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| By The Aero Experience Team |
In this edition, we combine the aircraft seen at Creve Coeur Airport, Spirit of St. Louis Airport and St. Charles County Regional Airport.
The Aero Experience is a celebration of Midwest Aviation and aerospace achievement. We invite you to join us as we tell the story of Midwest Aviation through first-hand, immersive media presentations. Check in with The Aero Experience frequently to see where we land, and then go out and have your own aero experiences!
Friday, November 28, 2025
November General Aviation (and More!) Survey
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
St. Louis Area Airport Directors Give Updates at Breakfast Event
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| By Carmelo Turdo |
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. 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 new master plan, including:
Runway 8R/26L (7485' x 150') reconstruction and addition of an Alpha 7 taxiway;
Widen taxiway Echo, widen and add surface roads;
Complete Spirit Sky Club state of the art hangar construction;
Develop the north apron West Terminal for general aviation customers;
Support aviation community groups who use the airport for meetings and activities.
St. Louis-Lambert international Airport is the Commercial Air Carrier Hub for the St. Louis 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.
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, the Director of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, 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 Commercial Services Airport. Allegiant Airlines, an ultra-low-cost airline, operates scheduled non-stop flights to fifteen destinations from St. Louis, adjusting their schedule to meet seasonal demands. In May, Allegiant launched their first flight to Gulf Shores with a full Airbus A320-214 departing from Gate 3. A year-over-year 25% increase in total passengers served is projected.
The airport recently completed a 42,000 Square foot expansion of the terminal while renovating the original terminal space and adding two boarding bridges. A general aviation facility, embedded in a federal inspection station, is currently under construction. A phased opening is planned in January 2026 through early 2027. A 15,000 square yard terminal apron expansion project is still awaiting matching grant funding.
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, STL Flight Training 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.
Tenant growth, especially with the expansion of the Gulfstream facility, is fueling the demand for a skilled workforce in the St. Louis-Metro Illinois area. Preparatory work on the $24M project to reconstruct the parallel Taxiway Bravo, moving the centerline 25 feet to the north, has begun and a $3.6M airport terminal reconstruction project is planned for the coming year. 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 and 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.
Airport operations have increased over the last several years to over 40,000 annually, mostly due to jet flights in and out of West Star Aviation and Piston Aviation flight training operations. Since last year, three public parking lots (10,000 square yards) were repaved 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. A new 10,000 gallon above ground fuel tank is also planned, and the lease for the grounds has been signed for the airport's new Sustainable ATC Tower. 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.
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. Last year, West Star Aviation expanded their already impressive facility by adding the 75,000 square foot Hangar 67 on the south apron. About 700 West Star employees currently work at the airport. Piston Aviation held their public grand opening at St. Louis Regional Airport in March 2024, 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.
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. In June of 2026, the airport will host the launch of the Air Race Classic all-female cross-country event.
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. Charles Auxiliary Field, 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. The airport has received a $3M matching grant to address local flooding concerns and a four-inch runway overlay is planned for next year.
The airport hosts several hi-visibility events each year, including the CAF Pumpkin Drop and Hangar Dance, Airfield Mobility Liaison Officer Airfield Training Exercise with Scott AFB, First Robotics competition and Pedal for the Cause fundraiser.
The Aero Experience thanks the Greater St. Louis Business Aviation Association for hosting the event and the airport directors for giving their briefings.
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