Aero Club Airport / Ashburn, Ashburn, IL

Transcription

1 Aero Club Airport / Ashburn, Ashburn, IL North / West (West of Chicago Midway Airport, IL) The Aero Club Airport, as depicted on the March 1937 Chicago Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). According to Len Kmiecek, the Aero Club of Illinois was originally located at Cicero Field at approximately at 22 nd Avenue & Cicero Avenue from late 1911 until the end of It closed in early 1914, and most users moved to newly opened (1914) Aero Club of Illinois, at 83 rd Avenue & Cicero Avenue. Len Kmiecek recalled, Tommy [airport manager Gordon Thomas] told me that Ashburn was the first 'registered' airport in Illinois. The earliest official reference to the Aero Club Airport which has been located was in The Airport Directory Company's 1933 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). It described the Aero Club as a commercial airport, consisting of a 67 acre rectangular field. The field was said to have 2 sod runways, with the longest being the 1,600' east/west strip.

2 A hangar was said to have "Aero Club of Illinois" painted on its side. According to a history of the nearby "Old Barn", Ashburn Airport was located just east of Cicero Avenue at 83 rd street. The airport was financially backed by "Pop" Dickinson, owner of Dickinson Feed Company. Other names in early aviation history included "Pop" Keller, Lee Partridge and Matty Laird. Another young man who used to hang around the old airport in order to learn more about flying was Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. A 1937 Chicago map (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted the Aero Club Airport as occupying a rectangular parcel of land on the northeast corner of South Cicero Avenue & West 83 rd Street.

3 The earliest photo which has been located of the Aero Club Airport was a November 1938 aerial photo (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). It depicted the Aero Club Airport as having 2 very short runways on the northwest corner of the block (southeast of the intersection of South Cicero Avenue & West 83rd Street). One hangar was located on the west side, and one on the north side, but no aircraft were visible. The Airport Directory Company's 1938 Airports Directory (according to Chris Kennedy) still listed the field under the name of "Aero Club". According to Len Kmiecek, The name Aero Club of Illinois was changed to Ashburn Airport in The Airport Directory Company's 1941 Airports Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) described Ashburne as a commercial airport, consisting of a 67 acre rectangular field. The field was said to have 2 sod runways, with the longest being the 1,600' east/west strip. A hangar was said to have "Aero Club of Illinois" painted on its side. Len Kmiecek recalled, I learned to fly there starting in 1941.

4 The October 1944 Chicago Sectional Chart (courtesy of Richard Doehring) depicted Ashburn as a commercial/municipal airfield. The Haire Publishing Company's 1945 Airport Directory (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) described "Ashburn" as a "class s-1" airport, with 70 usable acres. The field was said to be owned & operated by the Aero Club of IL, and the manager was listed as Gordon Thomas. The field was said to have 2 cinder runways (with the longest being the 1,600' east/west strip) and 2 hangars. The June 1946 Chicago Sectional Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy) depicted Ashburn as a commercial or municipal airport. On May 3, 1947 Navy pilot Donald Aldrich was killed when he tried to land his F4U-4 Corsair fighter at Ashburn Airport. According to Len Kmiecek, He tried landing on a newly installed cinder southwest runway which was too soft for the weight of the Corsair. The Airman's Information Manual at the time showed the field was closed to aircraft over 2,000 lbs.

5 Tommy (Gordon Thomas the manager) and I were the first ones to reach the Corsair but the airplane had gone over on its back & the entire cockpit was below the cinders. Len Kmiecek recalled, I ended up instructing at Ashburn until The last logbook entry I show for Ashburn is dated 5/15/49. The last photo which has been located of Ashburn Airport was a 1951 aerial view, taken only a year or 2 before the field closed. The airport had 3 cinder runways (with the northeast/southwest strip having been added at some point between ).

6 A hangar was located on the west side, with another building on the north side, and 6 light aircraft were visible on the west side. According to Len Kmiecek, I believe Ashburn closed in 1952 or Ashburn Airport was evidently closed (for reasons unknown) by 1953, as by July 1953 the Saint Bede The Venerable Church was celebrating Mass in the former Ashburn Airport hangar. The airport was definitely closed by 1954, as it was no longer depicted at all on the January 1954 Chicago Local Aeronautical Chart (courtesy of Chris Kennedy). A 1961 aerial view showed that the site of the former airport has been filled in with numerous residential streets. No trace of the former airport appeared to remain in the 1999 USGS aerial photo.

7 The 2002 USGS aerial photo showed the site has been densely redeveloped, with no trace visible of the former Ashburn Airport. The site of Ashburn Airport is located southeast of the intersection of South Cicero Avenue & West 83 rd Street.