Beatrice Municipal Airport

The Beatrice Municipal Airport

Provides a vital link to our community and the surrounding area.  The Airport is adequate to accommodate almost all single, turbo prop and business jets. Beatrice continues to grow and attract new business and industries.  Our Airport has courtesy cars available for your use.  Give us a call and we will be glad to reserve it for you.

Diana Smith, Airport Manager has over 39+ years experience of the day to day aviation activites, the last five of those years in airport management.  Diana has been involved in many aviation organizations through the years including one of the Founding members of the Nebraska Aviation Council, also is a member of the  Nebraska Association of Airport Officials, Beatrice Airport Foundation and the Flying Conestogas.  She understands the importance of General Aviation and how valuable the Airport is to their Community.

HISTORY

In about 1928, a group of men raised money to promote an airport for the city of Beatrice.  This money remained in the bank until 1940 when the new Airport Corporation was founded.  Stock was sold to forty different business and professional men at $25 a share.  Supporter Wallace Robertson purchased 160 acres of land connecting to the land already purchased by the corporation in Section 21 of Midland Township.  Mr. Robertson held the land until the money could be raised by the corporation.  A large hanger was built as a WPA project and an instructional pilot training program was started that same year.

In 1942, a successful bond was passed by voters.  Construction was stopped in 1943 due to World War II but began again in 1945 when new paved runways were built.  The familiar green and white beacon light was added in 1947.  Six metal hangers were built in 1949 when a small based airline started service to Beatrice.

The brick terminal building was built in 1950.  The building offered a lobby, restrooms, and two offices.  Local car dealer, Fred Lenz, donated cars to the airport to be used by passengers and pilots as a courtesy car.

By 1954 large twin aircraft were based at the airport and a full time manager, Don Fitzwater, was hired by the city of Beatrice.  Employees became trained weather observers when the airport became part of the teletype aviation weather network in 1956.

Frontier Airline was brought to Beatrice thanks to work of Charles Harman and William Scully.  This airline connected to St. Joseph and Kansas City, Missouri and Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska form 1959 until 1963.

A group of aviation enthusiasts, known as the Flying Conestogas, was formed in 1968.  This group promoted the airport with various air shows and fund raising with airplane rides.