The Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) is located at 4000 International Lane in
Madison, WI.
Including the Air Guard (Truax Field is used by the Air National Guard's 115th Fighter Wing), the airport occupies 4000 acres, employees 4500 people and has 110 buildings. Including the commuter gate (A1), there are 10 gates in the terminal.
Truax Field is named after LTJG Myron Truax, USNR of Texas. As a WW II fighter pilot he was decorated for extraordinary heroism in the Pacific Theater during 1945. He was awarded two Navy Crosses for shooting down over six enemy planes and a Distinguished Flying Cross for flying 20 missions. He died in Fairfax, Virginia on Nov 23, 1984.
Within the atrium of the airport is an assortment of historical planes on display. Most striking is the Corbel Super Ace that is suspended from the glass ceiling of the atrium. This aircraft was built the Madison chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association from 1930's plans and is perfect in every respect - except for the lack of an engine. This is one of the two Super Aces in the nation.
Madison is a very 'green' town (and not just politically)
with reasonable populations of birds and deer. Around the
perimeter of the airport is a fence with intent to keep animals out of the airport (deer hitting car is bad, deer hitting airplane taking off or landing is really bad). When rare birds are found in the area, care is taken to capture and relocate the birds (in 2001, an arctic Snowy Owl decided the airport was a good home).
Realizing that Madison is not one of the warmer spots in the winter, and Wisconsin taking care in management of waterways (Starkweather Creek is very close to the airfield) the fluid for de-icing aircraft (Ethylene glycol) is drained to a plastic lined storage pond where it breaks down within 20 days.
Map of the runways
18 21 ^
| / |
|\ / N
| \ / W E
| X S
| / \
|/ \
| \
| 31
|
36
18/36 - 9,005 feet
3/21 - 7,200 feet
13/31 - 5,846 feet
Runway 18/36 is the preferred runway with takeoffs and landings
to the north, minimizing noise above populated cities.
In standard tradition, there is a golf course in the path for the airport. "The Bridges" is an 18 hole golf course. (There is a golf course in the landing path of Moffet Field. Minneapolis bucks the trend with a cemetery.)
Primary destinations from MSN include:
Nostop flights to:
http://www.co.dane.wi.us/airport/
http://www.airnav.com/airport/MSN
http://www.airstripamerica.com/cgi-bin/apt_info?MSN