North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport

North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerPalm Beach County
ServesWest Palm Beach, Florida
LocationPalm Beach Gardens, Florida
Elevation AMSL22 ft (6.7 m)
Coordinates26°50′45″N 080°13′20″W / 26.84583°N 80.22222°W / 26.84583; -80.22222
Websitepbia.org/about/general-aviation/...
Map
Interactive map of North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
9L/27R 3,679 1,121 Turf
9R/27L 4,300 1,311 Asphalt
14/32 4,300 1,311 Asphalt
Statistics (2018)
Aircraft operations97,400
Based aircraft264
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

North Palm Beach County Airport (FAA LID: F45), also known as North County Airport, is an uncontrolled (non-towered) general aviation airport located 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) northwest of West Palm Beach[1] off the Bee Line Highway in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The airport is owned by Palm Beach County[1] and operated by the Palm Beach County Airports Department. Opened in 1994, it is the county's newest airport.[2] It is located next to the site of the "fake" town of Apix, Florida.

The field is in proximity to, and shares services with, William P. Gwinn Airport (FAA LID: 06FA) (more commonly referred to as Gwinn Airfield) which is owned by United Technologies Corporation (UTC). It was previously operated by its Pratt & Whitney jet engine business unit and is currently operated by its Sikorsky Aircraft business unit. Due to its proximity to the Sikorsky test grounds, North County is often used to test ILS approaches on experimental or prototype helicopters such as the RAH-66 Comanche, SH-60 Seahawk and the S-92.

DayJet previously provided an on-demand jet air taxi service from this airport to Jacksonville, Lakeland, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Gainesville, Boca Raton, Opa-Locka/Miami Dade County, Naples, Sarasota/Bradenton, Savannah, Macon, and Montgomery until its liquidation in bankruptcy in 2008.

Facilities and aircraft

Facilities

Runways

North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport covers an area of 1,832 acres (741 ha) at an elevation of 22 feet (6.7 m) above mean sea level, with over 1,100 acres being dedicated to environmental preserves that surround the airport.[2] It has one turf runway designated 9L/27R which measures 3,679 by 75 feet (1,121 by 23 m) and two asphalt paved runways: 9R/27L measuring 4,300 by 100 feet (1,311 by 30 m) and 14/32 measuring 4,300 by 75 feet (1,311 by 23 m).[1] It is a designated reliever for Palm Beach International Airport and serves both reciprocating engine and jet aircraft.[2]

In 2025, the FAA approved a runway extension for the North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport. After a five-year environmental study, the project was approved and will allow Runway 14/32 to be extended from 4,300 feet to 6,000 feet. The runway's parallel taxiway will also be extended. Construction is expected to begin in 2027. The airport says this extension will allow it to welcome a wider array of aircraft, most notably increasing the number of jet aircraft that can use the airport. The airport says this project will improve its ability to act as a reliever airport to the Palm Beach International Airport, especially when jets must divert.[3][4]

Hangars

The airport facilities consist of a terminal, a large storage hangar, an aircraft maintenance hangar, and 176 aircraft storage hangars.[2] There are two active helicopter landing pads.

The airport has one fixed-base operator, Signature Flight Support, located in the middle of the apron.[5]

Other Facilities

Funding for the airport's runway extension also includes the possibility of building an Air Traffic Control Tower at the airport.[4][6]<

Aircraft

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2018, the airport had 97,400 aircraft operations, an average of 267 per day, 93% general aviation, 7% air taxi, and <1% military. At that time there were 264 aircraft based at this airport: 189 single-engine, 45 multi-engine, 11 jet, 1 glider and 18 helicopter.[1]

Flight operations doubled between 2008 and 2021, and with a planned runway extension may reach 110,000 annually by 2030.[4][7]

The airport is home to many Cirrus aircraft, along with Piper Cubs, Commanders, various Cessna models, Piper Cherokees, Piper Arrows, Beechcraft Bonanzas, Beechcraft Barons, Pilatus PC-12s, numerous Cessna Citation Jets and many more.

North County is home to Ocean Helicopters[8] and Cloud 9 Helicopters,[9] both of which maintain a fleet of Robinson helicopters and are FAA Certified Part 141 Flight Schools. Aamro Aviation is the only fixed-wing school at the airport; it conducts Part 61 and FAA Certified Part 141 flight training and aircraft rentals in Cessna 172s.[10]

Accidents & incidents

  • On October 8, 2020, a twin-engine Cessna 414 with seven passengers onboard crashed after departing from the North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport. Multiple passengers were taken to a nearby hospital with traumatic injuries.[11][12]
  • On July 10, 2024, a Piper PA28 crashed shortly after performing a touch-and-go at the North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction were both killed. The probable cause of the accident was found to be a loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined.[13][14]
  • On February 12, 2026, a Cessna Citation jet hit multiple deer while taking off from the North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport. The aircraft safely diverted to the Palm Beach International Airport.[15][16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "FAA Airport Form 5010 for F45" (PDF). FAA. , effective 2023-08-10
  2. 1 2 3 4 "General Aviation | North County Airport". www.pbia.org. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  3. ↑ Mermet, Laurie (2025-05-12). "North county airport runway extension gets federal OK". Stet News. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  4. 1 2 3 Diamond, Mike. "Report: As PBIA booms, a North County Airport runway extension could divert smaller jets". The Palm Beach Post. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  5. ↑ "Signature F45 | Fixed Base Operator (FBO) at North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport".
  6. ↑ Pendrill, Sophie (2024-05-16). "Expansion plans for North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport". WPEC. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  7. ↑ Engelhardt, Joel (2024-04-17). "Palm Beach Gardens-area airport could get longer runway". WLRN. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  8. ↑ "Ocean Helicopters, Inc. now FAA Approved". Vertical Mag. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  9. ↑ "Cloud 9 Helicopters". www.cloud9helicopters.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-03. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  10. ↑ "Aamro Aviation - Flight Training West Palm Beach". Aamro Aviation. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  11. ↑ Quesada, Michelle; Burke, Peter; Sutton, Scott (2020-10-08). "Small plane with 7 onboard crashes near North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  12. ↑ "Small Plane Crashes With 7 On Board in Palm Beach County". NBC 6 South Florida. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  13. ↑ "NTSB releases report on deadly airplane crash at North Palm Beach County General Aviation Airport". WPBF. 2024-07-27. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  14. ↑ Lovell, Celia (2025-12-04). "NTSB issues final report on 2024 North County Airport plane crash that killed 2". WPBF. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  15. ↑ Harrell, Gershon (2026-02-13). "Plane hits multiple deer during takeoff from North Palm Beach County airport: FAA". WPEC. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
  16. ↑ Hawkinson, Katie (2026-02-14). "Private jet forced to land in Florida after hitting 'multiple deer' during takeoff". The Independent. Retrieved 2026-06-09.
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