Bowman Field is a public

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

southeast of downtown Louisville, in Jefferson County, Kentucky. The airport covers and has two

runway In aviation, a runway is an elongated, rectangular surface designed for the landing and takeoff of an aircraft. Runways may be a human-made surface (often asphalt concrete, asphalt, concrete, or a mixture of both) or a natural surface (sod, ...

s. The

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

(FAA) calls it a reliever airport for nearby Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

History

Established in 1919, Bowman Field is Kentucky's first commercial airport and is the oldest continually operating commercial airfield in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

. It was founded by Abram H. Bowman, who was drawn to aviation by the interest generated during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Bowman found an outlet for his enthusiasm after meeting and forming a brief partnership with Louisvillian Robert H. Gast, a pilot and World War I veteran of the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

. Bowman leased a parcel of land east of Louisville from the U.S. Government in 1919 to operate the airfield, which opened in 1921. The first business ventures began with the aerial photography business in 1921, and the 465th Pursuit Squadron (Reserve) began operations at Bowman Field in 1922. Charles Lindbergh landed the '' Spirit of St. Louis'' at the airport in 1927, viewed by 10,000 spectators. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Louisvillians would often come to the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

terminal building to watch airplanes depart and land as a form of inexpensive entertainment. During the 1930s

Eastern Air Lines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...

and Trans World Airlines (TWA) carried passengers and mail in and out of Bowman Field. However, it could not be expanded due to its proximity to downtown. In 1947, the airlines moved to Standiford Field. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Bowman Field was one of the nation's most important training bases and the nation's busiest airport. The facility became known as "Air Base City" when a bomber squadron moved in and more than 1,600 recruits underwent basic training in a three-month period. The

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

' school for flight surgeons, medical technicians, and flight nurses also called Bowman Field home. Bowman Field was used in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'' as the base for Pussy Galore's Flying Circus; principal photography of hangars, aircraft, etc., were done there in fall of 1963.

Historic buildings

In 1988, three adjacent buildings at the airport were added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

as the ''Bowman Field Historic District''. They are the airport Administration Building (1929; 1936–37), the Curtiss Flying Service Hangar (1929), and the Army Air Corps Hangar (1931–32). Since many urban airports are located in industrial areas, this verdant setting is unusual and contributes to the ambience of the Bowman Field Historic District. The buildings of the Bowman Field Historic District are related not only by proximity and historical function, but by their

/ Art Moderne styling and use of masonry materials such as brick, stone and concrete. The dominant landmark of Bowman Field is its terminal, known as the Administration Building, styled in aerodynamic

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...

, and designed by the firm of ''Wischmeyer and Arrasmith.'' As built in 1929, it was a fairly modest two-story structure with one-story wings, housing administrative and communications offices,

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasting, weather forecasts and to study the weather and clima ...

, and restaurant. During 1936 and 1937, it nearly tripled in size. This was accomplished by demolishing the east wing and retaining the west and central sections as west wings of the new building. The Administration Building faces an elliptical landscaped island surrounded by a driveway and paved parking area. File:Bowman Field, Louisville.jpg, Bowman Field, Louisville File:Administration-building-bowman-field-louisville-ky-postcard.png, Postcard showing Bowman Field, Kentucky. Administration Building and Hangar

Current operations

Today Bowman Field is home to hundreds of privately owned aircraft as well as several commercial operations, including Aero Club of Louisville, Inc., and Louisville Executive Aviation. Several flight schools including Louisville Aviation, Kentucky Flight Training Center, Flight Club 502, and Cardinal Wings. operate there as well. The airport is home to multiple flight clubs. In the year-long period ending June 20, 2022, the airport averaged 268 aircraft operations per day: 47% local

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

, 45% transient general aviation 7% air taxi and <1% military. 235 aircraft are based at this airport: 195 single-engine, 29 multi-engine, 6 jet, and 5

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

. Bowman Field is operated by the ''Louisville Regional Airport Authority'', which also operates Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport.

References

* *

External links

*
Louisville Art Deco page on Bowman Field
* {{Louisville 1921 establishments in Kentucky Airports in Kentucky Airports established in 1921 Art Deco airports Art Deco architecture in Kentucky Transportation buildings and structures in Louisville, Kentucky National Register of Historic Places in Louisville, Kentucky Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Kentucky Airfields of the United States Army Air Corps Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces I Troop Carrier Command Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky Airports on the National Register of Historic Places Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Kentucky

History

Historic buildings

Current operations

See also

References

External links