History
The Northampton Airport was opened as a commercial airport on April 1, 1929. Many historic aviators, including Charles Lindbergh, flew here. Lindbergh would come to visit his then girlfriend, Anne Morrow, at Smith College. Amelia Earhart studied airframe maintenance in downtown Northampton, and although not officially documented, probably did some flight training at the Northampton Airport. In addition, the airport was also visited by Ruth Nickols and the Granville brothers (who were responsible for building the Gee Bee airplane).
During World War II, the airport was used as a naval training facility and trained many pilots for the war effort. One of the instructors during this period was Roger Atwood. He died on June 24, 2010 at the age of 88.
Located on the Connecticut River, it is within walking distance of downtown Northampton.
The airport has been in continuous operation since its inception in 1929. For several years prior to that, it had been used for barnstorming. Recently, the old runway received a facelift, including: a new runway, taxiways, lights, and a rotating beacon. The Holyoke Range is to the south, Mount Tom is to the southwest, the Berkshires are to the west, and the Connecticut River flows parallel to the runway, making it an easy landmark for finding the airport.
Read more about this topic: Northampton Airport
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“Every generation rewrites the past. In easy times history is more or less of an ornamental art, but in times of danger we are driven to the written record by a pressing need to find answers to the riddles of today.... In times of change and danger when there is a quicksand of fear under men’s reasoning, a sense of continuity with generations gone before can stretch like a lifeline across the scary present and get us past that idiot delusion of the exceptional Now that blocks good thinking.”
—John Dos Passos (1896–1970)