On July 29, 1937, an American Airlines Stinson TriMotor, capable of carrying about 10 passengers, touched down at McGhee Tyson Airport, marking the first commercial flight at that facility.
McGhee Tyson Airport actually traces its history to two earlier airports, Becky Huckaby, spokeswoman for the Airport Authority, said. In 1910, a group of aviation enthusiasts opened a private airfield near the current Chilhowee Park in East Knoxville. Then in 1927, Walter Self, who enjoyed flying as a hobby, opened Knoxville Aero Corp. on the south side of Sutherland Avenue, where West High School and the National Guard Armory are now. The airfield became the city's first municipal airport and Huckaby said apparently held the name McGhee Tyson Airport at some point.
That name came from a noted Knoxville aviator, Charles McGhee Tyson, who lost his life in the crash of a Navy aircraft during an anti-submarine mission in World War I.
According to information in News Sentinel story archives, Knoxville eventually began to outgrow the Sutherland Avenue location and the city decided to look for a site for a new municipal airport. After considering several sites, including one in West Knox off Kingston Pike and one near House Mountain in Northeast Knox County, Knoxville settled on the present location off Alcoa Highway in 1936.
To buy the property, Knoxville partnered with two Blount County cities, with Knoxville contributing $70,000 and Maryville and Alcoa each contributing $5,000. The original airport consisted of about 400 acres with two 3,600-square-foot asphalt runways and a hangar. This was more than sufficient to handle demand at the time, which consisted of two flights per day by American Airlines trimotors.
Today, McGhee Tyson Airport has two parallel 9,000-foot runways and sits on 2,000 acres. The airport handles an average of 120 departures and arrivals per day, with about 4,000 passenger seats available.
According to the latest report by Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority President Bill Marrison, McGhee Tyson Airport served 126,885 passengers in January, making that the second busiest January in the airport's history. Seven point three million pounds of air cargo moved through McGhee Tyson that same month.
McGhee Tyson, along with Downtown Island Airport, are important economic drivers, adding about $616 million annually to the local economy, according to a 2011 study by the University of Tennessee Center for Transportation Research.
Huckaby said the organization is planning a host of events during 2012 to mark the 75th anniversary of McGhee Tyson Airport. These include a four-day Citizens Aviation Academy in May, which will give participants a behind-the-scenes look at McGhee Tyson and other facilities, a "community day" July 29, to mark the first commercial flight at the airport, an exhibition called "75 Years of Making Memories in Aviation," featuring the work of 40 local artists and running June through October at the Airport and a dedication event Oct. 15 to mark the 75th anniversary of the official grand opening of McGhee Tyson Airport.
"We have been putting together information on the history of the airport," Huckaby said. News Sentinel story clippings from the East Tennessee Historical Society and information from the book "Aviation in Tennessee," by author Jim Fulbright have been helpful, she said.
Copyright 2012 - The Knoxville News-Sentinel, Tenn.
