HIGHEST - Elevation Airport in North America - Leadville, Colorado
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 13.438 W 106° 18.989
13S E 386361 N 4342456
Leadville Airport is the Highest Elevation Airport in North America - 9927'
Waymark Code: WM7RP9
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 11/27/2009
Views: 6
Lake County - Leadville Airport is the highest airport in North America and the third highest in the world. Two higher airports exist in the South American Andean Mountains. This "highest" distinction is very important because the performance of an aircraft (ability to take off and climb well) deteriorates rapidly with altitude. In fact, many aircraft are operating above their manufacturer's specification altitudes when flying in Leadville.
It is the elevation that brings manufacturers and flight training programs from around the world to Leadville.
Many companies use the Leadville Airport as a base for high altitude performance testing, and many student pilots enjoy learning to fly safely in conditions that are likely to be more challenging than what they will face elsewhere in their flying careers. Leadville Airport also provides support to the US Military and is a government contract fuel supplier.
In recent years approximately four million dollars was spent by the FAA, the state of Colorado, and Lake County to bring the airport to state of the art condition. Improvements include a GPS instrument approach which allows jets and larger aircraft to meet their insurance requirements when using the Leadville Airport. Visit the Airport Services Page for more information on the services offered by the Leadville Airport.
Excerpted from http://www.leadvilleairport.com/pages/01_leadville_airport_info/leadville_airport_info.html