Darke County Airport

Darke County Airport
Airport building, used as a waiting area
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerDarke County Commissioners
ServesVersailles, Ohio
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (-5)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (-4)
Elevation AMSL1,007 ft (307 m)
Coordinates40°12′16″N 084°31′55″W / 40.20444°N 84.53194°W / 40.20444; -84.53194
Map
VES is located in Ohio
VES
VES
Location of airport in Ohio
VES is located in the United States
VES
VES
VES (the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
9/27 4,802 1,464 Asphalt
Statistics (2021)
Aircraft operations12,775
Based aircraft29
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Darke County Airport (ICAO: KVES, FAA LID: VES)[a] is a county-owned, public-use airport in Darke County, Ohio, United States.[1] It is located two nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the central business district of Versailles.[1] It is along State Route 121 just south of Versailles. The airport is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.[3]

Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned VES by the FAA,[1] but has no designation from the IATA.[4][5]

The airport holds events such as fly-ins that feature old warbird aircraft, medical helicopters, and highway patrol aircraft.[6][7]

History

An effort to build an airport in Darke County had begun by 1963, when a businessman named R. E. Breaden had approached the county commission about the possibility of joining the Southwest Ohio Regional Airport Authority. Although he was turned down at the time, he announced in June 1965 that he would again attempt to convince the commission as the two dissenting members had been replaced.[8] The first concrete step occurred in November of that year, when three members of the chamber of commerce were appointed to begin seeking a location.[9] Three potential sites selected by the group were approved by the state in January 1966.[10] Although the number had risen to six one year later, the sale prices many landowners were asking were considered prohibitive. However, a local farmer named Sherman Spiller and his wife offered to donate their land.[11][12] Their only child, Waldon "Moon" Spillers, was an aviation enthusiast and had been using the 26 acres (11 ha) property to fly experimental aircraft since 1960.[12][13] The county signed an option for the land on 8 February 1967, but the following day two competing offers were made: One close to Versailles and another east of Greenville.[14][15] A day after a state grant for the construction of the airport was approved, a contract for the construction of the airport was awarded on 28 June 1967.[16]

The Darke County Airport, subtitled Spillers Field, was dedicated on 29 October 1967.[17] However, at least one airplane was using it earlier in the month.[18] The 1,650 sq ft (153 m2) terminal itself was dedicated the following year on September 8th and Moon Spillers given its keys to become the first airport manager.[19][20] The airport was awarded another state grant in October 1969 to expand the apron, improve drainage and install navigation aids.[21]

A TB-25N, purchased by a local resident, arrived at the airport in April 1976.[22] It was later joined by a P-51A Spillers recovered from near Cantwell, Alaska approximately two years later.[23] At the same time, EAA Chapter 109 and around 13 homebuilt aircraft were housed at the airport.[24] By late October 1979, enough t-hangars to hold 25 to 30 aircraft had been built.[25] The runway was repaved in July 1980.[26]

In early September 1985, the county voted to apply for a federal grant to conduct repairs at the airport.[27]

In January 1991, the county contracted with a consulting company in preparation for the creation of an airport master plan.[28] As of August 1992, construction on a hangar for the Midmark Corporation's jet was underway and an 800-foot (240 m) runway extension was almost complete.[29][30] By 1993, Moon's son, Dave, who had started taking flying lessons at the airport since he was 14, had taken over from his father as airport manager.[31][32]

In 2007, light lenses were stolen from the airport.[33]

In 2012, a section of State Route 242 was closed to allow the airport to use all of its runway surface for landings; with the road in place, planes need to approach at a higher altitude and touch down further down the runway to meet FAA obstacle clearance requirements.[34]

A new airport manager was hired in May 2017.[35]

In 2022, the Dark County Airport received $1.35 million to replace its FBO terminal, including funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act.[36][37] Construction on the new building began in 2023, and a ribbon cutting ceremony to open the 2,500 sq ft (230 m2) terminal was held in April 2024.[38][39] The facility aims at expanding the airport's attraction, especially as traffic increases.[40][41] It received additional funding in April 2023 to improve the terminal's facilities and in August 2024 for a new parking lot.[42][43]

Facilities and aircraft

Facilities

Darke County Airport covers an area of 42 acres (17 ha) at an elevation of 1,007 feet (307 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 9/27 with an asphalt surface measuring 4,802 by 75 feet (1,464 x 23 m).[1][44]

The airport has a fixed-base operator that sells both avgas and Jet A. Services such as hangars, courtesy cars, and rental cars are available; amenities such as internet, conference rooms, vending machines, a crew lounge, snooze rooms, and more are also available.[45]

CareFlight Air & Mobile has a helicopter based at the airport, which serves as the company's northwest base. The helicopter was activated to respond to calls in early 2020.[46]

Aircraft

For the 12-month period ending September 29, 2021, the airport had 12,775 aircraft operations, an average of 35 per day: 87% general aviation, 5% air taxi, and <1% military. At that time there were 29 aircraft based at the airport: 25 single-engine and 2 multi-engine airplanes as well as 1 jet and 1 helicopter.[1][44]

Accidents & incidents

  • On 17 November 2018, a Piper Saratoga crashed while landing at the Darke County Airport. The left wing was torn off and the landing gear damaged.[47]

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The airport formerly used the FAA location identifier I58.[2]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "FAA Airport Form 5010 for VES" (PDF). FAA. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  2. ↑ Location Identifiers. Air Traffic Service, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Transportation. 15 January 1970. p. A-79. 7350.1N. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A" (PDF). National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. October 4, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF, 2.03 MB) on 2012-09-27.
  4. ↑ "Darke County Airport (FAA: VES, ICAO: KVES, IATA: none)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved December 17, 2012.
  5. ↑ "IATA Airport Code Search". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Darke County Airport Holds Fly-In". County News Online. 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  7. ↑ "Darke County Airport Fly-In". AllEvents.in. Archived from the original on 2024-05-14. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  8. ↑ Skardon, Phil (15 June 1965). "Darke Goal: Airport Backing". Dayton Daily News. p. 23. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  9. ↑ "Airport Study Set in Darke". Dayton Daily News. 17 November 1965. p. 37. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Three Sites Approved for Darke Airport". Sidney Daily News. 15 January 1966. p. 10. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  11. ↑ Danis, Dick (26 January 1967). "Get Going on Airport, Darke Challenged". Dayton Daily News. p. 29. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  12. 1 2 "And Don't Forget the Spillers". Sidney Daily News. 27 October 1967. p. 1B. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  13. ↑ "Darke County Airport in Existence Since '60". Greenville Daily Advocate. 28 February 1977. p. 6B. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  14. ↑ "Land Option is Signed for Darke Airport". Greenville Advocate. 8 February 1967. p. 1. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  15. ↑ Danis, Rick (9 February 1967). "2 Darke Airport Sites Appear Out of Blue". Dayton Daily News. p. 29. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Darke Revises Airport Plans in Cash Bind". Journal Herald. 29 June 1967. p. 73. Retrieved 9 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Oliver, John E. (30 October 1967). "County Airport Dedicated Before Thousands Sunday". Greenville Advocate. p. 1. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  18. ↑ Oliver, John (9 October 1967). "First Plane Ride for Advocate County Editor Turned Out to Be More Fun Than Frightening". Greenville Advocate. p. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  19. ↑ "Weather Clear, Visibility Unlimited for Dedication of Darke County Airport". Greenville Advocate. 9 September 1968. p. 1. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  20. ↑ "Proposed Darke County Airport Terminal". Greenville Advocate. 15 November 1961. p. 1. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  21. ↑ "Airport to Receive $50,000". Sidney Daily News. 1 November 1969. p. 12. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  22. ↑ Mikesell, Carol (10 May 1976). "World War II Bomber Finds New Home in Darke". The Early Bird. p. 3. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  23. ↑ "Versailles Man Spends Eight Years Rebuilding Plane". Sidney Daily News. 5 June 1985. p. 8B. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  24. ↑ Barhorst, Ken (18 June 1976). "Sidney Man Joins Builders of Popular Homemade Airplanes". Sidney Daily News. p. 12. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  25. ↑ Smith, Kerry (29 October 1979). "Spillers' Donation Gave Airport Its Beginning". The Daily Advocate. p. 1. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  26. ↑ "Darke Runway Resurfaced". Sidney Daily News. 7 August 1980. p. 9A. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  27. ↑ Davidson, Christine (12 September 1985). "Airport to Get Repairs". The Daily Advocate. p. 1. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  28. ↑ Klein, Ric (7 January 1991). "Darke County Hires Consultant to Study Possible Airport Uses". The Daily Advocate. p. 1. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  29. ↑ Lines, Shawn (6 August 1992). "Airport to Be Ready in September". The Daily Advocate. p. 1. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  30. ↑ "Darke County Airport Work Nears Completion". Sidney Daily News. 10 August 1992. p. 5B. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  31. ↑ "Versailles". Sidney Daily News. 25 March 1969. p. 3a. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  32. ↑ Moody, Linda (16 February 1993). "Women Take to Flight". The Daily Advocate. p. 1. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  33. ↑ Moody, Linda (11 April 2007). "Airport Runway Lights Missing". Daily Advocate. p. 1. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  34. ↑ "Details on Darke County's Plans for State Route 242 and the Darke County Airport". Darke Journal. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  35. ↑ "Darke Co. Commissioners Name New Airport Manager". Daily Advocate. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  36. ↑ Brewer, Meladi (13 July 2022). "Darke County Receives $1.35 Million for Airport Terminal". Daily Advocate. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  37. ↑ Bush, John (11 July 2022). "Darke County Airport Lands $1.4 Million in Federal Funding for New Terminal Building". Dayton Business Journal. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  38. ↑ Auth, Art (30 April 2024). "Ribbon Cutting Celebrates Opening of New Darke County Airport Terminal". County News Online. Archived from the original on 14 May 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  39. ↑ Brewer, Meladi (29 April 2024). "New Terminal Provides Gateway to Possibilities". Daily Advocate. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  40. ↑ Jarrell, Zachary (30 August 2023). "Construction of New Terminal at Darke County Airport Underway". WKEF. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  41. ↑ Cassick, Callie (1 September 2023). "'Able to Offer Much More': Darke County Airport Builds New Terminal". WDTN. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  42. ↑ Schrock, Jeffery (29 April 2023). "Five Airports in Southwest Ohio Receive Grant Funding". WKEF. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  43. ↑ "Major upgrades coming to Darke County Airport". 2 News. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
  44. 1 2 "AirNav: KVES - Darke County Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  45. ↑ "VES Darke County Airport (VES/KVES)". FlightAware. Retrieved 2024-05-14.
  46. ↑ "CareFlight Adds Fourth Base of Operations in Darke County". Association of National Account Executives. 21 February 2020. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  47. ↑ "Single Engine Aircraft Crashes at Darke County Airport". Sidney Daily News. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
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