Mason City Municipal Airport is located six miles west of downtown Mason City, in Cerro Gordo County,

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, United States. It is in the northern part of Lake Township, just east of the city of Clear Lake. It is used for

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 ...

and has airline service subsidized through the

Essential Air Service Essential Air Service (EAS) is a U.S. government program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States, which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978, maintained commercial service. Its aim is t ...

(EAS) program. The

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 2021–2025 categorized it as a non-primary commercial service airport.

History

On February 2, 1942 Mason City decided to build a new airport and purchased 312 acres several miles west of the city. The new Mason City Municipal Airport saw its first official landing on March 29, 1945. The airport had two paved runways, associated taxiways, and a small ramp area. A remodeled farmhouse was used as the first terminal during the dedication on June 22, 1946. Airline flights began in 1946, on Mid-Continent; successor Braniff left in 1959. Ozark started in 1955 and pulled out in 1983. There have been no big airlines since then. Musicians

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed ...

, and J.P. "

The Big Bopper Jiles Perry "J.P." Richardson Jr. (October 24, 1930 – February 3, 1959), known as The Big Bopper, was an American singer, songwriter and disc jockey. His best-known compositions include " Chantilly Lace" and " White Lightning", the latter of w ...

" Richardson, along with pilot Roger Peterson, died in a plane crash after taking off from Mason City Municipal Airport in the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, after a concert at the Surf Ballroom in nearby Clear Lake. This event is not commemorated anywhere on the airport grounds; a private monument is near the crash site.

Facilities

The airport covers 1,103

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...

s (446 ha) at an elevation of 1,214 feet (370 m). It has two asphalt runways: 18/36 is 6,501 by 150 feet (1,982 x 46 m) and 12/30 is 5,502 by 150 feet (1,677 x 46 m). In the year ending June 30, 2020 the airport had 33,600 aircraft operations, an average of 92 per day: 90%

, 10%

air taxi An air taxi is a small commercial aircraft that makes short flights on demand. In 2001 air taxi operations were promoted in the United States by a NASA and aerospace industry study on the potential Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS) ...

and less than 1% military. In April 2022, there were 51 aircraft based at this airport: 46 single-engine, 2 multi-engine, 2 jet and 1 helicopter.

Federal grants

In 2005 the airport was awarded a $4,559,986 federal grant to rehabilitate a runway and relocate a localizer out of a runway safety area. In 2007 the airport received a $1 million federal grant to help purchase a perimeter fence around its runways. In 2009 the airport commission received a $820,916 federal grant to rehabilitate the airport's parking lot and for a Master Abstract Title Opinion study for the airport. In 2010 the airport received $24,463 in federal funding for runway incursion markings. A 2011 federal grant provided $115,865 for apron rehabilitation. In 2012 the airport received a federal grant of $886,604 for the rehabilitation of its parking lot pavement. A 2013 federal grant paid for $540,000 of snow removal equipment for the airport. In 2014 the airport was awarded $601,317 in federal grants for improvements to its infrastructure."Harkin Announces more than $600,000 for Mason City Municipal Airport". ''Targeted News Service''. June 21, 2014.

Airline and destinations

SkyWest Airlines SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah, United States. SkyWest is paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. Th ...

, operating as

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 ...

, started service from Mason City to

Chicago O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , sometimes referred to as, Chicago O'Hare, or simply O'Hare, is the main international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Loop busines ...

on March 1, 2021. Earlier, Mason City had airline service on Air Choice One,

Great Lakes Airlines 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 ...

and

Mesaba Airlines Mesaba Aviation, Inc. (operating as Mesaba Airlines) was an American regional airline based in Eagan, Minnesota From 2010 to 2012 the airline was a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corporation with code sharing flights operated as De ...

Statistics

Incidents

* On August 22, 1954 Braniff Airlines flight 4630

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 versi ...

crashed south of Mason City Municipal Airport after departing Waterloo Regional Airport in nearby Waterloo. The aircraft crashed after entering a thunderstorm at a low altitude. 12 of 19 passengers died. * In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959 (also known as '

the day the music died On February 3, 1959, American rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and "The Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson were all killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa, together with pilot Roger Peterson. The event later beca ...

'), following a concert at the Surf Ballroom in nearby Clear Lake, musicians

and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, along with pilot Roger Peterson, died after the

Beechcraft Bonanza The Beechcraft Bonanza is an American general aviation aircraft introduced in 1947 by Beech Aircraft Corporation of Wichita, Kansas. The six-seater, single-engined aircraft is still being produced by Beechcraft and has been in continuous pro ...

they were flying in crashed after taking off from the Mason City Municipal Airport.

Ground Transportation

Mason City Municipal Airport is served by Jefferson Lines intercity buses. The local transit agency Mason City Transit does not serve the airport.

References

Other sources

* Essential Air Service documents
Docket OST-2001-10684
from the U.S. Department of Transportation: *
Order 2005-6-13 (June 20, 2005)
selecting Mesaba Aviation, Inc. d/b/a Northwest Airlink, an affiliate of Northwest Airlines, to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) for the two-year period beginning June 1, 2005, at an annual subsidy of $777,709 for Thief River Falls and a combined annual subsidy of $2,160,770 for Fort Dodge and Mason City. *
Order 2007-6-3 (June 11, 2007)
re-selecting Mesaba Aviation Inc., d/b/a Northwest Airlink (Mesaba), to continue to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Fort Dodge and Mason City, Iowa, and Thief River Falls, Minnesota, for the two-year period beginning June 1, 2007. Service will consist of 18 round trips per week at Fort Dodge and Mason City, routed Fort Dodge-Mason City-Minneapolis/St. Paul, at the combined annual subsidy rate of $21,113,865. Service at Thief River Falls will consist of 12 one-stop round trips per week to Minneapolis/St. Paul at the annual subsidy rate of $1,065,639. All service will be provided with 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft as Northwest Airlink. *
Order 2009-4-20 (April 27, 2009)
re-selecting Mesaba Aviation, Inc., d/b/a Delta Connection (Mesaba), to continue providing subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Fort Dodge and Mason City, IA, and Thief River Falls, MN, for the two-year period beginning June 1, 2009, at the annual subsidy rates of $2,225,213 for Fort Dodge and Mason City, and $1,230,322 for Thief River Falls. *
Order 2011-6-7 (June 8, 2011)
re-selecting Mesaba Aviation, Inc., d/b/a Delta Connection (Mesaba), to provide essential air service (EAS) at Fort Dodge and Mason City, Iowa, at annual subsidy rates of $1,910,995 and $1,017,545 at Mason City, respectively, for the five-month period June 1, 2011, through October 31, 2011. *
Order 2011-11-30 (November 23, 2011)
selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide essential air service (EAS) at six communities at the following annual subsidy rates: Brainerd, Minnesota, $959,865; Fort Dodge, $1,798,693; Iron Mountain, $1,707,841; Mason City, $1,174,468; Thief River Falls, Minnesota, $1,881,815; and Watertown, $1,710,324, for the two-year period beginning when Great Lakes inaugurates full EAS at all six communities *
Great Lakes Airlines press release (January 27, 2014)
Effective February 1, 2014, Great Lakes Airlines will be suspending service from Devils Lake and Jamestown, ND; Fort Dodge and Mason City, IA; Ironwood, MI; and Thief River Falls, MN due to the severe industry-wide pilot shortage and its relative acute impact on Great Lakes. *
Order 2014-1-20 (January 31, 2014)
requesting proposals from carriers interested in providing Essential Air Service (EAS) at Fort Dodge and/or Mason City, Iowa. The communities will be without air service effective February 1, 2014.

External links

Mason City Municipal Airport
official site
Aerial image as of May 1994
from

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'' * * {{authority control Airports in Iowa Essential Air Service Transportation buildings and structures in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa Mason City, Iowa