The Airport

They had to cut down a tree on what is now the Moor Downs Golf Course, but progress would not be stopped. In 1919, an unknown pilot made the first known airplane landing in the City of Waukesha.

This event was one of the first in a long series of aviation triumphs which centered around the city.

In 1929, Russle Schuetzee finished his own 'Irwin' plane, and in 1930, Jack Miller made his first parachute jump. Meanwhile, photographer Warren O'Brian became interested in aviation, and began to take aerial photos of Waukesha.

Sometime in the late 1920s, Miller and O'Brian began to organize aviation activity into a formal club. When the Waukesha Aviation Club was formed in 1931, it's primary focus was to gain public attention and expand aviation in general through out Waukesha County. They taught lessons, gave rides, and held air shows to raise money.

In 1933, the club convinced the County Board to spend $5000.00 to convert 11 acres of unused county property into an official Waukesha Airport. Though it was the height of the Great Depression, the project was welcomed as an opportunity to employ 60 men and make use of a $14,000 federal grant.

After two years of construction, the Airport opened on August 18, 1935 to a crowd of 6,000 people, a third of the city's population. Another year passed, and construction began on the Hangar as a part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Works Progress Administration in the "New Deal". It was dedicated on August 14, 1938.

In 1941, the Aviation Club joined the Civil Air Patrol to help in World War II.

When regular life returned after the war, further improvements were made to the airport, including runway lights, and an administration addition to the Hangar. In the early 50s, the Waukesha Airport purchased a radio license from the Federal Communications Commission. In 1955, a second backup runway and taxi strips were added, and additional hangars were built.

In the 60s, a second floor was added to the administration building, and a second runway was constructed. Through the 70s and 80s, the airport saw only minor changes. In 1981, the US Army Reserve B Company Helicopter Unit began operations from the airport, however they left when funding was cut in 1995. Also in 1981, construction began on a permanent control tower to help facilitate safe take offs and landings.

Today, the airport serves as one of Waukesha's most important links to the ever-expanding global market, as a new administration building opened its doors in 1998.