Cincinnati Municipal Airport
Encyclopedia
Cincinnati Municipal Airport – Lunken Field or Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport is a public airport
in Cincinnati, Ohio
, United States
, located three miles (5 km) southeast of Downtown Cincinnati
. It is owned by the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. The airport serves private aircraft and the fleets of most local corporations. It is commonly known as Lunken Airport or Lunken Field, after Eshelby Lunken.
It is bounded by US Route 50 (historic Columbia Parkway and Eastern Avenue) to the west, US Route 52 (Kellogg Avenue) and the Ohio River to the south, the Little Miami River (which originally flowed through the airfield but was diverted) to the east, and Ohio Route 125 (Beechmont Avenue) to the north.
valley near Columbia, the site of the first Cincinnati-area settlement in 1788. When the original 1000 acres (404.7 ha) airfield was dedicated in 1925, it was the largest municipal airfield in the world. American Airlines
started at Lunken Airport during this time, but no major commercial airlines use it anymore. Instead, many large Cincinnati-area companies now base their corporate aircraft there.
On December 17, 1925, the Embry-Riddle Company was formed at Lunken Airport by T. Higbee Embry
and John Paul Riddle
. A few years later, the company moved to Florida, and later became the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
. In 1928, the T.E. Halpin Development Co, later the Metal Aircraft Corporation
produced 22 of the high-wing Flamingo at the airport..
Lunken Airport was supplanted by the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
in 1937 following catastrophic flooding from the Ohio River
. The flooding problem prompted the airport's nickname of "Sunken Lunken". The control tower, located at the southwest corner of the airport, was almost totally submerged during the historic Ohio River flood of 1937
, and now has a single black brick facing the airfield to indicate the high-water mark. Today the old control tower is home to the Lunken Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, and is the oldest standing control tower in the United States. The property also contains public recreation areas, including an 18-hole golf course, playgrounds, and walking/biking paths.
landed at Lunken Airport and was mobbed by well-wishers. In 1964, a large crowd of fans greeted The Beatles
as they flew in to and out of Lunken for their concert at Crosley Field
. On October 30, 2007, Air Force One
landed at Lunken as President
George W. Bush
visited abutting Cincinnati neighborhood Hyde Park
for a fund-raiser for Republican Congressman
Steve Chabot
. On October 22, 2008 Republican
Presidential candidate Arizona
Senator
John McCain
and vice-presidential candidate Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin
spoke to an enthusiatic crowd of 12,000 in hangar A-10. Gretchen Wilson
performed to start the rally. Cindy McCain and Todd Palin
were also in attendance. Introducing them was former Republican Congressman (now US Senator) Rob Portman
.
s:
, 17% air taxi
, 1% military and <1% scheduled commercial. There are 314 aircraft based at this airport: 62% single-engine, 21% jet, 15% multi-engine and 1% helicopter
.
) were prepared here. Sky Galley is housed in the original, Art Deco
terminal building and has large windows and a patio dining area facing the airfield, allowing wonderful views of small aircraft and corporate jets coming and going. Pilots can literally taxi up and park right outside the restaurant.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, located three miles (5 km) southeast of Downtown Cincinnati
Downtown Cincinnati
Downtown Cincinnati is the central business district of Cincinnati, Ohio, and one of its 52 neighborhoods.-Geography:Downtown Cincinnati's streets are arranged in a grid configuration. It is bisected by Vine Street....
. It is owned by the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. The airport serves private aircraft and the fleets of most local corporations. It is commonly known as Lunken Airport or Lunken Field, after Eshelby Lunken.
It is bounded by US Route 50 (historic Columbia Parkway and Eastern Avenue) to the west, US Route 52 (Kellogg Avenue) and the Ohio River to the south, the Little Miami River (which originally flowed through the airfield but was diverted) to the east, and Ohio Route 125 (Beechmont Avenue) to the north.
History
Cincinnati Municipal Airport, also known as Lunken Airport, was a commercial airport in the 1920s '30s and '40s. It is situated in the Little Miami RiverLittle Miami River
The Little Miami River is a Class I tributary of the Ohio River that flows through five counties in southwestern Ohio in the United States. The Little Miami joins the Ohio River east of Cincinnati. It forms parts of the borders between Hamilton and Clermont counties and between Hamilton and Warren...
valley near Columbia, the site of the first Cincinnati-area settlement in 1788. When the original 1000 acres (404.7 ha) airfield was dedicated in 1925, it was the largest municipal airfield in the world. American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
started at Lunken Airport during this time, but no major commercial airlines use it anymore. Instead, many large Cincinnati-area companies now base their corporate aircraft there.
On December 17, 1925, the Embry-Riddle Company was formed at Lunken Airport by T. Higbee Embry
T. Higbee Embry
Talton Higbee Embry was a wealthy aviation enthusiast who co-founded the company leading to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.-Personal life:...
and John Paul Riddle
John Paul Riddle
John Paul Riddle was a pilot and an aviation enthusiast, most well known for co-founding what later became Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University .- Personal life :...
. A few years later, the company moved to Florida, and later became the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is a private university in the US specializing in aviation and aerospace engineering. It teaches the science, practice, and business of aviation and aerospace. Called "The Harvard of the Sky" by Time Magazine in 1979, Embry-Riddle has a history dating back to...
. In 1928, the T.E. Halpin Development Co, later the Metal Aircraft Corporation
Metal Aircraft Corporation
Metal Aircraft Corporation was a American aircraft manufacturer of transport aircraft.The Metal Aircraft Corporation was formed as a restructuring of the T.E. Halpin Development Co. in 1928. Halpin was an former employee of William Bushnell Stout's firm at a time when all-metal construction was...
produced 22 of the high-wing Flamingo at the airport..
Lunken Airport was supplanted by the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport , sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport is located in Hebron, unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Despite being located in Boone County, the airport operations are...
in 1937 following catastrophic flooding from the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
. The flooding problem prompted the airport's nickname of "Sunken Lunken". The control tower, located at the southwest corner of the airport, was almost totally submerged during the historic Ohio River flood of 1937
Ohio River flood of 1937
The Ohio River flood of 1937 took place in late January and February 1937. With damage stretching from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois, one million persons were left homeless, with 385 dead and property losses reaching $500 million...
, and now has a single black brick facing the airfield to indicate the high-water mark. Today the old control tower is home to the Lunken Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, and is the oldest standing control tower in the United States. The property also contains public recreation areas, including an 18-hole golf course, playgrounds, and walking/biking paths.
Airport visitors
In 1927, Charles LindberghCharles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
landed at Lunken Airport and was mobbed by well-wishers. In 1964, a large crowd of fans greeted The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
as they flew in to and out of Lunken for their concert at Crosley Field
Crosley Field
Crosley Field was a Major League Baseball park located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the home field of the National League's Cincinnati Reds from 1912 through June 24, 1970, and the original Cincinnati Bengals football team, members of the second and third American Football League...
. On October 30, 2007, Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
landed at Lunken as President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
visited abutting Cincinnati neighborhood Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Ohio
Hyde Park is a neighborhood on the east side of Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1998, the average home sales price was $248,512.Hyde Park is an eclectic neighborhood in eastern Cincinnati...
for a fund-raiser for Republican Congressman
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
Steve Chabot
Steve Chabot
Steven Joseph "Steve" Chabot is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously represented the district from 1995 to 2009.-Early life, education and career:...
. On October 22, 2008 Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Presidential candidate Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
and vice-presidential candidate Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
spoke to an enthusiatic crowd of 12,000 in hangar A-10. Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
performed to start the rally. Cindy McCain and Todd Palin
Todd Palin
Todd Mitchell Palin is the husband of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party. He is an American oil field production operator, commercial fisherman and champion snowmobile racer, winning the Tesoro Iron Dog race four times.-Early life:Palin...
were also in attendance. Introducing them was former Republican Congressman (now US Senator) Rob Portman
Rob Portman
Robert Jones "Rob" Portman is the junior United States Senator from Ohio. He is a member of the Republican Party. He succeeded retiring Senator George Voinovich....
.
Facilities
Cincinnati Municipal Airport - Lunken Field covers an area of 1140 acres (461.3 ha) which contains three runwayRunway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s:
- Runway 3L/21R: 3,802 x 100 ft (1,159 x 30 m), Surface: Asphalt
- Runway 3R/21L: 6,101 x 150 ft (1,860 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
- Runway 7/25: 5,128 x 100 ft (1,563 x 30 m), Surface: Asphalt
Aircraft
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 108,904 aircraft operations, an average of 298 per day: 83% general aviationGeneral aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, 17% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
, 1% military and <1% scheduled commercial. There are 314 aircraft based at this airport: 62% single-engine, 21% jet, 15% multi-engine and 1% helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
Restaurant
Sky Galley Restaurant has been in nearly continuous operation for decades, and is so named because the first meals served on a commercial airliner (American AirlinesAmerican Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
) were prepared here. Sky Galley is housed in the original, Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
terminal building and has large windows and a patio dining area facing the airfield, allowing wonderful views of small aircraft and corporate jets coming and going. Pilots can literally taxi up and park right outside the restaurant.