DuPage Airport
Encyclopedia
DuPage Airport is a general aviation
airport located 29 miles (47 km) west of downtown Chicago
in West Chicago
, DuPage County
, Illinois
. It is owned and operated by the DuPage Airport Authority, which is an independent government body established by law by the State of Illinois. It also serves as a reliever airport
for O'Hare International Airport
and Chicago Midway International Airport.
A year after the Navy began operations, Howard Aircraft Corporation
opened a factory east of the airport across the road. The company built more than 500 trainer, transport and air ambulance aircraft for the military, and Howard employees were regularly seen pushing aircraft across the road to the little airport to test fly them.
In 1946, with the war over, the Navy sold the airport to DuPage County for $1. The post-war boom saw a lot of regional growth and the airport reflected it by adding an east/west runway and a five-story control tower and making plans for further expansion.
In the late 1970s, DuPage Airport was designated a reliever airport for general aviation aircraft, and in the early 1980s, the airport authority began an expansion project to accommodate the increased traffic.
However, planners learned a lesson from the plight of the beleaguered, land-locked Midway Airport. Surrounded by houses, restaurants and other small businesses, Midway found itself unable to expand and neighbors filed an endless succession of noise complaints. DuPage County would not make the same mistake.
The airport grew from 900 acre (364.2 ha) in 1985 to 2800 acre (1,133.1 ha) by 1992, with the goal of maintaining control of all the property surrounding the runway complex. Much of the land was acquired to provide a large buffer zone around the airport.
, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed golf course, and the largest corporate research and development park in DuPage County.
DuPage Airport sits on 1200 acre (485.6 ha) and is the only general aviation airport in Illinois with four active runways, two ILS approaches, a 24-hour FAA air control tower, and over 40 aviation and non-aviation support businesses. DPA also has an on-site U.S. Customs Office.
For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2008, the airport had 99,802 aircraft operations, an average of 273 per day: 95% general aviation
, 4% air taxi
, <1% military, and <1% scheduled commercial. There are 365 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 14% multi-engine, 16% jet, and 1% helicopter
.
DuPage Airport also serves at he Wing Headquarters for Illinois wing civil air patrol.
magazine exposé called it "A Monument to Lavish Spending of Taxpayers' Money, a Haven of GOP
Patronage, and the Target of a Federal Probe."
According to an article by John K. Wilson:
According to a May 2006 article in Aviation International News:
In June of 2010, the board of the DuPage National Technology Park, an 800 acres (3.2 km²) technology park that secured a $34 million state grant called for the dissolution of their organization.
General 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...
airport located 29 miles (47 km) west of downtown Chicago
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
in West Chicago
West Chicago, Illinois
West Chicago is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,469 at the 2000 census. It was formerly named Turner Junction after its founder, John B. Turner, president of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad in 1855...
, DuPage County
DuPage County, Illinois
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 916,924, White Americans made up 77.9% of Dupage County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 70.5% of the population. Black Americans made up 4.6% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.3% of Dupage County's population...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It is owned and operated by the DuPage Airport Authority, which is an independent government body established by law by the State of Illinois. It also serves as a reliever airport
FAA airport categories
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has a system for categorizing public-use airports that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's Airport...
for O'Hare International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
and Chicago Midway International Airport.
History
DuPage Airport is located on what used to be sheep-grazing land, but in 1927, two Chicago entrepreneurs purchased the land and began barnstorming, using the field as a grass strip. In 1941, the U.S. Navy requisitioned DuPage Airport, built brick hangars, paved two runways in an “X” pattern and began training pilots for the war effort. The airport was officially activated in March 1943. Both the hangars and the original runway configuration still exist, though one runway is closed and is now taxiway C.A year after the Navy began operations, Howard Aircraft Corporation
Howard Aircraft Corporation
Howard Aircraft Corporation was a small USA aircraft manufacturer in the 30's and 40's. The factory was initially on the south side of Chicago Municipal airport at 5301 W...
opened a factory east of the airport across the road. The company built more than 500 trainer, transport and air ambulance aircraft for the military, and Howard employees were regularly seen pushing aircraft across the road to the little airport to test fly them.
In 1946, with the war over, the Navy sold the airport to DuPage County for $1. The post-war boom saw a lot of regional growth and the airport reflected it by adding an east/west runway and a five-story control tower and making plans for further expansion.
In the late 1970s, DuPage Airport was designated a reliever airport for general aviation aircraft, and in the early 1980s, the airport authority began an expansion project to accommodate the increased traffic.
However, planners learned a lesson from the plight of the beleaguered, land-locked Midway Airport. Surrounded by houses, restaurants and other small businesses, Midway found itself unable to expand and neighbors filed an endless succession of noise complaints. DuPage County would not make the same mistake.
The airport grew from 900 acre (364.2 ha) in 1985 to 2800 acre (1,133.1 ha) by 1992, with the goal of maintaining control of all the property surrounding the runway complex. Much of the land was acquired to provide a large buffer zone around the airport.
Facilities and aircraft
The DuPage Airport Authority owns 2800 acre (1,133.1 ha) and operates four separate business units. This multifaceted business portfolio includes the DuPage Airport, one of the busiest airports in Illinois, its associated fixed base operatorFixed base operator
A Fixed-base operator or commonly abbreviated FBO is a term developed in the United States after the passage of the Air Commerce Act of 1926...
, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed golf course, and the largest corporate research and development park in DuPage County.
DuPage Airport sits on 1200 acre (485.6 ha) and is the only general aviation airport in Illinois with four active runways, two ILS approaches, a 24-hour FAA air control tower, and over 40 aviation and non-aviation support businesses. DPA also has an on-site U.S. Customs Office.
For the 12-month period ending July 31, 2008, the airport had 99,802 aircraft operations, an average of 273 per day: 95% general aviation
General 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...
, 4% 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 365 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 14% multi-engine, 16% jet, 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...
.
DuPage Airport also serves at he Wing Headquarters for Illinois wing civil air patrol.
Reception
The airport has faced severe political criticism in the 1980s and 1990s. A 1995 ChicagoChicago (magazine)
Chicago is a monthly magazine published by the Tribune Company. It concentrates on lifestyle and human interest stories, and on reviewing restaurants, travel, fashion, and theatre from or nearby Chicago. Its circulation in 2004 was 165,000, larger than People in its market...
magazine exposé called it "A Monument to Lavish Spending of Taxpayers' Money, a Haven of GOP
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...
Patronage, and the Target of a Federal Probe."
According to an article by John K. Wilson:
- PhilipJames PhilipJames "Pate" Philip , is a Republican from Wood Dale, Illinois. Philip was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1966 to 1975, and the Illinois Senate from 1975 until his retirement in 2003...
, the patron of DuPage airport, helped push forward a disastrously expensive enterprise which included land purchases making it four times the size of Midway Airport, a $10 million terminal, a $14 million golf course, and a charter airline run by the airport. The DuPage Airport budget grew from $1.6 million in 1984 to $46 million in 1993 at a time when airport use was declining. In 1992, DuPage Airport handled only 177,000 takeoffs and landings, while Aurora Municipal AirportAurora Municipal Airport (Illinois)Chicago/Aurora Municipal Airport is a public airport opened in April 1966, located in the village of Sugar Grove, Illinois, United States, west of the city of Aurora, both in Kane County. The airport is owned and operated by the City of Aurora. It is west of Chicago and is designated as a...
took care of 134,000 takeoffs and landings at a cost of only $2 million.
According to a May 2006 article in Aviation International News:
- Before 2003, the airport had been on a trend of worsening annual operating losses. That trend was reversed in 2003 and the airport has continued to show improved operating results each quarter since. Last year the airport experienced a record-breaking year, with revenue up and expenditures down. The cornerstone of the airport’s financial turnaround is the mission statement developed by the airport’s Board of Commissioners in 2003. It establishes the framework for moving the airport toward operating as a self-sustaining facility while contributing to the economic impact of the county. The aggressive philosophy has resulted in two leases that will bring 60000 sq ft (5,574.2 m²) of new hangar space to the airport. The airport is also developing another 48000 sq ft (4,459.3 m²) of hangar space.
In June of 2010, the board of the DuPage National Technology Park, an 800 acres (3.2 km²) technology park that secured a $34 million state grant called for the dissolution of their organization.
See also
- List of airports in Illinois
- List of airports in the Chicago area
News
- DuPage Airport - Happy Flyer - Corporate Xpansion Magazine 1st Quarter 2006
- DuPage Airport - West Chicago airport prospers while positioning for the future - Phillips 66 Featured FBOs April 2006
- DuPage Airport Authority Chairman Details Airport’s Dramatic Financial Turnaround to County Board - April 2005
- DuPage Airport Makes Case To County
- DuPage Airport Authority Loses Tax Appeal
- DuPage Airport Authority And County Board Send Out Trial Balloon
- DuPage Democrats Blast County Technology Park
- U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals CITIZEN ADVOCACY CENTER, ET AL. v DUPAGE AIRPORT AUTHORITY, ET AL.
External links
- DuPage Airport, official web site