Airport Celebrates 50th Anniversary This Year

This article appeared in the May 22, 1996 issue of the Decatur Tribune and is used with permission. Photos courtesy of Herald & Review. Compiled by Paul Osborne.

Decatur Wrote Its Own Chapter in Aviation History

While most residents of Decatur rarely look up when they hear an airplane or jet flying over the community, because it is so common, a century ago there were no jets or airplanes in existence.

The development of air travel is purely a 20th century phenomenon and the Decatur community has written its own chapter in the book of pioneers of the air.

The first airplane flight by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, was made on December 17, 1903, and the historic event opened the door to rapid aviation developments.

Less than seven years after the flight at Kitty Hawk, on July 14, 1910, the first downstate Illinois airplane flight took off from Downing Race Track, better known today as Hess Park, on the city's near north side.

Charles F. Willard took off in a Curtiss Model D-4 flew six miles, reaching a height of 600 feet, and, although Glenn Curtiss had made the first airplane  flight  in Illinois, in Chicago, the previous year, Williard's flight was recorded as the best in the state up to that time. Mechanic for the flight was Loren Hodge of Decatur.

The flight fueled interest in aviation in the community and, a year later, August Hendrian built a small monoplane. Harry Youtz not only built a monoplane in 1913, but successfully flew it.

By 1920, aviation had developed in Decatur to the point that Ernest Haskell, a farmer who lived north of Decatur, used a field on his farm for airplanes.

"Haskell Field" was the community's first airport, although a far cry from today's facility.

The early "airports" consisted of not much more than a farmer's field and a place to park airplanes.

The end of World War I brought more residents into the aviation picture as the exploits of ace pilots brought added glory to flight.

Most of the early pilots used private air fields from which to operate their planes.

Kiick Field Had Canvas Hangar

Kiick Field, which was located at Wyckles Corner and old Route 36, was a little more modern than most. It sported a canvas hangar and served aviation enthusiasts from 1925 to 1932.

According to "History of Flight" by Loren Hodge, the Decatur Aircraft Company, which was located at 146 East Packard, had its base of operations at Kiick Field in 1926 and 1927.

The growth of aviation in just a few decades, and the potential for much more development, resulted in community leaders realizing that Decatur needed an airfield with substantial equipment and accommodations to make the city an important link with air travel.

Community leaders did not want Decatur to be left behind in the development of commercial aviation.

A year later, on July 9, 1928, famous World War I ace, Eddie Rickenbacker, spoke to a combined meeting of local service clubs at the Hotel Orlando and stressed the need for all-weather airports.

"A city without an airport would be like a city without a railroad," Rickenbacker is reported to have told the community leaders. "It would fail to grow."

Rickenbacker also let civic leaders and business executives ride in one of the Fokker II series passenger planes while in the city and A.E. Staley, Sr., thought seriously about buying the plane until his board of directors talked him out of it.

The headline of the August 6, 1928, Decatur Herald read: "Huge Plane Visits City" and the story related that a Ford Tri-Motor "swooped down on Decatur from out of the west on Monday morning for a two day stand at the Decatur Airways, Inc. field west of the city."

The newspaper further described the plane as weighing 6,000 pounds empty, or 10,000 loaded and it was built at a cost of $50,000, which was a lot of money in 1928.

Each of the plane's motors had nine cylinders and 200 h.p. and the plane could cruise at a speed of 121 miles per hour.

The Tri-Motor could carry 16 passengers, plus the pilot, and the interior of the plane was "luxuriously upholstered with the cabin insulated against noise from the motors, themselves usually quiet. The plane is the most nearly perfect air vehicle yet seen in Decatur."

Leaders Wanted Airport

The appearance of the Tri-Motor made commercial air travel even more of a reality in the community and community leaders met within the week at the Mueller Lodge to discuss details on establishing an airport for Decatur.

Representatives of the airport committee, city council and park board heard Sioux City Attorney E.B. VanOrdstrand, who was President of the Aeronautical Society of that city, tell how Sioux City obtained its airport.

An immediate vote was taken at the meeting to "get an airport for the city and get it now."
The Mueller Company offered a large tract of land for the city to use free as an airport for five or ten years to get the project off the ground.

It was agreed that, at the end of the specified period, the Decatur City Council or the Park District could buy the land.

While community leaders saw the value of an airport, the enthusiasm wasn't shared by the general population.

A proposal to levy a tax for the Park District for the establishment of a municipal airport went before the voters on August 27, 1929 and was soundly defeated 4842 to 1595.

New Airport Was "Distant"

Following the defeat of the referendum, the daily newspaper editorialized that "the vote Tuesday indicated that a bid majority of citizens of Decatur are not interested in Decatur as a city making possible the early contact of air transport with this city....at least a municipal airport like hundreds of other cities are establishing is far distant for Decatur."

The residents' limited view of aviation possibilities resulted in a poor image across the country, and, in 1930 Decatur was known as a city with a poor airport.

Local interest in aviation continued to increase and 21-year-old Lois Borchers, who was the daughter of former Mayor Charles Borchers, became the first area woman to pilot a plane in 1930. Her solo flight was not greeted with enthusiasm by her parents. Her brother was the late former state representative A. Webber Borchers.

Despite the rejection of the 1929 referendum, the Decatur Airport Committee raised funds to build a new airport northwest of the city in 1931 and turned it over to the city two years later. The city gave it back a year later when there was a cut in CWA funds.

By the end of the 1930s, the airport was inadequate and, since the city and county were unable to finance a new airport through revenue bonds, the Decatur Park District was asked to take over the project.

A referendum authorizing the Decatur Park Board to levy a one mill airport tax was held on April 6, 1943, and this time, voters were very much aware of the impact of commercial aviation. The vote was 10,642 votes in favor of the levy and 1,441 votes against.

A month after the successful referendum, on May 6, 1943, the Decatur Airport Company, consisting of 128 stockholders with $13,500.00 of capital stock, transferred holdings to the Decatur Park District.

Although the airport had always been located on the city's west side, appraisal of 720 acres of land east of the city, which would be used for an airport, was started in September, 1943.

On May 13, 1944, fire destroyed the hangar, office and shop of the airport west of town and, since the park district was looking to the east side of the community for an airport, and the lease on the old airport ended Oct. 1, 1944, the remaining buildings were sold to Hunter Moody.

It was during this same period of time, on June 27, 1944, that the first fatalities from the old airport occurred.

George Elmer Wicke and Earl "Red" Craig were killed when their plane crashed in a field on the Brett farm north of town.

After an ordinance was passed authorizing a new airport on the east side of Decatur, construction work started on August 21, 1944, and the following year, thirteen airlines filed applications to serve Decatur.

The first fixed-based operator was John Beadleston and a bid from Erwin-Newman for erecting a ten unit steel hangar was accepted on November 13, 1945.

Bids for a shop hangar and forth T-Hangars came soon after.

Three runways were built which were 150 feet wide and 5,300 feet long. There was also 2« miles of taxiways.

According to accounts, the $2 million price tag for the airport was paid entirely by the federal government.

The Decatur Municipal Airport opened for business in 1946 and a temporary terminal opened in 1949 with passenger and freight business offered.

Celebrates 50th Anniversary

This year, the Decatur Airport (its name was shortened in 1967) is celebrating its 50th anniversary and it is obvious that many changes have taken place in the half century since it first opened.

The airport is still operated by the Decatur Park District, but it has grown tremendously over the years.

The runways have been expanded and more than 100 hangars exist for private aircraft. There is also a control tower and a main terminal for administrative offices, airline passenger facilities and the Main Hangar restaurant.

Tenants of the airport include the Army National Guard, Decatur Aviation, ADM, A.E. Staley Co., and other corporate and private clients.

Senator John F. Kennedy, President Ronald Reagan, Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, Vice President Dan Quayle and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev are a few of the political luminaries who have flown in to the Decatur Airport.

Many well-known entertainers have used the services of the airport over the years as they made their way to an appearance in Decatur or star billing at Sullivan's Little Theatre On The Square.

Airport Director Bob Krasicki, who has been in that position since 1992, indicated the "hey  day" of the Decatur Airport, as far as commercial passenger service, was prior to airline deregulation in 1978.

Now with the service depending on market viability, smaller communities like Decatur have been affected and continue to be impacted.

However, the airport continues to provide all the services, including passenger service, that a community needs in order to remain attractive to people and businesses.

"We provide a lot of jobs for the community," said Krasicki. "We recently completed an economic impact study and we provide hundreds of jobs, not just the park district's airport but all the other people who are out there."

The airport was honored this year, and also in 1988 and 1994, as "Illinois Airport Of The Year" by the Illinois Department of Transportation for its "general operations, public relations programs and ability to attract grant funding."

A special program of activities marking the 50th anniversary will be held August 31st and Krasicki said he would like for people in the community who have any special memorabilia about the airport or the history of aviation in Decatur to contribute to a display that will be part of the day's activities.

We'd like to hear about some special memories that people have on the airport and they can give us a call if they want to help out," he said.

In addition to the birthday party, Krasicki said that other events, including a time capsule interment, will take place.

A lot has happened in the 86 years since Charles Willard flew the Curtiss Model D-4 out of what is now Hess Park and the history of aviation in this area is an important chapter in the development of Decatur.

A lot has also happened at the Decatur Airport in its 50 years of existence. The main runway, which was 5,300 feet long in 1946 is now 8,500 feet long, making it one of the top five, in length, in the state.

"It can handle about anything with wings on it," said Krasicki.

The Decatur Airport has not only been repeatedly honored for its design and quality of service to the area, it remains a vital component in the city's quality of life and business potential.

It is also a reminder of the community's impressive aviation history and its commitment to keeping it as an important link to the future not only in distance, but in time.