According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data, the airport ranks as the fourth busiest in Florida out of 105 General Aviation airports, with 190,000 takeoffs and landings per year. This is primarily due to its use as a practice field by students from nearby Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, adjacent to Daytona Beach International Airport.[2] Due to the increase in air traffic, the Flagler County Airport now has an FAA Level 1 Contract Air Traffic Control Tower that operates from 7am - 9pm, 365 days per year.[3]
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, Flagler County Airport is assigned FIN by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.[4]
The airport is also home to the Flagler Palm Coast Army Readiness Center that opened in October 2020.[5] Listed on the FAA Airport Diagram as a "National Guard Armory," the facility actually supports units of both the U.S. Army Reserve and the Florida Army National Guard. Although no military aircraft are permanently assigned, the facility contains a flight line ramp area capable of accommodating UH-60 Blackhawk, CH-47 Chinook, and C-130 Hercules aircraft.
In 1960, it was the site of the inaugural NHRA Winter Nationals, which jointly sanctioned by NHRA and NASCAR (the NHRA was not a member of the national governing body of motorsport, the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, until 1965), which allowed the event to be certified for insurance regulations and FIA certification because NASCAR was a founding member of the national governing body. The inaugural Winter Nationals was part of Speed Weeks for the 1960 Daytona 500. This event was developed because of an issue of issues with illegal street racing around the Daytona event.[6]
Facilities and aircraft
Flagler Executive Airport covers an area of 1,145 acres (463 ha) and contains two paved runways, one seaplane landing area and one helipad:[1]
Runway 11/29: 5,500 x 100 ft (1,676 x 30 m), surface: asphalt
Runway 6/24: 5,001 x 100 ft (1,524 x 30 m), surface: asphalt
Runway 18W/36W: 3,000 x 500 ft (914 x 152 m), surface: water
Helipad H1: 36 x 36 ft (11 x 11 m), surface: concrete/gravel
For the 12-month period ending February 8, 2018, the airport had 158,775 aircraft operations, an average of 435 per day: 100% general aviation and less than 1% military. In February 2022, there were 37 aircraft based at this airport: 30 single-engine, 2 multi-engine, 2 jet and 3 helicopter.[1]
