By Lauri Lee
Northside News
MSN80, the Dane County Regional Airport 80th Anniversary Celebration being held Sunday, June 23, from 1–6 pm will celebrate 80 years of commercial flights out of Madison. The family-friendly activities running from 1-4 pm include aircraft displays, airfield tours, a career fair and local food and beverages. Live music featuring the Soggy Prairie Boys and Chris Kroeze from NBC’s The Voice is scheduled from 3–6 pm.
For those who have never visited the airport or haven’t visited recently, there will be plenty to see and learn about during the event as activities are geared to all ages. A 20-minute tour will be provided by bus, which will run every 10 minutes from the main terminal. There are static displays along the route where people can hop off the bus to check them out and then hop back on to finish the tour when they’re ready. There will be a stop at the old stone hanger and an F16 and a Blackhawk helicopter will be on display.
“Air travel from the Dane County Regional Airport has grown to two million passengers in the past year,” said Brent McHenry, the airport’s marketing and communications director. “We’re thankful for the support of South Central Wisconsin and Dane County, and of course, our passengers. The goal is to provide a stress free and no hassle experience so travelers consider flying out of Madison. Our local travelers have weighed the pros and cons for the amount of time and money for gas and tolls to drive or ride the bus to Milwaukee or Chicago. They realize how quick and efficient it is to travel from Madison and know that we can add new things if they fly from this airport.”
The history of the Dane County Regional Airport actually goes back further than 80 years. In 1927, the city of Madison purchased 290 acres of land for $35,380. The land had been a cabbage patch for a nearby sauerkraut factory.
The Madison Common Council voted to accept a WPA grant for construction of four runways and an airplane hangar in January 1936. The terminal, administrative building and electric floodlights were financed by additional grants. Overall, the development cost $1 million. The city paid for 10% and the federal government paid the remainder. The project was completed on the east side of the airfield. The airport, known then as the Madison Municipal Airport, opened March 9, 1939.
The operation of the airfield was transferred in 1942 to the U.S. Army Air Corps and renamed Truax Field in honor of Madisonian Lt. Thomas L. Truax, who died in a training flight shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor. They rebuilt the four runways and expanded the airfield to 2,140 acres.
The U.S. Army Air Corp was deactivated following WWII, and the airfield was returned to the City of Madison under the Surplus Properties Act. A long-range master plan was completed by the city in 1962, which opened the opportunity for a Federal Aid to Airports Program grant for the design of a new terminal and taxiway system. A 31,000 square foot terminal building that was eight times larger than the original terminal opened Dec. 16, 1966, at a cost of $2.36 million.
The Madison Municipal Airport transitioned to the Dane County Regional Airport in the 1970s. A $1.9 million airport improvement plan to reconstruct and expand the runways was approved in 1970 and construction began in 1972. Dane County tax dollars ($650,000/year) subsidized the city-owned airport. In August 1973, The Madison Common Council supported the transfer of the airport to Dane County. Mayor Paul Soglin and Dane County Executive George Reinke signed the transfer agreement and the Dane County Regional Airport came into being July 1, 1974.
A five-year $68 million building project initiated in 2001 doubled the size of the terminal to 274,000 square feet. It replicated the signature Frank Lloyd Wright style with elegant prairie style architecture and accents of cherry wood, polished granite and spun aluminum.
Today, the airport covers 3,500 acres. The number of passengers traveling per year has grown from 500,000 in 1974 to over 1 million passengers in 1990, and over 2 million passengers in the past year.
There will be plenty to check out June 23 at the MSN80 Anniversary Celebration. Stop by to see what a gem we have in our Dane County Regional Airport. Visit msnairport.com to learn more about the event and your local airport.