This afternoon was hot and muggy... blast furnace coming from the south, thunderstorms along with it. Not ideal picture taking weather.... screw it, off we go.... down into the heart of Kansas City. Well not the heart exactly... just North of downtown, across the Missouri river sits the Charles B Wheeler Airport... just simply called the Downtown Airport these days. Opened in 1927, you could walk out of your skyscraper office, hail a taxi, and 2 minutes later be standing at the TWA ticket counter. Hows that for convenience? Home to TWA airlines, located in the center of the country... she was a crowning jewel of Kansas City.
Can you spot the fatal flaw? In her day, she was huge... had a 6,000 ft runway. Back in the day when Ford Trimotors ruled, and only needed 1,000 ft of the expansive runs of concrete. Surely she would serve KC for eternity.
Planes grew bigger and faster, and needed longer and longer takeoff and landing runs. In 1960 the FAA issued a statement calling the airport "the most dangerous airport in America." The fatal flaw? She was built on a peninsula created by the winding Missouri river. With no room for expansion, she was doomed.
In 1972 Kansas City opened Kansas City International airport out in the farmlands 20 miles north of the city. All major airline operations moved there, dooming the Downtown Airport. Except she refused to just quietly fade into history. She's still there. Granted, but a shadow of her former self... she soldiers on. I flew off and onto her runways and walked her ramps for years before I retired. At one time I knew her like the back of my hand. Lets have a look.....
Here we are just off the end of runway One Niner, facing south. You can see the Kansas City skyline in the background. It was a strong wind in our face. Any planes landing would pass about 50ft directly overhead. A cool shot.. no? We sat there for an hour... nothing. As I said, a shadow of herself. The SG was growing impatient... so was I. So... off we go around the perimeter road. We're on the West side of the airport now.
In the background is the mighty Missouri River. It's almost crested it's banks here several times this summer... and it's rising again. In 92 or 93, it completely covered the airport in about 10 feet of river. There's a high water mark commemorated with a plaque on one of the embankment walls. The road was closed today... a shot for another time perhaps.
Here we are in the parking lot of an abandoned hanger. Lots of these to pick from. I tried to get a peak inside, but everything's bolted or chained. No such luck.
One of the open air T-Hangers still in use.
TWA went bankrupt years ago. I remember this MD-80 flying in about 10 years ago. There it's sat ever since... waiting it's turn to be added to the museum.
Here's the Airline History Museum. Inside it sits a Lockheed Super Connie, a Douglas Gooney Bird and a handful of other planes from the past. When I was teaching, we used to hold our graduation ceremonies inside this hanger. To my mind, it was a fitting way to welcome newly minted mechanics to the world of aviation.... surrounded by the past. For an old hand like me.... well... lets just say I always managed to get something in my eyes...
Back around to the East side now, this used to be part of the main terminal. In it's day it was state of the art. Thankfully, the city still maintains it
All is not gloom.... here's a charter, it's APU patiently humming away... waiting to take a busload of passengers to who knows where.
Down but not out... Downtown Airport soldiers on.
Cheers, Jim.