Terre Haute Regional Airport is a civil-military public

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 surfa ...

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

, in Vigo County,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, east of the city center. The FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as 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 ...

'' facility. It is also the location of Hulman Field Air National Guard Base of the

Indiana Air National Guard The Indiana Air National Guard (IN ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of Indiana, United States of America. It is, along with the Indiana Army National Guard, an element of the Indiana National Guard. As state militia units, the units in ...

History

Originally called Hulman Field, the airport dates to 1943 when ground was broken on a site donated to the city of Terre Haute by businessman Anton "Tony" Hulman, Jr. The airport was dedicated on October 3, 1944, and had three runways, taxiways, apron area, and a terminal building. Trans World Airlines (TWA) began the first commercial air service to the airport. In 1953, a new terminal and control tower were completed and the apron expanded. Since 1954, the

181st Intelligence Wing The 181st Intelligence Wing (181 IW) is a unit of the Indiana Air National Guard, stationed at Terre Haute Air National Guard Base, Indiana. If activated to federal service, the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Intelligence, Surv ...

of the

has been stationed at the airport. In 1976, the city of Terre Haute and Vigo County jointly formed an authority to manage the airport. The Terre Haute Regional Airport Authority has six board members, with three appointed by the mayor of Terre Haute and three appointed by the Vigo County commissioners. The terminal was expanded in 1977 and 1981. In 1998 the name was changed from Hulman Regional Airport to Terre Haute International Airport - Hulman Field, primarily due to U.S. Postal Service contractor Evergreen Airlines using the airport as a hub, which has since closed. Hulman Field formerly hosted the Terre Haute Air Fair. Performers included the

USAF Thunderbirds The USAF Air Demonstration Squadron ("Thunderbirds") is the air demonstration squadron of the United States Air Force The Thunderbirds are assigned to the 57th Wing, and are based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. Created in 1953, the USAF Th ...

, the Red Baron Pizza Squadron, and Michael Hunter, the world's only insulin-dependent aerobatics pilot. The Air Fair was run almost entirely by volunteers, including some from community organizations and school organizations looking for fundraising opportunities. In 2016, the airport received a $3.5 million federal grant to fund repairs to a runway. The airport was the third busiest airport in the state of Indiana in 2016. In 2017, work began on a $1.1 million project to upgrade the exterior of a terminal building at the airport. The

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (; NDAA 2018Pub.L. 115–91 is a United States federal law which specifies the budget, expenditures and policies of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) for Fiscal Year 2018. Analogou ...

included a $24 million federal grant for a military construction project at the airport that will support the operations of the

Indiana National Guard The Indiana National Guard (INNG) is a component of the United States Armed Forces, the United States National Guard and the Military Department of Indiana (MDI). It consists of the Indiana Army National Guard, the Indiana Air National Guard, ...

's 181st Intelligence Wing. In summer 2018, the

United States 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 ...

's flight exhibition team, the

Blue Angels The Blue Angels is a flight demonstration squadron of the United States Navy.

, performed at Terre Haute Regional Airport. The airshow attracted more than 55,000 people over the course of the weekend and was a major success for the airport.

Historical airline service

Trans World Airlines (TWA) served Terre Haute from 1944 to 1967 as a stop between Indianapolis and

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

along its trancontinental route structure. TWA flew Douglas DC-3s followed by

Martin 2-0-2 The Martin 2-0-2 was an airliner introduced in 1947. The twin piston-engined fixed-wing aircraft was designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. Design and development Glenn L. Martin, president of the company, intended that the Mode ...

and

Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first pressurized-cabin civil airliner series to go into widespread use. Its press ...

prop aircraft. Shortly before ending service in 1967, TWA had upgraded its flights to

Douglas DC-9 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 ...

jet aircraft.

Chicago and Southern Air Lines Chicago and Southern Air Lines (C&S) was a United States airline that started life as Pacific Seaboard Air Lines in California and was organized on June 15, 1933. Following the move from California, the airline's headquarters were initially locat ...

began service in the late 1940s with 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 ...

and

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

. The carrier was merged into

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 world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

in 1953 and became known as Delta C&S. Service continued until 1954.

Lake Central Airlines Lake Central Airlines was an airline that served points in the midwestern and eastern United States from 1950 to 1968, when it merged into Allegheny Airlines. In 1979 Allegheny became USAir. In 1997 USAir became US Airways. In 2015 US Airways w ...

served Terre Haute from 1954, replacing Delta-C&S, with flights to Chicago and Indianapolis, each making one-stop. Lake Central merged into Allegheny Airlines in 1968 and service continued until 1973.

Britt Airways Britt Airways was a United States airline established as Vercoa Air Service in 1964 and renamed to Britt Airlines when it was purchased by William and Marilyn Britt in 1975 later on ''Britt Airways''. It was based in Terre Haute, Indiana until 19 ...

, which had its headquarters at Terre Haute, took over for Allegheny in 1973 operating as

Allegheny Commuter Allegheny, Alleghany or Allegany may refer to: Places Geologic and geographic features * Allegheny River, in Pennsylvania and New York * Allegheny Mountains, part of the Appalachian Mountain Range in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Vir ...

to Chicago and Indianapolis. In 1981, Britt began operating under its own identity and added new service to St. Louis. Britt was sold to

People Express People Express Airlines, stylized as PEOPLExpress, was a low-cost U.S. airline that operated from 1981 to 1987, when it was merged into Continental Airlines. The airline's headquarters was in the North Terminal (later Terminal C) of Newark L ...

in 1985 and the flights to Chicago then began operating under a

code-share A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

relationship with People Express. Service to Indianapolis and St. Louis was discontinued. New service to Dayton was operated in 1985 and 1986 as

Piedmont Commuter CCAir, Inc. (NASDAQ: CCAR) was a regional airline headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States."World Airline Directory". ''Flight International''. March 23, 199968 Retrieved on September 30, 2009. Piedmont Commuter CCAir was created ...

on behalf of

Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airline ...

. In 1986 People Express was sold to

Texas Air Corporation Texas Air Corporation, also known as Texas Air, was an airline holding company, incorporated in June 1980 by airline investor Frank Lorenzo to hold and invest in airlines. The company had its headquarters in the America Tower in the American Ge ...

which also owned Continental Airlines and by 1987, the flights to Chicago began operating as

Continental Express Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of the merger ...

. Britt's scheduled service to Terre Haute ended in 1989 but the company continued operating its headquarters at the airport until 1996 while it became the primary regional feeder carrier for Continental Airlines.

Trans World Express Trans World Express (TWE) was the fully owned and certificated, regional carrier for Trans World Airlines ( TWA) and an airline trademark name for TWA's corporation. * Trans World Express - The formerly independent regional airline known as Ran ...

, operated by Resort Air on behalf of

TWA Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...

, flew to St. Louis for a brief time during the summer of 1987.

, operated by Air Kentucky on behalf of

USAir US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon b ...

, served Terre Haute from Indianapolis in 1987 and 1988.

American Eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

, operating on behalf of

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

, briefly served Terre Haute in 1986 with flights to Nashville. American Eagle returned in 1989 taking over the service to Chicago which continued into 1993.

Lone Star Airlines Lone Star Airlines was an American regional airline that operated both domestic and international flights. For much of the airline's life its headquarters were located in the Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas. The airline's largest hub w ...

served the airport from 1991 through 1994 with flights to St. Louis.

Midway Connection Midway often refers to: *Midway (fair), a place at a fair or circus where rides, entertainment, and booths are concentrated *Midway Atoll, also called Midway Island, a low-lying coral atoll in the central Pacific Ocean *Naval Air Facility Midway Is ...

, operated by Direct Air then provided service to Chicago's

Midway International Airport Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...

during 1994 and 1995.

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

, operated by

Great Lakes Aviation Great Lakes Airlines was an American regional airline operating domestic scheduled and charter services. Corporate headquarters were in Cheyenne, Wyoming, with a hub at Denver International Airport. As of November 2013, Great Lakes Airlines ...

on behalf of

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

was the final carrier to serve Terre Haute with flights back to Chicago's O'hare International Airport from 1995 until July 10, 1999. The airport then went without scheduled airline service. Branson Air Express announced service in February 2010, but the airline later cancelled those plans, citing weak demand.Branson Airport Says Dropping Service to Terre Haute Was a Must
. ''AirportBusiness.com''. January 12, 2011. There is currently no scheduled commercial service at Terre Haute Regional Airport.

Air National Guard

The airport is home to the

(181 IW) of the

. The ANG enclave is called Hulman Field Air National Guard Base. The 181 IW is operationally gained by the Air Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency (AFISRA). The unit served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, flying anti-submarine patrol along the East Coast of the United States and the Gulf of Mexico. It was also activated for the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

and the Berlin Crisis of 1961. In 1962 it was established as a fighter unit, the 181st Tactical Fighter Group (181 TFG), operationally-gained by the Tactical Air Command (TAC). Initially using the

RF-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...

, the unit transitioned to the

F-84F Thunderstreak The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version. ...

in 1964, the

F-100D/F Super Sabre The North American F-100 Super Sabre is an American supersonic jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard (ANG) until 1979. The first of the Century Series of US ...

in 1971, the F-4 Phantom II in 1979, and the F-16 Fighting Falcon in 1991. Known as the ''Racers'', the then-181 TFG participated in the first

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

from 1990 to 1991. With the disestablishment of TAC in 1992, the unit was redesignated the 181st Fighter Group (181 FG) and operationally-gained by the Air Combat Command (ACC). In 1995, it was redesignated as the 181st Fighter Wing (181 FW) and deployed to Kuwait on two separate occasions in support of

Operation Southern Watch Operation Southern Watch was an air-centric military operation conducted by the United States Department of Defense from Summer 1992 to Spring 2003. United States Central Command's Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) had the mission of mon ...

. On September 11, 2001, the 181 FW flew combat air patrols over the Midwestern United States less than four hours after the attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. The wing drastically increased its operations tempo, deployed members and equipment to 19 countries, and simultaneously supported seven different military operations, including Operation Southern Watch, Operation Northern Watch, Operation Joint Forge, Operation Noble Eagle, Operation Deep Freeze, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2005, concurrent with an Air Force initiative to phase out F-16C/D aircraft Block 30 and older, the Base Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) mandated the end of flying operations for the 181 FW. On September 8, 2007, the wing's F-16C Block 30s flew their last training mission out of Terre Haute Regional Airport/Hulman Field Air National Guard Base. The wing's squadrons were redesignated as a Distributive Ground Station (DGS) and an Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS) and on May 3, 2008, the 181st Fighter Wing was re-designated as the 181st Intelligence Wing (181 IW).

Facilities

The airport 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, concre ...

s: * Runway 5/23: , surface:

asphalt Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term ...

* Runway 14/32: , surface: asphalt/

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...

uses Hulman Field for its aviation program. The USAF uses Hulman Field for worldwide command and control of remote control surveillance aircraft. Hulman Field can also support the F-16 and larger military aircraft on an "as needed" basis.

References

External links

Terre Haute Regional Airport
official site
Aerial image as of 6 April 1998
from

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

The National Map ''The National Map'' is a collaborative effort of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and other federal, state, and local agencies to improve and deliver topographic information for the United States. The purpose of the effort is to prov ...

'' * *
{{Airports in Indiana Airports in Indiana Buildings and structures in Terre Haute, Indiana Transportation buildings and structures in Vigo County, Indiana