Pryor Field Regional Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pryor Field Regional Airport
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2006 USGS airphoto
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Decatur/Athens Airport Authority | ||||||||||
| Serves | Decatur, Alabama | ||||||||||
| Location | Limestone County, Alabama | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 592 ft / 180 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°39′15″N 086°56′43″W / 34.65417°N 86.94528°W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
 KDCU
Location in Alabama
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| Runway | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2017) | |||||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration
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Pryor Field Regional Airport (IATA: DCU, ICAO: KDCU, FAA LID: DCU) is a public airport in Alabama, United States. It is located about three miles (5 km) northeast of Decatur. The airport is also south of Athens, in Limestone County. The Decatur/Athens Airport Authority owns and operates this airport.
Pryor Field is right next to Calhoun Community College. It helps people in the western part of the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. It also serves most of the Decatur Metropolitan Area. This airport is currently the busiest regional airport in Alabama.
Airport Features
Pryor Field Regional Airport covers a large area of about 200 acres (81 ha). It has one main runway that is paved with asphalt. This runway is called 18/36. It measures 6,107 feet long and 100 feet wide (1,861 x 30 meters).
In one recent year, the airport had over 167,701 aircraft movements. This means about 459 planes took off or landed each day. Most of these (91%) were for general aviation, like private planes. About 7% were military planes, and 2% were air taxi services. There are 144 aircraft that call this airport home. Most of them (79%) are single-engine planes. Others include multi-engine planes, jet aircraft, helicopters, and even gliders.
The cities of Athens and Decatur, along with Morgan and Limestone counties, help fund the airport. They each give $30,000 every year.
Airport History
Pryor Field Regional Airport first opened in October 1941. Back then, it had a large square grass runway. It was used to train pilots for the United States Army Air Corps. Southern Airways, Inc. and Southern Aviation Training School, Inc. ran the training. It was a primary pilot training airfield.
The school also used five smaller airfields nearby. These were for extra landings or emergencies.
- Harris Station Auxiliary Field 34°40′55″N 086°59′40″W / 34.68194°N 86.99444°W
- Anderson Auxiliary Field 34°42′35″N 086°53′05″W / 34.70972°N 86.88472°W
- Beaver Dam Auxiliary Field 34°36′24″N 086°51′44″W / 34.60667°N 86.86222°W
- Poole Auxiliary Field 34°32′20″N 086°59′45″W / 34.53889°N 86.99583°W
- Tanner Auxiliary Field (its exact spot is unknown)
Pilots learned to fly using planes like the Fairchild PT-19. They also had some PT-17 Stearmans and a few P-40 Warhawk planes. The airport stopped its training programs on December 28, 1944. It was then given to the Army Corps of Engineers. Later, it became a public airport for everyone to use.
In 2008, a brand new terminal building opened at the airport. It cost $1.8 million to build. This was part of a bigger project that cost $3.3 million. The project also made the runway longer, to 6,000 feet (1,800 m). This helps larger jet planes land more safely.
In January 2010, the airport's pilot training site was recognized as a historic landmark. It was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.
