Editing Meigs Field (section)

=== Operations ===
[[File:Meigs Field-Chicago-Terminal.jpg|thumb|Meigs Field Airport terminal building]]
[[File:Meigs Field-Chicago-Tower.jpg|thumb|upright|Meigs Field Airport air traffic control tower]]
[[File:19970921 13 Meigs Field (6067868136).jpg|thumb|The field in 1997]]

Almost immediately after World War II, in 1946, airport construction began. That same year the Illinois state legislature deeded {{convert|24|acre|ha}} of adjacent lake bottom to Chicago for additional landfill, to make the property large enough for a suitable [[runway]]. Aviation technology had advanced rapidly during World War II. The airport opened on December 10, 1948, in a grand ceremony.<ref name=airfields />

On June 30, 1950, the airport was officially renamed '''Merrill C. Meigs Field''', named after [[Merrill C. Meigs]], publisher of the ''[[Chicago's American|Chicago Herald and Examiner]]'' and an aviation advocate.<ref name=airfields /> Various improvements took place over the years, including the 1952 opening of an air traffic control tower, the 1961 opening of a new terminal building (dedicated by [[Richard J. Daley]]), runway lengthening, and the late 1990s charting of two FAA instrument approaches allowing landings in poor weather conditions. By the 1970s Meigs Field became a critical facility for aeromedical transport of patients and transplant organs to downtown hospitals as medical transportation technology modernized. Corporate aircraft also used the airfield including [[Cessna Citation]] and [[Dassault Falcon 10]] business jets, and [[Beechcraft King Air]] and [[Grumman Gulfstream I]] business propjets.<ref>http://www.airliners.net, photos of corporate aircraft at Meigs Field.</ref>

The Main Terminal Building was operated by the Chicago Department of Aviation and contained waiting areas as well as office and counter space. The runway at Meigs Field was nearly {{convert|3900|by|150|ft|abbr=on}}. In addition, there were four public helicopter pads at the south end of the runway, near [[McCormick Place]]. The north end of the runway was near the [[Adler Planetarium]].

Meigs Field also provided commuter airline service to the public, peaking in the late 1980s as Mayor [[Richard M. Daley]] took office. During the mid-1950s, Illini Airlines was operating scheduled passenger service between the airport and [[Freeport, IL]], [[Madison, WI]], [[Rockford, IL]] and [[Sterling, IL]] with [[de Havilland Dove]] and [[Piper Navajo]] twin engine prop aircraft.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, Nov. 1, 1955 Illini Airlines timetable</ref> From the 1960s to early 1990s, typical intrastate destinations were [[Springfield, IL]] and [[Carbondale, IL]]. Small airliners such as [[Beechcraft Model 99]], [[Beechcraft 1900C]], [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]] and [[Fairchild Swearingen Metro III]] turboprops as well as [[Piper PA-31 Navajo]] prop aircraft were operated on a scheduled basis into the airport. In 1968, Gopher Airlines was operating nonstop service between the airport and Minneapolis/St. Paul with Beechcraft 99 turboprops.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, Summer 1968 Gopher Airlines timetable</ref> In the mid- and late 1970s [[Air Illinois]] operated 44-passenger seat [[Hawker Siddeley HS 748]] turboprops into Meigs. The HS 748 was the largest aircraft to use Meigs on a regular basis for scheduled passenger airline operations. [[Ozark Air Lines]], a large local service airline in the midwest that primarily operated [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9]] jets and [[Fairchild Hiller FH-227]]B propjets at the time, served the airport during the early 1970s with DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprops with up to eight round trip nonstop flights a day between Meigs and the Illinois state capital in Springfield.<ref>{{cite web | title=Ozark Airlines in the 70's | website=iidbs.com | url=http://iidbs.com/ozark/ozhist70.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080515203501/http://iidbs.com/ozark/ozhist70.htm | archive-date=2008-05-15 | url-status=dead}}</ref> Other commuter air carriers serving Meigs Field in 1975 included Midwest Commuter Airways with nonstop flights to [[Indianapolis]] and [[South Bend]], and Skystream Airlines with nonstops to [[Detroit City Airport]] with both small airlines operating [[Beechcraft 99]] commuter turboprops.<ref>http://www.departedflights.com, April 15, 1975 Official Airline Guide (OAG), Chicago Meigs Field flight schedules</ref>

Scheduled passenger helicopter airline service was also available between Meigs Field and [[Chicago O'Hare Airport]] and [[Chicago Midway Airport]] at different times over the years. From the late 1950s to late 1960s, Chicago Helicopter Airways operated 12-seat [[Sikorsky S-58]]C helicopters with frequent flights to both O'Hare and Midway.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, Chicago Helicopter Airways timetables</ref>

Numerous VIPs used the airport in order to maintain security and also to avoid inconveniencing the Chicago traveling public, including President [[John F. Kennedy]]. In a common pattern, [[Air Force One]] would land at a larger area airport, and the President would then take the [[Marine One]] helicopter to Meigs Field to avoid the complications of a [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] escort via Chicago's expressways.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/1/12/18378717/where-14-candidates-for-mayor-stand-on-taxes-and-money-their-full-responses|title=Where 14 candidates for mayor stand on taxes and money — their full responses|date=2019-01-12|website=Chicago Sun-Times|language=en|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref>

On October 15, 1992, a [[Boeing 727-100]] jetliner donated from [[United Airlines]] to the [[Museum of Science and Industry (Chicago)|Chicago Museum of Science and Industry]] made its final landing at Meigs, on its way to be transported to the museum to become an exhibit. This was notable because Meigs' {{convert|3,900|ft|m|adj=on}} runway was considerably shorter than other airfields the aircraft normally used. Still, the lightly loaded jet did not require all of the runway. The 727 was then barged off the airport, prepared for exhibit and further barged to the museum.<ref name=Landing727>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/NV4tgjSPgks Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20090429093806/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV4tgjSPgks&feature=channel_page Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite video |date=1992-10-15 |title=727 Landing Meigs Field, Chicago Museum Science and Industry |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NV4tgjSPgks |access-date=2008-10-17 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Starting in the early 1990s, the Chicago-area Tuskegee Airmen, Inc provided free airplane rides every month and aviation education to Chicago youth at Meigs Field. Thousands of children took their first airplane rides there until 2003.<ref>{{cite web | last=Perkins | first=Dan | title=X-ed Out - Mayor Daley puts "X" on Chicago's Meigs Field | website=diversityinbusiness.com | date=June 2003 | url=http://www.diversityinbusiness.com/dib2003/dib20305/Av_Meigs.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100513181742/http://www.diversityinbusiness.com/dib2003/dib20305/Av_Meigs.htm | archive-date=2010-05-13 | url-status=dead}}</ref>