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Iowa City Municipal Airport

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Iowa City Municipal Airport (IATA: IOW, ICAO: KIOW, FAA LID: IOW), is two miles southwest of downtown Iowa City, in Johnson County, Iowa.[1] It is the oldest civil airport west of the Mississippi River still in its original location.[3][4]

Iowa City Municipal Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerCity of Iowa City
ServesIowa City, Iowa
Elevation AMSL683 ft / 208 m
Coordinates41°38′21″N 91°32′47″W / 41.63917°N 91.54639°W / 41.63917; -91.54639
Map
IOW is located in Iowa
IOW
IOW
IOW is located in the United States
IOW
IOW
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
7/25 5,002 1,525 Concrete
12/30 3,900 1,189 Concrete
Statistics
Aircraft operations (2016)19,287
Based aircraft (2017)73

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 categorized it as a regional general aviation facility.[5]

The airport has no scheduled airline service; the closest airline airport is The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids, about 19 miles (31 km) northwest. In the 1920s Iowa City was on the original transcontinental air route, flown by Boeing Air Transport, a United predecessor. On March 1, 1959, United was replaced by Ozark, which pulled out of Iowa City in April 1970.

Facilities

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The airport covers 450 acres (180 ha) at an elevation of 683 feet (208 m). It has two concrete runways: 7/25 is 5,002 by 100 feet (1,525 x 30 m); 12/30 is 3,900 by 75 feet (1,189 x 23 m).[1][2] The airport has approved GPS and VOR Instrument approaches.

In the year ending September 14, 2016 the airport had 19,287 aircraft operations, average 53 per day: 87% general aviation, 11% air taxi, and 1% military. In December 2017, 73 aircraft were based at the airport: 61 single-engine, 3 multi-engine, 7 jet, 1 helicopter, and 1 glider.[1]

There is an airport terminal building, an aircraft maintenance shop, two corporate hangar buildings, a multi-plane hangar with attached office area, and five buildings with 60 individual hangars (T-hangars).

The FBO at Iowa City is Jet Air. Full line services are available, as well as flight training, charter services, and aircraft maintenance. Jet maintains a fleet of newer Cessna 172S and 172R for rental and training. There is no tie down or handling fee at this location. There is also a self serve 100LL pump located at the main ramp available 24/7.

Procedures, frequencies, and operations

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The Iowa City CTAF and UNICOM are on a combined frequency of 122.80. The airfield does have a ASOS Weather System installed on site (Located in the center of the field), which can be reached 24/7 on frequency 128.075 or by calling 319-339-9491. Runway 25 is the designated calm wind runway, and has a 806 ft displaced threshold. Both Runway 25 and Runway 30 have published RNAV instrument approaches, however no instrument approaches are available for Runways 7 or 12. No ILS/LOC approaches are available at IOW, and there are no plans at time of writing to install such a system. Runway 7/25 features PAPI pilot-controlled approach lighting as well as REIL lighting. All active runways have medium intensity edge lighting, which is also pilot controlled (via 122.8).

Runways 25 and 30 are designated as left traffic pattern (TPA 1700 MSL), while Runways 12 and 7 have right traffic patterns to avoid overflight of the city. Fixed wing aircraft should caution that Runway 18/36 is inactive, and can only be used for helicopter operations. Runway 18/36 has not been maintained for well over a decade, and does have large sections of concrete removed.

Aircraft landing at Iowa City should caution medical helicopter operations 1 mile north of the airport at the University of Iowa.

History

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Iowa City’s Municipal Airport – which opened in 1918 – is the oldest airstrip west of the Mississippi River that’s still in its original location – with many of the early pioneers of flight landing here – including Wiley Post, Jack Knight, Charles Lindbergh, and Will Rogers.

Excitement about air travel grew exponentially following Captain Thomas S. Baldwin’s October 13, 1910 flight over Iowa City, and it’s been suggested that – between 1910-1911 – some 46 flights were made around Iowa by 23 different aviators! In Iowa City, an open plot of farm land – a cow pasture owned by W.J. Benjamin – was becoming a popular landing spot for any young soul who was brave enough to take a bi-plane up into the sky. Benjamin’s land was popular for local pilots, because – unlike much of Iowa City – it was flat as a pancake, and clear of trees and obstructions.

 
Map of Iowa City (1920) - X = Location of Airport

December 30, 1919, the U.S. Post Office Department in Washington, D.C. telegraphed Iowa City Postmaster Max Mayer to ask for information about this new airfield that had opened here in 1918. Mayer wired back…

"Aviation field one and one half miles southwest of the post office. West of river on Red Ball Highway. Seven-tenths of a mile from street car. City phone in farm house. Transportation available at post office. Property of W. J. Benjamin. Field 440 yards square. Four way landing, no trees or brush. No building for airplane. Temporary markings only. Wire markings desired. Aviators report field first class."

On January 8, 1920 – Iowa City became the only stop during the very first air mail flight between Chicago and Omaha – transporting 400 pounds of U.S. mail and a slab of beef needed for a big Omaha banquet honoring General John Pershing. On the return trip, the pilot, Walter J. Smith, had the privilege of flying a live 10-pound piglet – an Iowa hog – to be served at a banquet at the Congress Hotel in Chicago! In May 1920, just five months after he flew that first airmail flight in and out of Iowa City, Smith was killed in a plane wreck – an all-too-common fate for early airmail pilots. Shortly thereafter, the Iowa City Airport was renamed “Smith Field” in his honor.

The first full-transcontinental air mail flights began on September 8, 1920 – with Iowa City being the one stop for fuel between Chicago and Omaha. These flights were only attempted in daylight hours, however, and provided little advantage over the train-delivered mail. Still, the concept of delivering mail by air was proven by these early flights. Five months later, on February 22 & 23, 1921, Smith Field – the Iowa City airport – was designated as a fuel stop on the first transcontinental day/night air mail attempt. This flight tested the feasibility of flying the mail around the clock, in all weather conditions – and very nearly ended up in disaster.

Two westbound pilots and two eastbound pilots took off from opposite coasts of the United States, headed toward Chicago, where they planned to exchange mail and reverse course. Both westbound pilots were forced down by snowstorms before reaching Chicago, and one eastbound pilot crashed in Nevada. The other eastbound pilot made it safely to North Platte, Nebraska, where pilot Jack Knight was waiting to take over the mission. About midnight, near Kearney, Nebraska, Knight encountered snow.

Landing at Omaha by the light of burning gasoline drums placed along the runway, Knight found that his relief pilot had not arrived. By this time, the snowfall had become a blizzard. After refueling his plane, Knight took off for Chicago at 2 a.m. with only a road map to guide him over terrain he had never crossed before. As he got closer to Iowa City, the Smith Field watchman set out railroad flares to help him land. Knight quickly refueled and took off again, heading toward Lake Michigan, which would serve as a “landmark” for him to find Chicago. When the snow stopped, he encountered fog. Finally, with daybreak, the fog burned off and Lake Michigan was sighted. When Knight landed at Chicago’s Checkerboard Field he was greeted by a throng of people who had gathered to see if the daring young pilot would finish his remarkable flight. His mail was relayed onto Cleveland and then New York, finally arriving 33 hours and 20 minutes after leaving San Francisco.

Jack Knight became a national hero. He saved the first continuous coast-to-coast airmail flight from certain failure! Having covered 830 miles in nine hours, Knight proved that the airmail could move, even in darkness and bad weather. Although he downplayed his role, he did concede once…

"If you ever want to worry your head – just try to find Iowa City on a dark night with a good snow and fog hanging around."

 
1923 Iowa City Airmail

July 1, 1927 - Two important events - 1) the first day when Boeing Air Transport took over the San Francisco to Chicago airmail route (CAM 18 – Contact Air Mail Route 18) for the U.S. Post Office. Under the terms of this agreement, Boeing assumed the responsibility not only to deliver the airmail, but to run the Iowa City airport as well, which meant both maintaining and improving the airport facility. 2) the date of the first commercial passenger flight into Iowa City. The event was covered “from inside the plane” by Jane Eads – a 20-year old reporter, and the sole passenger, from The Cook County (Chicago) Herald newspaper. The flight from Maywood, Illinois – Iowa’s first commercial airline passenger flight – was on a single-engine Boeing mail and passenger biplane. The trip was uneventful – although Eads confessed later that during the landing in Iowa City, she actually thought the plane was crashing!

In 1928, Paul B. Shaw came to Iowa City to take over operations of the Iowa City Airport. In 1939, Shaw began the CAA Civilian Pilot Training Program and the first class includes State University of Iowa coed Sally Johnson. Between 1939 and 1944, long-time aviator Shaw and his team helped train 2,500 pilots in the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight School at the Iowa City airport.

As World War II ended (1945), and America’s greatest generation returned home from the war, Iowa City was growing quickly. Beginning in 1946, United Air Lines committed to making Iowa City one of its primary Midwestern stops with daily flights to and from Chicago and Omaha. The United States Post Office, of course, continued to use the Iowa City Airport as its eastern Iowa hub for its ever-increasing volume of airmail.

Airport Administration Building & Terminal

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The Iowa City Administration Building & Terminal (1953)

In October 1949, plans were well underway to update the airport, with a big part of those plans including a new Administration Building that would house United’s office needs while also serving as the airport’s main Terminal. In 1950, a local, well-known architect – Henry L. Fisk – was contacted. For much of his twenty-eight professional years in Iowa City (1934-1962), Fisk was Iowa City’s only registered architect. Serving as the local architectural consultant for the new Iowa City Press-Citizen building in downtown Iowa City (1937), Fisk was also well-known around town for his modern residential designs.

 
Iowa City Airport 1955

Wanting something sleek and modern, the Airport Commission approved Fisk’s design, so in April 1952, McCreedy Construction began its work. Projected at a cost of $130,000, the south wing was a restaurant that could seat 30 people. The north wing was reserved for offices and United Air Lines was able to begin using theirs by late January 1953. The middle section on the first floor was used, of course, as a passenger waiting room, while the second floor was open – to be used for large group activities. The building was completed by April 11, 1953, at a total cost of $145,500. The dedication was held on Flag Day – Sunday, June 14, 1953.

Located at the center of the airport – 1801 Riverside Drive – the Airport Terminal & Administration Building was more than adequate in the early days of the Jet Age, and with only Ozark Airlines flying in and out of Iowa City until 1972, the terminal was plenty sufficient once all air passenger service headed north to Cedar Rapids. Today, the exterior of the administration building at the lowa City Municipal Airport remains remarkably intact. Though the interior received a major renovation (2007), the Airport Commission and project architects largely preserved the historic spatial arrangement of rooms and hallways, as well as the sunlit staircase to the second floor.

 
Iowa City architect - Henry L. Fisk

Without a doubt, Henry L. Fisk created a unique design that, today, makes it a worthy candidate for the National Register of Historic Places. The terminal’s design is a rare surviving example of mid-20th Century American aviation architecture – similar to terminals at Cincinnati's Lunken Airport and New York City's LaGuardia Airport, both built in the late 1930’s – yet also embracing a post WWII modern design that became highly popular with the advent of the Jet Age (1950’s).

Iowa City Airport - From Passenger Air Service to General Aviation

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United Airlines - Iowa City - Circa 1953
 
1929 The Daily Iowan editorial cartoon

As early as 1929, competition for passenger air service amongst Iowa cities was growing in intensity. While Iowa City was the leader across Iowa since the very beginning, other communities like Cedar Rapids and Des Moines were chomping at the bit – wanting to take air traffic away from Johnson County.

After the war, United Airlines committed to making Iowa City one of its major midwestern stops, but in the late 1950's, the Iowa City City Council made a fatal decision by rejecting a funding option that had been requested by United. The vision was to enlarge the Iowa City airport - making it possible for larger jets to fly in and out of the city, but when the community leaders soured on the idea, United decided to take its business to Cedar Rapids - opening the door for today's Eastern Iowa Airport. While Ozark Airlines replaced United (1959-1970), by 1972, when the U.S. Postal Service moved all of their airmail service to Cedar Rapids, all commercial passenger air service in Iowa City had come to an abrupt end.

It's at that point when E.K. Jones helped transition the Iowa City Airport from commercial aviation into the general aviation airport it is today, offering services like flight instruction, charter services, and maintenance. Today, Jet Air Inc., is the FBO of the airport, and under their management, the airport is thriving once more - now, the third largest general aviation airport in Iowa! In addition to partnerships with the University of Iowa, the airport provides a full array of services – medical flights, pilot training, aircraft repair, sales and charter services.

2018 - One Hundredth Anniversary

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In 2018, the Iowa City Airport celebrated its centennial birthday. Five years later (2023), a U of I graduate from the School of Art – Jenna Brownlee – completed a massive mural that commemorates and celebrates the rich 100-year history of aviation in Iowa City.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for IOW PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective December 7, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "IOW - Iowa City Municipal Airport". airnav.com. AirNav. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
  3. ^ "History of the Iowa City Municipal Airport | City of Iowa City".
  4. ^ Daly Bednarek, Janet R. (2008). "Iowa City Municipal Airport: Opening the West to Aviation, 1918-2007". The Annals of Iowa. 67 (2): 243–244. doi:10.17077/0003-4827.1241.
  5. ^ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 21, 2016. p. 29. Retrieved August 21, 2017.
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