| Cincinnati Municipal Airport Lunken Field |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: LUK – ICAO: KLUK – FAA LID: LUK | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | City of Cincinnati | ||
| Serves | Cincinnati, Ohio | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 483 ft / 147 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 3L/21R | 3,802 | 1,159 | Asphalt |
| 3R/21L | 6,101 | 1,860 | Asphalt |
| 7/25 | 5,128 | 1,563 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2004) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 108,904 | ||
| Based aircraft | 314 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
Cincinnati Municipal Airport – Lunken Field or Cincinnati Municipal Lunken Airport (IATA: LUK, ICAO: KLUK, FAA LID: LUK) 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.[1] 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.[2]
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.
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Cincinnati Municipal Airport, also known as Lunken Airport, was a commercial airport in the 1920s 1930s and 1940s. It is situated in the Little Miami River valley near Columbia, the site of the first Cincinnati-area settlement in 1788. When the original 1,000-acre (400 ha) airfield was dedicated in 1925, it was the largest municipal airfield in the world.[3] 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.[2]
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.[4]
Lunken Airport was supplanted by the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in 1937 following catastrophic flooding from the Ohio River.[5] 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.[6] 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.
In 1927, Charles Lindbergh 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9][10]
Cincinnati Municipal Airport - Lunken Field covers an area of 1,140 acres (460 ha) which contains three runways:[1]
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Ultimate Air Shuttle | New York (Morristown Municipal Airport), Chicago (Chicago Midway International Airport), Washington D.C. (Washington Dulles International Airport) |
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2004, the airport had 108,904 aircraft operations, an average of 298 per day: 83% general aviation, 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.[1]
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 Airlines) were prepared here.[11] 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.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.