Brownwood Regional Airport Brownwood Army Airfield |
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USGS 2006 orthophoto
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Summary | |||||||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
Owner | City of Brownwood | ||||||||||||||
Serves | Brownwood, Texas | ||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 1,387 ft / 423 m | ||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 31°47′37″N 098°57′23″W / 31.79361°N 98.95639°WCoordinates: 31°47′37″N 098°57′23″W / 31.79361°N 98.95639°W | ||||||||||||||
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Location in Texas | |||||||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||||||
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Statistics (2012) | |||||||||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration
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Aircraft operations | 6,000 |
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Based aircraft | 44 |
Brownwood Regional Airport (IATA: BWD, ICAO: KBWD, FAA LID: BWD) is six miles north of Brownwood, in Brown County, Texas. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation facility. The 21st Cavalry Brigade of the III Corps, U.S. Army use the airport for training in Apache and Blackhawk helicopters.
The airport has been served by airlines in the past. Service was subsidized by the Essential Air Service program until March 13, 2005, when it ended due to federal law not allowing a subsidy over $200 per passenger for communities within 210 miles of the nearest large or medium hub airport (Brownwood is 145 miles from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, a medium hub.)Federal Aviation Administration records say Brownwood Regional Airport had 1,764 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2003, 1,417 in 2004 and 232 in 2005.
The airport opened during World War II as Brownwood Army Airfield and was used by the United States Army Air Forces as a training base.
The 68th and 77th Reconnaissance Groups trained at Brownwood during 1942 with a variety of aircraft, including B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberators, P-40 Warhawks and A-20 Havocs. In addition to the training performed at the airfield, patrols were flown over the Gulf of Mexico and along the Mexican border. The role of the Brownwood Army Airfield from November, 1943, to September, 1944 was to operate as a refresher school and replacement training unit for liaison pilots within the Third Air Force. One of the primary aircraft used in this role was the Stinson L-5. In October, 1944, the airfield became the new combat crew training center. From January, 1945, until the end of World War II, the primary mission of the Brownwood Army Airfield was the training and preparation of combat crews for overseas replacement.