Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport is a joint civil-military airport in

Hampden County, Massachusetts Hampden County is a non-governmental county located in the Pioneer Valley of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Hampden County's population was 465,825. Its traditional county seat is Springfield, ...

, three miles (6 km) north of Westfield and northwest of Springfield. It was formerly Barnes Municipal Airport; the

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. With the Airport and Airway Improvement Act of September 3, 1982, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was required to develop a ...

for 2011–2015 categorized it as a ''

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

'' facility. Westfield-Barnes is one of Massachusetts' largest airports with a strong flight training, general aviation, and military presence. It is also known as Barnes Air National Guard Base.Barnes ANGB at GoANG.com
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History

Camp Bartlett was a summer training facility of the

Massachusetts Army National Guard The Massachusetts National Guard is the National Guard component for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeas ...

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield metrop ...

from 1905 to around 1918. It later became a mobilization camp for the 26th Division for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. After the United States entered

the expansive plain was heavily used by the federal government in August–September 1917 as Camp Bartlett, a mobilization and training camp for the 103rd and 104th Infantry Regiments of the 26th "Yankee" Division, prior to deployment in France. In 1923 citizens of Westfield, and nearby

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

set out to build an airport. A group of influential local businessmen was charged to convince the owner of the land where the airport is now, Vincent E. Barnes, to sell his land to the City of Westfield for an airport. Barnes agreed to donate his land. The plot was named Westfield Aviation Field and was dedicated on October 12, 1923. As the field gained in popularity, Vincent Barnes leased the city another plot, with a fee of $1 per year starting in 1927. In 1936 Mrs. Barnes and her daughter Saddie Knox donated an additional 297 acres (1.2 km²) to the city of Westfield; shortly thereafter, the City Council voted to name the airport after the family that made it possible. In 1939-40 the administration building, hangar, and the beacon light were built with grant money totaling near $90,000. Soon a passenger service started: on October 28, 1937, a 10-passenger tri-motor Stinson began weekly flights between Westfield and

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...

DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

s operated out of Westfield 1938 to 1950 and Mohawk DC-3s 1953 to 1959. The January 1951 chart shows 4970-ft runway 2, 3970-ft runway 9, and 5000-ft runway 15; same nine years later except runway 2 was 7000 ft. In the last 50 years the airport has expanded to 1,200 acres and added a

VORTAC Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range Station (VOR) is a type of short-range VHF radio navigation system for aircraft, enabling aircraft with a VOR receiver to determine the azimuth (also radial), referenced to magnetic north, between the a ...

and an ILS. In 1974 the Air Traffic Control Tower opened. A $7.6 million construction project started in April 2020 to rebuild runway 15–33. The last reconstruction of this runway was completed in 1970's. As of 2020 the

Massachusetts Air National Guard The Massachusetts Air National Guard (MAANG) is the aerial militia of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the Massachusetts Army National Guard, an element of ...

base is the home of the

104th Fighter Wing The 104th Fighter Wing (104 FW) is a unit of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, stationed at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (Barnes Air National Guard Base), Westfield, Massachusetts. When activated to federal service, the Wing is gained b ...

Facilities

The airport covers 1,200 acres (5 km²) at an elevation of 270 feet (82 m). It has two asphalt runways: 2/20 is 9,000 by 150 feet (2,743 × 46 m) and 15/33 is 5,000 by 100 feet (1,524 × 30 m). The airport recently opened a new administration and terminal, replacing a terminal that housed the original control tower. It is also the site of a major

fighter jet wing and support installation.

Aircraft

In the year ending March 31, 2022, the airport had 47,815 aircraft operations, average 131 per day: 85%

, 12% military, 2%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. History The concept of air taxis existed as early as the 1910s. This concept goes back as early as 1917 with Glenn Curtiss’ prototype, the auto-plane. Furthermor ...

, and <1% commercial. 124 aircraft were then based at the airport: 86 single-engine, 6 multi-engine, 4 jet, 1 helicopter, 26 military, and 1 ultralight. Occasionally the airport will service charter flights for the University of Massachusetts Amherst sports teams such as by

Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines is an ultra-low cost airline in the United States. Based at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport with headquarters on airport property, Sun Country operates to about 140 destinations in the United States, Canad ...

using

Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a twinjet, twin-engine narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third-generation derivative of the Boeing 737, it ha ...

aircraft.Fligthtaware.com November 26, 2021

Fixed-base operator and Maintenance Facilities

Barnes Regional Airport has one

fixed-base operator A fixed-base operator (FBO) is an organization granted the right by an airport to operate at the airport and provide aeronautical services such as fueling, hangaring, tie-down, and parking, aircraft rental, aircraft maintenance, flight instruction ...

(FBOs) and one G A Maintenance Facility.

Atlantic Aviation Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation (MIC) owns, operates and invests in a diversified group of infrastructure businesses. Macquarie Infrastructure Corporation's business consists of the largest network of fixed-base operations in the United St ...

is the newest FBO, operating in the new terminal building which includes a conference room, weather facilities, and comprehensive pilot services. They sell Shell fuel and provide typical FBO services including de-icing,storage and tie down. Aero Design Aircraft Services - formerly Aero Design Concepts is a GA maintenance facility providing maintenance, repair, and servicing. They also offer interiors and upholstery to all G A aircraft. Established in 1984, Aero Design is the sole G A maintenance facility on the airport. Aero Design also offers daily and extended tie downs on its ramp. Aero Design is located at the intersections of taxiways Alfa and Bravo, right below the Tower.

Flight Schools

Established in 2017, FLY LUGU (Look Up, Go Up) is the main flight school at Westfield Barnes Airport. Offering training in a variety of modern equipped aircraft including single engine Cessna 150, 172, 182, Piper Archer. Twin engine training is done utilizing Beechcraft Baron. All pilot ratings are offered.

Restaurant and Bar

The Runway restaurant closed in early 2015 and became occupied by Papps Bar. Papp’s closed after approximately 2 years in operation and became Sok’s which offered high end cocktails and Asian Fusion type fair. Sok’s closed after another 18-24 months. In 2020 Tobiko, which translates to “Flying Fish” opened. They offer an extensive sushi and sashimi menu, as well as ramen, and many other Asian fare.

Museum

The Westfield Aviation Museum located at Hangar 3 just southeast of the main terminal building houses many flying vintage aircraft including WWII training aircraft such as the Fairchild PT-23,

Boeing-Stearman Model 75 The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is an American biplane formerly used as a military Trainer (aircraft), trainer aircraft, of which at least 10,626 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s. Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary o ...

de Havilland Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary traine ...

, and a Cessna UC-78 Bobcat project. The museum has monthly events during the warmer months where visitors can experience an active general aviation airport offering a unique living history experience.

References

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an government agency, agency of the United States Department of the Interior, U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geograp ...

The National Map ''The National Map'' is a Collaboration, collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the eff ...

'' * * {{MA Airport Westfield, Massachusetts Airports established in 1923 1923 establishments in Massachusetts Airports in Hampden County, Massachusetts Closed installations of the United States Navy