Baltimore (Baltimore–Washington International, formerly BAL). Since HOU

2472-543: Is not followed outside the United States: In addition, since three letter codes starting with Q are widely used in radio communication, cities whose name begins with "Q" also had to find alternate codes, as in the case of: IATA codes should not be confused with the FAA identifiers of U.S. airports. Most FAA identifiers agree with the corresponding IATA codes, but some do not, such as Saipan , whose FAA identifier

2575-401: Is the only Hampton Roads airport with direct bus service. Shuttle and limousine companies also service the airport through pre-arranged appointments. Four car rental agencies can be found at the airport: National, Enterprise, Avis and Budget. Amtrak Northeast Regional trains also now serve the airport via the new Newport News Transportation Center station, 1.5 miles to the southwest of

2678-416: Is used for William P. Hobby Airport , the new Houston–Intercontinental became IAH. The code BKK was originally assigned to Bangkok–Don Mueang and was later transferred to Suvarnabhumi Airport , while the former adopted DMK. The code ISK was originally assigned to Gandhinagar Airport (Nashik's old airport) and later on transferred to Ozar Airport (Nashik's current airport). Shanghai–Hongqiao retained

2781-638: The COVID-19 pandemic . In May 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Delta suspended its thrice daily service to Atlanta. Delta has announced no plans to restore the flights. In July 2022, Avelo Airlines announced new service from the airport. The airline began flights to Orlando and Fort Lauderdale in October 2022. However, in February 2023, Avelo Airlines announced it would be ending its service at

2884-571: The Canadian transcontinental railroads were built, each station was assigned its own two-letter Morse code : When the Canadian government established airports, it used the existing railway codes for them as well. If the airport had a weather station, authorities added a "Y" to the front of the code, meaning "Yes" to indicate it had a weather station or some other letter to indicate it did not. When international codes were created in cooperation with

2987-677: The Rolls-Royce RB163 Spey used by the Trident. Boeing and de Havilland each sent engineers to the other company's locations to evaluate each other's designs, but Boeing eventually decided against the joint venture. De Havilland had wanted Boeing to license-build the D.H.121, while Boeing felt that the aircraft needed to be designed for the American market, with six-abreast seating and the ability to use runways as short as 4,500 feet (1,400 m). In 1960, Pratt & Whitney

3090-481: The list of Amtrak station codes . Airport codes arose out of the convenience that the practice brought pilots for location identification in the 1930s. Initially, pilots in the United States used the two-letter code from the National Weather Service (NWS) for identifying cities. This system became unmanageable for cities and towns without an NWS identifier, and the use of two letters allowed only

3193-711: The number two engine location were prohibitive. Current regulations require that a 727, or any other Stage 2 noise jetliner in commercial service must be retrofitted with a hush kit to reduce engine noise to Stage 3 levels to continue to fly in U.S. airspace. These regulations have been in effect since December 31, 1999. One such hush kit is offered by FedEx , and has been purchased by over 60 customers. Aftermarket winglet kits, originally developed by Valsan Partners and later marketed by Quiet Wing Corp. have been installed on many 727s to reduce noise at lower speeds, as well as to reduce fuel consumption. In addition, Raisbeck Engineering developed packages to enable 727s to meet

Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

3296-406: The -100 (133 feet 2 inches;40.59 m). A 10-ft (3-m) fuselage section ("plug") was added in front of the wings and another 10-ft fuselage section was added behind them. The wing span and height remain the same on both the -100 and -200 (108 and 34 feet (33 and 10 m), respectively). The original 727-200 had the same maximum gross weight as the 727-100; however, as the aircraft evolved,

3399-407: The 1951 tower. A new three-level parking garage opened in June 2007. In 2009, more parking lots were completed to handle increased rental car fleets; parking capacity was estimated at 3,000 vehicles. As of 2011, the airport was the third fastest-growing airport in the United States and the 118th largest airport. The year 2010 was its best ever, with about 1.063 million passengers. The passenger count

3502-464: The 1990s with British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31 and Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia turboprops with nonstop service from the United hub located at Washington DC Dulles Airport. The airport led the nation in air service decline after deregulation and was facing severe financial difficulty. The turnaround began with the hiring of Charles J. Blankenship as executive director in 1984. Blankenship implemented

3605-445: The 40-degree flap setting could result in a higher-than-desired sink rate or a stall on final approach. These carriers' Pilots' Operation Handbooks disallowed using more than 30° of flaps on the 727, even going so far as installing plates on the flap lever slot to prevent selection of more than 30° of flaps. The 727 is one of the noisiest commercial jetliners, categorized as Stage 2 by the U.S. Noise Control Act of 1972, which mandated

3708-465: The 727 has seen sporadic government use, having flown for the Belgian , Yugoslav , Mexican , New Zealand , and Panama air forces, along with a small group of government agencies that have used it. A number of 727s have been outfitted for use as private aircraft, especially since the early 1990s, when major airlines began to eliminate older 727-100 models from their fleet. Donald Trump traveled in

3811-469: The 727 is powered by three Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofans below a T-tail , one on each side of the rear fuselage and a center one fed through an S-duct below the tail. It shares its six-abreast upper fuselage cross-section and cockpit with the 707 that was also later used on the 737 . The 133-foot-long (41 m) 727-100 typically carries 106 passengers in two classes over 2,250 nautical miles [nmi] (4,170 km; 2,590 mi), or 129 in

3914-487: The 727-200 Advanced, a total of 935 were delivered, after which it had to give way to a new generation of aircraft. A freighter version of the 727-200 Advanced became available in 1981, designated the Series 200F Advanced. Powered by Pratt & Whitney JT8D -17A engines, it featured a strengthened fuselage structure, an 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) by 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) forward main deck freight door, and

4017-411: The 727-200 was introduced in 1970. It featured powerful engines, fuel capacity and MTOW (185,800–210,000 lb or 84.3–95.3 t) increased the range from 1,930 to 2,550 nmi (3,570 to 4,720 km; 2,220 to 2,930 mi) or by 32%. After the first delivery in mid-1972, Boeing eventually raised production to more than a hundred per year to meet demand by the late 1970s. Of the passenger model of

4120-435: The 727-200. As of July 2013 , a total of 109 Boeing 727s were in commercial service with 34 airlines; three years later, the total had fallen to 64 airframes in service with 26 airlines. On March 2, 2016, the first 727 produced (N7001U), which first flew on February 9, 1963, made a flight to a museum after extensive restoration. The 727-100 had carried about three million passengers during its years of service. Originally

4223-579: The Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 , as well as aging propeller airliners such as the DC-4 , DC-6 , DC-7 , and the Lockheed Constellations on short- and medium-haul routes. For over a decade, more 727s were built per year than any other jet airliner; in 1984, production ended with 1,832 built and 1,831 delivered, the highest total for any jet airliner until the 737 surpassed it in the early 1990s. The airliner's middle engine (engine 2) at

Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport - Misplaced Pages Continue

4326-553: The Civil Air Patrol, which maintains several CAP airplanes at the airport. Newport News–Williamsburg is the first airport in the nation to undergo a sustainability project, to incorporate green technology in every facet of operations. In January 2014, Concourse A began to add a Federal Inspection Station and fully implement a U.S. Customs processing facility. In 2020, additional administrative staff members were laid off from positions due to declining revenue and impacts from

4429-523: The IATA Airline Coding Directory. IATA provides codes for airport handling entities, and for certain railway stations. Alphabetical lists of airports sorted by IATA code are available. A list of railway station codes , shared in agreements between airlines and rail lines such as Amtrak , SNCF , and Deutsche Bahn , is available. However, many railway administrations have their own list of codes for their stations, such as

4532-649: The JT8D, as it was about 1,000 lb (450 kg) heavier than the RB163, though slightly more powerful; the RB163 was also further along in development than the JT8D. Boeing reluctantly agreed to offer the JT8D as an option on the 727, and it later became the sole powerplant. With high-lift devices on its wing, the 727 could use shorter runways than most earlier jets (e.g. the 4800-ft runway at Key West International Airport ). Later 727 models were stretched to carry more passengers and replaced earlier jet airliners such as

4635-454: The NWS office located at the airport. When the original control tower was shut down in July 2007 with the opening of the 147 ft (45 m) tall new tower, it had been the oldest operating control tower on the east coast, in continuous service for 55 years. The airport launched an expansion effort in the early 21st century. A new air traffic control tower was completed in July 2007, replacing

4738-502: The Peninsula Airport Commission (PAC) to determine a location for and establish a new airport for the cities of Newport News and Hampton . An agreement was reached with the US War Asset Administration in 1947 to transfer 924 acres (3.7 km) of the former Camp Patrick Henry , a World War II US Army base, to the PAC as the site for the new airport. A Nike missile air defense base, known as N-85, still exists on

4841-512: The Stage 3 noise requirements. These packages managed to get light- and medium-weight 727s to meet Stage 3 with simple changes to the flap and slat schedules. For heavier-weight 727s, exhaust mixers must be added to meet Stage 3. American Airlines ordered and took delivery of 52 Raisbeck 727 Stage 3 systems. Other customers included TWA, Pan Am, Air Algérie, TAME, and many smaller airlines. Since September 1, 2010, 727 jetliners (including those with

4944-490: The U.S. For example, several airports in Alaska have scheduled commercial service, such as Stebbins and Nanwalek , which use FAA codes instead of ICAO codes. Thus, neither system completely includes all airports with scheduled service. Some airports are identified in colloquial speech by their IATA code. Examples include LAX and JFK . Boeing 727-100 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that

5047-481: The United States, because "Y" was seldom used in the United States, Canada simply used the weather station codes for its airports, changing the "Y" to a "Z" if it conflicted with an airport code already in use. The result is that most major Canadian airport codes start with "Y" followed by two letters in the city's name (for example, YOW for O tta w a , YWG for W innipe g , YYC for C algar y , or YVR for V ancouve r ), whereas other Canadian airports append

5150-564: The aft stair could be opened in flight, the Central Intelligence Agency used them to drop agents and supplies behind enemy lines in Vietnam . In early 1988, The Iraqi Air Force modified a Boeing 727 by fitting it with Thomson-CSF TMV-018 Syrel pods for ESM and Raphael-TH pods with side looking radar . Known as 'Faw-727', it was reportedly used as an ELINT platform in the invasion of Kuwait in 1990 (during which it

5253-529: The airport due to their merger with Southwest Airlines (which was already serving nearby Norfolk International Airport ). Passenger count declined in 2012 after the departure of AirTran, with layoffs at the airport announced in May 2012 including police officers, all police dispatchers and other staff. The airport is home to three Fixed-Base operators: Rick Aviation, Atlantic Aviation and Orion Air Group, which are now Tempus Jets. In January 2013, Mid Atlantic Aviation

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5356-588: The airport grounds and accessible via Bland Boulevard. On March 26, 2007, a Learjet 36 suffered engine damage after debris was sucked into the engines. The plane attempted to stop but overran the runway and crashed into a field. Both occupants were uninjured. IATA airport code The assignment of these codes is governed by IATA Resolution 763, and it is administered by the IATA's headquarters in Montreal , Canada. The codes are published semi-annually in

5459-400: The airport handled 431,077 passengers, while in 2023 it handled 144,966 passengers. The loss of dominant air carrier AirTran in 2012 and competition from low-cost airlines at Richmond International Airport and Norfolk International Airport has led to a drop of more than 85% in the annual number of passengers at PHF since 2011. In 1946, Virginia's General Assembly passed legislation creating

5562-400: The airport is currently operated with Canadair CRJ-700 and Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets on behalf of American Airlines via a code sharing agreement. The airport is served by various taxi companies, including Orange, American, Yellow, Best, and All City. Hampton Roads Transit directly serves the airport with regional bus service at two bus stops; the airport is on HRT Route 116 and

5665-440: The airport itself instead of the city it serves, while another code is reserved which refers to the city itself which can be used to search for flights to any of its airports. For instance: Or using a code for the city in one of the major airports and then assigning another code to another airport: When different cities with the same name each have an airport, they need to be assigned different codes. Examples include: Sometimes,

5768-550: The airport starting April 16, 2023, leaving American Airlines as the sole carrier servicing the airport. The decline in service and passenger volume created a challenging financial environment for the airport. Between 2022 and 2023, the airport reported $ 4.2 million in financial losses, with public funding required to keep it financially solvent. A June 2024 report recommended a transition away from commercial air service and reorienting efforts to attracting advanced aerospace research and development facilities. American Eagle service at

5871-695: The airport was finishing a $ 23 million renovation. Initial service included four direct flights a week to Denver with 128-seat Airbus A318s , replaced within weeks with larger Airbus A319 jets. Beginning May 13, 2011, Frontier flights were operated with 162-seat Airbus A320s ; as of September 12, 2011, Frontier was operating seasonal service. On February 4, 2012, PAC announced that Frontier would resume year-round flights operating daily effective May 22 through Labor Day that year. After Labor Day, Frontier planned to operate six days per week. However, on January 6, 2015, Frontier Airlines withdrew all services from Newport News. Allegiant Airlines also began jet service to

5974-527: The airport with flights to Orlando Sanford Airport but then ceased serving the airport by 2012. Concourse A opened in May 2010 as the airport's second concourse. Concourse A is designed with a full-service customs facility for larger jets. A local contractor donated $ 50,000 worth of labor and materials to expand the airport's USO office in 2010, doubling it in size to better serve military personnel. Elite Airways announced intention to begin service with flights from PHF to Myrtle Beach, SC in 2018, but scrapped

6077-418: The airport's former name, such as Orlando International Airport 's MCO (for Mc C o y Air Force Base), or Chicago's O'Hare International Airport , which is coded ORD for its original name: Or char d Field. In rare cases, the code comes from the airport's unofficial name, such as Kahului Airport 's OGG (for local aviation pioneer Jimmy H ogg ). In large metropolitan areas, airport codes are often named after

6180-450: The airstair could not be lowered in flight. The design included an auxiliary power unit (APU), which allowed electrical and air-conditioning systems to run independently of a ground-based power supply, and without having to start one of the main engines. An unusual design feature is that the APU is mounted in a hole in the keel beam web, in the main landing gear bay. The 727 is equipped with

6283-516: The backbone of its fleet until the 2000s; FedEx began replacing them with Boeing 757s in 2007. Many cargo airlines worldwide employ the 727 as a workhorse, since, as it is being phased out of U.S. domestic service because of noise regulations, it becomes available to overseas users in areas where such noise regulations have not yet been instituted. Charter airlines Sun Country , Champion Air , and Ryan International Airlines all started with 727 aircraft. The 727 had some military uses as well. Since

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6386-502: The code SHA, while the newer Shanghai–Pudong adopted PVG. The opposite was true for Berlin : the airport Berlin–Tegel used the code TXL, while its smaller counterpart Berlin–Schönefeld used SXF; the Berlin Brandenburg Airport has the airport code BER, which is also part of its branding. The airports of Hamburg (HAM) and Hannover (HAJ) are less than 100 nautical miles (190 km) apart and therefore share

6489-934: The end. Examples include: A lot of minor airfields without scheduled passenger traffic have ICAO codes but not IATA codes, since the four letter codes allow more number of codes, and IATA codes are mainly used for passenger services such as tickets, and ICAO codes by pilots. In the US, such airfields use FAA codes instead of ICAO. There are airports with scheduled service for which there are ICAO codes but not IATA codes, such as Nkhotakota Airport/Tangole Airport in Malawi or Chōfu Airport in Tokyo, Japan. There are also several minor airports in Russia (e.g., Omsukchan Airport ) which lack IATA codes and instead use internal Russian codes for booking. Flights to these airports cannot be booked through

6592-551: The facility Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport in September 1990. A new terminal opened in late 1992. Until the 1990s, part of the original terminal building was named the Flight Services Building and was home to the local office of the National Weather Service (NWS). Weather reports and emergency alerts were broadcast on radio stations and weather frequencies during severe weather directly from

6695-420: The fall of 1979, United was the only airline operating mainline jet service into the airport with Boeing 727-200 and Boeing 737-200 flights nonstop from Chicago O'Hare Airport , Washington DC National Airport , Baltimore and nearby Norfolk; however, United then ceased serving the airport with mainline jets in 1981. United Express operated code sharing flights on behalf of United from the late 1980s through

6798-1172: The first jets being operated by National with Boeing 727s in 1966 (runway 6 had been extended from 5600 to 6100 ft by then). Both runways were extended to their current lengths of 6526 feet (1989 m) Runway 2–20, and 8003 feet (2439 m) Runway 7–25. The airport became Patrick Henry International Airport in 1975. According to the Official Airline Guide , four airlines were serving the airport in early 1976 with nonstop or direct, no change of plane flights including Allegheny with McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets from Boston , Hartford , Philadelphia and Providence ; National with Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 727-200 jets from New York JFK Airport , Washington DC National Airport and nearby Norfolk ; Piedmont with NAMC YS-11 turboprops from Atlanta , Columbus, OH , Florence, SC , New Bern, NC , Norfolk, Parkersburg, WV , Richmond, VA , Roanoke, VA and Washington DC National Airport; and United with Boeing 727-100 and Boeing 737-200 jets from Atlanta, Chicago O'Hare Airport , Moline, IL and Washington DC National Airport. A US Customs facility

6901-557: The first three letters of the city in which it is located, for instance: The code may also be a combination of the letters in its name, such as: Sometimes the airport code reflects pronunciation, rather than spelling, namely: For many reasons, some airport codes do not fit the normal scheme described above. Some airports, for example, cross several municipalities or regions, and therefore, use codes derived from some of their letters, resulting in: Other airports—particularly those serving cities with multiple airports—have codes derived from

7004-478: The following format: Most large airports in Canada have codes that begin with the letter "Y", although not all "Y" codes are Canadian (for example, YUM for Yuma, Arizona , and YNT for Yantai , China), and not all Canadian airports start with the letter "Y" (for example, ZBF for Bathurst, New Brunswick ). Many Canadian airports have a code that starts with W, X or Z, but none of these are major airports. When

7107-597: The form of " YYZ ", a song by the rock band Rush , which utilizes the Morse code signal as a musical motif. Some airports have started using their IATA codes as brand names , such as Calgary International Airport (YYC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Numerous New Zealand airports use codes that contain the letter Z, to distinguish them from similar airport names in other countries. Examples include HLZ for Hamilton , ZQN for Queenstown , and WSZ for Westport . Predominantly, airport codes are named after

7210-467: The gradual introduction of quieter Stage 3 aircraft. The 727's JT8D jet engines use older low-bypass turbofan technology, whereas Stage 3 aircraft use the more efficient and quieter high-bypass turbofan design. When the Stage 3 requirement was being proposed, Boeing engineers analyzed the possibility of incorporating quieter engines on the 727. They determined that the JT8D-200 engine could be used on

7313-457: The initial -100 (originally only two figures as in -30), which was launched in 1960 and entered service in February 1964, and the -200 series, which was launched in 1965 and entered service in December 1967. The first 727-100 (N7001U) flew on February 9, 1963. FAA type approval was awarded on December 24 of that year, with initial delivery to United Airlines on October 29, 1963, to allow pilot training to commence. The first 727 passenger service

7416-451: The inner wing and extendable leading edge slats out to the wingtip) and trailing-edge lift enhancement equipment (triple-slotted, Fowler flaps ) could be used on the entire wing. Together, these high-lift devices produced a maximum wing lift coefficient of 3.0 (based on the flap-retracted wing area). The 727 was stable at very low speeds compared to other early jets, but some domestic carriers learned after review of various accidents that

7519-487: The international air booking systems or have international luggage transferred there, and thus, they are booked instead through the airline or a domestic booking system. Several heliports in Greenland have 3-letter codes used internally which might be IATA codes for airports in faraway countries. There are several airports with scheduled service that have not been assigned ICAO codes that do have IATA codes, especially in

7622-405: The larger Airbus A300 , so the project was cancelled in 1976. A concept with a 155-foot (47 m) fuselage and two high-bypass turbofan engines under the wings (but retaining the T tail) was proposed in 1977. More compact systems, a redesign of the internal space, and removing the need for the flight engineer would have increased the capacity to 189 seats in a two-class configuration. After only

7725-497: The merger of American Airlines and US Airways ) later served Philadelphia and Charlotte from the airport. AirTran started jet service from the airport to Atlanta in 1995, but pulled out in March 2012. In 1999, AirTran was serving the airport with four daily nonstop flights from Atlanta operated with McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets. Delta Connection began service from Newport News to Atlanta in February 2002. The PAC renamed

7828-612: The name of the airport itself, for instance: This is also true with some cities with a single airport (even if there is more than one airport in the metropolitan area of said city), such as BDL for Hartford, Connecticut 's B ra dl ey International Airport or Baltimore's BWI, for B altimore/ W ashington I nternational Airport ; however, the latter also serves Washington, D.C. , alongside Dulles International Airport (IAD, for I nternational A irport D ulles) and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, for D istrict of C olumbia A irport). The code also sometimes comes from

7931-416: The one they are located in: Other airport codes are of obscure origin, and each has its own peculiarities: In Asia, codes that do not correspond with their city's names include Niigata 's KIJ , Nanchang 's KHN and Pyongyang 's FNJ . EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg , which serves three countries, has three airport codes: BSL, MLH, EAP. Some cities have a name in their respective language which

8034-438: The only jet service at the airport. In the fall of 1989, Emerald Air was operating Douglas DC-9-10 jets nonstop from Orlando twice a week. In the spring of 1995, USAir was operating DC-9-30 as well as Fokker F28 Fellowship jets into the airport with nonstop flights from Charlotte and Pittsburgh; however, this jet service was then discontinued later in 1995. US Airways Express (replaced later by American Eagle following

8137-497: The plans due to doubts and concerns about airport operations following the failure of a reincarnation of People Express Airlines (2010s) (which was based in Newport News and attempted to operate a small hub at the airport with Boeing 737-400 jets) and multiple investigations into the airport as well as a perceived lack of passenger demand. On March 9, 2012, PHF's longtime largest airline AirTran Airways ceased operations at

8240-457: The property, though abandoned since the mid-1960s. The airport was originally named Patrick Henry Airport , its code PHF representing P atrick H enry F ield. The first runway was 2–20, a 3,500-foot (1,100 m) runway, followed by 6–24 (later redesignated as 7–25). Airline service began in November 1949 on Piedmont Airlines and Capital Airlines . In 1951 the passenger terminal

8343-530: The risk of foreign object damage . A military version, the Boeing C-22, was operated as a medium-range transport aircraft by the Air National Guard and National Guard Bureau to airlift personnel. A total of three C-22Bs were in use, all assigned to the 201st Airlift Squadron , District of Columbia Air National Guard . At the start of the 21st century, the 727 remained in service with

8446-506: The same first and middle letters, indicating that this rule might be followed only in Germany. Many cities retain historical names in their airport codes, even after having undergone an official name/spelling/transliteration change: Some airport codes are based on previous names associated with a present airport, often with a military heritage. These include: Some airports are named for an administrative division or nearby city, rather than

8549-500: The station code of Malton, Mississauga , where it is located). YUL is used for Montréal–Trudeau (UL was the ID code for the beacon in the city of Kirkland , now the location of Montréal–Trudeau). While these codes make it difficult for the public to associate them with a particular Canadian city, some codes have become popular in usage despite their cryptic nature, particularly at the largest airports. Toronto's code has entered pop culture in

8652-482: The three airlines agreed on a trijet design for the new aircraft. In 1959, Lord Douglas , chairman of British European Airways (BEA), suggested that Boeing and de Havilland Aircraft Company (later Hawker Siddeley ) work together on their trijet designs, the 727 and D.H.121 Trident , respectively. The two designs had a similar layout, the 727 being slightly larger. At that time Boeing intended to use three Allison AR963 turbofan engines, license-built versions of

8755-561: The time, the Commission members represented the cities of Newport News, Hampton, and Williamsburg , as well as James City County and York County. Since 2010, the Commission consists of six commissioners who are appointed by the cities of Hampton (2) and Newport News (4). In 1985 USAir (later renamed US Airways ) added McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 and British Aircraft Corporation BAC One-Eleven jets from Pittsburgh and Washington, DC Dulles Airport and by late 1989 these flights were

8858-458: The two side-mounted pylons. The JT8D-200 engines are much quieter than the original JT8D-1 through -17 variant engines that power the 727, as well as more fuel efficient due to the higher bypass ratio, but the structural changes to fit the larger-diameter engine (49.2 inches (125 cm) fan diameter in the JT8D-200 compared to 39.9 inches (101 cm) in the JT8D-1 through -17) into the fuselage at

8961-515: The two-letter code of the radio beacons that were the closest to the actual airport, such as YQX in Gander or YXS in Prince George . Four of the ten provincial capital airports in Canada have ended up with codes beginning with YY, including: Canada's largest airport is YYZ for Toronto Pearson (as YTZ was already allocated to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport , the airport was given

9064-471: The very rear of the fuselage gets air from an inlet ahead of the vertical fin through an S-shaped duct . This S-duct proved to be troublesome in that flow distortion in the duct induced a surge in the centerline engine on the take-off of the first flight of the 727-100. This was fixed by the addition of several large vortex generators in the inside of the first bend of the duct. The 727 was designed for smaller airports, so independence from ground facilities

9167-402: The wing as the higher fuselage height of the center section was simply retained towards the rear. Nosewheel brakes were available as an option to reduce braking distance on landing, which provided reduction in braking distances of up to 150 m (490 ft). The 727 proved to be such a reliable and versatile airliner that it came to form the core of many startup airlines' fleets. The 727

9270-688: Was added to the terminal to allow international arrivals (airline and corporate). The airport currently covers 1,800 acres (7.3 km), most of it in the city of Newport News and nearly half of the airfield with runways 20 and 25 in York County. When the United States Congress deregulated the airlines in 1978, many airlines serving Patrick Henry Airport consolidated their southeast Virginia services at other airports, and Patrick Henry International Airport lost most of its jet service. National pulled out in 1978. In late 1978, Piedmont

9373-431: Was also located at the airport, as well as Epix Aviation. Rick and Atlantic provide flight instruction schools, and jet fuel services to private and commercial airplanes. Atlantic Aviation handles international chartered flights. Rick Aviation continues to operate inside the original passenger terminal, sharing space with Denbigh High School's Aviation Academy (serving over 350 high school students). As Orion Air Group opened

9476-526: Was an important requirement. This led to one of the 727's most distinctive features: the built-in airstair that opens from the rear underbelly of the fuselage, which initially could be opened in flight. Hijacker D. B. Cooper used this hatch when he parachuted from the back of a 727, as it was flying over the Pacific Northwest . Boeing subsequently modified the design with the Cooper vane so that

9579-588: Was briefly locked on by a Kuwaiti Mirage F1 on August 2) and the subsequent Iraqi monitoring of Coalition forces during Desert Shield . The 727 has proven to be popular where the airline serves airports with gravel, or otherwise lightly improved, runways. The Canadian airline First Air , for example, previously used a 727-100C to serve the communities of Resolute Bay and Arctic Bay in Nunavut, whose Resolute Bay Airport and former Nanisivik Airport both have gravel runways. The high-mounted engines greatly reduce

9682-675: Was damaged by a fire. An upgraded traffic control tower was built and Runway 6–24 was extended to 5,000 feet (1,500 m) in 1952; a new passenger terminal opened in 1955. National Airlines arrived at PHF in 1955 and by 1964 was operating all of its flights from the airport with Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprops with service to Washington DC National Airport , New York JFK Airport , New York Newark Airport , Baltimore , Philadelphia and nearby Norfolk . Allegheny Airlines (later renamed USAir ) arrived in 1966. United Airlines (which had acquired and merged with Capital Airlines ), National, Allegheny and Piedmont all operated jets to PHF with

9785-499: Was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes . After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airports. On December 5, 1960, the 727 was launched with 40 orders each from United Airlines and Eastern Air Lines . The first 727-100 rolled out on November 27, 1962, first flew on February 9, 1963, and entered service with Eastern on February 1, 1964. The only trijet aircraft to be produced by Boeing,

9888-714: Was donated to the National Airline History Museum in Kansas City and was planned to be flown to its new home once FAA ferry approval was granted. After a series of financial problems with the restoration, N874AA was seized by Boeing Field for nonpayment of storage fees in 2021 and subsequently broken up and scrapped. Iran Aseman Airlines , the last passenger airline operator, made the worldwide last scheduled 727 passenger flight on January 13, 2019 between Zahedan and Tehran . Data from: Boeing Aircraft since 1916 The two series of 727 are

9991-497: Was down slightly in 2011, with about 1.059 million passengers. In January 2011 Delta Air Lines introduced two more daily flights to Atlanta on 142-seat McDonnell Douglas MD-88s for a total of four flights a day. Delta service with Airbus A320s began later in the year and in 2012 Delta replaced its early morning Bombardier CRJ900 regional jet departure to Atlanta with mainline McDonnell Douglas MD-80 service. Frontier Airlines began nonstop service from Newport News in 2010 as

10094-427: Was flown by Eastern Air Lines on February 1, 1964, between Miami, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia. A total of 571 Boeing 727-00/100 series aircraft were delivered (407 -100s, 53 -100Cs, and 111 -100QCs), the last in October 1972. One 727-100 was retained by Boeing, bringing total production to 572. The -100 designation was assigned retroactively to distinguish the original short-body version. Actual aircraft followed

10197-529: Was in January 2019. It was succeeded by the 757 and larger variants of the 737. There have been 353 incidents involving the Boeing 727. Production ended in September 1984 with 1,832 having been built. The Boeing 727 design was a compromise among United Airlines , American Airlines , and Eastern Air Lines ; each of the three had developed requirements for a jet airliner to serve smaller cities with shorter runways and fewer passengers. United Airlines requested

10300-477: Was looking for a customer for its new JT8D turbofan design study, based on its J52 (JT8A) turbojet, while United and Eastern were interested in a Pratt & Whitney alternative to the RB163 Spey. Once Pratt & Whitney agreed to go ahead with development of the JT8D, Eddie Rickenbacker , chairman of the board of Eastern, told Boeing that the airline preferred the JT8D for its 727s. Boeing had not offered

10403-405: Was on the -100 series. The first 727-200 flew on July 27, 1967, and received FAA certification on November 30, 1967. The first delivery was made on December 14, 1967, to Northeast Airlines . A total of 310 727-200s were delivered before the -200 was replaced on the production line by the 727-200 Advanced in 1972. A convertible passenger cargo version; only one was built. The Advanced version of

10506-486: Was operating Boeing 737-200 jets nonstop to New York JFK Airport , one stop Boeing 737-200 jets to New York LaGuardia Airport via Norfolk, and also nonstop NAMC YS-11 turboprops to Washington National Airport but was no longer serving the airport by the fall of 1979. Allegheny Commuter had replaced Allegheny jet service by this same time in 1979 with code sharing flights then being operated with small commuter Beechcraft and Short 330 turboprop aircraft. Also by

10609-442: Was successful with airlines worldwide partly because it could use smaller runways while still flying medium-range routes. This allowed airlines to carry passengers from cities with large populations, but smaller airports to worldwide tourist destinations. One of the features that gave the 727 its ability to land on shorter runways was its clean wing design. With no wing-mounted engines, leading-edge devices (Krueger, or hinged, flaps on

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