Oakland County International Airport


Oakland County International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located in Waterford Township, Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The airport is located approximately one mile from the center of Waterford Township and Oakland County. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a non primary commercial service facility.
It is the sixth-busiest airport in the United States without scheduled passenger service. Charters carrying sports teams competing at the now-defunct Palace of Auburn Hills nearby frequently used the airport. The airport was originally called Pontiac Municipal Airport when it opened in 1928 and became Oakland-Pontiac Airport later before adopting its current name.
The airport holds an open house every year, showing aircraft based at PTK, military aircraft and vintage aircraft. The Civil Air Patrol acts as security for the open house.

History

The city of Pontiac purchased of land on September 12, 1928, and on November 27 of that year the airport opened. It received its dedication the following June and was named Pontiac Airport. The Oakland County government bought the airport on February 25, 1967. The Oakland County Board of Commissioners gave the airport its current name on March 7, 1996, after L. Brooks Patterson suggested renaming the airport.
During 2013, Lakeshore Express operated by Pentastar Aviation operated flights from PTK to Chicago-Midway and Pellston.
Lakeshore Express flights suspended operation in April 2014 as operator Pentastar Aviation elected to cease operating the flights.

Facilities and aircraft

Located at 6500 Patterson Parkway, Waterford, MI 48327, Oakland County International Airport covers an area of at an elevation of 981 feet above mean sea level. It has three asphalt paved runways: 9R/27L is 6,521 by 150 feet ; 9L/27R is 5,676 by 100 feet ; 18/36 is 2,582 by 75 feet.
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2011, the airport had 119,347 aircraft operations, an average of 326 per day: 90% general aviation, 7% air taxi, 1% scheduled commercial and <1% military. At that time there were 627 aircraft based at this airport: 60% single-engine, 21% multi-engine, 16% jet, 2% helicopter, <1% glider and <1% ultralight.
Added to the airport facility in 2004, as part of a noise abatement project, is a Ground Run-up Enclosure, or "Hush House." This 3-sided structure is used by aviation mechanics for testing turbine powered aircraft. The airplane is taxied inside the structure and turned so the exhaust and thrust is facing the rear wall. The mechanics can then run the engines at high power. A majority of the noise will be either absorbed by the walls or deflected upward, reducing the impact to the surrounding community.