Aviation View | April 2021

84 AVIATION VIEW APRIL 2021 AT A GLANCE WAUSAU DOWNTOWN AIRPORT WHAT: City-owned, public use airport WHERE: Wausau, Wisconsin WEBSITE: www.flywausau.com T he community of Wausau, Wisconsin has a long and rich history in aviation. The Wausau Downtown Airport, constructed in 1927, is one of the oldest airports in the state. Way back when pilots first appeared, barnstorming unsuspecting farmers, the people of Wausau wanted their airport to be better than just a field by the edge of town. So, Ben and Judd Alexander decided to build an airport, with the understanding that the city would take it over and run it for five years. Then they went out and hired one of the most famous air racers of the day, John Wood, to run it. “Back then it was known as the Alexander Airport and was the second busiest airport in Wisconsin,” explains John Chmiel, Wausau Downtown Airport Manager. “John Wood started managing the airport for them and that really helped because he had a lot of connections nationally. This was just the beginnings of the aviation industry and he was able to attract national attention to the Wausau airport. In the 1920s and ‘30s, There was an event called the Ford Reliability Tour. Ford was trying to overcome the public perception of flying – which was the barnstormer era. They wanted to make flying more reliable and safer in the public’s eye and Ford also had it in their head that they were going to start manufacturing airplanes. So, they came up with the National Air Tour that was actually a race for the Ford Reliability Cup. And because John Wood was our airport manager, we had more stops in Wausau than any other location in the U.S. Four of the races were held at Wausau Airport and if I’m not mistaken John Wood won the National Air Tour in 1928, which at the time was one of the biggest national air races in the country.” Unfortunately, John Wood died in an air race in 1929. Immediately after, the airport was taken over by Archie Towle, himself a popular barnstormer, who ran the airport from 1931 to 1945. Then Towle’s daughter and son-in- law operated it until 1976. Chmiel believes that this strong, steady management helped ensure the airport’s longevity. In 1992, Wausau Flying Service took over management of the airport, which is still owned by the city of Wausau, and with their permission renamed it the Wausau Downtown Airport. A LEGACY OF COMMUNITY SERVICE