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| By Carmelo Turdo |
The program was a follow-up to the previous St. Louis Regional Freightway Take Flight Forum held at the Bi-State Development offices in downtown St. Louis. Two additional airports were added to the breakfast event, and the participating directors are shown below:
Spirit of St. Louis Airport was developed as an alternative to (then named) Lambert-St. Louis International Airport for the business aviation sector. The project was spearheaded by aviator and aerospace engineer Paul Haglin, and the airport was officially opened in 1965. Since then, the airport has become a home for corporate flight departments, starting with Ralston-Purina. Today, the airport accommodates a large number of corporate and general aviation aircraft, multiple FBOs, Wings of Hope global humanitarian aviation non-profit service
organization, Elite Aviation flight school and aircraft maintenance department, the Red Tail Cadet Program and one of the nation's biggest airshows.
Airport Director John Bales has been the Spirit of St. Louis Airport Director since 2007. He grew up in aviation as the son of an Ozark Airlines pilot, and he soloed at Spirit of St. Louis Airport on his sixteenth birthday. He has worked at all levels of airport operations management, and he currently serves on multiple boards and committees around the community.
The St. Louis Airport Directors State of the Union Breakfast was held at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in what was formerly the FAA Flight Service Station, now used as a general aviation international clearance facility, Spirit of St. Louis Airshow headquarters and training/meeting suite for local aviation organizations. Spirit of St. Louis Airport is a National General Aviation Airport providing access to U.S. and international markets. It is a self-supporting enterprise of St. Louis County government, employs about 3,000 people and has an economic impact of over $400M. Bales outlined some priorities in the airport's master plan, including:
Strengthen and widen Runway 8L/26R (5000' x 75') to absorb traffic while Runway 8R/26L (7485' x 150') is updated later;
Develop the north apron to increase hangar and office space for GA customers;
AVMATS will build a new 45,000 square foot hangar with service road for dedicated traffic;
Nestle is planning to build a facility on a now vacant 5-acre plot next their current location.
Bales reports that the airport is in a strong financial condition and able to invest in planning for future development projects and airport improvements. One of those new projects, the Spirit Sky Club, is a luxury hangar community that will have fuel sales and security on site. Phase One is under construction, with a possible Phase Two coming in the future. We will have more coverage of this development when it is completed.
St. Louis-Lambert international Airport is the commercial air carrier hub for the St. Louis and the region, tracing its roots to the lease of land by Albert Bond Lambert in 1920. The founding of the Missouri National Guard's 110th Observation Squadron came in 1923, and St. Louis businessmen joined Lambert in financing Charles Lindbergh's solo transatlantic flight in 1927. The municipal airport grew and became home to such legendary aircraft manufacturers as Curtiss-Wright and later McDonnell Aircraft, McDonnell Douglas and now Boeing. TWA and Ozark Airlines were the main air carriers serving St. Louis throughout the jet age. Expansion continued to include Terminal 2 and the W-1W parallel runway project. Today, St. Louis-Lambert International Airport has become a hub for Southwest Airlines and a growing number of international flights.
Hamm-Niebruegge focused her presentation on the airport master plan's priority - the $3B Consolidated Terminal Program. The first phase of this massive undertaking is the initial $350M investment to design and build a new utility plant and airfield maintenance facility while removing the buildings previously used by the Missouri Air National Guard decades ago. This infrastructure change is in the design phase and should be ready for initial construction later this year. Phase Two includes an additional $650M for the architectural design of the envisioned single terminal, parking garage and connecting roadways along with reopening gates necessary to relocate carriers off the A Concourse. This is all preparatory to engaging the project management and contractors to perform the actual construction. Hamm-Niebruegge assured the attendees that the airport would retain the signature domes while a significant remodel takes place in and around the original structure.
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport is a joint-use airport located adjacent to Scott AFB. The airport was conceived in the early 1990s and opened in 1998. After more than a decade of intermittent passenger and cargo service, the airport has seen a stable growth in commercial airline service and aerospace manufacturing. Darren James is the Director of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport. Assistant Airport Director Jennifer Hogancamp attended the breakfast event and gave the presentation on the current status and future plans for the airport.
MidAmerica St. Louis Airport also serves as a Primary, Non-Hub Commerical Services Airport. Allegiant Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline, operates scheduled flights to twelve destinations from St. Louis, adjusting their schedule to meet seasonal demands. In 2024, there were over 150,000 enplanements on Allegiant flights. The airport recently completed a 42,000 Square foot expansion of the terminal while renovating the original terminal space. A federal inspection facility will be added to meet international customs requirements, and an apron expansion project is planned to accommodate more and larger jets as well as business and general aviation aircraft.
St. Louis Downtown Airport traces its history to 1929 when it opened as Curtiss-Steinberg Airport and began the long association with Oliver Parks and Parks College. Today, it is an enterprise of Bi-State Development and host to St. Louis University's Parks College Center for Aviation Science, a large Gulfstream Aerospace finishing facility, West Star Aviation, Gateway Jets aircraft management company and other aviation service providers. Charter jets as large as a Boeing 757 use the airport when transporting MLB teams, concert entertainers and racing team owners to downtown St. Louis and Metro-East Illinois venues. Air ambulance services, both helicopter and fix-wing, make frequent fuel stops at the airport along with transient military helicopters on cross-country flights.
The airport continues to improve and modernize the infrastructure on the field. In August of 2023, the $5.4M Ground Engine Runup and Compass Calibration Pad was dedicated. A new airport terminal is in the design phase, and a 5-year project to reconstruct the parallel Taxiway Bravo, moving the centerline 25 feet to the north, is also planned. The airport will keep the aviation community informed on each new project as they progress.
St. Louis Regional Airport opened in 1946 as Civic Memorial Airport after serving as a World War II training airfield. The airport grew and added a terminal and control tower in the 1960s, and the name changed in 1984 to better reflect the location near the St. Louis area. Today, St. Louis Regional Airport serves general aviation and corporate customers, providing over 1,500 jobs and generating an economic impact of $480M. St. Louis Regional Airport was designated as the 2024 Reliever Airport of the Year by the Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics at the Illinois Public Airport Association fall conference held last October.
The airport is operated by the St. Louis Regional Airport Authority. Along with Adams and Assistant Airport Director Drake Blackwell, there are nine other full-time airport employees - seven cross-trained maintenance technicians/firefighters providing 24/7 emergency services coverage and two administrative professionals. Runways 11/29 (8,100' x 150') and 17/35 (6,500' x 100') can accommodate most types of civilian and military aircraft. Airport operations reached over 40,000 in 2024, the highest count in fifteen years.
The airport is home to West Star Aviation, a heavy maintenance and overhaul business servicing the most popular corporate jet aircraft at locations throughout the Midwest and South. West Star Aviation expanded their already impressive facility by adding the @0M, 75,000 square foot Hangar 67 on the south apron. About 600 West Star employees currently work at the airport, with another 60-80 new jobs being added to the site.
Piston Aviation held their public grand opening at St. Louis Regional Airport last March, bringing flight training back to the airport after a lengthy absence. In less than six weeks, Piston Aviation turned the former 6,000 square foot airport restaurant facility into a luxurious training center and lounge. A site manager and dedicated CFIs serve the growing student population, and visitors are welcome to drop in and explore their flight training options.
Over the last 18 months, St. Louis Regional Airport has completed several high-value airport development projects. The $5.5M Runway 17/35 rehab project, including new asphalt, markings, and LED lighting, was completed in September of 2023. An $800K T-hangar apron project - replacing much of the asphalt and improving drainage - was completed last October. Three public parking lots (10k square yards) were also repaved in 2024 as part of a $1M Rebuild Illinois project. A Taxiway Bravo reconstruction project is now in the design stage, replacing 1,200 feet of asphalt with concrete and costing about $2M including federal and state funding. Updates to the fuel farm are also being incorporated into the airport's development plan.
The most noticeable airport development project is yet to come in 2025/2026. The FAA has chosen St. Louis Regional Airport as one of the first 31 recipients of the new Sustainable ATC Tower Design for regional airports. St. Louis Regional Airport hosts a contract air traffic control service with specified hours, and the controllers are looking forward to working in a state-of-the-art tower.
St. Louis Regional Airport hosts numerous events throughout the year. The most visible community outreach event is the annual September Wings-N-Wheels Fly-In and Car Show weekend. EAA Chapter 864 provides Young Eagles Flights for youth aged 8-17 in a general aviation aircraft. Several fire districts were represented at the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) training held last April at St. Louis Regional Airport. The day-long session was an FAA FAAST Team event providing essential aircraft rescue training for first responders.
St. Charles County Regional Airport began life during World War II as a U.S. Navy auxiliary airfield with eight runways arranged in an octagonal shape called Neubeiser Field, named after the original owner of the grounds. It later became known as Smartt Field in honor of Ensign Joseph G. Smartt, killed in action on December 7, 1941 while serving with Patrol Squadron 11 at the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Ensign Smartt took flight training at Naval Reserve Air Station, St. Louis (Robertson), Missouri, and a marker sponsored by the Missouri Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) is located near the wing's hangars.
St. Charles County Regional Airport self-funds their master plan development and is looking to provide improved air access to the surrounding county. Future projects include an updated terminal building, strong flood mitigation infrastructure and a main runway overlay project. The airport hosts several hi-visibility events each year, including the CAF Pumpkin Drop, Missouri Army National Guard Natural Disaster Response exercises, Airfield Mobility Liaison Officer Airfield Training Exercise with Scott AFB and the Sports Car Club of America Survival Driving School.
Creve Coeur Airport is a privately-owned Reliever Airport that hosts a variety of aircraft from one-of-a-kind vintage types to light jets and turboprops, and everything in between. The airport's roots go back to when Daniel Coats, Jr. landed his Piper Cub at the Dauster family farm in 1955. A few years later, an airfield was established, and throughout the next two decades it grew to host flight training and general aviation operations. In the early 1980s, the neighboring Arrowhead Airport closed, and the aircraft owners there migrated to Creve Coeur Airport. The current owners have developed the historic Dauster Field into a thriving aviation community.
The paved Runway 16/34 (4500' x 75') and grass runway, 7/25 (3079' x 220') have seen a significant increase in use in recent years by airport tenants as well as by Piston Aviation, Gateway Flight Training, STL Aviators Flying Club, the Gateway Chapter of the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation and Gateway Youth Aeronautical Foundation. Creve Coeur Airport is home to the world-renowned Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum containing a collection of extremely rare and expertly restored vintage aircraft, most of which are in airworthy condition.
Future development projects under consideration are Runway 16/34 extension to 5000', additional lot availability for owner-build hangars and additional public and private events this summer. This year, the biennial Youth Aviation Day returns on June 7 featuring a wide array of STEM exhibits, aircraft displays and EAA Young Eagle Flights.
The Aero Experience thanks the airport directors featured here for attending the breakfast event and sharing their latest accomplishments and future airport development plans with us. We also thank the Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association for sponsoring this and other valuable programs throughout the year.
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