During
World War II the federal government appropriated the airport, establishing an air base for planes bound to and from
Great Britain. Lane Construction of
Hampden was one of the contractors who worked on upgrading the airport for the military. Almost overnight, Presque Isle Army Airfield became a vital air transport installation and the city found itself a busy war center. During the
Second World War,
Clark Gable was briefly stationed at Presque Isle before being sent to England. Operations during this period were described by
Ernest K. Gann, based on his personal experiences in the
Air Transport Command, in his book Fate Is the Hunter.
The Skyway Industrial Park sits adjacent to Northern Maine Regional Airport which offers commercial airline as well as general aviation services to the entire region.
FedEx and
United Parcel Service augment park accessibility by air to and from major markets.
Skyway Industrial Park, owned by the city of Presque Isle and administered by the Presque Isle Industrial Council, has been attractive to a variety of new businesses. To date, over 40 companies have located on the park. The park consists of 440 acres (1.8 km2), of which 175 is prime industrial land served by all utilities, streets, subdivided and available for further development. Located adjacent to the airport and within 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of downtown, the park has become a dominant feature in the local and regional economy.
Facilities
The airport covers 1,489
acres (603
ha) at an
elevation of 534 feet (163 m). It has two
asphaltrunways: 1/19 is 7,441 by 150 feet (2,268 x 46 m) and 10/28 is 6,000 by 100 feet (1,829 x 30 m).[2]
In the year ending August 31, 2022, the airport had 7,388 aircraft operations, an average of 20 per day: 34%
general aviation, 16%
airline, 49%
air taxi, and <1% military. In August 2022, there were 18 aircraft based at the airport: 16 single-
engine, 1 multi-engine, and 1
jet.[2]
September 7, 1944: A
USAAFDouglas C-54 crashed after takeoff 2.5 miles south on a local training flight out of then Presque Isle AAF. The probable cause was the elevator trim tabs may have been improperly rigged. All three occupants were killed.[10]
March 1, 1998: Two pilots performing practice
instrument landing system (ILS) approaches at night in a
Piper PA-31,
aircraft registrationN777HM, died when the aircraft crashed into rising terrain 5.5 mi (8.9 km) from the airport. The
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) attributed the accident to the pilot's failure to follow correct instrument approach procedures; contributing factors were fog, low ceilings, and darkness.[11]
April 10, 1998: A
Ted Smith Aerostar 600A, registration N7527S, rolled into a near-vertical dive immediately after takeoff; the pilot, who was the sole aircraft occupant, was killed in the crash and ensuing fire. The NTSB was unable to determine why the pilot apparently lost control of the aircraft.[12]
November 22, 2017: The left-hand engine of a
Cessna 421, registration N421RX, caught fire soon after takeoff from Presque Isle; the pilot attempted to return to the airport but was unable to maintain altitude and performed a
forced landing in an adjacent field. Two persons aboard the aircraft suffered minor injuries and two others were uninjured; the aircraft was badly damaged. The NTSB attributed the accident to a fuel leak onto the hot
turbocharger.[13]
March 4, 2019:
CommutAir Flight 4933, operating for
United Express, arrived from
Newark Liberty International Airport and missed runway 1 on landing, injuring five people and severely damaging the aircraft. The NTSB attributed the accident to
confirmation bias which prompted the pilots to continue descending even though they could not see the runway in heavy snow. Contributing factors were poor decision-making by the
captain; fatigue of the
first officer, who was flying the aircraft; and misalignment of the ILS
localizer caused by deep snow, a condition that multiple pilots had noticed previously but which had not been properly reported.[14] Contrary to initial statements by
CommutAir and the
Federal Aviation Administration, the aircraft did not slide off the runway, but instead missed the runway entirely.[15]
Order 2004-10-16 (October 25, 2004): re-selecting Colgan Air, Inc., to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) at Presque Isle/Houlton, Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor and Rockland, Maine, for a two-year period at a combined annual subsidy rate of $4,312,849.
Order 2006-8-24 (August 25, 2006): re-selecting Colgan Air, Inc., operating as
US Airways Express, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Presque Isle/Houlton, Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor, and Rockland, Maine, at a total annual subsidy rate of $4,774,068 ($3,572,592 for Augusta/Waterville, Bar Harbor, and Rockland; $1,201,476 for Presque Isle/Houlton), for the two-year period of November 1, 2006, through October 31, 2008.
Order 2008-5-23 (May 19, 2008): re-selecting Colgan Air, Inc., operating as US Airways Express, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Presque Isle/Houlton, Maine, at an annual subsidy rate of $2,643,588, for the two-year period of May 15, 2008, through May 31, 2010.
Order 2010-6-5 (June 2, 2010): selecting Colgan Air Inc., operating as US Airways Express, to provide essential air service (EAS) at Presque Isle, Maine, for an annual subsidy of $2,812,853 for the two-year period from June 1, 2010 to May 31, 2012.
Order 2012-3-2 (March 2, 2012): selecting PenAir to provide EAS at Presque Isle and Plattsburgh using 34-passenger Saab 340 aircraft. At Presque Isle, PenAir will provide 19 weekly round trips for an annual subsidy rate of $4,341,967 for the first 6 months after full EAS commences and an annual subsidy rate of $3,892,174 for the 18 months thereafter.