Cold, and Other Issues

Perhaps just a normal regional airport, Westfield-Barnes in Massachusetts, gives us more than its share of things to consider.

lbencini-tibo

Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (KBAF) is a historic joint civil/military airport, home to the Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing, which will transition from F-15s to F-35s in 2024.
KBAF offers distinct approach procedures for Runway 20, including a complex HI-ILS "military approach" (for Cat C, D, E aircraft) and a more typical ILS "civilian approach," each with specific requirements and minimums.
As a designated Cold Temperature Airport (CTA), KBAF requires pilots to apply altitude corrections, especially on the final approach segment, to compensate for altimeter errors in cold conditions, a critical safety measure for terrain and obstacle clearance.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport (KBAF) is located on grounds that date back as far as 1905, when it was a summer training facility for the Massachusetts Army National Guard in western Massachusetts. Aviation arrived at Westfield in July 1914 when a pilot flew a Wright biplane over the town of Westfield, and the pilot was hired to drop leaflets to claim prizes from local merchants.

In 1923, the citizens of Westfield and nearby Holyoke convinced Vincent E. Barnes, the owner of the land, to sell the land to the City of Westfield for an airport. Instead, Barnes donated the land, and over the next 10 years, additional land was donated and leased by the Barnes family, amounting to about 350 acres. In 1923, it was officially named Westfield Aviation Field.