View source for Sanderson Field

{{for|the airport in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan|Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Airport}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox airport
| name         = Sanderson Field
| image        = Aerial view of Sanderson Field, September 2022.JPG
| IATA         = SHN
| ICAO         = KSHN
| FAA          = SHN
| type         = Public
| owner        = Port of Shelton
| operator     = 
| city-served  = [[Shelton, Washington]]
| elevation-f  = 273
| elevation-m  = 83
| coordinates  = {{coord|47|14|01|N|123|08|51|W|region:US_type:airport}}
| r1-number    = 5/23
| r1-length-f  = 5,005
| r1-length-m  = 1,526
| r1-surface   = Asphalt
| stat-year    = 2020
| stat1-header = Aircraft operations
| stat1-data   = 47,930
| stat2-header = Based aircraft
| stat2-data   = 76
| footnotes    = Source: [[Federal Aviation Administration]]<ref name=FAA>{{FAA-airport|ID=SHN|use=PU|own=PU|site=26405.*A}}, effective 2023-07-13.</ref>
}}

'''Sanderson Field''' {{airport codes|SHN|KSHN|SHN}} is a public lighted-land [[airport]] located in [[Shelton, Washington|Shelton]], a city in [[Mason County, Washington]], United States. It is located just outside the City of Shelton corporate limits, and is owned and operated by the Port of Shelton. It is bordered on the south by the Mason County Fairgrounds, on the north by a business park and [[Washington State Route 102|Dayton Airport Road]], on the west by the [[Washington State Patrol]] Training Academy, and on the east by [[U.S. Highway 101]]. The airport was named after Major General [[Lawson H. M. Sanderson]] of the [[United States Marine Corps]].

==History==
Sanderson Field originally operated under the name '''Mason County Airport'''. and opened in the late 1920s. In 1941, the United States Navy took over operations of Mason County Airport for use as a Naval Air Station during World War II and became Naval Air Station Shelton. Under the ownership of the Navy, a new runway was added, and the facilities expanded. The airport closed down as a naval air installation in 1955 and sat unused for eleven years until reopening in August 1966. At the reopening dedication on August 28, it was deeded back to the Port of Shelton (who owns the airport today), christened "Sanderson Field" and the facilities improved. The larger of two runways (north-south; designated 17–35) was closed, and runway 5-23 (east-west) was expanded and kept open. The closed runway has occasionally been used as a drag strip. In late 1993, a chainlink security fence was added to the perimeter of the airport and in 1994 five new hangars were built at the southeast corner. A large number of buildings today are remnants of the World War II era.

==Facilities and aircraft==
Sanderson Field covers an area of {{convert|1,054|acre|ha|lk=on}} at an [[elevation]] of 273 feet (83 m) above [[mean sea level]]. It has one active [[runway]] (5/23), running in an east–west orientation with a {{convert|5005 x 100|foot}} [[asphalt concrete|asphalt]] pavement.<ref name=FAA /> The active runway has medium-intensity runway edge lighting, installed in 1986, that operates from dusk to dawn. The primary approach is on Runway 23, which has a four-light Precision Approach Path Indicator system. A former runway (17/35) runs in a north–south orientation and has been deactivated since the early 1960s. Remnants of the former runway's markings are visible from the air and in high-resolution satellite imagery.

Services at Sanderson include minor airframe and powerplant repair by Olympic Air. Additionally, a 24-hour fuel station offers 100LL and JET-A grades of aircraft fuel. There are parking tiedowns for up to 36 aircraft on a spacious parking ramp adjacent to the Olympic Air maintenance shop. In 2006, a new {{convert|10000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} hangar was built to the north of Olympic Air, housing the airport's newest FBO ([[Fixed-Base Operator]]) Kapowsin Air Sports. The new facility was built to house two planes equipped for [[skydiving]] operations as well as an on-site pilot's cafe.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2020, the airport had 47,930 aircraft operations, an average of 131 per day: 79% [[general aviation]], 20% [[military aviation|military]] and <1% [[air taxi]]. At that time there were 76 aircraft based at this airport: 63 single-[[aircraft engine|engine]], 4 multi-engine, 4 [[helicopter]] and 5 [[ultralight]].<ref name=FAA />

==See also==
* [[List of airports in Washington (state)|List of airports in Washington]]

== References ==
<references />

== External links ==
* {{FAA-procedures|SHN}}
{{US-airport-ga|SHN}}

{{Airports in Washington}}

[[Category:Airports in Washington (state)]]
[[Category:Transportation buildings and structures in Mason County, Washington]]
[[Category:Closed installations of the United States Navy]]