Dillant–Hopkins Airport is a

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface ...

located south of the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

(CBD) of Keene, in Cheshire County,

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

, United States. It covers and has two

runway According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface (often asphalt concrete, as ...

s. It is included in the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

(FAA)

National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. NPIAS was developed and now maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It identifies existing and proposed airports tha ...

for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a regional

facility. The city enjoyed six decades of regularly scheduled airline service starting in the 1940s, with multiple daily flights operated with a mix of commuter prop, regional turboprop and mainline jet service. As of June 2008, however, the airport had no commercial airline service.

History

The land upon which the airport sits was purchased in 1942 and was dedicated October 31, 1943, before a crowd of five thousand. Among the officials dedicating the land were Governor Robert O. Blood and senators

Styles Bridges Henry Styles Bridges (September 9, 1898November 26, 1961) was an American teacher, editor, and Republican Party politician from Concord, New Hampshire. He served one term as the 63rd governor of New Hampshire before a twenty-four-year career ...

and Charles W. Tobey. The new airport was named to honor Thomas David Dillant and Edwin Chester Hopkins, from Keene and Swanzey respectively, who had both died fighting the war. Keene airport

In 1945 a steel

hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...

was constructed at the airport, which would also see local operations moved to it from West Keene. At about this time Lee Bowman became the manager of the airport and would run a flight school out of it. Regular air service from Dillant–Hopkins Airport began in 1946 when

Northeast Airlines Northeast Airlines was an American airline based in Boston, Massachusetts that chiefly operated in the northeastern United States, and later to Canada, Florida, the Bahamas, Los Angeles and other cities. It was acquired by and merged into Del ...

opened a route from Keene to

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

. As the inaugural flight from the airport, a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

carried 2,600 letters, 11 passengers, and a fresh apple pie sent from the mayor of Keene to the mayor of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. By 1948, Keene was a stop on a service operated by Northeast Airlines with a DC-3 linking New York City with

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. According to the June 16, 1948, Northeast system timetable, this flight operated a daily roundtrip routing of New York City -

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

/Springfield - Keene -

Lebanon, NH Lebanon is a city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, near the Connecticut River. It is the hom ...

- Montpelier/ Barre, VT -

Burlington, VT Burlington is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south ...

- Montreal. Initially Dillant–Hopkins provided air service of two flights a day before being forced to fly a single flight a day. From January to May 1948 all air service from the airport was suspended. When regular air service resumed in May an air freight service was added. Lights for the runways were put in place in 1948 to 1949, and two years later the airport's signal beacons were added. By 1952 several industries were maintaining private airplanes for business purposes, and it was estimated that 200 planes a month were serviced by the airport. In 1953 Dillant–Hopkins hosted an air show which brought flying teams from the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

and

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

to Keene. This air show coincided with other events in Keene, including the historic pageant ''The Happy Valley'' and a visit by then

Miss America Miss America is an annual competition that is open to women from the United States between the ages of 17 and 25. Originating in 1921 as a "bathing beauty revue", the contest is now judged on competitors' talent performances and interviews. As ...

Neva Jane Langley Neva Jane Langley Fickling (January 25, 1933 – November 18, 2012) was an American beauty pageant queen. Biography Langley was born in Lakeland, Florida. As a college sophomore she transferred to Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, where sh ...

. That same year

Wiggins Airways Wiggins Airways is an American cargo airline based in Manchester, New Hampshire, operating from Manchester–Boston Regional Airport. It is a subsidiary of Ameriflight. History Wiggins Airways was founded in 1929, by E.W. Wiggins, operating ou ...

ceased serving Keene after losing a battle to do business with the city. 1954 saw Northeast Airlines begin its air freight service out of the airport, six years after air freight service first began there.

Mohawk Airlines Mohawk Airlines was a regional passenger airline operating in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, mainly in New York and Pennsylvania, from the mid-1940s until its acquisition by Allegheny Airlines in 1972. At its height, it employe ...

joined Northeast Airlines flying out of Keene, making the city the first in the state to be served by two airlines which offered flights to New York, Albany,

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and Lebanon, NH. The runways were extended in 1956, and night lighting and other improvements were installed in 1958. By the second half of 1958 Keene had become the third largest city in the state to offer passenger service and the second largest to offer air freight service. In May 1961 Mohawk ceased serving Keene with the DC-3 and switched to the larger, more modern

Convair 440 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

for its passenger service into the airport. With the ability to carry 54 passengers, the Convair 440 became one of the largest aircraft to land at Dillant–Hopkins at the time. From 1962 to 1963 further additions were made to the airport, perhaps brought about by the new passenger planes. In 1964, Northeast Airlines was operating nonstop service to New York

John F. Kennedy Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport (colloquially referred to as JFK Airport, Kennedy Airport, New York-JFK, or simply JFK) is the main international airport serving New York City. The airport is the busiest of the seven airports in the New ...

with four-engine

Douglas DC-6B The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with ...

propliners in addition to other flights to other destinations operated with

DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

aircraft. Northeast then began the first turboprop service to Keene with the 48-passenger

Fairchild Hiller FH-227 The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States. The Fairchild F-27 was similar to the standa ...

in 1966. The first turboprop arrived in September after a fifty-minute flight from New York

(JFK); the arrival in Keene was greeted by 500 people which included city officials and airport personnel. By 1969, Northeast was operating up to seven departures a day from the airport with the FH-227 propjet, with nonstop flights to New York

LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Covering , the facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia. ...

, Lebanon, NH, and Montpelier/Barre, VT. In 1967 the

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

recommended a $1.8 million series of improvements which would include further extending the runways, the construction of a

control tower Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airsp ...

, improved buildings, and other facilities. The recommendation was brought on by increased activity at the airport and nearly 24,000 aircraft operating out of the airport on a yearly basis. Also in 1967 both Northeast and Mohawk Airlines began to study routes that would include flights to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

from Keene. Mohawk was operating Fairchild Hiller FH-227 turboprop service into the airport in 1967 with nonstop service to Albany (ALB) and

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

(ORH) with one-stop service to

(BOS) and

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

(SYR) as well as no change of plane flights to

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

(CLE). However, by 1972 Mohawk had turned all of its Keene service over to Executive Airlines, a Boston-based commuter air carrier which in turn was operating nonstop flights to Albany and Worcester with one-stop service to Boston. 1967 saw Vice President

Hubert H. Humphrey Hubert Horatio Humphrey Jr. (May 27, 1911 – January 13, 1978) was an American pharmacist and politician who served as the 38th vice president of the United States from 1965 to 1969. He twice served in the United States Senate, representing Mi ...

make a brief stop in Keene while on a trip to attend a concert in Vermont. A crowd of 200 were on hand to greet him. Scheduled airline passenger jet service arrived in Keene during the early 1970s.

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the List of airlines by foundation date, world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atla ...

had acquired and merged with Northeast Airlines in 1972, which resulted in Delta introducing

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. After ...

jetliner flights into the airport. According to the March 1, 1973, Delta system timetable, the airline was operating a daily DC-9-30 nonstop to New York

(LGA) with this flight, offering direct, no change of plane service to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

(PHL) and

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

(MIA). This same Delta timetable also lists daily direct one stop DC-9-30 jet service to Boston (BOS) via a stop in nearby

Manchester, NH Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamps ...

(MHT) with this jet flight originating in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

with intermediate stops in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

Jackson, MS Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at the ...

Birmingham, AL Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fro ...

and New York LaGuardia as well as

turboprop flights operated by Delta to New York LaGuardia and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

(JFK) airports and also to nearby

(LEB). The Delta FH-227 aircraft had been previously operated by Northeast Airlines. Also in 1972, Mohawk Airlines was acquired by

Allegheny Airlines Allegheny Airlines was a regional airline that operated out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from 1952 to 1979 with routes primarily located in the eastern U.S. It was the forerunner of USAir that was subsequently renamed US Airways, which itself me ...

, which in turn continued to serve Keene. The March 1, 1974, Allegheny system timetable lists flights operated by the airline with

Convair 580 The Convair CV-240 is an American airliner that Convair manufactured from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement for the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. Featuring a more modern design with cabin pressurization, the 240 series made some inroa ...

turboprops nonstop to Worcester and one-stop service to Boston. According to the April 15, 1975,

Official Airline Guide OAG is a global travel data provider with headquarters in the UK. The company was founded in 1929 and operates in the USA, Singapore, Japan, Lithuania and China. It has a large network of flight information data including schedules, flight sta ...

(OAG), Allegheny and Delta were no longer serving Keene.http://www.departedflights.com, April 15, 1975 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Keene flight schedules This same OAG lists nonstop flights to New York LaGuardia Airport operated at this time by Air New England with Fairchild Hiller FH-227 turboprops.

Previous airline service

* Air New England (Boston, Lebanon, New York) *

(Boston, Worcester) * Atlantic North Airlines (Boston, Laconia, Newark, Rutland), hub *

Colgan Air Colgan Air was an American certificated regional airline subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corp. The headquarters of Colgan Air were located in Memphis, Tennessee. Colgan Air operated for Continental Express/United Express, and US Airways Expre ...

(Rutland, Newark) *

Continental Airlines Continental Airlines, simply known as Continental, was a major United States airline founded in 1934 and eventually headquartered in Houston, Texas. It had ownership interests and brand partnerships with several carriers. Continental started o ...

Continental Connection Continental Connection was a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operated services marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines. As such, all Continental Connection banner carrier services were ope ...

operated by

(Rutland, Newark) *

(Boston, Lebanon, NH, Manchester, NH, New York-LaGuardia and JFK-Philadelphia and Miami) *

Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...

** Eastern Express operated by

Precision Airlines Eastern Air Lines, also colloquially known as Eastern, was a major United States airline from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Ea ...

(Boston, Lebanon/Hanover/White River Junction, Newark, New York) * Executive Airlines (Boston) * Merrimack Air System (Albany, Boston, Burlington) *

(Albany, Boston, Cleveland, New York, Syracuse) *

(Hartford, Lebanon, NH, Montpelier/Barre, VT, New York

) * Northern Airways (Burlington, Hartford/Springfield, Rutland) * PAC Air (Nashua, Boston) *

Pilgrim Airlines A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of ...

(Hartford/Springfield, Manchester) *

(Boston, Lebanon/Hanover/White River Junction, Newark, New York), focus city * Rainbow Air (Hartford/Springfield, Boston, Manchester, Nashua), focus city * Rutland Airways (Albany, Rutland) *

SkyMaster Airlines Skymaster Airlines was a cargo airline based in Manaus, Brazil. It operated charter cargo services in Brazil and other countries in the Americas. History The airline was established on 30 November 1995 and started operations in 1997. On Febru ...

(Boston, Laconia, Newark, Rutland), hub * Trans New England Airlines (Boston, Lebanon) *

(Fitchburg, Orange) * Winnipesaukee Airlines (Laconia)

References

External links

Dillant–Hopkins Airport
(official site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Dillant-Hopkins Airport Airports in New Hampshire Keene, New Hampshire Transportation buildings and structures in Cheshire County, New Hampshire Airports established in 1943