Houghton Lake State Airport


Houghton Lake Airport, known formally as Houghton Lake State Airport, is a state-owned public airport located in Roscommon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is within the unincorporated community of Houghton Lake Heights within Roscommon Township. The airport is named after the nearby Houghton Lake just east of the airport, and it is also included within the census-designated place of Houghton Lake.

Facilities

The airport was first constructed in 1932 and publicly activated in April 1940. The facility is located near the intersection of M-55 and Old U.S. Highway 27 about east of U.S. Highway 127. It is a publicly-owned airport supported through tax dollars, and the airport is maintained by the Michigan Department of Transportation. The airport sits at an elevation of above sea level and occupies an area of.
The airport has two identical runways numbered 16 and 34. They are both grass runways with no lighting. The airport has no regularly scheduled flights or arrivals. As a general aviation airport, it is mainly used by private pilots for personal use, and the runways can only accommodate smaller planes. The complex contains a hangar and several smaller buildings, but it has no control tower or permanent staffing. Instrument traffic is handled through the Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center and the Lansing flight service station.
In 2014, the airport had 12 based aircraft and saw 300 aircraft operations. In 2019, the airport raised over $1,300 through fundraising to restore the airport's historic hangar.

Nearby airports

Houghton Lake State Airport is one of two public-use airports in Roscommon County. Roscommon County–Blodgett Memorial Airport is a larger facility located about east in Markey Township. Other nearby public airports include Grayling Army Airfield north, Gladwin Zettel Memorial Airport southeast, West Branch Community Airport east, and Wexford County Airport west.
The Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City is the nearest primary airport offering commercial services. It is located to the northwest.