The Portland International Jetport is known by its airport code PWM because it historically stood for Portland-Westbrook-Municipal. This designation originated in the early days of aviation, reflecting the navigational practices of the time.
Historical Origin of the PWM Code
In the nascent period of air travel, pilots relied on a network of beacon lights to guide them from one airport to another. These visual aids were crucial for navigation before the advent of modern instrumentation and GPS.
The Significance of Westbrook
For aircraft approaching the Portland facility, the last beacon light in the sequence was located in Westbrook, a town situated about 10 miles to the west of Portland. Because Westbrook served as this final, critical navigational point before reaching the airport, the facility was named to include both "Portland" and "Westbrook," along with "Municipal" to indicate its public ownership and operation. This combination resulted in the airport code PWM, which has been retained ever since.
This naming convention provided a practical and easily recognizable identifier for pilots and air traffic control, directly referencing the geographical markers essential for navigation to the airport.
