Winsted Municipal Airport

Winsted Municipal Airport
A small brown single-story building sits behind a row of cars on a sunny day.
The airport's arrival/departure building
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Winsted
ServesWinsted, Minnesota
Elevation AMSL1,340 ft / 408.4 m
Coordinates44°56′59.8660″N 094°04′00.9030″W / 44.949962778°N 94.066917500°W / 44.949962778; -94.066917500
Websitewinsted.mn.us/airport
Map
10D is located in Minnesota
10D
10D
10D is located in the United States
10D
10D
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
09/27 3,248 990 Turf
Statistics (2021)
Aircraft operations13,545
Based aircraft28

Winsted Municipal Airport (FAA LID: 10D) is a public general aviation airport serving Winsted and the surrounding area in the US state of Minnesota. Operated by the municipal government of Winsted, the airport was opened in 1964. It has a single turf runway, several hangars, and an arrival/departure building. Throughout its history, Winsted Municipal Airport has hosted airshows and the Winstock Country Music Festival. Winsted's city council approved repairs to the runway in 2018.

History

Winsted Municipal Airport was dedicated on August 2, 1964, at an all-day event featuring a speech from U.S. Representative Ancher Nelsen, a United States Air Force flyover, and demonstrations of skydiving, cropdusters, radio-controlled aircraft, and helicopters.[2] The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted the municipal airport commission $16,000 in 1966 to construct an apron and a taxiway, and to develop the land on which the airport is situated.[3]

The airport has a turf runway.[1] Around 2000, the Winsted Airport Commission, which manages the airport's operations, considered paving the runway, which was frequently wet in the spring months, uneven in the summer months, and difficult to plow in the winter months.[4] The City of Winsted intended to pay no more than 20% of the cost of a potential runway repaving.[4]

In 2017, the Winsted City Council voted in favor of a $6.67 million plan to repave the runway but did not agree to use eminent domain to acquire land on the end of the runway for expansion.[5] Due to the lack of agreement, the city council decided instead to repair the turf runway at a cost of $3.37 million.[5] The United States Department of Transportation granted the project $1.44 million to relocate a pipeline running beneath the runway; other federal funds paid for a total of 90% of the project, with the state government covering 5% of the cost and the city covering the final 5%.[5]

Facilities and events

A small airport on a very cloudy day
The airport's runway (left), taxiway, and arrival/departure building (right)

The Minnesota Department of Aeronautics considered the airport to be mostly recreational, largely because of its unpaved runway.[4] The airport is located in Winsted near the intersection of McLeod County roads 1 and 5.[4] Its runway, which runs east-west (09/27), is 3,248 feet (990 m) long and 200 feet (61 m) wide with an elevation of 1,340 feet (408.4 m) above sea level.[1][6] It can accommodate light twin engine and smaller aircraft.[4] As of 2021, 28 aircraft, all single-engines except for one ultralight, were based at Winsted.[1] The airport has a seven-space tee hangar, a 66-unit conventional hangar, a 24-hour arrival/departure building, and a 20-space parking lot.[6][7] The airport's FAA location identifier is 10D; it has not been assigned an ICAO airport code or an IATA airport code.[1] For the 12-month period ending January 28, 2021, Winsted had 13,545 general aviation operations.[1]

Winsted Municipal Airport has hosted airshows throughout its history.[8][9] In 1994, the annual Winstock Country Music Festival began to be hosted on the airport's grounds.[10] By 2001, the festival had moved to a plot of land adjacent to the airport.[7][11] A skydiving company is based out of Winsted Municipal Airport.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f FAA Airport Form 5010 for 10D PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective January 28, 2021.
  2. ^ "Winsted to Dedicate Airport". Minneapolis Star. July 31, 1964. p. 6B. Retrieved April 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Airports in State Get Funds". Minneapolis Star. December 17, 1966. p. 12A. Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e City of Winsted Comprehensive Plan: A Community Plan for Growth & Development: 2000–2020 (PDF) (Report). Mid-Minnesota Development Commission. June 6, 2000. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Jones, Jeremy (September 19, 2018). "Winsted airport project catches a $1.44 million break". Hutchinson Leader. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Winsted–10D: Winsted Municipal Airport (PDF) (Report). Minnesota Department of Transportation. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 2, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c "2020 Minnesota Airport Directory and Travel Guide" (PDF). Minnesota Department of Transportation. 2020. p. 289. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  8. ^ "Winsted to Hold Fly-In, Air Show". Minneapolis Tribune. July 26, 1966. p. 35. Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Out and away: Events of special interest this week". Minneapolis Tribune. June 12, 1977. p. 7F. Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Waite Park kicks off festival season with Spass Tag". St. Cloud Times. June 5, 1997. p. 4E. Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Festival to be June 8–9". Globe Gazette. May 24, 2001. p. C8. Retrieved January 2, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.