South Lewis County Airport

South Lewis County Airport, also known as Ed Carlson Memorial Field, is a county-owned public-use airport in Lewis County, Washington, United States. It is located three nautical miles (4 mi, 6 km) north of the central business district of Toledo, Washington.

This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.

History
Known originally as the Toledo-Winlock Airport, South Lewis County Airport began as a 4,700 foot airstrip in 1940. Constructed by the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the runway was built for pilot training and was accompanied by a 75 foot communication tower in May 1941. The strip was lengthened to 5,000 ft and widened to 150 ft for military planes in 1942. The airport was formerly a joint venture between Toledo, Winlock, and the county, formed by a commission in 1950 and lasting until December 2001, when the South Lewis County Airport Board was created to manage the facility. It was renamed in honor of Ed Carlson, a long-serving board member of the airfield.

The airport is listed as a "public use general aviation airport" that serves Toledo and the surrounding community and region. Partially federally funded, the airfield is required to submit layout and master plans every five years. The field is also used as a primary staging site during natural disasters, providing flight access for emergency and military personnel. The airport was the closest airfield during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens and served as an important center for search-and-rescue operations in the aftermath.

In December 2001, the communities of Toledo and Winlock officially transferred ownership of the airport to the county.

A group students from the Toledo Middle School's Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) helped to overhaul and improve the grounds and facilities during a late spring two-week effort in 2003. Later that year, the airport received a $1.2 million grant from the FAA for the repaving of the runway; the project was completed and dedicated by the end of the year. In 2005, the airfield was the site of an attempted record-breaking tandem parachute jump. Falling short of the mark of 128, it set a regional record of 117 instead.

A $3.2 million project to upgrade the airport was undertaken and completed in 2020. Primarily funded by the FAA, the runway was repainted and the taxiway was rebuilt to average 25 ft in width and new lighting was installed.

Also during 2020, Lewis County proposed Ed Carlson Memorial Field as a potential site for a state initiative to build a new commercial airport in Western Washington and was officially considered the following year. A group of residents in the Toledo area formed a group to oppose the consideration on the merits of protecting the rural environment in the region with additional concerns regarding increases in crime, pollution, and traffic congestion. Despite the airport being one of six finalists, due to public objections, the airfield was removed from consideration and was not among the final options by August 2022.

Facilities and aircraft
The airport covers an area of 95 acres (38 ha) at an elevation of 374 feet (114 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 6/24 with an asphalt surface measuring 4,479 by 150 feet (1,365 x 46 m). A 2018 budget report listed eight hangars on the grounds and 15 tie-down sites.

In 2012, aircraft operations were estimated to include over 16,000 flights, for an average of 45 per day. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2020, the airport had 8,300 aircraft operations, an average of 23 per day: 97% general aviation and 2% military.

Aircraft totals in 2016 included 36 single-engine, 6 multi-engine, the permission to host one jet and an allowable increase of helicopters on the ground from two to three. In 2020, 40 aircraft based at this airport: 38 single-engine, and 2 multi-engine.

The airport owns an undeveloped 15 acre parcel set aside for future expansion of the airfield and its facilites.

Training and flight programs
South Lewis County Airport is home to the Toledo Flying Club, a membership organization that began in 1938, though officially in 1940, and offers flight instructions to participants. One of the founding members was a Toledo school teacher, Cecelia Earhart, a cousin of Amelia Earhart. The flying club is the oldest of its kind in the state.

The airfield, beginning in 1972, has been host to a skydiving school, first known as the Toledo Parachute Center.

Economy
, the South Lewis County Airport had a budget of over $3.2 million, with expenditures approximately the same. The airport supports one full-time position.