Olympia Regional Airport

Olympia Regional Airport

Olympia Army Airfield
Airport in August 2023
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerPort of Olympia
OperatorPort of Olympia
ServesOlympia, Washington
LocationTumwater, Washington
Built1928
Elevation AMSL208 ft / 63 m
Coordinates46°58′10″N 122°54′09″W / 46.96944°N 122.90250°W / 46.96944; -122.90250
WebsiteOfficial Website
Map
KOLM is located in Washington (state)
KOLM
KOLM
Location of Olympia Regional Airport
KOLM is located in the United States
KOLM
KOLM
KOLM (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
8/26 4,157 1,267 Asphalt
17/35 5,500 1,676 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Aircraft operations63,194
Based aircraft125

Olympia Regional Airport (IATA: OLM, ICAO: KOLM, FAA LID: OLM) is a public use airport located 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) south of Olympia, a city in Thurston County and the capital of the U.S. state of Washington.[1][2][3] It is located within the city boundaries of Tumwater, which is south of Olympia and approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Interstate 5. The airport is owned and operated by the Port of Olympia.[4]

The Olympic Flight Museum is located at the Olympia Airport, and Airlift Northwest, the region's air medical transport service uses the airport as one of its medical helicopter bases; a large private-use heliport, known as Olympia Heliport (FAA LID: 0WN4) is located on airport grounds.[5] The flight museum and the airport host an annual air show in June.[6]

The airport's industrial park, 300 acres (1.2 km2) in extent, includes a U.S. Department of Commerce-designated free trade zone.

History

Airport in July 1941

The airport was built in 1928 at a cost of $35,000 (equivalent to $640,921 in 2024). An aircraft hangar was built and expanded in the 1930s and the airport facilitated training and chartered flights.[7]

In 1941, after the start of World War II, the airport served as a satellite of nearby McChord Field. Between July 1942 and August 1943, it was home to the 37th Flying Training Squadron (part of the 55th Pursuit Group) and their fleet of P-43 Lancers and P-38H Lightning interceptors. The airport returned to the City of Olympia in 1947.[7]

The airport now supports large business jets, cargo aircraft, military helicopters and has a backup runway lighting system for uninterrupted operations. Olympia Airport also has an ILS (Instrument Landing System) and backup power system for operations during bad weather or low visibility. The Olympia VOR, located on the field, also provides instrument approaches into the Olympia Airport in low visibility conditions.

The FAA funded a $15 million improvement project that was completed in September 2008. The work focused on runway line-of-sight improvements and enhanced taxiway and runway signage. In the late 1990s, the airport's runway protection zone was extended with the purchase of $5.5 million worth of land on each end of the primary runway, and an above ground fuel facility was constructed.

Facilities and aircraft

Olympia Regional Airport covers an area of 845 acres (342 ha) at an elevation of 208 feet (63 m) above mean sea level. It has two asphalt paved runways: 17/35 is 5,500 by 150 feet with precision markings (1,676 x 46 m) and runway 8/26 is 4,157 by 150 feet with basic markings (1,267 x 46 m).[1] The airport has a passenger terminal, an air traffic control tower and a full-instrument landing approach system.

The field is home to fixed wing and helicopter flight instruction, major aircraft and oxygen maintenance facilities, the Washington State Patrol aviation division, and a key navigational aid (Olympia VOR) that is used by commercial flights inbound to Seattle-area airports, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, as well as by general aviation aircraft in the region.

Airlines

Cargo

AirlinesDestinations
Ameriflight Seattle

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ a b c FAA Airport Form 5010 for OLM PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective July 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Airport list: Olympia Regional". Washington State Department of Transportation. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Olympia Regional Airport". Airport Home. Port of Olympia. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  4. ^ McCarthy, Pat (April 3, 2025). "Accountability Audit Report; Port of Olympia; For the period January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023". Office of the Washington State Auditor. p. 6. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  5. ^ "0WN4 - Olympia Heliport". AirNav.com. July 10, 2025. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  6. ^ Gilmore, Molly (June 12, 2025). "Watch vintage planes, hang with canines or gobble up strawberries this weekend". The Olympian. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
  7. ^ a b O’Connell, Emmett (June 10, 2013). "Flying High: A History Of The Olympia Airport". ThurstonTalk. Retrieved July 19, 2025.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Olympia Regional Airport.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.