Waycross Army Airfield

Waycross–Ware County Airport Waycross Army Airfield
2006 USGS airphoto
IATA: AYS ICAO: KAYS FAA LID: AYS WMO: 72213
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Waycross & Ware County
Serves	Waycross, Georgia
Location	Ware County, near Waycross, Georgia
Elevation AMSL	142 ft / 43 m
Coordinates	31°14′57″N 082°23′44″W / 31.24917°N 82.39556°W / 31.24917; -82.39556Coordinates: 31°14′57″N 082°23′44″W / 31.24917°N 82.39556°W / 31.24917; -82.39556
Website	warecounty.com/airport.asp
Map
KAYS Location of Waycross–Ware County Airport
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 18/36 6,000 1,829 Asphalt 5/23 5,035 1,535 Asphalt 13/31 3,528 1,075 Asphalt
Statistics (2007)
Aircraft operations 18,000 Based aircraft 49
Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Waycross–Ware County Airport (IATA: AYS, ICAO: KAYS, FAA LID: AYS) is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Waycross, a city in Ware County, Georgia, United States. It is owned by the City of Waycross and Ware County.

Waycross–Ware County Airport covers an area of 1,051 acres (425 ha) and contains three asphalt paved runways. Runway 18/36 is 6,000 × 100 ft (30 m), with low to high intensity lighting (18 has an ILS approach and 36 has a GPS approach). Runway 5/23 is 5,035 × 100 ft (30 m). Runway 13/31 is 3,528 × 100 ft (30 m).

For the 12-month period ending May 29, 2007, the airport had 18,000 aircraft operations, an average of 49 per day: 97% general aviation and 3% military. There are 49 aircraft based at this airport: 88% single-engine, 6% multi-engine, 4% ultralight and 2% helicopter.

In April 1930, Ware County and the City of Waycross established an airport three miles northwest of the city of Waycross. A 1935 airport guide described the Ware County Airport as a sod airfield, roughly a one-half mile square, with a hangar, no servicing, and operated by the Department of Commerce.

During 1941, the Civil Aeronautics Authority built two 4,000-ft. asphalt runways under Congress's National Defense Program. With the start of World War II, the Army Air Forces took an interest in the site entering negotiations with Ware County and Waycross to lease 3,000 acres of land that included the airport. An agreement was reached calling for a lease fee of $1 per year. The Army let the first construction contracts on June 23, 1942. The project specified the lengthening of the two existing run¬ways to 5,000 ft. and adding a third 5,000-ft. runway. Included was a cantonment area to accommodate four tactical squadrons and three squadrons of service troops plus a mobilization type hospital with a 118-bed capacity. In August, the Army enlarged the cantonment area by providing adequate housing for two additional service squadrons plus a fire station, motor repair building, and two quartermaster warehouses.