Dahio Trotwood Airport
Airport in Trotwood / New Lebanon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dahio Trotwood Airport (FAA LID: I44), also known as Dayton-New Lebanon Airport, is a public-use airport located seven miles (11 km) west of the central business district of Dayton, in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. It is privately owned by Gary Ridell.[1] The airport is situated between Trotwood to the northeast and New Lebanon to the southwest.
Dahio Trotwood Airport | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | Gary Ridell | ||||||||||
| Serves | Dayton, Ohio | ||||||||||
| Location | Trotwood / New Lebanon | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 925 ft (282 m) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°45′57″N 084°20′36″W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  I44 Location of airport in Ohio  I44 I44 (the United States) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Statistics (2007) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||||
History
Dahio Airport was founded by Eejay Lauterbach, who purchased the 125-acre (51 ha) Glen Murr farm.[a] Construction on the field had begun by mid May 1941.[3] By early December, a 6,000-square-foot (560 m2) hangar had been built.[4] By mid May 1946, this had been expanded to 135-acre (55 ha) and three hangars.[5]
It was announced in October 1947 that Skyways, Inc. would take over operation of the airport.[6]
By late October 1957, the airport was being used as a dragstrip.[7]
In early March 1961, the airport operator was sued for improper maintenance that caused a crash.[8] Following the start of a tenure of a new leaseholder the previous October, a repair station at the airport had been certified by late July 1966.[9] Miller's Flying Service moved to Myers Airport in 1969.[10]
WING's traffic spotting airplane was based at the airport in November 1975.[11]
The airport was leased to a new owner, renamed to Wright Aerodrome and given a new focus on hot-air balloons and ultralight aircraft in 1982.[12] Following a subsequent purchase two years later, its name was changed again to Dayton-New Lebanon Airport.[13]
In 2000, the airport was purchased by Gary Riddell, who developed a type of fuel pellet for use in power plants. He planned to build a proof-of-concept plant at the site to produce them while also maintaining its use as an airport.[14] By mid June 2003, it was being known as Dahio Trotwood Airport.[15] A Cessna Crane I, which belonged to the Wright Stuff Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force, was being restored at the airport in 2005.[16] The Wright Brothers Airplane Company, a nonprofit aviation history group, considered basing itself at the airport in 2006.[17]
Facilities and aircraft
Dahio Trotwood Airport covers an area of 132 acres (53 ha) which contains one asphalt paved runway measuring 2,900 ft × 52 ft (884 m × 16 m).[1]
There is no fixed-base operator at the airport.[18]
For the 12-month period ending May 29, 2007, the airport had 1,853 aircraft operations, an average of 5 per day, 100% which were general aviation. There are 27 aircraft based at this airport: 16 single-engine airplanes, 10 ultralights, and 1 multi-engine airplane.[1]
Accidents & incidents
- On 22 July 1954, a four passenger airplane crashed after taking off from the airport, injuring the pilot and a passenger.[19]
- On 18 August 1957, a racecar crashed during a record attempt at the airport, killing the driver.[20]
- On 1 November 1987, an ultralight crashed while taking off from the airport due to structural failure, critically injuring the pilot.[21]
