# Dillingham Airfield

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Airport near Mokulēʻia, Hawaii, US

For the airport in Dillingham, Alaska, see [Dillingham Airport](/source/Dillingham_Airport).

Dillingham Airfield IATA: HDH ICAO: PHDH FAA LID: HDH Summary Airport type Military/Public Owner U.S. Army Operator Hawaii Department of Transportation Location Mokuleia, Hawaii Elevation AMSL 14.2 ft / 4 m Coordinates 21°34′46″N 158°11′50″W / 21.57944°N 158.19722°W / 21.57944; -158.19722 Website hawaii.gov/hdh Map HDH Location of airport in Hawaii Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 8/26 9,007 2,745 Asphalt Statistics (2015) Aircraft operations 103/day Based aircraft 47 Source: AirNav (http://www.airnav.com/airport/phdh)

**Dillingham Airfield** ([IATA](/source/IATA_airport_code): **HDH**, [ICAO](/source/ICAO_airport_code): **PHDH**, [FAA](/source/Federal_Aviation_Administration) [LID](/source/Location_identifier): **HDH**) is a public and military use [airport](/source/Airport) located two [nautical miles](/source/Nautical_mile) (4 [km](/source/Kilometre)) west of the [central business district](/source/Central_business_district) of [Mokulēʻia](/source/Mokuleia%2C_Hawaii), in [Honolulu County](/source/Honolulu_County%2C_Hawaii)[1] on the [North Shore](/source/North_Shore_(Oahu)) of [Oʻahu](/source/Oahu) in the [U.S. state](/source/U.S._state) of [Hawaii](/source/Hawaii). It is operated by the [Hawaii Department of Transportation](/source/Hawaii_Department_of_Transportation) under a 50-year lease from the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army). The airport is primarily used for [gliding](/source/Gliding) and [sky diving](/source/Sky_diving) operations, and also houses [Civil Air Patrol](/source/Civil_Air_Patrol) (CAP) glider aircraft. Military operations consist largely of night operations for [night vision device](/source/Night_vision_device) training and orientation flights for the [United States Air Force Auxiliary (CAP)](/source/Civil_Air_Patrol). This airport is included in the [Federal Aviation Administration](/source/Federal_Aviation_Administration) (FAA) [National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems](/source/National_Plan_of_Integrated_Airport_Systems) for 2017–2021, in which it is [categorized](/source/FAA_airport_categories) as a basic [general aviation](/source/General_aviation) facility.[2]

## History

Dillingham Airfield soon after construction during [World War II](/source/World_War_II)

A communications station called Camp Kawaihapai was established here in 1922 on 67 acres (27 ha) along the [Oahu Railway and Land Company](/source/Oahu_Railway_and_Land_Company) line. In the 1920s and 1930s, the railroad transported mobile coast artillery to the site. By 1941, the Army leased additional land and established **Mokulēʻia Airstrip**. [Curtiss P-40](/source/Curtiss_P-40) fighters were deployed at North Shore airstrips at [Kahuku](/source/Kahuku%2C_Hawaii), [Haleʻiwa](/source/Haleiwa%2C_Hawaii) and Mokulēʻia when the [attack on Pearl Harbor](/source/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor) took place. Aircraft taking off from nearby Haleʻiwa destroyed several attacking aircraft.[3]

The runway was paved, extended to 9,000 feet (2,700 m) long, and a crosswind runway added from 1942 to 1945. By the end of [World War II](/source/World_War_II), **Mokulēʻia Airfield** could handle [B-29 Superfortress](/source/B-29_Superfortress) bombers. In 1946, the Army acquired an additional 583 acres (236 ha). In 1948, the airfield was inactivated and renamed **Dillingham Air Force Base** in memory of Captain Henry Gaylord Dillingham, a [B-29](/source/B-29) [airman](/source/Airman) who was [killed in action](/source/Killed_in_action) over [Kawasaki, Japan](/source/Kawasaki%2C_Japan) on July 25, 1945. Captain Dillingham was the son of [Walter F. Dillingham](/source/Walter_F._Dillingham) and grandson of [Benjamin Dillingham](/source/Benjamin_Dillingham) who founded the railroad which evolved into Hawaiian Dredging Company and the Dillingham Corporation.[3]

[Nike missiles](/source/Nike_(rocket)) were installed in the 1950s, but were obsolete by 1970.

In 1962, the State of Hawaii leased Dillingham for general aviation use. In the 1970s the base was transferred from the Air Force back to the Army. The state signed new leases with the Army in 1974, 1983, 2000 and 2024. In the 1980s, [hangars](/source/Hangar), a [control tower](/source/Control_tower), and a fire station were built.[3]

## Facilities and aircraft

Dillingham Airfield covers an area of 134 [acres](/source/Acre) (54 [ha](/source/Hectare)) at an [elevation](/source/Elevation) of 14.2 feet (4.3 m) above [mean sea level](/source/Mean_sea_level). It has one [runway](/source/Runway) designated 8/26 with an [asphalt](/source/Asphalt_concrete) surface measuring 9,007 by 75 feet (2,745 x 23 m).[1]

As a general aviation joint-use facility, the airfield has one runway, a [UNICOM](/source/UNICOM) tower, powered aircraft and glider hangars, and a tie down area for recreation aircraft. Jet-A and Avgas are available in a self-serve facility utilizing credit cards for payment. There were plans to extend the taxiway to the end of the 26 runway, but funding was delayed. Air traffic, unless approved prior by the US Army, is limited to daytime operations by general aviation and sport parachuting operations.

For the 12-month period ending June 30, 2015, the airport had 103 operators a day: 96% [general aviation](/source/General_aviation) and 4% [military](/source/Military_aviation). At that time there were 47 aircraft based at this airport: 24 single-[engine](/source/Aircraft_engine), 20 [glider](/source/Glider_(sailplane)), 1 [helicopter](/source/Helicopter), and 2 [ultralight](/source/Ultralight).[4]

## Authority

Two [Schweizer SGS 2-32s](/source/Schweizer_SGS_2-32) used for tourist flights, Dillingham Airfield [Oahu](/source/Oahu), 1993

Dillingham Airfield is part of a centralized state structure governing all of the airports and seaports of Hawaii. The official authority of Dillingham Airfield is the [Governor of Hawaii](/source/Governor_of_Hawaii). The governor appoints the Director of the Hawaii State Department of Transportation who has jurisdiction over the Hawaii Airports Administrator.

The Hawaii Airports Administrator oversees six governing bodies: Airports Operations Office, Airports Planning Office, Engineering Branch, Information Technology Office, Staff Services Office, Visitor Information Program Office. Collectively, the six bodies have authority over the four airport districts in Hawaii: [Hawaii District](/source/Hawaii_(island)), [Kauaʻi District](/source/Kauai), [Maui District](/source/Maui) and the principal [Oʻahu District](/source/Honolulu_County%2C_Hawaii). Dillingham Airfield is a subordinate of the Oʻahu District officials.

## Filming location

The television series [Lost](/source/Lost_(2004_TV_series)) filmed several scenes at Dillingham Airfield, due to its remote location close to the [North Shore](/source/North_Shore_(Oahu)), where the series was primarily filmed.[5] The fuselage from the fictional [Oceanic Airlines](/source/Oceanic_Airlines) flight 815 is also stored at Dillingham, and was transported to the beach when needed for filming.[6]

## Accidents and incidents

- On June 21, 2019, a [Beechcraft King Air](/source/Beechcraft_King_Air) operated by the [Oahu Parachute Center](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oahu_Parachute_Center&action=edit&redlink=1) crashed at Dillingham Airfield while taking off for a sunset [skydiving](/source/Parachuting) flight, killing all 11 people on board.[7]

## See also

- [Hawaii World War II Army Airfields](/source/Hawaii_World_War_II_Army_Airfields)

- [List of airports in Hawaii](/source/List_of_airports_in_Hawaii)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-FAA_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-FAA_1-1) ["FAA Airport Form 5010 for HDH"](https://www.gcr1.com/5010ReportRouter/default.aspx?airportID=HDH) ([PDF](/source/Portable_Document_Format)). *[FAA](/source/FAA)*. . Federal Aviation Administration. Effective May 31, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-NPIAS_Airports_2-0)** ["List of NPIAS Airports"](https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias/reports/media/NPIAS-Report-2017-2021-Appendix-A.pdf) (PDF). *FAA.gov*. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2016.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-dot_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-dot_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-dot_3-2) ["Dillingham Field"](http://hawaii.gov/hawaiiaviation/hawaii-airfields-airports/oahu-pre-world-war-ii/dillingham-field). *Hawaii Aviation archive of historic photos and facts*. State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Airports Division. Retrieved 2009-11-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["AirNav: PHDH - Dillingham Airfield"](http://www.airnav.com/airport/phdh). *www.airnav.com*. Retrieved 2017-04-26.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Lost filming locations](http://www.lostvirtualtour.com/lost/filming_locations/dillinghamairfield/index.html)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** [Fuselage](http://www.lostvirtualtour.com/lost/filming_locations/dillinghamfuselage/index.html) on "Lost" web site

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Skydiving plane crashes in Hawaii, killing 11 people"](https://bnonews.com/index.php/2019/06/skydiving-plane-crashes-in-hawaii/). [BNO News](/source/BNO_News). June 22, 2019.

- This article incorporates [public domain material](/source/Copyright_status_of_works_by_the_federal_government_of_the_United_States) from the [Air Force Historical Research Agency](https://www.afhra.af.mil/)

- Maurer, Maurer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-89201-097-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-89201-097-5)

## External links

- [Hawaii DOT page for Dillingham Airfield](http://airports.hawaii.gov/hdh/)

- [Topographic map](http://msrmaps.com/map.aspx?t=2&s=12&lat=21.5795&lon=-158.1973&w=800&h=800&lp=---+None+---) from [USGS](/source/USGS) *[The National Map](/source/The_National_Map)*

- Resources for this airport: - FAA [airport information for HDH](https://nfdc.faa.gov/nfdcApps/services/ajv5/airportDisplay.jsp?airportId=HDH) - AirNav [airport information for PHDH](http://www.airnav.com/airport/PHDH) - ASN [accident history for HDH](https://aviation-safety.net/database/airport/airport.php?id=HDH) - FlightAware [airport information](https://flightaware.com/resources/airport/HDH) and [live flight tracker](https://flightaware.com/live/airport/HDH) - SkyVector [aeronautical chart for PHDH](https://skyvector.com/perl/code?id=PHDH&scale=2)

v t e Airports in Hawaii Primary Honolulu Kahului Kona–Keāhole Lihue Hilo Molokai Lanai Non-primary Hana Kalaupapa Kapalua–West Maui Waimea–Kohala Reliever Kalaeloa–Rodgers General Dillingham Port Allen Upolu Private use French Frigate Shoals Princeville Military NAS Barbers Point–Rodgers (CGAS Barbers Point) PMRF Barking Sands Dillingham NALF Ford Island MCB Hawaii MCAS Kaneohe Bay JB Pearl Harbor–Hickam Hickam Field Pohakuloa TA (Bradshaw AAF) Wheeler AAF Defunct Ewa Ford Haleiwa Kaanapali Kipapa Kona Kualoa Morse Stanley

v t e USAAF Seventh Air Force in World War II Previously: Hawaiian Air Force (1940-1942) Airfields Hawaii Bellows Hickam Wheeler Okinawa Ie Shima Yontan Pacific USAAF in the Central Pacific USAAF in the Southwest Pacific Units Commands VII Bomber VII Fighter Wings 7th Fighter Groups Bombardment 5th Bombardment 11th Bombardment 30th Bombardment 41st Bombardment 307th Bombardment 494th Bombardment Fighter 15th Fighter 18th Fighter 21st Fighter 318th Fighter 508th Fighter Troop Carrier 419th Troop Carrier Squadrons Reconnaissance 28th Reconnaissance 41st Reconnaissance 43d Reconnaissance Transport 9th Troop Carrier 311th Troop Carrier 316th Troop Carrier Night Fighter 6th Night Fighter 548th Night Fighter 549th Night Fighter United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dillingham Airfield](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dillingham_Airfield) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dillingham_Airfield?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.