Joshua Sanford Field (ICAO: KHBW, FAA LID: HBW) was a public use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) northeast of the central business district of Hillsboro, a city in Vernon County, Wisconsin, United States. It was owned by the City of Hillsboro.[1] The airport closed sometime in the fall of 2016, due to it being unsafe to operate from due to the nearby Land O'Lakes butter plant being expanded right off the runway threshold.[2] The airport was no longer listed in the November 10, 2016 publication of the FAA Airport/Facility Directory.[3]

Joshua Sanford Field
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Hillsboro
ServesHillsboro, Wisconsin
ClosedNovember 10, 2016 (2016-11-10)
Elevation AMSL938 ft / 286 m
Coordinates43°39′24″N 090°19′41″W / 43.65667°N 90.32806°W / 43.65667; -90.32806
Map
HBW is located in Wisconsin
HBW
HBW
Location of airport in Wisconsin, United States
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
5/23 3,070 936 Asphalt
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2015)1,405
Based aircraft (2016)7

Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this facility was assigned HBW by the FAA but had no designation from the IATA.[4][5]

Facilities and aircraft

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Joshua Sanford Field covers an area of 16 acres (6 ha) at an elevation of 938 feet (286 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 5/23 with an asphalt surface measuring 3,070 by 46 feet (936 x 14 m).[1]

For the 12-month period ending June 9, 2015, the airport had 1,405 aircraft operations, an average of 117 per month: roughly 99% general aviation and >1% military. In September 2016, there were 7 aircraft based at this airport: All 7 single engine.[1]

Closing of the airport

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The airport was closed because of the expansion of the Land O'Lakes butter plant, which is next to the airport.[2][6] There were talks about transforming it into private members only airport. The airport would then shorten the runway to accommodate for the nearby obstacles. This plan failed when the FAA refused to allow the runway to be shortened.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for HBW PDF Archived link: AGL CHI. Federal Aviation Administration. effective Sep 15, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "On Wisconsin: Butter plant expansion leads to demise of Hillsboro airport". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
  3. ^ "Chart Supplements – Basic Search". www.faa.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-14.
  4. ^ "Joshua Sanford Field (ICAO: KHBW, FAA: HBW)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  5. ^ "Airline and Airport Code Search". International Air Transport Association (IATA). Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  6. ^ Sanford Field's Future Is Up In The Air
  7. ^ "A Final Salute To Joshua Sanford Field, Hillsboro, Wisconsin". midwestflyer.com. Flyer Publications. Retrieved 25 November 2016.