Departure
97%
vs 95% ▲ 1
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
New Century AirCenter is a joint civil-military general aviation field in Johnson County, Kansas, a few miles southwest of Olathe and just northeast of Gardner. Built as Naval Air Station Olathe and later reborn as an industrial and aviation park, it retains a busy mix of corporate traffic, flight training and an Army Reserve helicopter squadron on a field with a full-length ILS runway.
New Century AirCenter, identified as KIXD (FAA locator IXD, IATA code JCI), is a joint civil-military general aviation airport in New Century, Kansas, owned by Johnson County and operated by the Johnson County Airport Commission. It began life as a naval air station and today combines corporate and general aviation traffic, several flight schools, and an Army Reserve helicopter unit, making it an interesting and moderately busy destination for the visiting VFR or IFR pilot.
The airport sits about four to five miles southwest of the Olathe, Kansas central business district and just northeast of Gardner, within Johnson County. It has its own associated Class D surface area with a control tower, and Kansas City Approach/Departure provides the surrounding terminal service on 118.9 MHz. Pilots should be aware that Johnson County Executive Airport (KOJC) lies only about seven miles to the east and also has its own Class D airspace, so first-time visitors need to be careful to identify and communicate with the correct tower when arriving from that direction (faa.gov).
New Century AirCenter has two paved, lit runway pairs. Runway 18/36 is 7,294 feet long with a hard surface and lighting, and Runway 36 is equipped with an ILS approach. Runway 04/22 is 5,077 feet long, also hard-surfaced and lit. Field elevation is 1,070 feet.
The tower and CTAF operate on 133 MHz, with ground control on 124.3 MHz and UNICOM available on 122.95 MHz. Kansas City Approach/Departure is reached on 118.9 MHz, and the field ASOS broadcasts on 135.325 MHz. A separate Army operations frequency, 46.9 MHz, supports the resident helicopter unit. Runway 36 is served by an ILS, and airport lighting includes a MALSR on Runway 36, REIL on Runway 18, HIRL on Runway 18/36 and MIRL on Runway 4/22, along with taxiway lighting, all pilot-activated when the tower is closed (skyvector.com).
New Century AirCenter's tower does not have radar surveillance capability, which the FAA notes makes it a complex environment for both controllers and pilots given the diverse mix of aircraft types and experience levels using the field. Accurate pilot position reports when inbound are described as essential. Pilots should also take care to distinguish New Century's Class D airspace and tower frequency from that of nearby Johnson County Executive (KOJC), particularly when approaching from the east (faa.gov).
The airport lies roughly four to five miles southwest of the Olathe city centre and just northeast of Gardner, Kansas, sitting within a roughly 2,600-acre site that also contains an associated business and rail park, useful as a general visual landmark when inbound from the surrounding Kansas plains (en.wikipedia.org).
The airfield originated as Naval Air Station Olathe, also known as Flatley Field, and served as a military aviation facility with Navy Reserve and Marine Corps Reserve flying units. Johnson County acquired the airport in 1973 and renamed it Johnson County Industrial Airport as part of a plan to develop the site as an industrial park. On 28 September 1994 it was renamed New Century AirCenter to better reflect its continuing aviation role. In 1995 the Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted to close the Naval Air Reserve Center at Olathe, with Navy activities there ceasing in 1996, though the U.S. Army Reserve's Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment has continued to operate CH-47 Chinook helicopters from the field. The former base has also attracted attention for reported paranormal activity linked to a Navy pilot's fatal crash into a hangar beside the control tower in the 1950s, a story featured on the A&E Network's Haunted America (en.wikipedia.org).
New Century AirCenter remains a predominantly general and corporate aviation airport, hosting numerous flight schools alongside business aircraft operators. The Army Reserve continues to base a squadron of CH-47 Chinook helicopters there. As of March 2020 the airport had 47 based aircraft, comprising 23 single-engine, 7 multi-engine, 1 jet and 16 military airframes, and for the twelve months to July 2019 it recorded 53,678 aircraft operations, making it the second-busiest airport in Kansas by that measure. The surrounding land has also been developed as a business park served by its own short-line railway connecting to the BNSF network (en.wikipedia.org, faa.gov).
