By day Monte Mansfield sold Fords. But it was his civic foresight that is among the things being celebrated this year, as the Tucson Airport Authority’s 60th anniversary.
  
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In 1948, an airport authority wasn’t very common. The oldest one in the country was established in 1928 in Louisville, Ky., but there weren’t many others.
Mansfield was part of a 16-member group of local leaders serving on the Chamber of Commerce Aviation Committee. The City of Tucson had established the first municipally-owned airport in 1919 on what was then the Nogales Highway − now South Sixth Avenue − where the Tucson Rodeo Grounds are now. In 1927, when that site became too crowded, a city-military partnership moved the airport to what is now Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.
Then World War II broke out and the military’s use of the air field were increasingly crowding out civilian uses. Mansfield and the aviation committee got city officials to buy up more land south and west of the airport in hopes of persuading the Army to move to the new location.
But the Army rejected the idea and, instead, took control of nearly all of the airfield operations, except it allowed American Airlines − the only airline serving Tucson at the time − to continue its operations.
It became painfully obvious that if Tucson wanted a commercial airport it would have to do so on the land it had initially wanted the Army to use. But the city had no money to operate it.
That’s when Mansfield and the committee hit on the idea of incorporating as a nonprofit. In April 1948, the state Legislature approved a charter and the Tucson Airport Authority (TAA) was established. On Oct. 14, 1948, the TAA and the city entered into a 100-year lease to run the airport.
With a borrowed $25,000 the TAA set out on its mission. That money was repaid in three years.
The airport’s terminal was made up of three vacant hangars off the Nogales Highway that had been used by aircraft manufacturers during the war. By 1950, a second airline, Frontier, was also flying from Tucson.
The city also took over a pilot training facility on the far westside named Ryan Field and put it under the TAA.
Airport activity continued through the 1950s. Early in the decade, when billionare Howard Hughes decided he wanted to move his Hughes Aircraft manufacturing plant from California to the desert, Mansfield, as the first chairman of the TAA board, was integral in working out that agreement. Hughes Aircraft is now Raytheon Missile Systems.
In the mid 1950s, the Air National Guard moved to the airport and a third airline, TWA, started local commercial service.
Among the vestiges of that decade still functioning as it was built, is the 119-foot airport control tower opened at a cost of $535,000 for the TAA’s 10th anniversary in 1958. With the letters T-U-C-S-O-N spelled out vertically down its sides, it holds sentimental value but is dated and needs to be replaced.
Bonnie Allin, current president and CEO of TAA, told her membership earlier this month the Federal Aviation Administration is targeting 2012 for its replacement and she says the airport is encouraging that.
Although the hangars that made up the original terminal are still standing on the west side of the airport, the terminal was moved to its present site in 1963. Since then it has undergone two major expansions.
The first expansion, in 1985, doubled the terminal’s size to accommodate the 10 additional airlines that brought service to Tucson after the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act did away with the requirement for airlines to seek approval for routes from the federal Civil Aeronautics Board. Among the innovations brought to the airport that time were jet bridges for boarding airliners. Also the open air baggage claim area was fully enclosed and beltways were installed to deliver checked luggage.
Air travelers are currently living with the final stages of the second terminal expansion project, due to be completed in April. The remodeling currently underway is on the two concourses and includes adding restrooms and a federal inspection facility. The project that was started in 2000 also included building a separate car rental building and expanding the airline ticketing lobby and lower-level baggage claim areas.
Through it all, the TAA functions without receiving local tax money. Instead, its operations are funded through revenues from the airport, including parking, space rentals, land leases, fuel sales, landing fees and concessions. Capital projects, such as the terminal expansion, are funded through grants, passenger facility charges on airline tickets and operating revenues.
Unlike airports run by local governments – and even unlike most other airport authorities whose members are appointed by government leaders – the TAA is comprised of a 115 community leaders selected to serve as volunteers. They select a nine-member board of directors that meets to set policy and hire a president and CEO, who then oversees a staff of about 300 employees.
Throughout its 60-year history, the TAA has had only four chief executives. The first was Robert "Bob" W. F. Schmidt, founding president who served from 1948 to 1962. After Schmidt’s death, Charles "Chuck" H. Broman took the helm until his retirement in 1979, followed by Walter "Wally" A. Burg who was in charge until he retired in 2002 and now Allin.
More than 100 businesses are located at Tucson International Airport, including the Arizona Air National Guard, Raytheon Missile Systems, Bombardier and SkyWest Airlines.
After 40 years in the business, Mansfield sold his Ford dealership in 1954 to Holmes Tuttle. But the mark he left on Tucson in areas besides cars, is something still worth celebrating.
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1985 – Alaska Airlines expands its route network to sunbelt destinations, including Tucson. (In 1993, Alaska withdrew service to Tucson. In 2000 it reinstated service.)
1990
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1993 –
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2002
2005
2006 (Sept. 30)
2007 (April 2)
2007 (Dec. 16) –
2008 (April) –
Concourse expansions and renovations are due to be completed.Sun Country starts seasonal service.– ExpressJet, an airline created after Continental cuts back on using its regional jets, includes Tucson among its destinations. Before 2007 is finished, it connects Tucson with six destinations that previously were not served non-stop from Tucson.– JetBlue inaugurates non-stop flights to New York.– The $16.5 million, 82,000 square-foot expansion of the front of the terminal building and baggage claim area at Tucson International Airport is completed. – The seven on-site car rental companies at Tucson International Airport move into a separate 18,000 square foot building, within walking distance just east of the main terminal. – A new version of Frontier Airlines starts up in Denver and includes Tucson among the cities it serves in its first year of operations. (In 1995, Frontier withdrew service to Tucson. In 2002, Frontier resumed Tucson service.) – Morris Air, a Salt Lake City-based low-cost airline, inaugurates service to Tucson after local officials are unsuccessful in luring Southwest Airlines. (In 1994, Morris was acquired by Southwest.) Reno Air starts service to Tucson. (In 1999, Reno was acquired by American Airlines.)– Tucson-based Arizona Airways initiates service connecting several cities throughout the Southwest U.S. and northern Mexico, from Orange County and San Diego in California to Albuquerque and El Paso and from Laughlin-Bullhead City to Ciudad Obregon, Guaymas
and Hermosillo. (In 1995,
Arizona Airways was acquired by Great Lakes Aviation. In 1997 Great Lakes discontinued
Tucson service.) – AeroCalifornia introduces service to Mexico. (In 1991, AeroCalifornia discontinued Tucson service in favor of flying to California. In 1995, it reinstated service. In 2005, it withdrew service.)– As a result of all the new airline service, the terminal building at Tucson International Airport was expanded to double its size. Among the changes were a second floor on each of the two concourses and the introduction of jet bridges to board airliners. Also, the open air lower level baggage claim area was enclosed and moving beltways were installed to deliver checked luggage. – America West Airlines, founded the previous year in Phoenix, starts service to Tucson. (In 2005, America West merged with bankrupt US Airways and elected to rebrand the combined carriers as US Airways.)– Sunworld, a year-old airline based in Las Vegas starts service to Tucson. (In 1986 Sunworld ceased operations.)– Northwest Airlines begins Tucson service. – Western Airlines begins service to Tucson. (In 1987, Western merged with Delta Air Lines.)– PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines) starts Tucson service. (In 1987 PSA was acquired by US Air. In 1993, US Air discontinued service to Tucson.)– United Airlines begins service to Tucson. – US Air extended its route network between Pittsburgh and Phoenix to include Tucson. (In 1987, US Air acquired PSA. In 1993, US Air discontinued service to Tucson.) – Eastern Air Lines begins service to Tucson. Its president is astronaut Frank Borman, who grew up in Tucson. (In 1986, Eastern was sold to Texas Air, which initiated severe cost-cutting measures that included withdrawal of service to Tucson. Faced with strikes from employee groups, in 1989 Eastern filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and on Jan. 18, 1991, it ceased operations.) – North Central Airlines made Tucson its western-most destination flying from Minneapolis and Denver. (That same year, North Central merged with Southern Airways to form Republic Airlines. In 1980 Republic acquired Hughes Airwest. In 1986, Republic merged with Northwest.) – Braniff International Airways adds Tucson as a reaction to deregulation, rapidly increasing the number of cities it serves by 50 percent. (The move proved to be a miscalculation, causing Braniff to file for bankruptcy and, ultimately liquidation in May 1982.) – The federal Civil Aeronautics Board is eliminated under the Airline Deregulation Act. Airlines are no longer required to apply for and receive government approval to serve domestic routes. – Gates Learjet opens an office at Tucson airport. (In 1990, Learjet built a 225,000 square-foot hangar. In 2001, Bombardier acquired Learjet. In 2004, Bombardier consolidated its aircraft finishing work in Wichita, Kan., and closed the hangar. In 2005, a local attempt to reopen the hangar as DunnAir for aircraft finishing work failed and the hangar remains vacant.) – Tucson-based Cochise Airlines takes over flying intrastate routes after the demise of Apache Airlines. (On April 16, 1982, Cochise ceased operations and went bankrupt.) – Bonanza Airlines arrives, using Tucson as a stop along its jet route connecting Phoenix with La Paz, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. (In 1969, Bonanza, West Coast and Pacific airlines were merged together into Air West. In 1970 Howard Hughes bought the airline and had it renamed Hughes Airwest. In 1980 Hughes Airwest was acquired by Republic Airlines. In 1986 Republic merged with Northwest Airlines.) – The six airlines serving Tucson International move into a new passenger terminal building at the south end of Tucson Boulevard, south of Valencia Road. The new facility includes a federal inspection station for international arrivals. – Tucson’s reputation as a
pilot training facility gains worldwide attention. Among foreign
airlines choosing to conduct training in Tucson are Qantas, Lufthansa, AerLingus, BOAC, Japan Airlines, Swissair and KLM. (These training operations continued until about 1973.) – Commercial air service expands with the arrival of two new airlines: Continental flying west to Los Angeles and east into Texas, and Aeronaves de Mexico – later renamed Aeromexico – bringing international service south to Hermosillo, Ciudad Obregon, Culiacan, Guadalajara and Mexico City. – The Tucson Airport Authority celebrates its 10th anniversary with the opening of a $535,000 air traffic control tower. At 119-feet, it is the third tallest structure in the city. Vertically emblazoned down its four sides are the letters T-U-C-S-O-N in red, white and blue neon. (To this day, that tower oversees the airport’s traffic control, but it is dated.) – Apache Airlines starts intrastate flights from Tucson to Phoenix, Fort Huachuca and Douglas. (On May 6, 1971, one of its flights from Tucson to Phoenix crashed near Coolidge, killing all 10 passengers and two crew members. The airline went out of business later that year.) – The Arizona Air National Guard 162nd Fighter Group moves to the Tucson airport. – Trans World Airlines (TWA) becomes the third airline to fly from Tucson. (At the time, billionaire aviator Howard Hughes owned TWA and five years earlier had moved his Hughes Aircraft manufacturing facility from California to a site south of the Tucson airport. It is now Raytheon Missile Systems.) – Ryan Airfield, 9698 W. Ajo Way, which had been used for military pilot training during World War II is deeded by the State of Arizona to the City of Tucson, which puts its operation under the auspices of the Tucson Airport Authority.– A formerly little-used landing strip near South Park Avenue and 36th Street is opened as the Tucson Downtown Airport. (In 1973, the 370-acre site wa sold to Little America Refining Co., which planned to develop it as a resort but never did. Little America became a subsidiary of Sinclair Oil. In 2005, Sinclair sold the property to developers who are now planning to develop it as The Bridges, which will include the University of Arizona Bioscience Park and a major shopping center.) – Without city funds to operate an airfield, Ford dealer Monte Mansfield and the 15 other business leaders of the Chamber of Commerce’s Aviation Committee form a nonprofit corporation. On April 12, the state gives it a charter and on Oct. 14, the Tucson Airport Authority signs a 100-year lease to run the city-owned airport. The terminal is comprised of three vacated hangars off South Old Nogales Highway on the west side of the airfield that had been used by aircraft companies during World War II. – Arizona Airways becomes the second commercial airline serving Tucson flying intrastate routes south to Nogales and north to Casa Grande, Coolidge and Phoenix. (In 1950, Arizona Airways merged with Challenger and Monarch airlines to form Frontier Airlines.) – The City of Tucson buys up land farther south and west of Davis-Monthan to try to persuade the Army to move there. The Army rejects the idea and on Dec. 1, Davis-Monthan becomes an all-military airfield, except for American Airlines flights. – With World War II underway in both the Pacific and Europe,
the Army takes on an ever-increasing role at Davis-Monthan, squeezing municipal operations. Local aviation pioneer Walter Douglas opens Gilpin Airport northwest of what is now Prince Road and Interstate 10. (In the late 1950s the airport became known as Freeway Airport and remained in operation until 1978. – Army begins to construct its own facilities at Davis-Monthan through the Works Progress Administration. (Nov. 29) – Standard Airlines opens commercial service to Tucson, flying west to Phoenix and Los Angeles and east to Douglas, El Paso and further into Texas. (In 1930, Standard was one of several airlines incorporated into American Airlines. That same year, American began carrying airmail from Tucson.) (Sept. 23) – Aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh flies into Tucson from San Diego to dedicate the city’s newer, larger – at 1,280 acres – municipal airfield, Davis-Monthan Field, named for two Tucsonans who were killed in separate military air crashes earlier in the 1920s. Schools and offices were closed for the new airfield’s dedication and special trains brought people in from Phoenix, Nogales and Douglas. Estimates were that at least 20,000 people attended the event. (Nov. 20) – New Macauley Field is dedicated as the first municipally-owned airport in the country. It is located on 83 acres on South Sixth Avenue at what is now the Tucson Rodeo Grounds. (In 1923, the name of the airport was changed to Tucson Municipal Flying Field.)(Spring) – Army General Billy Mitchell notifies city officials, Tucson is designated as one of 32 official landing places in the U.S. for military aircraft. – Macauley Field is established by five business leaders appointed by the Chamber of Commerce. The airstrip is located off North Oracle Road, near where Amphiteater High School is today. (Feb. 19) – Charles "the bird man" Hamilton puts on an air show at Emmanuel Drachman’s Elysian Grove Amusement Park west of Simpson Street near downtown. The star of the show is Hamilton’s Curtiss biplane, which was brought to Tucson by train and assembled for the show. (This was less than seven years after the Wright brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk, N.C.)
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Jim Forbus wrote on Jan 28, 2008 12:49 PM: