Woolsey Memorial Airport (

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 ...

LID A lid, also known as a cover, is part of a container, and serves as the closure or seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as tubs as well as larger lids for open-head pails and drums. S ...

: 5D5) is a publicly owned, public use airport located 3 miles northeast of

Northport, Michigan Northport is a village in Leelanau Township within Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 526 according to the 2010 U.S. census. When Leelanau County was formed in 1863, Northport served as the first county seat from 18 ...

on the

Leelanau Peninsula The Leelanau Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the western side of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. Leelanau County encompasses the entire peninsula. It is often referred to as ...

History

The airport opened in 1935 in honor of Clinton Woolsey, an engineer for the U.S. Army Air Service who died near

Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

in 1927 during the first Pan-American Goodwill Flight across Central and South America. Land for the airport was donated by Woolsey's father, and additional land was added by the township. The airport was converted from a farm by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

as part of a "

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

" public works project. The airport was registered as a historic site in 2021, and a marker stands to commemorate its history. The airport took three years to be approved as a site.

Facilities and aircraft

The airport has two

runways 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, o ...

, both made of

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

. Runway 9/27 measures 3663 x 120 ft (1116 x 37 m). Runway 16/34 measures 2670 x 150 ft (814 x 46 m). For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2015, the airport had 504 aircraft operations per year, an average of 42 per month. It was comprised entirely of

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 ...

. For the same time period, 6

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

were based at the airport: 4 single-engine

airplanes An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectr ...

, 1 multi-engine airplane, and 1

ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with ailer ...

. The airport has a terminal building with an observation deck. The terminal once hosted a creamery and milk transfer station. It was converted into the airport terminal as a Works Progress Administration. While the terminal building itself has been closed at different times throughout its history, the observation deck has remained open.

Events

The airport hosts regular events such as fly-ins, historical tours, and road races. The airport also hosts artistic groups, especially photographers that use the area to observe stars. While the airport does not host a chapter, it is a regular host for pilots visiting for events and challenges sponsored by the experimental aircraft association. One of the most popular events the airport hosts is a poker night, which also features competitions like a short takeoff-and-landing competition. The event is sponsored by the

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...

flight school to introduce aviation students to different flight scenarios and challenges, such as weather conditions that require pilots to rely heavily on instruments, cross-country flight planning, mountainous terrain and night flying.

References

{{Reflist Aviation in Michigan Airports in Michigan Buildings and structures in Charlevoix County, Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Charlevoix County