Welcome to General Mitchell International Airport€¦ · The Airport has a six-level parking...

General Mitchell International Airport Self-Guided Tour Booklet

Welcome toGeneral MitchellInternational Airport

Air Traffic Control Tower 9

Airfield 19

Amtrak 8

Concourses 15

Concourse C 16

Concourse D 17

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS

Concourse E 18

Parking 6-7

History 4-5

Terminal Guide 10

Terminal — Lower Level 11

Terminal — Upper Level 12-14

Mitchell B-25 AirplaneUpon your arrival you may have noticed the

Mitchell B-25 aircraft. This “Mitchell

Bomber” (named after General Billy

Mitchell) aircraft memorial is located along

the airport entrance next to the parking

structure. The plane, a North American B-25

(used in World War II), was restored and do-

nated to Milwaukee County’s General

Mitchell International Airport by the Wis-

consin Air National Guard and the Mitchell

Field Rotary Club in 1959. The “Mitchell

Bomber” was again restored in 1991 by the

Wisconsin Air National Guard.

GMIA is

the largest airport in Wisconsin

totally funded by people who use the air-

port; no property tax dollars are used to

support the airport

GMIA Flights

12 airlines serve Mitchell International

approximately 235 daily departures

nonstop or direct flights to 90 major desti-

nations

Fun Facts…

Self-Guided Tour Booklet

See how we’ve grown . . .


MKE’s Aviation History

Let’s begin our aviation journey with aquick peek at some historical momentshere at Mitchell Airport . . .

July 5, 1919 — Milwaukee established thefirst county-operated airport on the site whereCurrie Park and Golf Course are now located.

August 27, 1919 — The Lawson Airliner, as-sembled at the airport, departed on a demon-stration flight to the East Coast.

June 7, 1926 — Airmail service began for theMilwaukee area.

It was soon realized that the current airfieldwas too small but that it couldn’t expand dueto a small river that was located to the eastand a railroad line that cut through on thewest.

October 5, 1926 — the Milwaukee CountyBoard approved the $150,000 purchase of a163-acre site located in the southeast corner ofthe county as the site for a new airport facility.It was named Hamilton Airport.

This land was owned by Thomas Hamilton, alocal aviator who operated a propeller manu-facturing business and small airport. The siteincluded a small wood frame hangar building,which can now be identified by a historicalmarker near the present location of the fixedbase operator (FBO) on East Layton Avenue.

July 1927 — The first airport terminal, theHirschbuehl Farmhouse, opened on the Hamil-ton Airport.

July 1927 — Northwest Airways, now knownas Northwest Airlines Inc., initiated air servicefrom Milwaukee to Chicago and Minneapolis/

St. Paul.

August 20, 1927 — Worldfamous aviator Charles A.Lindbergh visited the Mil-waukee Airport.

1938 to July 1940 — Anew terminal building wasconstructed by the WorksProgress Administration(WPA). The two-story brick structure was builtat a cost of $177,000 and offered a centrallylocated control tower.

July 30, 1947 — Milwaukee County, aware ofthe growth of the general aviation aircraft in-dustry, purchased the Curtiss Wright Airportlocated in the northwest corner of the county.

1958 — The Curtiss Wright Airport airfieldwas renamed “Lawrence J. Timmerman Air-port,” after county aviation advocate andCounty Board Chairman Lawrence J.Timmerman.

Early 1950’s — Mitchell Field Airport experi-enced growth in the number of flight opera-tions, including the large propeller-drivenStratoCruisers and Constellations. Due to con-gestion at the Layton Avenue terminal build-ing, construction began on a larger terminalfacility to be situated on Howell Avenue.

July 19, 1955 — A new three-concourse, two-level structure opened at a cost of $3.2 million.The structure had a capacity of 23 aircraft

In 1941, the name of the Milwaukee CountyAirport was changed to “General MitchellField” after Milwaukee’s military aviationadvocate, Brigadier General “Billy” Mitchell.


gates. The airfield then included 1,530 acres ofland for runways and taxiways.

July 1961 — Milwaukee entered the “jet age”with the arrival of a Northwest Orient AirlinesBoeing 720 four engine jet aircraft (similar to aBoeing 707 jet).

Late 1970’s — Deregulation and continuedgrowth prompted Milwaukee County to beginthe renovation of the existing terminal buildingwith new and larger shops and enlarged ticket-ing and baggage claim areas.

1983 — Mitchell Field entered the “space age”and welcomed Eastern Airlines’ “Spirit of Mil-waukee,” an advanced technology Boeing 757jet aircraft that utilized the same computersystem as that of the American Space Shuttle.

In keeping with the international processingfacilities at the airport (Customs, Immigrationand Agriculture) and its increased national rec-ognition, a new name was also appropriate.

October 1989 — A new Airport Systems CargoComplex was opened to provide security andground support services for cargo carriers. Thecomplex also provides services for loading andunloading freight and houses a vehicle mainte-nance shop, which provides maintenance forground support equipment.

December 14, 1990 — A 2,250-space parkingstructure addition was opened to help accom-modate the growing demand from travelers.

December 14, 1990 — A new 16-gate expan-sion of Concourse D opened, bringing MitchellInternational’s total number of gates to 42.This included a new 425-foot moving walkwayto convey passengers swiftly from the Con-course D entrance to the new gate area.

November 2002 — Another 3,000 space addi-tion to the parking garage opens. Three worksof art and 750 ft. moving walkway were in-stalled in the parking structure.

January 2003 — New Rental Car centeropens.

October 2004 — New $4.5 Million GroundRun Up Enclosure (GRE) unveiled at GMIA.

December 2004 — Concourse D securitycheckpoint expanded from two security lanes tosix.

January 2005 — Governor Doyle/SenatorKohl dedicate new Airport Amtrak passengerrail station.

April 2005 — Sprint introduces Wi-Fi at Air-port.

October 2005 — GMIA opens new CellularPhone Waiting Lot.

July 2006 — Concourse C Stem expansioncompleted.

August 2006 — Concourse E security check-point expanded from three lanes to four.

December 2006 — Concourse D stem renova-tion completed, creating new ground-levelboarding gates.

MKE’s Aviation History Con’t.

June 19, 1986 — the Milwaukee CountyBoard of Supervisors officially changed thename of General Mitchell Field to GeneralMitchell International Airport.


The Airport has a six-level parking structurethat provides secure parking for approxi-mately 9,000 vehicles. The structure is dividedinto Hourly (short-term) and Daily (long-term)parking areas and is connected to the mainterminal by two enclosed skywalks with eleva-tor service. If you plan to use the parkingstructure, the rule of thumb is to park in theDaily (long-term) area if your stay is longerthan five hours.

A prominent feature of the parking structureis a 750 ft. moving walkway that runs fromthe west side of the structure to the skywalkleading into the terminal. The walkway is en-closed in a heated and air-conditioned glass

corridor. The neon artwork of Stephen An-tonakos is located within and adjacent to thecorridor and the painted metal sculptures ofMilwaukee artist Evelyn Patricia Terry arelocated in each of the 12 elevator lobbies. Youwill also find artist Dennis Oppenheim’s Sub-

merged Vessels inside the atrium that con-nects the moving walkway to the skywalk.

Other unique features include a ground-levelpedestrian access way (which is a hardscaped,lighted pathway), and architectural screensthat visually tie together the old and new sec-tions of the structure.

There is a ramped entrance to the Hourly(short-term) section of the structure, an entryhelix to the Daily (long-term) section, and anexit helix and cashier plaza. A space-controlsystem has been installed to indicate whichfloors have the most parking spaces available.Each floor is further divided into three areasto assist parkers in finding a space.

Additional parking is available in the Surfaceand Remote parking lots. The Surface lot, lo-cated south of the parking structure, along the

Parking

Parking Fun Facts...

The parking structure has 35 acres offloor space.

Over 9,000 parking stalls are availableon a year-round basis.

An estimated 7,200 vehicles travel onthe terminal drive each day.


road leading into the Airport, provides 699parking spaces and is within walking distanceof the terminal. The Remote Lot is locatedwest of Howell Avenue and provides approxi-mately 1,750 parking spaces. A free shuttlebus runs a continuous circuit to the terminal.

Parking for tall vehicles is available in theSurface Lot.

The first 30 minutes of parking in the Hourlyand Surface Lot are free. The policy encour-ages people who drive to the airport to use theparking facilities when dropping off or pickingup passengers or luggage instead of creatingcongestion on the front drives by parking inthe traffic lanes.

There is a 15-space short term Cell PhoneWaiting Area that opened in October 2005 andis located inside the Surface Lot. It is designedfor drivers who are waiting for a cellularphone call to pick up an arriving passenger.

As you leave the parking structure to enterthe terminal building, you will find yourself inone of two areas. One is the baggage claimarea on the ground level. The other is the con-cession mall on the second level. The ticketing/check-in area is located across the roadwayeast of the baggage claim area on the groundlevel or down one level from the concessionmall via the escalator or elevator.

Parking Con’t.


Amtrak Station

In January 2005, an Amtrak passenger rail sta-tion opened at Milwaukee County's GeneralMitchell International Airport (GMIA).

The station serves rail passengers connecting toflights at the airport, along with rail-only pas-sengers using Amtrak's Hiawatha Service thatprovides seven daily round trips between Chi-cago and Milwaukee with stops in Glenview, ILand Sturdevant, WI. GMIA provides a free shut-tle bus connection between the airport andevery train that stops at the rail station.

The approximately 1,600 square-foot heatedstation includes restrooms and a seating area.Covered walkways lead from the drive-up areato a 400-foot passenger-boarding platform. The

station is located on the western edge of the air-port along existing Canadian Pacific Railwaylines and includes parking for 300 vehicles.

The station at GMIA is one of four Amtrak sta-tions serving airports in the U.S. The threeother airports are Baltimore Washington Inter-national Airport (BWI), Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport in California and NewarkLiberty International Airport in New Jersey.

Along with offering the best on-time perform-ance of any Amtrak route at more than 90%,ridership on Amtrak's Hiawatha Service contin-ues to increase, setting records over the pastfew years.

A 200-plus-foot tall air traffic control tower wasdedicated on July 7, 1986. The tower is locatedwest of the parking structure and can be easilyseen as you approach the Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), anagency of the federal government, operates thetower. The FAA is charged with maintainingthe safety of air travel throughout the UnitedStates. The tower houses the tower cab (ontop), the radar room, electronic equipmentrooms and offices.

The radar room controllers interpret numberedblips on a radarscope and perform the criticalfunction of directing aircraft as they approachand depart Milwaukee and other outlying air-ports within approximately a 30-mile radiusand up to 10,000 feet. The controllers in thecontrol tower cab maintain radio contact withpilots, directing those who are operating air-craft within the Mitchell Airport traffic area,and directing other aircraft movement on theground.

Air Traffic Control Tower

Control Tower Fun Facts... Height is 200’ 4-1/2” — The same as an 18-story build-

ing!

92 modules were used to construct the tower — 23 ineach of the 4 legs

Of the tower structure’s four legs:

one contains the elevator — it takes 33 seconds togo from ground level to the tower cab

one contains general utilities

one contains stairs — there are 245 steps from theground level to the tower cab

one contains electrical power

On a clear night, you can see the lights of Chicago,Illinois and Muskegon, Michigan



Ticketing/Check-In Lobby (Departures)

At the ticket counter, passengers check in fortheir flights. They obtain their seat assign-ments and check their baggage so that it canbe placed into the “belly” of the airplane. Pas-sengers can also purchase tickets and makereservations for future flights. Arrangementscan also be made for the handling of pets, odd-sized baggage, skis, bicycles or any other“unusual” item passengers wish to take withthem on their trip. Directly opposite thecounter are monitors, which display flight in-formation, along with self check-in machinesfor passengers who have electronic tickets andwould like to check themselves in and printtheir own boarding pass. Other passenger ser-vices in this area include telephones and sky-cap service. Skycaps assist passengers withluggage and wheelchair service.

Directly across the road from ticketing is thebaggage claim area.

Baggage Claim Lobby (Arrivals)

Incoming baggage from aircraft is unloaded toairline baggage carts and then distributedonto one of the five baggage belts. Monitors inthe claim areas provide information for theretrieval of bags. Services found in this areainclude: airline baggage service offices, direct-line hotel telephones, visitor information, anda coordinator to assist in providing groundtransportation to deplaning passengers.Directly across the road from baggage claim isthe ground transportation area.

Ground Transportation

Ground transportation for travelers includestaxicabs, courtesy cars, limousines, buses,rental cars and Amtrak. A coordinator directsvisitors to available taxicabs, limousines orbus service. Scheduled bus transportationruns between Milwaukee’s Mitchell Airportand Chicago’s Midway and O’Hare airports,and also between Milwaukee and Madison.The Amtrak station serves rail passengersconnecting to the airport from Chicago, north-ern Illinois and Milwaukee. The Airport pro-vides a free shuttle bus between the Airportand the Airport Amtrak station.

Glass Elevators

If there are small children in your group, youmight want to ride in one of the glass eleva-tors located at the west end of the skywalks,just before entering the parking structure.There are also glass elevators that connect theticketing lobby and the concession mall lo-cated at the north and south ends of each.

The Terminal — Lower Level

In the upper level of the terminal, you will find Con-courses C, D, and E, which have gates for the air-craft. The concourses all branch off from the conces-sion mall, a large public space of interesting and use-ful shops for things travelers want or need. There arenewsstands, gift shops, clothing stores and a usedbook store. The mall also houses a bank, a shoeshineparlor, and the Mitchell Gallery of Flight aviationhistory museum. Other features include stamp ma-chines, a family care room, conference rooms and ex-ecutive workstations. Hungry passengers and visitorscan head for the restaurant, cocktail lounge, coffeeshops and a food court.

In addition, the concession mall sometimes housesspecial events or exhibits.

The Terminal — Upper Level


The Gravity WellAt the south end of the concession mall, visitors can find the gravity well, a display of centrifugalforce in which a coin is launched and travels in smaller and smaller, faster and faster circles untilit is drawn into the center of the well. The coins that are collected help fund the Mitchell Galleryof Flight Museum. Bring your pennies.

PteranodonFrom the prehistoric dinosaur era, Pterosaurs were the first and largest animals to conquerflight. Not a dinosaur, but a near relative, Pteranodon (pronounced ter-RAN-o-don) lived approxi-mately 65-68 million years ago in North America and Japan. The adult Pteranodon had a wing-span of 25 to 30 feet and weighed 30 to 35 pounds. The display is in front of the food court. Don’tforget to look up!

What’s a FIDS? Mitchell’s Flight Information Display SystemThe bank of monitors mounted in the center and south end of the main concession mall providespeople who use the airport with information on when flights will be arriving or departing. Infor-mation displayed includes destination or origin city, flight number, arrival or departure time,

Concession Mall Fun Facts...

35,000 people pass through the terminalevery day!

7 million people fly into or out of GMIAevery year

There are 176 public telephones at GMIA

There are 32 sets of public restrooms atGMIA (with 120 rolls of toilet tissue useddaily, about 3,000 miles of tissue usedannually)

Terminal utility bills average $66,500 permonth for electricity ($800,000 per year)and monthly water bills average $5,300 inthe winter and $9,000 in the summer.

The airport has 256,000 square feet ofcarpeting.

The concession mall and ticketing areaadd up to 169,000 square feet.

There are 3,000 tons of structural steelused in the terminal.

Start your tour from the south end of themall (see map) and walk north:

The Terminal — Upper Level Con’t.


flight status (on time, delayed, boarding, etc.) Departing aircraft information is on the north sideof the display and arriving aircraft information is on the south side.

Milwaukee ClockThe old-fashioned four-sided clock hanging in the center of the main concession mall near theTravelers Aid desk is a replica made especially for the airport. Clocks in this style graced the cityduring the late 1800s. The airport serves as a gateway to and first impression of Milwaukee formany visitors, so we proudly display this example of the region’s architectural heritage.

Traveler’s Aid SocietyThe counter for the Traveler’s Aid Society is centrally located near the flight information displaysin the center of the concession mall. The Society, funded through United Way, strives to meet theimmediate crisis situations of travelers, visitors, and the general public. The desk is staffed from5 AM to 11 PM. The volunteers assist people in cases of lost tickets, missed connections, illness,lack of funds, language difficulties and many other travel-related situations. They also help thosewho are physically or mentally ill, runaways, homeless, etc., and make referrals to other servicesand elsewhere for those in need.

Flight View — MKE Arrivals ScreensThis bank of screens is another source of flight information for both travelers and for those wait-ing for flights to arrive. These screens allow travelers to watch the radar positions of in-flight air-planes scheduled to arrive at MKE. Three of the four screens focuses on a region of the countywith the fourth screen showing the entire county. Another interesting feature of the screens isthat they also display current weather systems throughout the country.

Curtiss 1911 PusherThe Curtiss 1911 Pusher airplane, located in the concession mall near the entrance to theMitchell Gallery of Flight, reflects the aviation history of Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin.It is an authentic reproduction of the type of airplane owned and flown by Milwaukee’s first pilot,John Kaminski. Waukesha residents Dale and Dean Crites built this airplane replica in 1974.The plane has been flown in many air shows and events, including the annual EAA AirVentureOshkosh.

Communities Mosaic of Culture

Over 700 Milwaukee Public School third graders created the “Communities Mosaic of Culture”murals located within the concession mall at the entrance to the north skywalk. The mosaics arethe result of a literacy program, sponsored by We Energies, that uses art, history, and visual artsto encourage students to research, read, write and present. Students worked with professional


The Terminal — Upper Level Con’t.artists to develop their ideas and drawings. The murals consist of thousands of buttons, beads,and various odds and ends to create the colorful collage. The airport’s mural is located within theconcession mall at the entrance to the north end skywalk.

The Mitchell Gallery of Flight

The Mitchell Gallery of Flight, an aviation museum, is located in the north section of the conces-sion mall. It features displays and exhibits unique to local aviation history. The 24’ x 60’ Galleryprovides air travelers and visitors alike with a unique and informative aviation experience.

A non-profit organization, the Friends of the Mitchell Gallery of Flight, has been formed to ad-minister the project. The organization plans the displays, directs display programs, fundraisers,and membership activities.

You can share in retaining the rich aviation heritage unique to Milwaukee. Various levels ofmembership in the Friends of the Mitchell Gallery of Flight are available. For questions or addi-tional information, please call or write:

Friends of the Mitchell Gallery of FlightGeneral Mitchell International Airport

5300 South Howell AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53207

414-747-5300

The Concourses


Due to increased security, you are no long ableto walk through the security checkpoint with-out a boarding pass that allows access to theconcourses. We have provided an overview ofeach concourse on these pages.

Upon entering any of the three concourses – C,D, E, passengers must pass through a screen-ing device as required by federal law. Parcels,purses and any carry-on baggage must be in-spected by an X-ray machine. People mustalso walk through a metal detector. Selectedbags may be hand-searched or subjected to a“sniffer,” a machine that checks for explosivesresidue. Each of the three concourses has agift shop and a snack bar/lounge. The airlinegate holding areas have seating available forthose passengers waiting to board. Airline rep-resentatives at these holding areas assist pas-sengers in the boarding process.

Aircraft Ramps

Just outside of the windows of the gate areasand most visible from the entrance to Con-course C are the ramps (or tarmacs) where air-craft are serviced. Before departure, aircraftare refueled, in-flight galley kitchens are re-stocked with food and beverages, airline per-sonnel clean and inspect the plane, baggageand/or freight are loaded and unloaded, andlavatories are serviced. Various types ofplanes can be seen on the ramps, includingMD-88, B-757, DC-8, A-319, B-717, B-737, andDC-9, along with smaller aircraft, such as theEmbraer and Canadair regional jets.


Concourse CA variety of aircraft use this concourse, includ-ing regional jets and larger commercial jets.There is a list of all airlines who use the gatesat the entrance to the concourse. In the 2005renovation of Concourse C, the design teamchose to express ideas of transparency, motionand light throughout the concourse. ArtistCarlos Alves used the main corridor of the con-course as a canvas by incorporating twelvehandmade mosaic tile medallions and metalinserts into the terrazzo floor.

At the entrance to the concourse is the secu-rity checkpoint. Only passengers with a board-ing pass are allowed beyond this point.

Administration Building

The offices and facilities of the Airport Ad-ministration, Maintenance and Engineeringstaffs are located in a wing just off ConcourseC prior to the security-screening checkpoint.These employees manage the day-to-day ac-tivities at General Mitchell International Air-port and those at Lawrence J. TimmermanAirport, which serves smaller aircraft.

International Arrivals Terminal

Visible to the west of Concourse C is the Inter-national Arrivals Building, which serves pri-marily as a gateway for travelers returningfrom charter vacation trips to cities outside ofthe United States. This building contains theoffices and screening facilities of federal Cus-toms, U.S. Immigration and the Departmentof Agriculture. Up to 300 returning interna-tional passengers can be processed per hour atthis facility.

Airport Satellite Maintenance Facility

The Airport Satellite Maintenance Facility islocated west of Concourse C. The facility, builtin the spring of 1991, is used for overnightstorage of airport shuttle vehicles and as awash facility for county and airline vehiclesand equipment. The building occupies approxi-mately 3,000 square feet and houses five to sixvehicles.

Fixed Base Operator

Also visible from Concourse C are two loca-tions of the airport’s Fixed Base Operator(FBO), Signature Flight Support, that handlesprivate aircraft at the airport. The main officeand ramp is at the north end of the Airport onLayton Avenue. The other is located on thenorthwest quadrant of the Airport along How-ell Avenue.

This is one of the colorful mosaic floor medallions done byArtist Carlos Alves who designed the terrazzo and ceramictile floor that extends the length of the concourse. The floorgives visitors a “sense of place” by depicting the rural-to-urban view of southeastern Wisconsin as seen from thewindow of an airplane.

Concourse D


A variety of aircraft use this concourse, includ-ing regional jets and larger commercial jets.There is a list of all airlines who use the gatesat the entrance to the concourse.


Moving Walkway (Lower Level)

After passing through the security checkpointon Concourse D, an escalator takes you downto a 425 foot moving walkway. The walkway,which opened in 1991, is helpful to passengerswho will be using the gates at the east end ofConcourse D. People who have a difficult timewalking or who have heavy luggage to carrywill especially benefit from using the walk-way. Passengers can get from one end of theconcourse to the other in four and a half min-utes while standing on the conveyor and intwo and a half minutes while walking on it.The $6 million walkway has a high-tech look.At the end of the walkway, escalators lead upto the atrium waiting area. With its openspace and live trees, the atrium is a favoriteplace for visitors to watch take-offs and land-ings, and sometimes hosts special events.

American-Soviet Mural Project “Clay: AHealing Way”

Just north of the atrium, there is a clay muralcreated through The American-Soviet MuralProject, which was directed by Wisconsinteacher Joel Pfeiffer. The mural was made bythe people of Leningrad on July 30, 1989. Themural symbolizes the efforts of people working

together and supporting each other in waysthat build the community. A similar mural,which used over 8,000 pounds of clay, was cre-ated by 5,000 Americans on July 11, 1989 atthe Milwaukee Summerfest grounds. Thatmural, now on display in the Riverport in Len-ingrad, was given to the Soviet people as apeace-through-art offering.

Wisconsin Air National Guard

The 128th Wisconsin Air National Guard(ANG) Air Refueling Squadron Base, locatedon the eastern edge of the airport, maintainsand operates the KC-135 aircraft. The KC-135is the military version of the Boeing 707 jet.Specially equipped, this jet can complete in-flight refueling to other military aircraft byusing an extended boom from the KC-135tanker. Fighter aircraft in-flight refueling ac-tivities are coordinated and monitored by theTactical Control Flight Facility. Military flightactivities such as these are conducted within arestricted area.


Concourse EA variety of aircraft use this concourse, includ-ing regional jets and larger commercial jets.There is a list of all airlines who use the gatesat the entrance to the concourse.


Corporate Hangars

Just prior to entering Concourse E and lookingto the southwest, you will see some of the cor-porate hangars located at the Airport. VariousMilwaukee area companies use these largehangars to store multimillion dollar businessaircraft. Some of these planes are as fast ascommercial airliners and have just as long aflight range.

Maintenance Building

The building located southwest of the Termi-nal houses facilities for three different divi-sions of Milwaukee County: Central Automo-tive Maintenance, Highway Maintenance, andAirport Maintenance. The airport Mainte-nance section includes the electrical, mechani-cal and carpentry facilities for the Airport.Here, the large snow removal equipment isstored along with trucks, tractors, plows,brooms, mowers, and various other equip-ment. Part of the duties of the maintenancegroup include keeping the 360 acres of airportconcrete free of snow, debris, etc. The Airport’srotary plows can move 3,000 tons of snow perhour! Maintenance also must mow more than1,000 acres of grass during summer months.

Airport Fire Station

The fire station, visible from the gates on thesouth end of Concourse E, is centrally locatedon the airport to provide crash/fire rescue ve-hicles ready access to the runways and taxi-ways. The station is staffed 24 hours a day byfirefighters who respond to emergencies andoperate the specialized vehicles. Firefightersare required by federal regulations to be onthe scene of an accident anywhere on the air-field within three minutes.These sophisticated radio-equipped vehiclesare capable of fighting aircraft, fuel or struc-tural fires. The larger fire trucks carry a totalof 5,000 gallons of water that when combinedwith chemicals produce fire suppressant foam.

Other vehicles at the fire station respond tomedical emergencies at the Airport. Additionalfirefighting assistance and vehicles are avail-able through a mutual aid fire protectionagreement with the military bases adjacent tothe Airport and with nearby communities.

The Airfield


The airfield is the largest part of the airportand consists of all the runways, taxiways, pe-rimeter roadways and holding areas for air-craft. Paint markings, lighting and naviga-tional aids are used in combination to assist asmooth flow of traffic on the airfield.

Paint markings and lighting vary with color.White paint is used on the runways and yel-low is used on the taxiways and on the termi-nal ramp to indicate aircraft parking areas.Runways or taxiways have centerline, dis-tance and holding markings. Airfield light-ing is also color-coded, with runway lightswhite, taxiway lights blue and thresholdlights green or red. All of these lights can beadjusted for high, medium or low intensity byair traffic controllers in the control tower.

There are many kinds of navigational aidsat the airport. Approach lighting, located atthe end of the primary runways, is used by apilot for landing reference. Because aircraftmust fly into the wind, the airfield windsockis used to indicate wind direction and speed,which helps to determine which runway is tobe used during takeoffs and landings.

The primary runways use an InstrumentLanding System (ILS), which assists ap-proaching pilots landing in bad weather or inpoor visibility.

This system consists of a:

Marker Beacon, which tells the pilotshow far out they are from the end of therunway.

Glide Slope, which tells the pilots if theyare too low or high during the landing ap-proach.

Localizer, which tells the pilots if theyare too far to the left or right in approach-ing the runway.

There are five runways at General MitchellInternational Airport, ranging in size from9,700 feet long (a little less than two miles)and 200 feet wide, to the shortest runway of3,500 feet long (about two-thirds of a milelong) and 100 feet wide. The primary ILS run-ways have a grooved surface that reduces thepossibility of an aircraft hydroplaning on awet runway surface.

The airport’s ramps and runways can accom-modate large aircraft such as the Boeing 747.The surfaces of ramps and runways are strongand thick enough to withstand such aircraftweight.

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