Fairfax Airport

Fairfax Airport was an airport in Kansas City, Kansas from 1921 until it closed in 1985 that is most famously associated with the construction of most of the B-25 Mitchell bombers.

The airport was directly across the Missouri River from Kansas City Downtown Airport and served as an air strip for plane manufacturers and repairs in the city's Fairfax district, as well as postal delivery. Passenger service in the area was handled by its Missouri sister (although Braniff briefly used it). Its IATA designation was KCK.

The airport was used by Harry Truman when he flew back to Missouri during his Presidency.

It started as a small strip in 1921 for an American Legion air meet. E.J. Sweeney opened a flying school there in 1925, and it was called Sweeney Airport. In 1928 the Wood Brothers Corporation acquired the airport and renamed it Fairfax. In 1941 the city of Kansas City, Kansas, purchased the airport for $600,000 from the Kansas City Industrial Land Company (a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad which had trains that ran along its edge) . It was to be used by North American Aviation to build 6,608 of the country's B-25 Mitchell bombers during World War II -- 2/3rds of all B-25's built during war. The B-25 plant was acquired by General Motors for the production of Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs after WWII. For a short time General Motors also produced license built Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks in this facility.

TWA acquired the former North American Aviation Modification Center, also located on the field, after the war to operate an overhaul base for its planes. TWA later moved its overhaul base to Mid-Continent Airport, which was to become Kansas City International Airport.

Air mail coming to Kansas City in the 1920s was postmarked Kansas City, Kansas, because it was flown into the airport and then trucked to Missouri. In 1950 Mid-Continent Airlines got a lucrative contract to deliver airmail on the North Central Route #106. It operated out of Fairfax. Following the 1951 flood, the airline and mail were moved to the new Kansas City airport in Platte County, Missouri which was named for its postal mailing address of Mid-Continent. Although the airline was to be acquired by Braniff, the new airport was to keep its Mid-Continent name and today still keeps its IATA designation of MCI.

The eastern boundary of the airport resided along the Missouri River which is also the current state line. The Kansas/Missouri state line was originally defined by the river in this location. However, the river changed course in an 1880 flood, leaving much of the land occupied by the future Fairfax Airport as an island in the river which neither state could claim. Locals nicknamed it "Goose Island." The area was later formally declared part of Kansas by the United States Supreme Court, and the location of the state line became fixed, regardless of any future changes in the course of the river.

The airport was actually larger area-wise and had longer (and more) runways than the Kansas City downtown airport. Its runway configuration included 4 runways for most of its years of operation. The longest runway 17/35 was 7,301 feet when it closed. The new General Motors Fairfax Assembly plant was built near the center of the old runway complex. The ends of most of the runways, as well as many of the taxiways are still visible.

The airport formally closed on April 1, 1985 in preparation for construction of the new General Motors plant.The final flight at Fairfax Airport was made by Hugh A. "Holly" Hollinger. As the rubber tires of Hollinger's Cessna 402 lifted off the concrete runway at 11:59:59pm, the airport formally closed its runways behind him and on April 1, 1985 the land was added to the Fairfax District industrial area. The B-25 plant is now part of the General Motors Fairfax Assembly plant.

History

During World War II, the facility was known as Fairfax Army Airfield and was used as a United States Army Air Forces Second Air Force training field.

ee also

* Kansas World War II Army Airfields
* Central Air Defense Force (Air Defense Command)

External links

* [http://www.kckpl.lib.ks.us/KSCOLL/lochist/thennow/TN05.htm Kansas City Kansan profile of airport]
* [http://www.kcpt.org/over_here/prod2.html KCPT profile]
* [http://www.airfields-freeman.com/KS/Airfields_KS_E.htm#fairfax Defunct airports of Kansas]