Whiteside County Airport

The Whiteside County Airport (IATA: SQI, ICAO: KSQI), also known as Joseph H. Bittorf Field,^[1] is a public-use airport serving Rock Falls, Illinois, United States, as well as the Sauk Valley and Dixon area.

Whiteside County Airport Joseph H. Bittorf Field
IATA: SQI ICAO: KSQI
Summary
Airport type	Public
Serves	Rock Falls, Illinois
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (-6)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (-5)
Elevation AMSL	648 ft / 198 m
Coordinates	41°44′25″N 089°40′51″W / 41.74028°N 89.68083°W / 41.74028; -89.68083
Website	http://www.whitesidecountyairport.org
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 7/25 6,500 1,981 Asphalt 18/36 3,900 1,189 Asphalt
Statistics (2021)
Aircraft operations 33,000 Based aircraft 42

Facilities and aircraft

The airport has two runways. Runway 7/25 measures 6499 x 150 ft (1981 x 46 m) and is friction. This length makes the runway capable of serving aircraft from the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 families.

The other runway, 18/36, is 3900 x 100 ft (1189 x 30 m) and is also asphalt.^[2]

The airport's FBO is Sauk Valley Aviation. The airport offers fueling and parking services in addition to aircraft rental and flight training; aircraft maintenance, modifications, cleaning, and parts; and pilot services like a courtesy car, lounge, and WiFi.^[3][4][5]

Based on the 12-month period ending March 31, 2021, the airport averages 90 aircraft operations per day, or roughly 33,000 per year, consisting of 98% general aviation, 2% air taxi, and <1% military. For that same time period, there are 42 aircraft based on the field: 40 single-engine and 2 multi-engine airplanes.^[2][6]

Accidents and indcidents

• On July 27, 2006, a Beechcraft Baron executed a forced landing at Whiteside County Airport. The aircraft had been in a holding pattern following a missed approach at the airport when an engine failed. Instrument Meteorological Conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot received serious injuries. The probable cause of the accident was determined to be fuel exhaustion due to the pilot's failure to ensure an adequate supply of fuel for the flight.^[7]
• On July 23, 2021, a Cessna 150 flown by aviation YouTube personality Dan Gryder crashed while flying at the Whiteside County Airshow near the airport. The aircraft performed an off-airport emergency landing and flipped onto its top. Neither Gryder nor his passenger were injured, and both refused medical treatment. The cause of the crash is under investigation.^[8]

^[9][10][11]

See also

•  Chicago portal
•  Illinois portal
•  Aviation portal

• List of airports in Illinois

References

1. "Whiteside County Airport". Whiteside County Airport. 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
2. "AirNav: SQI - Whiteside County Airport/Jos H Bittorf Field". AirNav. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
3. "Aviation Fuel Prices – Sauk Valley FBO". Sauk Valley Aviation. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
4. "AirNav: Sauk Valley Aviation". AirNav. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
5. "Sauk Valley Aviation at KSQI". AOPA Airports. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
6. "SQI – Whiteside County/Jos H Bittorf Field Airport". SkyVector. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
7. "N127W accident description". Plane Crash Map. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
8. "Plane from Whiteside County Airshow crashes in field". WQAD8. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
9. "Airplane crashes in rural Whiteside County". KWQC TV 6. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
10. "Police respond to plane crash in Whiteside County". WIFR. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
11. "Plane crashes in rural Whiteside County". Clinton Herald. Retrieved 2022-07-03.

External links

• Whiteside County Airport, official website
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for SQI
  • AirNav airport information for KSQI
  • ASN accident history for SQI
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures