James A. Rhodes Airport

The James A. Rhodes Airport (ICAO: KJRO, FAA LID: JRO) is a publicly owned, public use airport located 5 miles southeast of Jackson in Jackson County, Ohio.

Most airports share the same code from IATA and the FAA. However, Rhodes Airport is assigned JRO by the FAA but not by IATA, who assigned JRO to Kilimanjaro International Airport.

The airport hosts regular social and community events, like fly-ins.

History
The airport was made possible when Ohio Governor James Rhodes passed a bill providing funding for each county in the state to have an airport. Land was donated in 1966 for the airport to be built. Operations began in 1968.

The airport's 50-year anniversary was celebrated in 2018.

The airport was celebrated with a re-dedication in 2019.

Facilities and aircraft
The airport has one runway, designated as runway 1/19. It measures 5201 x 75 ft (1585 x 23 m) and is paved with asphalt. For the 12-month period ending September 20, 2021, the airport had 6,032 airport operations, an average of 116 per week. It consisted of 83% general aviation, 12% air taxi, and 5% military. For the same time period, 20 aircraft were based at the airport: 18 single-engine airplanes, 1 jet airplane, and 1 helicopter.

The airport has a fixed-base operator that sells fuel, both avgas and jet fuel. Amenities include things such as a pilot lounge, a conference room, and more. The airport received over $500,000 in 2014 to upgrade facilities, including its terminal.

Accidents and incidents

 * On April 26, 2003, a Beech A36 Bonanza was substantially damaged when it impacted trees during a descent after takeoff from James A. Rhodes Airport. The accident flight occurred during a Beechcraft Pilot Proficiency Program. According to the president of the program, the purpose of the program was to pair pilot/owners of Beechcraft airplanes with instructors for the purpose of ground and flight training. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane in the pattern at James A. Rhodes and said the pilot reported inbound on an instrument approach to the airport. After landing, the pilots announced they would be performing a "simulated emergency landing" after takeoff. The takeoff appeared normal, smooth, and level; the airplane was in a nose-up attitude until about 1,200 feet above the ground, at which point it pitched down and impacted trees. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the flight instructor's improper decision to turn back to the airport at an insufficient altitude after takeoff and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed during a simulated engine failure.
 * On August 14, 2004, an Aero Commander 112 experienced a forced landing after departure from James A. Rhodes Airport. The pilot reported they initiated a right turn to avoid rising terrain, but the airplane's engine subsequently stopped producing power. The pilot subsequently picked a pasture on which to land the airplane. The cause of the loss of engine power could not be determined.
 * On February 28, 2024, a Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six crashed in poor weather after departing from the James A. Rhodes the airport. The pilot, who was receiving training towards an instrument rating at the time of the crash, entered low clouds and snow soon after taking off; witnesses at the airport reported the airport was in the clouds after reaching the end of the airport's runway. The accident is under investigation.