View source for Hanscom Field

{{short description|Airport in Massachusetts, United States of America}}
{{For|the U.S. Air Force use of this facility|Hanscom Air Force Base}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox airport
| name              = Laurence G. Hanscom Field 
| image             = File:Hanscom Field Logo.png
| image-width       = 150
| image2            = Hanscom Air Force Base - MA.jpg
| image2-width      = 250
| caption2          = [[USGS]] 2006 [[orthophoto]]
| IATA              = BED
| ICAO              = KBED
| FAA               = BED
| type              = Public / military
| operator          = [[Massachusetts Port Authority]] (Massport)
| location          = [[Bedford, Massachusetts|Bedford]], [[Massachusetts]]
| opened            = {{start date and age|1941|06|26|df=n|p=yes|br=yes}}
| focus_city        = [[Tailwind Air Service]]
| timezone          = EST
| utc               = UTC-05:00:00
| summer            = EDT
| utcs              = UTC-04:00:00
| elevation-f       = 132
| elevation-m       = 40
| website           = [http://www.hanscomfield.com www.hanscomfield.com]
| coordinates       = {{coord|42|28|12|N|071|17|20|W|region:US-MA|display=inline,title}}
| image_map         = BED_FAA_Diagram.pdf
| image_mapsize     = 275
| image_map_caption = FAA airport diagram as of January 2021
| mapframe          = yes
| mapframe-zoom     = 10
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| r1-number         = 5/23
| r1-length-f       = 5,107
| r1-length-m       = 1,557
| r1-surface        = Asphalt
| r2-number         = 11/29
| r2-length-f       = 7,011
| r2-length-m       = 2,137
| r2-surface        = Asphalt
| stat-year         = 
| stat1-header      = Aircraft operations (2021)
| stat1-data        = 99,961
| stat2-header      = Based aircraft (2022)
| stat2-data        = 252
| footnotes         = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name="FAA">{{FAA-airport|ID=BED|use=PU|own=PU|site=08750.*A}}. Federal Aviation Administration. effective April 21, 2022.</ref>
}}

'''Laurence G. Hanscom Field''' {{airport codes|BED|KBED|BED}}, commonly known as '''Hanscom Field''', is a public use [[airport]] operated by the [[Massachusetts Port Authority]], located {{convert|14|mi|nmi km|abbr=on}} outside [[Boston]] in [[Bedford, Massachusetts|Bedford]], [[Massachusetts]], [[United States]].<ref name="FAA" />

Hanscom is mainly a [[general aviation]] airport, the largest in New England. Both runways can accommodate jets, and are used by [[Hanscom Air Force Base]], a defense-research facility next to Hanscom Field. It is a popular training airport, with more than 40 rental aircraft on the field. The Civil Air Terminal building hosts two flight schools. Transient general aviation planes are served by three [[Fixed base operator|FBO]]s: [[Jet Aviation]], [[Atlantic Aviation]], and [[Signature Aviation]].

It is also used sometimes by the [[Boston Bruins]], [[Boston Celtics]] and [[Boston Red Sox]], instead of [[Logan International Airport]], for their charter flights to and from away contests.

[[Federal Aviation Administration]] records say the airport had 10,956 passenger boardings (enplanements) in [[calendar year]] 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy17-commercial-service-enplanements.pdf | title = Enplanements for CY 2017 | format = PDF, 1.0 MB | work = CY 2017 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data | publisher = Federal Aviation Administration | date = 2018-11-07 }}</ref> It is in the [[National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems]] for 2021–2025, in which the FAA categories it as a ''non-primary commercial service'' airport (between 2,500 and 10,000 enplanements per year).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias/reports/media/2011/npias_2011_appA.pdf | title = 2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A | format = PDF, 2.03 MB | work = National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems | publisher = Federal Aviation Administration | date = 2010-10-04 }}</ref>

The field serves aircraft from [[Piper Cub]]s to [[Gulfstream V]] jets. The events of [[September 11 attacks|September 11]] caused a number of changes to general aviation in the US (see [[Airport security repercussions due to the September 11 attacks]]). Hanscom Field saw changes implemented by Massport that included security fees, identification cards, and a requirement for propeller locks.

==Facilities and aircraft==
[[File:Hanscom Field runway aerial.JPG|thumb|left|2015 aerial view of Hanscom Field]]
Hanscom Field covers {{convert|1125|acre|ha km2|abbr=on}} at an [[elevation]] of {{convert|132|ft|m|abbr=on}} above [[mean sea level]].

It has two [[Asphalt concrete|asphalt]] [[runway]]s:

*Runway 11/29 is {{convert|7011|x|150|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FAA" />
*Runway 5/23 is {{convert|5107|x|150|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name="FAA" />

In the year ending September 30, 2021 the airport had 99,961 aircraft operations, an average of 274 per day: 81% [[general aviation]], 18% [[air taxi]], less than 1% [[military aviation|military]] and less than 1% [[airline|scheduled commercial]]. In April 2022, there were 252 aircraft based at this airport: 146 single-engine, 20 multi-engine, 75 [[jet aircraft|jet]] and 11 [[helicopter]].<ref name="FAA" />

In 2008, and many years prior, Hanscom had handled the second most aircraft movements of any airport in New England after [[Boston-Logan]]. On a nice weekend day the traffic pattern gets so busy the tower is known to close the traffic pattern and only allow full stop landings.

Hanscom Field's traffic is primarily business jets and general aviation aircraft. The airport is served by a FAA control tower which operates between the hours of  {{Format time|07|00|timezone=-05:00|hour_format=g}} to {{Format time|23|00|timezone=-05:00|hour_format=g}}. Massport assesses a nighttime field use fee for takeoffs or landings conducted outside of the tower operating hours.

==Airlines and destinations==
Under Massport regulations adopted in 1980 (Part F of the General Rules and Regulations for Laurence G. Hanscom Field), scheduled commercial operations are limited to aircraft with up to 60 seats.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.massport.com/media/2012/stateofhanscom-2016.pdf |title=The State of Hanscom, March 2017 |access-date=2018-05-13 |archive-date=May 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514065904/https://www.massport.com/media/2012/stateofhanscom-2016.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[Shuttle America#History|Shuttle America]], a [[Connecticut]]-based [[regional airline]], operated scheduled service from the airfield from 1999 until 2004, carrying more than 10,000 passengers each month to Buffalo, New York; Hartford, Connecticut; New York LaGuardia; Trenton, New Jersey; and Greensboro, North Carolina, using [[De Havilland Dash 8-300]] aircraft. In 2001 Shuttle America became a [[US Airways Express]] feeder carrier on behalf of [[US Airways]] providing service to Philadelphia and Trenton until service ended in 2004. [[De Havilland Dash 8]] and [[Saab 340]] aircraft were used in the latter years.

[[Boston-Maine Airways]], dba [[Boston-Maine Airways|Pan Am Clipper Connection]] began servicing the airport in 2002 using [[Jetstream 31]] aircraft. Clipper flights connected Hanscom Field with [[Portsmouth International Airport at Pease|Pease Airport]] in [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], and [[Trenton–Mercer Airport]] in New Jersey. In its final years, Clipper added flights from Hanscom to [[Ithaca Tompkins International Airport|Ithaca-Tompkins Regional Airport]] in [[Central New York]]. Even with this new route, Clipper could never draw the numbers it needed to remain profitable. The airline was forced to cease operation in 2008 by the FAA for lack of funding and management. That left Hanscom Field without scheduled airline service for the first time in a decade.

In 2011, [[Trenton, New Jersey|Trenton]]-based airline [[Streamline Air]] began its first public charter route to Hanscom using 30-seat [[Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia]] aircraft, beginning with two daily round trips on weekdays. Streamline ceased operations on September 15, 2012.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://iflystreamline.com/ |title=Streamline |access-date=March 22, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322052605/http://iflystreamline.com/ |archive-date=March 22, 2012 }}</ref>

In the spring of 2021, [[Southern Airways Express]] announced that they were replacing their [[Barnstable Municipal Airport|Hyannis]]-[[Nantucket Memorial Airport|Nantucket]] route with a Bedford/Hanscom Field-[[Nantucket Memorial Airport|Nantucket]] route beginning May 26, 2021. This was the first scheduled passenger service out of Hanscom Field in almost a decade.

===Cargo===
{{Airport-dest-list|3rdcoltitle = Refs
|[[AirNet]] | [[Martin State Airport|Baltimore-Martin State]], [[Buffalo Niagara International Airport|Buffalo]], [[Cuyahoga County Airport|Cleveland–Cuyahoga]], [[Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport|Cincinnati]], [[Spirit of St. Louis Airport|St. Louis–Spirit]] | <ref>{{cite web|title=Ameriflight Routes|url=https://w3.ameriflight.com/route-map/|access-date= 2017-12-05}}</ref>
}}

==Notable events at Hanscom Field==
On 8 August 1962, a [[U.S. Air Force]] [[Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker]], a modified former tanker, crashed on approach to Hanscom Field's runway 11, destroying the aircraft and killing all three members of the flight crew.<ref>[https://www.masslive.com/news/2015/04/from_the_archives_westover_kc-.html "From the Archives: Westover KC-135 crash remembered 57 years ago"] – [[Mass Live]], April 15, 2015</ref>

In September 1964, [[The Beatles]] arrived at Hanscom Field aboard a chartered aircraft during one of their American concert tours. They were making an appearance at [[Boston Garden]] the following day. It was felt that the immense popularity of the British singing group would cause congestion at Boston-Logan International Airport, so this alternative airport was selected.<ref>[https://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/09/12/beatlemania-arrived-in-boston-50-years-ago/ "Beatlemania Arrived In Boston 50 Years Ago"] – WBZ-4, September 12, 2014</ref>

On 24 November 1988, [[George Koskotas]], who fled [[Greece]] after being indicted on five counts of forgery and embezzlement for the [[Koskotas scandal]], was apprehended by the [[FBI]] at Hanscom Field after landing in a private jet with his family.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Fulham|first1=Dana|title=US Detains Man Sought by Greece in Scandal|work=The Boston Globe|date=November 25, 1988}}</ref>

On 31 May 2014, a private [[Gulfstream IV]] [[business jet]] [[2014 Bedford Gulfstream IV crash|crashed and caught fire]] beyond the end of runway 11 following an aborted take off from Hanscom Field, killing all seven people on board. A preliminary [[NTSB]] report suggests that the [[Gust lock|flight controls were locked]], preventing the aircraft from rotating to take off.<ref>[http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-04-08/ntsb-docket-reveals-cockpit-warning-giv-crash NTSB data published]</ref> [[Lewis Katz]], co-owner of the ''[[Philadelphia Inquirer]]'', the ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]'', and [[Philly.com]], was among the dead.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-massachusetts-crash-katz-idUSKBN0EC1JQ20140601 Cavaliere, Victoria, Chris Michaud, Jon Herskovitz, and Dave Warner, "Philadelphia Inquirer co-owner among seven dead in Massachusetts plane crash," Reuters, June 1, 2014, 2:33pm EDT.]</ref><ref>
 {{cite web
 | url = http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20140531-0
 | title= Saturday 31 May 2014 Accident
 | publisher = Aviation Safety Network | date = 2014-06-01
 }}</ref>

On June 2, 2017, actor [[Harrison Ford]] landed at Hanscom prior to spending the weekend in Boston.<ref>[https://people.com/movies/harrison-ford-presents-teen-high-school-diploma-aviation-event/ "Harrison Ford Presents Teen with High School Diploma at Aviation Event Honoring Actor's Dedication to Flying"] – [[People.com]], June 5, 2017</ref>

===Movies/scenes filmed at Hanscom Field===
* ''[[What's The Worst That Could Happen?]]'' (2001)
* ''[[The Pink Panther 2]]'' (2009)
* ''[[Paul Blart: Mall Cop]]'' (2009) <ref>[http://news.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1093154&srvc=home&position=recent Tracked Down: - BostonHerald.com<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613081816/http://news.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1093154&srvc=home&position=recent | date= 2011-06-13 }}</ref>
* ''[[Edge of Darkness (2010 film)|Edge of Darkness]]'' (2010)

==See also==
* [[List of airports in Massachusetts]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://massport.com/hanscom-field/ Massport: Hanscom Field]
* [http://msrmaps.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=12&lat=42.4699&lon=-71.289&w=900&h=700&lp=---+None+--- Aerial image as of March 1995]{{Dead link|date=July 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} from [[USGS]] ''[[The National Map]]''
* {{FAA-diagram|00626}}
* {{FAA-procedures|BED}}
* [http://eastcoastaeroclub.com/ East Coast Aero Club]
* {{US-airport|BED}}

{{MA Airport}}
{{Massachusetts Port Authority}}

[[Category:Massachusetts Port Authority]]
[[Category:Bedford, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Airports in Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Superfund sites in Massachusetts]]