Bader Field

Bader Field (IATA: AIY, ICAO: KAIY, FAA LID: AIY), also known as Atlantic City Municipal Airport, was a city-owned public-use general aviation airport located in Atlantic City, in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States.[1] It was approximately one mile from the terminus of U.S. Route 40 and U.S. Route 322. The city purchased the land for the airfield in 1922.[2] It was named after the former mayor of Atlantic City, Edward L. Bader.

Bader Field

Atlantic City Municipal Airport
View of Atlantic City skyline from Bader Field, September 2004
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Atlantic City
ServesAtlantic City, New Jersey
Elevation AMSL8 ft / 2.4 m
Coordinates39°21′36″N 074°27′22″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
04/22 2,595 791 Asphalt (closed)
11/29 2,948 899 Asphalt (closed)
Statistics (2001)
Aircraft operations10,683

Bader Field permanently closed on September 30, 2006. The field as of 2016 was for sale.[3]

The first use of term of "air port" anywhere was used in 1919 to describe this field.[4]

Located less than a mile across the Intracoastal Waterway from the landmark original Convention Hall, it was Atlantic City's principal airport during the city's Miss America golden age. Every United States president from Theodore Roosevelt to Gerald Ford flew to the airport during their terms.[5] Its decline began in 1958 when the former Naval air station was converted to joint civilian/military use as Atlantic City International Airport. It is about 9 miles further inland. Private planes had continued to use the airport until 2006. The airport land, which has a scenic view of Atlantic City's Boardwalk casinos has long been considered prime real estate for luxury usage or casino, but efforts to develop it have so far not succeeded.[6]

History

Bader Field was opened in 1910 and was authorized to provide passenger service in 1911 (with Glenn Curtiss piloting the first passenger).[5] It was the first U.S. municipal airport with facilities for both seaplanes and land-based airplanes.[7]

In October 15, 1910, Walter Wellman launched the blimp America from the field in an attempt at the first transatlantic flight. Wellman and the crew abandoned the blimp in the Atlantic off the North Carolina coast in less than 72 hours from takeoff.[6]

The first known usage of the term "air-port" appeared in a newspaper article in 1919, in reference to Bader Field.[4] The term was coined by Robert Woodhouse and referred to the "Flying Limousines", a seaplane passenger service between Atlantic City and New York.[7]

In 1933 Albert Ernest Forsythe and C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson became the first black men to make a round trip transcontinental flight (to Los Angeles).

Bader Field was the founding location of the Civil Air Patrol in 1941.[4]

Most of the commercial service moved in 1978. It had a brief revival in the early 1980s when casinos began using it for charters.[5] Scheduled commercial airline service at the airport ended in 1990, when Allegheny Airlines moved to the larger Atlantic City International Airport. The control tower was removed in the late 1990s and some of the former airport property was used to build a minor-league baseball stadium.[8]

Accidents and incidents

On May 15, 2005, the Cessna CitationJet 525A registered OY-JET overran the runway when attempting a 10 knots tailwind landing, ending up in the adjoining Intracoastal Waterway.[9] An eyewitness video captured the accident from the final approach to the rescue of the plane's occupants by local boaters and the subsequent inadvertent operation of the aircraft as an "airboat".[10] The NTSB report of the accident noted, "...the airport diagram...observed attached to the pilot's control column after the accident...read, 'airport closed to jet aircraft'".[11]

Emergency use

On June 29, 2019 three small banner-towing planes were forced to land at Bader field to avoid extreme thunderstorms in the area.

Redevelopment and later uses

Bader Field is considered a prime redevelopment site.[12] In 1998, Bernie Robbins Stadium, a 5,500-seat baseball stadium, opened on the site, housing the Atlantic City Surf minor league baseball team until it discontinued operations in 2009. An indoor ice skating rink, Flyers Skate Zone, also opened up at the Bader Field site.

The South Jersey Region[13] of the Sports Car Club of America hosts autocross events at Bader Field during the non-winter months. The SJR SCCA has been using the site for a few years to date.

In March 2011, the Dave Matthews Band announced that Bader Field would be the first of four sites for the Dave Matthews Band Caravan, a three-day music festival featuring an eclectic group of musical acts, with the Dave Matthews Band being the headlining performer for each night. The Atlantic City event was to take place June 24–26, 2011. In announcing the location of the event, the Dave Matthews Band cited Bader Field's proximity to several major metropolitan areas in the northeastern seaboard and its accessibility via several modes of public transportation. Improvements to the site prior to the event included burning overgrown brush as well as improvements to the long-neglected Bernie Robbins Stadium, which would house VIP seating for special ticket holders as well as host a later music festival featuring rapper Rick Ross.[14] Improvements would also make way for other events, such as motorsports events on the runway strips.[15]

In April 2011, Bader Field was included in the new state-run Tourism District controlled by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. The site's large parcel and potential for redevelopment led to its inclusion, which received much scrutiny from mayor Lorenzo Langford, who cast the lone "no" vote on the formation of the district, citing the inclusion of Bader Field as his reasoning.[16]

In February 2012, Metallica announced that their two-day Orion Music + More Festival would be staged at Bader Field on June 23 and 24, 2012.[17]

The popular jam band Phish performed a three-day run at Bader Field, June 15–17, 2012.[18]

Bader Field was scheduled to host a round of the Global Rallycross Championship in 2016.

Facilities and aircraft

Bader Field covered an area of 143 acres (58 ha) at an elevation of 8 feet (2.4 m) above mean sea level. It had two asphalt paved runways: 4/22 measured 2,595 by 100 feet (791 × 30 m) and 11/29 measured 2,948 by 100 feet (899 × 30 m). For the 12-month period ending January 4, 2001, the airport had 10,683 aircraft operations, an average of 29 per day: 81% general aviation and 19% air taxi.[1]

See also

References
  1. "KAIY – Atlantic City Municipal Airport / Bader Field". Federal Aviation Administration, via AirNav.com. November 23, 2006. Archived from the original on January 13, 2007.
  2. "Crossing the Goal Line". CasinoConnectionAC.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  3. "Council votes to auction historic N.J. airport". NJ.com. March 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  4. "Atlantic City airport, where 'air-port' coined, closing". Associated Press, via PressOfAtlanticCity.com. September 26, 2006. Archived from the original on January 24, 2008.
  5. "A Look Back at Bader Field: The First "Airport"". August 22, 2019.
  6. https://www.kansascity.com/news/business/national-international/article258775008.html
  7. Harris-Para, Barbara (January–February 2006). "Bader Field: Past, Present and Future". Inside the Fence. FAA Technical Center.
  8. "Bader Field Closes Up Shop". Associated Press, via abc.com. September 30, 2006.
  9. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 525A CitationJet CJ2 OY-JET Atlantic City-Bader Field, NJ (AIY)". Aviation-Safety.net. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  10. Christopher Dixon (March 11, 2007). "Jet crash on short runway". Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via YouTube.
  11. "NTSB Report of runway overrun of OY-JET at Bader Field". NTSB.gov. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  12. "Bidding starts Tuesday for Atlantic City's Bader Field". Philly.com. 2008. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  13. South Jersey Region
  14. Michael Clark (May 15, 2011). "Atlantic City government likely to lose money on Dave Matthews Band festival". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved May 15, 2011.
  15. Michael Clark (May 29, 2011). "Cleanup at top of Tourism District's to-do list". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
  16. "Breakdown of areas of the Atlantic City Tourism District". PressOfAtlanticCity.com. April 19, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  17. "Orion Music and More Site". February 7, 2012. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
  18. "Phish at Bader Field, Atlantic City". February 29, 2012. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved February 29, 2012.
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