Dell Flight Strip

Dell Flight Strip (FAA LID: 4U9) is a public-use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) northwest of the central business district of Dell, in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. It is owned by the Montana Department of Transportation Aeronautics Division[1] and provides general aviation service.

Dell Flight Strip
USGS aerial image, 1995
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerMontana DOT Aeronautics Division
ServesDell, Montana
Elevation AMSL6,007 ft / 1,831 m
Coordinates44°44′09″N 112°43′12″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14/32 7,000 2,134 Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft operations950

History

The airport was built by the United States Army Air Forces about 1942 as an emergency landing airfield for military aircraft on training flights. It was closed after World War II, and was turned over for local government use by the War Assets Administration (WAA).[2][3]

In 1988, the airport "teetered on the verge of abandonment" until Leon Hirsch, an executive at United States Surgical Corporation, purchased a nearby ranch, and paid to upgrade the airport so he could land his Learjet.[4]

Facilities and aircraft

Dell Flight Strip covers an area of 147 acres (59 ha) at an elevation of 6,007 feet (1,831 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 14/32 with an asphalt surface measuring 7,000 by 70 feet (2,134 x 21 m). For the 12-month period ending September 25, 2009, the airport had 950 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 79 per month.[1]

References
  1. FAA Airport Form 5010 for 4U9 PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 29 July 2010.
  2. Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
  3. Shaw, Frederick J. (2004), Locating Air Force Base Sites History’s Legacy, Air Force History and Museums Program, United States Air Force, Washington DC, 2004.
  4. Axline, Jon (2021). Montana Highway Tales. History Press. p. 132.
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