Virginia Tech Airport

Region: Virginia

Virginia Tech - Montgomery Executive Airport
Location	Blacksburg, Virginia
IATA code	BCB
ICAO code	KBCB
Airport type	Public
Website	http://www.vtbcb.com
Overview map	Google Maps
Communications
Tower	N/A
Ground	N/A
Clearance	124.85 (Roanoke)
Approach	126.9 (Roanoke)
Departure	126.9 (Roanoke)
ATIS	133.325
Departure	123.05

Virginia Tech Airport began as an unnamed flying field in a farmer's pasture in 1913. In 1929, members of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute's engineering program surveyed and found the plot was large enough to accommodate a two-runway airfield. In July of that year, the Virginia Highway Department began work on the airfield, which was then called VPI Airport. By year's end, the construction came to an end, yielding an airport that could accommodate the larger aircraft of the time. The airport officially opened in 1931 as Virginia Tech Airport, with the hangar built in 1940.

The field hosted the University's flight training program until 2004, when the flight school was disbanded prior to the airport being sold to the county. Despite the loss of the flight school, the airport is still the home of the Hokie Flying Club and several aircraft. The hangar has been replaced by a new terminal, but still serves as a shelter for several of the based aircraft, of which two are owned and operated by the University.

The airfield has two runways: 12/30 and 06/24 (Closed) The closest Commercial airport to Virginia Tech Airport is Roanoke Regional Airport (ROA/KROA).

Official Spotting Locations

There are no official spotting locations at the Virginia Tech Airport.

Other Spotting Locations

Main Terminal

The airport staff is very friendly and will generally allow people to accompany them on a quick walk around the tarmac. One of the staff members is an amateur photographer and would probably enjoy the company and conversation. As long as you are genuinely interested in aviation and do not appear to have ulterior motives, you will most likely be accommodated. Even if they are reluctant to let you walk around the tarmac, they will probably let you take shots from the staircase leading down to the tarmac. As friendly as they may be, game days draw a lot of traffic, which places a large demand on the staff, so game days are generally not good days to ask for a tour.

West Airport

There is a walking trail that runs from the northwest end to the southeast end of the airport. There is a point on the trail that is only a few hundred feet from the threshold of runway 12. Depending on the type of traffic and the winds, you can get spectacular shots here. Since general aviation aircraft seldom use the entire runway, departures over this spot aren't spectacular, unless you have a good zoom. On game days, however, the airport attracts several jets that require a good amount of runway, which could yield amazing departure shots. Arrival shots are great from this spot, as it is on a small hill looking over the runway.

To get to this spot, I recommend parking in the airport lot and walking. Weekday and gameday parking in the nearby lots is heavily regulated by the campus parking services.

Southwest Airport

As the trail continues, it passes by the end of the closed runway, where a weather station is now located. The closed runway is also the parking area for based aircraft. On game days, single-transient aircraft are parked here. Though not an amazing spot for flight shots, there are always interesting aircraft parked here on game days, which could make for some nice static shots.

There is a tall wire fence between you and the aircraft, so prepare to be crafty. For parking, see the comment in West Airport.

Southeast Airport

There are several locations on the Southeast side of the airport that could work for spotting. For shots of static aircraft, you may want to try walking over to the hangar. There is a fence there that will be in the way, however. If you walk past the hangar, there is a small grassy area from which you could get some nice shots of arrivals to runway 30. Depending on your location on the grassy plot, you may be dealing with the perimeter fence again.

For parking, see the comment in West Airport. You might get away with pulling off onto the grass on the Southeast side, if you are only staying for a few minutes, but I wouldn't recommend walking out of eye-shot of your car. If you are nearby and the police drive by, they'll probably just tell you to move your car. If you're not there, they might leave a ticket. Your best bet is the airport parking lot.

Locations to Avoid

Any parking lot other than the airport parking lot, especially on weekdays and game days.

Regular Traffic

Virginia Tech Airport is the base for several aircraft, as well as a destination for a few daily business flights.

Based Traffic and Aircraft

Virginia Tech Air Transportation Services: Operates a Citation II and a Citation Ultra on an irregular schedule to various destinations. If you are looking for shots of these aircraft, you can find the flight plans along with departure and arrival times on FlightAware.
Shelton Aviation: The only official flight instruction operation on the field. Operates a Cessna 152.
Hokie Flying Club: Operates a Cessna 150, a Piper Cherokee, and a Cessna Cardinal RG.

Transient Traffic and Aircraft

Corning: Operates a Dornier 228. Several flights per week on an irregular schedule.

Game Day Traffic:
- Single-Engine Props: Cessnas and Pipers, along with the occasional Diamond
- Twin-Engine Props: Cessnas, Beechcraft and Pipers, along with a MU-2 and an AeroCommander
- Twin-Engine Jets: Cessnas along with the occasional Gulfstream IV
- Tri-jets: Occasional visits by a Falcon 900

Military Traffic and Aircraft

Because of the University's Corps of Cadets program, several cadets "return" to the field irregularly to practice approaches, or just fly over the campus. The aircraft most often seen are:

F-15s
F-16s
C-17s
C-130s
UH-1s

Facilities and Transportation

External Links

FlightAware - Airport Activity for Virginia Tech Airport