Bolton Field is a public airport in Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a towered airport operated under the Columbus Regional Airport Authority. It is one of 12 general aviation reliever airports in Ohio recognized in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) and is a reliever airport for John Glenn Columbus International Airport. Most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, but Bolton Field is TZR to the FAA and has no IATA code.

History

Bolton Field opened on October 24, 1970, a day after Franklin County Common Pleas Court rejected a move by a nearby private airport (located on Darby Dan Farm) to stop it. Major Harry Charles Davidson, a WWII veteran residing in Groveport, Ohio, was the first airport manager at Bolton Field. Major Harry Charles Davidson was appointed by Mayor of Columbus, Jack Sensenbrenner. The airport is named after long-time Port Columbus International Airport Superintendent Francis A. "Jack" Bolton, honored posthumously when the city dedicated the airfield to him at its opening. The airport was built to handle personal and business aviation, freeing Port Columbus for commercial traffic. In 1980, the operation of John Glenn International Airport (formerly Port Columbus International Airport) and Bolton Field Airport was transferred from the City of Columbus to the Columbus Airport Authority; in 2003, the Columbus Airport Authority and the Rickenbacker Port Authority merged to create the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which manages John Glenn Columbus International (CMH), Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK) and Bolton Field (TZR) airports. The airport is home to regular events hosted by the Experimental Aircraft Association's Young Eagles Program.

Facilities and aircraft

Bolton Field covers 1500 acre and has one asphalt runway (4/22), which measures 5,500 x. Fuel is available; planes can use tiedowns or hangars for parking. Capital City Jet provides flight instruction, fixed-base operations, and air charter services. FBO amenities include a conference room, a crew lounge, snooze rooms, a courtesy car, and more. Columbus State Community College has an Aviation Maintenance Training Program on the field. Scioto Valley 99s and Central Ohio Balloon Club are aviation organizations located on the grounds. There is also a barbecue restaurant on the field, which offers dinner and airplane rides each year on Valentine's Day. For the 12-month period ending ending June 7, 2022, the airport had 26,932 aircraft operations, average 74 per day. It was nearly 100% general aviation as well as <1% air taxi and <1% military. For the same time period, 64 aircraft are based at this airport: 57 single-engine and 6 multi-engine airplanes as well as 1 helicopter. This is down from 74,511 aircraft operations and 82 based aircraft in 2011.

Incidents and accidents