Captain Tedward's Flying Adventures

This month's spotlight features Gwinnett County Airport in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Briscoe Field, the Gwinnett County Airport, is the third busiest airport in Georgia. It handles light general aviation and most corporate jets. Three flight schools also operate at Briscoe.


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Per the airport's website, Gwinnett County Airport is located on approximately 500 acres just one mile northeast of the city of Lawrenceville. Briscoe Field is surrounded by industrial areas to the south and west, the Gwinnett Progress Center to the north, and the Alcovy River to the east. The airport consists of a single 6,021-foot-long by 100-foot-wide runway capable of handling all light general aviation and most corporate jet aircraft in operation today.

In 1991, Gwinnett County Airport completed a $25 million series of improvements which included the expansion of airport property to the current 500 acres, construction of the current runway and parallel taxiway, and installation of an Instrument Landing System (ILS) on Runway 25. We are also equipped with a Level III AWOS system and an air traffic control tower.

Gwinnett County Airport is served by two Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) operating at the airport. Landmark Aviation is located on the north apron and can be reached from 6:00am to midnight daily at 770.995.5592. Aircraft Specialists is located on the south apron and can be reached from 6:30am to 10:30pm daily at 770.277.9000. Both FBOs provide an excellent level of service to their users.

The tower is open daily between the hours of 7:00am and 9:00pm. During this time, pilots can contact the tower using 124.10 as the tower frequency and 121.80 as the ground control frequency. After hours, 124.10 becomes the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF). Pilots can also dial into the AWOS for weather information using 132.27.

Gwinnett County Airport is governed by the Airport Authority. This five-member board meets on the second Thursday of every month at 6:00pm.

IMPORTANT HISTORY (according to Wikipedia):

Two of the 9/11 hijackers, Mohamed Atta and sidekick Marwan Al-Shehhi, took practice flights at Briscoe Field airport. Half a year before terrorists crashed two jetliners into New York's World Trade Center during the September 11, 2001 attacks, two men identified as among the hijackers rented a single engine Piper Cherokee Warrior at this small airport and took off for a one-hour "checkout" flight with an instructor.

Sources close to the investigation say flight school records list Mohamed Atta and sidekick Marwan Al-Shehhi, both named on the FBI list of terrorists aboard the planes that on Sept 11 were flown into the World Trade Center. Atta is thought to be a leader and organizer of the hijacking plot, al-Shehhi was a fellow student and apartment roommate.

Both had instrument ratings and were qualified to fly twin-engine planes. Each had to show his commercial pilot's license at Briscoe Field. A source said Atta used a credit card to rent the planes, $69 an hour, plus $32 an hour for an instructor the first time in late February.

Their names and FAA license numbers were entered in the school computer by a flight dispatcher. Each man flew a leg with the instructor. When they returned later to rent another plane, they were able to fly together since they had already qualified.

MY TAKE ON THIS AIRPORT:

I really enjoyed flying into Gwinnett County Airport. The tower controllers were very courteous and the layout of the airport makes finding your way around rather easy for the first timer.

Once we landed on Runway 7, we were given permission to taxi to The Flying Machine Restaurant. This is a great place to feast on some great food while enjoying the view out on the patio watching all of the aviation activity.

After lunch, we walked a short distance over to Aircraft Specialists to pay for our fuel and to file a flight plan home. They were very courteous as well and they facility was spotless.

Once done there, we hopped back into the plane and off we flew. We'll definitely be back. Enjoy the pictures!

Captain Tedward