Florence Regional Airport is three miles east of

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

, in Florence County, South Carolina. The only scheduled flights are American Eagle to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, about 30 minutes.

Facilities

The airport covers and has two asphalt runways: 1/19 is 6,000 × 150 ft (1,829 × 46 m) and 9/27 is 6,502 × 150 ft (1,982 × 46 m). As of 31 January 2020, the airport had 18,447 aircraft operations, average 51 per day: 79%

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

, 14%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) ...

and 7% military. 44 aircraft were then based at the airport: 59% single-engine, 31% multi-engine, 5% jet, and 5% helicopters.

Airline and destination

Destination statistics

History

The airport began with the purchase of in 1928. During World War II the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U.S. air forces in ...

used the airport as a training base and added . Known as Florence Army Airfield, the 52d Pursuit Group was assigned to the airfield on 18 February 1942 and trained with P-39 Airacobra and

P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and ...

s until departing on 27 April for Wilmington, North Carolina. A succession of Troop Carrier groups trained at Florence during 1943 those being the 63d, 65th, 313th and 315th prior to their deployment to Europe and North Africa. The airfield became a combat crew replacement training school for

A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American medium bomber, attack aircraft, night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for a bomber, it was o ...

light bomber crews, with the

411th Bombardment Group The 411th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with III Bomber Command at Florence Army Air Field, South Carolina, where it served as a Replacement Training Unit until it was disbanded o ...

being the Operational Training Unit at Florence AAF from 15 August 1943 until 1 May 1944. After the 344th was inactivated, replacement training was taken over by the 334th Army Air Forces Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Light Bombardment). Support units at Florence AAF were the 407th Base Headquarters and Air Base Squadron; 10th Aviation Squadron; 958th Guard Squadron; 341st Sub-Depot; HQ, 411th Bombardment Group (Light). Florence AAF controlled two auxiliary training bases for its A-20 training. * Hartsville AAF

Darlington, South Carolina Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area. Darlington ...

* Hartsville Auxiliary Field,

Hartsville, South Carolina Hartsville is the largest city in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. It was chartered on December 11, 1891. The population was 7,764 at the 2010 census. Hartsville was chosen as an All-America City in 1996 and again in 2016. Har ...

In early 1945 the airfield was transferred to

First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern; 1 AF-AFNORTH) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the C ...

and the 127th Army Air Forces Base unit (Combat Crew Training Station, Light) assumed the

A-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major ...

training mission. The property was given back to the City of Florence on 31 October 1945 and later shared with Florence County.

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...

served FLO from 1948 to 1965;

Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airline ...

flights (including

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

s) ended in 1981. Operation of the airport was assigned to the Pee Dee Regional Airport Authority in 1999. The authority had nine representatives from the Pee Dee Regional Airport District, which includes the City of Florence, and the counties of Florence,

Dillon Dillon may refer to: People *Dillon (surname) * Dillon (given name) * Dillon (singer) (born 1988), Brazilian singer * Viscount Dillon, a title in the Peerage of Ireland Places Canada *Dillon, Saskatchewan United States *Dillon Beach, Californ ...

and Marion.

Florence Air & Missile Museum

From the 1960s until 1997 Florence was home to a large aviation museum, the

Florence Air & Missile Museum The Florence Air & Missile Museum was an aviation museum previously located at the entrance to the Florence Regional Airport, in Florence, South Carolina. The museum closed at the end of 1997. The airport was originally known as Florence Army Air ...

. When it closed, the collection was divided among other museums in the United States.

References

External links

Florence Regional Airport
official site * * * {{USAAF 3d Air Force World War II Airports established in 1928 Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in South Carolina Airports in South Carolina Buildings and structures in Florence County, South Carolina Transportation in Florence County, South Carolina 1928 establishments in South Carolina