North Central State Airport
airport in Smithfield, United States of America
North Central State Airport (IATA: SFZ, ICAO: KSFZ, FAA LID: SFZ) is a public use airport in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The airport is owned by the state of Rhode Island and opened for service in 1951. It serves the northern portion of the Providence metropolitan area and is located 3 nmi (3.5 mi; 5.6 km) east of the central business district of Smithfield. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2023–2027, in which it is categorized as a local reliever facility.
The airport is situated in the towns of Smithfield and Lincoln. It is located in the upper region of the state and is roughly horizontally centered in the state, hence the name North Central. It is designated as a reliever airport for general aviation activity from T.F. Green Airport.
North Central State Airport is one of six active airports operated by the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, the other five being T.F. Green State Airport, Quonset State Airport, Westerly State Airport, Newport State Airport, and Block Island State Airport.
Like all state-owned airports in Rhode Island, there is a US$5 landing fee for any aircraft not registered in Rhode Island.
Facilities and aircraft
North Central State Airport covers an area of 475 acres (192 ha; 1.92 km2) at an elevation of 441 ft (134 m) above mean sea level.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “North Central State Airport” is airport in Smithfield, United States of America. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through North, Central and State, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “airport in Smithfield, United States of America” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7054761. Authority coordinates are 41.921, -71.491. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1951, 2023 and 2027.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “North Central State Airport”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow North Central State Airport primary sources, North Central State Airport archive and North research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “North Central State Airport”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “North Central State Airport” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.